SonoFusion Setup

[Frank Sanns]

For another project entirely, I found myself with a high power (700watts) ultrasonic transducer and power supply. I also had a couple liters of D2O that I have had for quite a while burning (figuratively) a hole in one of my storage cabinets. It all led to me deciding to try bubble or sono fusion.

Here is my setup. Turns out I only needed a couple hundred ml of D2O to fill the beaker enough for the 1" probe to do its job so my remaining 18 bottles are still safe.

These photos show the setup minus the cooling air lines and cable routing for clarity of what is going on.

There are actually two separate He3 tubes in this setup. On the right, is a smaller, HDPE moderated, high pressure He3 tube that is abutting but not quite touching the beaker of D2O. It is coupled with the newer Ludlum 2200 scaler/ratemeter.

On the left of the sound absorbing cabinet is the second He3 22"x1" tube in a HDPE cylinder. It also runs into another Ludlum 2200 (older style) scaler/ratemeter.

I am running two for better confidence in the numbers to be sure nothing is going on with a changing background count or signal noise. The smaller one is the closer of the two for the 1/r^2 relationship but the other has more detection area. It really didn't mater in this case as they each have their own background counts so they are two completely independent systems.

The sonicator is a 700 watt unit that really cavitates the beaker of D2O. It is so much that I was somewhat nervous about breaking the beaker. Certainly if a harmonic were hit, it would be history but I determined at the 20KHz operating frequency there should not be a problem and fortunately there wasn't

So after everything was buttoned up, I did a few short run with long cool down times. Each run was only 1 minutes because 700 watts of input energy really heats the D2O quickly. After some measurements with the unit running and background, I came up with exactly zero neutrons.

In literature, lower surface tension deuterated solvents supposedly work better if it works at all. I guess I could make some up fairly easily but somehow I think this is a dead end.

If neutrons are being produced, they are at such a level that could never be productive. If I really use my imagination, I MIGHT be seeing literally 1 or 2 neutrons per minute above background in just 1 of the 5 runs. That is stretching my imagination and I would not put my signature on that result. I think the answer when I take my hopes out of the equation is exactly zero neutrons.

Still, it was a good way to shake down the setup and kick one more route of exploration for fusion out of the way.

[Dan Knapp]

It is my understanding that the claims of sonofusion have been found to be false. An investigation of Taleyarkhan at Purdue found him guilty of research misconduct and his funding agency (Office of Naval Research) barred him from further funding. Is there something more recent that suggests this can work?

[Richard Hull]

Good work frank. Did you cavitate to the point of getting the visible, tiny bright star in that jar that is the epic sign of concentrated cavitation in such experiments? I think it is that brilliant little star of focused, resonant cavitation i.e. sonoluminescence that is sought in the supposed fusion claims.

Here is what it looks like. back in the 90's before fusion for me, I actually witnessed this effect. A friend bought a kit and what you see in this short video, is what I saw. the central bubble form and the star can come in and out of existence. Just before it forms the bubble does seem to expand and then bingo, there it is. It can be stable for a second or two and then wink out and in based on the stability of the oscillator. To do this you need a very symmetric round flask, like a smooth round bottom Florence boiling flask. Geometry is critical as this involves sound waves my friend used a 100ml boiling flask that he extruded the pyrex neck to a smallish tubulation so energy would not "go up the spout" Much interesting work might be done here. one doesn't need a lot of drive power to do it I think my friend used a Crown DC-300 amp and threw in about 100 watts or so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlg0-GY1Brc

A far most illustrative and how to video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puVxGnl_3y



Richard Hull

[Frank Sanns]

Dan,

Here is a paper that seems to report fusion. https://homepages.rpi.edu/~laheyr/Sonof ... ETH-11.pdf


Richard,

I do not have the configuration nor the frequency tune-ability to levitate a bubble with this set up so I have not seen a star. In fact this arrangement is to disperse material through a liquid and to pump it around by the acoustic energy giving homogeneity.

However, upon thinking of all of this, I have concocted an experiment that I would like to do that might really kick up the fusion effect IF it is there. Let me ponder the patentability of that before I publicly disclose it.

[Richard Hull]

As always, go for it! Ideas and their investigation through experiment are the only way to forge ahead. All the best to all who chase down their ideas via experiment and tests using the scientific method. Planning a good experiment is every bit as necessary as the germ of the idea that is to be tested.

Richard Hull

[Dan Knapp]

Frank
The paper you list is a 2005 report by Taleyarkhan and others. The Purdue investigation which found him guilty of misconduct was in 2008. The sonoluminescence effect is real; one can see that, but I’m not aware of any substantiating evidence for sonofusion.

[Andrew Seltzman]

At one of the APS-DPP conferences there was confirmed neutron production (via a BTI-PND dosimeter) of plasma generated in D2O with a laser pulse (Nd:YAG I believe). This was a Nd:YAG laser focused into D2O to generate a plasma, so it certainly should be possible to generate neutrons with enough input energy.