F.I.C.S. Construction

For posts specifically relating to fusor design, construction, and operation.
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Steven Sesselmann
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F.I.C.S. Construction

Post by Steven Sesselmann »

For those interested, I am posting a link to some pictures that I am taking along the winding and forked path to fusion. A frustratingly long and slow process, especially when you consider that that I didn't even have a lab.

http://www.gammaspectacular.com/oldsite ... ction.html

Enjoy.

Steven
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction - First Plasma

Post by Steven Sesselmann »

Hi Guys,

I guess only those of you who have been there and done that, realize what a slow and winding road it is to construct an experiment like this.

Anyway, today I passed another milestone...

The $600 worth of bits and pieces from Swagelok finally arrived, and I was ready to assemble the core components of FICS.

First I pulled the whole thing down, and methodically cleaned each component with acetone, before carefully wiping each rubber seal with a thin coat of Dow Corning vacuum grease. Although Viton rubber seals are not as reliable as Conflat copper seals, they make it a lot easier to open and close the chamber, which suits me with this proof of concept reactor.

I am really pleased with how the accelerator tube turned out, it holds vacuum nicely and now that the latex glue has completely set, it can be handled like any nipple.

I have constructed a voltage divider from 10 x 68M Ohm 3Kv resistors, which connect to each aluminum disc with a mini banana plug. These will stabilize the voltage across the divider and also help to discharge the cathode after use.

Still to be fitted is a Faraday cage over the whole thing, to prevent accidental contact with the cathode (yes I can be a little absent minded sometimes).

Image 1
First air plasma, at 5000V the plasma struck light at around 45 micron pressure.

Image 2
Air plasma, looks pretty cool, I had no X ray monitor today, so I was not prepared to go past 10 Kv.

Image 3
Here you can see the accelerator tube and part of the voltage divider, also pay attention to the Swagelok Quick Connect fitting on the gad cylinder, it will allow for easy refilling of the cylinder.

Image 4
Back of the accelerator, showing the rest of the divider.

Image 5
Strip down and reassembly process.

What next...

I am still waiting for the high vacuum gauge, also need to build the gas handling system, which needs to be constructed in such a way that I can evacuate air from the tubing and the gas cylinder before admitting the D2.

Further as already mentioned, I intend to build a wire mesh cage over the top of the whole reactor.

X ray and neutron monitoring systems as well as elementary shielding also needs to be installed.

Plenty to do, so stay posted, and feel free to make suggestions.

Steven
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction - First Plasma

Post by John Futter »

Steven
Nice pics
You will find that as you increase voltage the accelerator tube focus will improve, and you will need less gas in the tube to get the same current --this also helps focus by reducing beam spread due to particle repulsion.
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction - First Plasma

Post by Chris Bradley »

Very pretty plasma colour, Steven!

I get the impression it is a series of plasma glows in between each stage? Can you see any further detail, closer up? The one in the 3rd stage from the top seems much dimmer than the others. Any particular reason that might be?
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction - First Plasma

Post by Steven Sesselmann »

John & Chris,

Thanks for comments..., it's still early days, and it will take time to become familiar with FICS and how the plasma behaves. So far it looks promising, and even though I can not see it clearly, the plasma at the top inside the cathode appears brighter. The slight variation in brightness along the flight tube might be due to a variation in the resistors.

Steve Hosemans made a good suggestion, but unfortunately a bit late. He suggested that the water cut glass discs could have been "D" shaped, with the flat side polished. That would have given us a nicer view of the beam.

Although, I do not think that the beam will be particularly spectacular, all the action takes place in the hollow cathode, into which it is difficult to see. The only way would be to change the vacuum end to a tee, and put a viewport looking up the tube. This would possibly allow for doppler spectrometry of the ions in the flight tube.

Steven
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction - First Plasma

Post by Brian_Gage »

Steven,
What is meant by "water cut" glass disks? Approximately how thick and large in diameter are these disks? I can visualize grinding and polishing them into a 'D' shape to provide a view along one side, but wonder what part they play.

