Magnetized Target Fusion

[guest]

Interesting stuff.
http://wsx.lanl.gov/mtf.html

[DavidHansen]

Smashing a plasma with a pulsed magnetic field in hopes of fusion - hasn't that been done before?

David Hansen

[3l]

It is antique as hell tho.
All the preliminary work was done under Dr James Tuck in 1957.
It was called the (Zeta in England Scylla in the US) machine.
The only difference is the adding of a crushable liner.
In 57 the machine only crushed plasma.
That idea is way old too... older than the space shuttle design ..dates from 1969....as usual the Ruskies did it first at Arzemaz Physics Institute in EX USSR.
Don't worry boys they are still trailing us!

Fusion is fun!

Larry Leins
Fusion Tech

[DavidHansen]

It's also nice that our devices don't blast molten metal out the ends when we operate them.

David Hansen

[3l]

It's a Small detail but one I'm glad we don't have to mess with.

Fusion is fun (the way we do it)!
Larry Leins
Fusion Tech

[Richard Hull]

Still lookin' at what is, in effect, a thermonuclear explosion in the small. I'd love to see the explosion/electricity conversion rig. Just my usual engineering thoughts coming to the fore. We have been doing nuclear fusion explosions for some time now. Never have we converted any to useful electric power. Even with The old slow, controlled nuclear fusion, as originally foreseen, the conversion would have been a toughy (probably boiling water against a fusion plasma transferance system.)

Man! Can you imagine trying to suck useful, continuous, grid ready power from lightning? This is what the final result would be here or in laser ICF.

A lot of you here are not familiar with say a continuous outpouring of 5-10 megawatts of heat, electricity, fusion or even fission energy. It is a force to be reckoned with at the material science level that staggers the mind. With pulsed explosions to wind up with a net, power ready 5-10 megawatts you would be doing near gigawatt explosions as fast as you could!!!

A lot of this stuff sounds good until you try and engineer around it to calm 20pps gigawatt explosions down to a continuous rip roaring 5-10 consumable megawatts.

If LANL is totally 100% successful, I pity anyone trying actually get their "electrical hands" on any of that energy. You'll still wind up with a full net 5-10 megawatts of neutron induced activation of the station and materials in any containment system.

This is another limited, out-of-control - contolled fusion idea that sounds like more make-busy work for LANL staffers.

At least fission can be dialed smoothly from the pocket warmer power levels to hiroshima level output with relative ease. What's more, we are using it right now. It is understood technology with zero development time and costs. I figure that the reason we are not making more fission plants now is that we really have no real need for the power they offer....YET! We need to get a little more deprived, a little colder in winters to come and have a policy of "one power day per family, per week. Then the plants will go up quick enough. Rapidly built fission plants worry the hell outta' me. We need to do the job right.....and right now start the climb, not in some national emergency.

Richard Hull