Also, are these disks between the ion gun and cathode, as insulating separators of an accelerator or drift tube? Do these disks have a hole in the center? Are they inside a glass tube connected to the central metal cathode sphere? I'm assuming these are all inside a metal fusor anode envelope with a view-port, orr, are they outside the anode chamber, as part of the ion gun?

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Brian Gage
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction - First Plasma

Post by Steven Sesselmann »

Brian,

Forgive me, I forgot that you are not able to see the pictures.

I have constructed an accelerator tube or flight tube, by laminating a number of glass discs and aluminum discs together with Latex rubber glue.

Imagine 10 aluminum discs, 5 mm thick with holes in the middle, outside diameter and hole about the size of a CD, then a further 10 discs, water cut from 10 mm thick float glass, with holes slightly larger than the aluminum discs.

Now glue the discs together with Latex glue, so the whole thing looks like a stack of flap jacks, and instead of sirup running out it's the latex glue.

Now clamp the whole thing together and let it dry (for weeks).

After it has all been cleaned up you have what looks like a pipe, made from layers of aluminum and glass.

Now construct a 10 stage voltage divider made from high voltage resistors, and connect each stage to one of the aluminum discs, so that when you apply a voltage across the divider, the potential between each disk is evenly spread.

Ions traveling down such a tube, are focused with each stage, and therefore allow me to steer them through a 10 mm hole, and into the spherical hollow tungsten cathode.

Placed on top of the cathode and electrically coupled to it, is a small sample cylinder of deuterium, from which the gas may bleed at a slow rate into the cathode chamber.

The objective of the experiment is that primary ions that are created in the flight tube, will enter the reaction chamber and create secondary ions inside the cathode. Such ions created at a negative potential lacking the energy to escape, so are trapped.

Hope that makes sense...., actually describing the apparatus for you is quite helpful because when you are writing the claims to a patent, you are not allowed to refer to diagrams, the invention should be fully described with words, not an easy task.

Steven
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction - First Plasma

Post by Richard Hull »

A very nice, professional looking and well executed project, thus far. All the best, as always, in your efforts to push the envelope.

The pix are very nice and clear.

Richard Hull
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Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction - First Plasma

Post by Brian_Gage »

Thanks Steven,
Your description not only makes sense, it is quite graphic.
Is there any problem during operation of gassing from the latex glue? Or, does this central flight tube hole contain an isolating glass drift tube?
Is this stack of CD-sized disks contained inside a fusor cylinder or sphere? or outside, injecting ions into the cathode?
Does the FICS have a dielectric oil between the cathode and anode like the STAR?

Pardon the additional questions, and thanks for the help.


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Brian Gage
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction - First Plasma

Post by Steven Sesselmann »

Brian,

Latex glue is water based, and smells slightly of ammonia, but once dry, it becomes like rubber, and out gassing ceases.

I failed to mention that, before gluing the discs together I ground the glass surface against the aluminum surface with grinding paste, this resulted in a very close fit, so the layer of latex glue is almost nothing, probably less than 50 microns.

No there is no vacuum tube inside, else the electric field from the aluminum discs would be shielded.

In my first experiments I intend to try FICS dry, but if current leakage to air from the cathode is too high, I have built it in such a way that an oil filled anode can be added later.

The bottom flange (anode) is actually 200 mm diameter and has a row of bolts around the perimeter, such that a large nipple can be fitted over the whole thing.

Think of my reactor as a stove top coffee maker or percolator , the cold water water is placed in the bottom chamber, and when you heat the bottom chamber, the water gains potential, and pushes up the tube in the middle, ending up in the top chamber.

In FICS, the ions are not injected into the cathode, they are created in the cathode, and the heat alone is not enough to push the gas up the tube, only by fusing, and obtaining several Mev of kinetic potential are the ions are able to fly to freedom.


Steven
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction - First Plasma

Post by Brian_Gage »

Okay, great descriptions. I can visualize the coffee perkalator analogy, though this stack of glass and aluminum disks sound more like a stovepipe. Is the tungsten sphere cathode on the top of this stack? And, is there something more above this? As in, which end, top or bottom is the vacuum connection?
Since alpha particles are +2, and would tend to be repelled by the anode flange, how do they get out of the cathode?

Also, after reading this post on my wife's lap-top today, and considering an image of this stack on my way home, wondered if the gluing was essential. That is, could the disks have been stacked and fitted into a large diameter sealed glass chimney, the divider resistor chains fitted into notches cut into the perimeter of the glass disks?

If it isn't priveledged info, why are the aluminum disks 5 mm thick and the glass 10 mm thick? Is this primarily due to the 100 kV voltage differential? And do they have to be that large in diameter?

Sorry for all the questions, but your F.I.C.S. reactor really sounds facinating and I hope it works.

Regards,
Brian Gage
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction - First Plasma

Post by Steven Sesselmann »

Brian,

In it's current configuration (FICS MK1) it looks like this...

Essentially a stack built from the ground up..

A 100 mm diameter turbo pump, hermetically connected to a 100 mm nipple with butterfly valve, the nipple hermetically connected to a 200 mm stainless steel flange, the flange connected to the flight tube, the flight tube connected to the hollow cathode, the hollow cathode connected to a calibrated leak, the calibrated leak connected to a 50 cc sample cylinder, the sample cylinder having a quick connect valve for refilling.

Where in use, the sample cylinder is filled with Deuterium, and a negative voltage potential is applied between ground and the cathode, as the deuterium gas builds up in the cathode and flight tube, Paschen breakdown will start the ionization process, which in turn will ionize further molecules within the cathode, such ions being essentially confined to the cathode, thereby causing a build up in the number density of ions, leading to eventual fusion, heat and x-rays consequently reflect in the cathode holraum and converge in the center, further contributing heat to the fusion reaction.

Fusion products (He3 and T) escape via the flight tube and carry a charge of +1, through a 100 KV potential to ground, while electrons are forced to take the longer route through an outside circuit, thereby generating an electric current.

The current generated from FICS may be small but the voltage is high, at worst the current will contribute to maintaining a low cathode potential, at best, useful power may be extracted. Either way it should be an improvement.

Steven
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction

Post by Steven Sesselmann »

Hi Guys,

Just a little progress post, to prove that I am not slacking on the job!

Today I installed a digital volt meter, which measures the cathode voltage directly. The analog volt meter integral in the power supply does not read accurate voltage on the cathode, as it sits above the ballast resistor. In order to measure the effect of charge separation, I will need an instant voltage reading on the cathode at all times.

This $30 Jaycar panel meter will do the job for now, it runs on 5V power, and has been set to respond to a range of 0 - 200V (0 - 199.9 on the meter). By adding the appropriate 680K resistor, to my voltage divider, I was able to create 1000/1 ratio.

Later I intend to add some DAQ modules, that will allow me to record the experiment in something like Labview. Real time recording will allow for better post experiment analysis, of things like neutron output vs. voltage vs. pressure etc..

On the lower rack panel you will also see that I have installed a loud speaker, this is for audio monitoring of X-Rays or Neutrons. The setup is extremely simple, with my GS.

The GS-1100A has a range of 600-1100 volts, so when I use it with a GM pancake detector, I set it to 700 volts, the 3.5 mm audio jack plugs into a 5W mono amplifier ($30 from Jaycar), the amp just connects to the speaker. It also works with my B10 neutron detector, when set to 1050V, the gammas are hardly audible, while neutrons give a real pop in the speaker.

Picture descriptions;

Picture 1.
Showing close up of U Rack with 100KV power supply (top) and aluminum panel (bottom) with vacuum gauge and digital panel meter for cathode voltage, right hand side of panel has holes in with a 5W speaker screwed to the back.

Picture 2.
U rack with power supplies and equipment

Picture 3.
Close up of accelerator tube showing voltage divider with 10 x 68M Ohm resistors and 1 x 680K Ohm resistor (one leg to ground). Wires to volt meter connected across the 680K resistor.

Picture 4.
Accelerator stack

Picture 5.
Showing the GS-1100A with Jaycar audio amp and speaker used for x-ray detection.


Steven

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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction

Post by Chris Bradley »

Steven,

I expect you are already aware of this limitation/caveat, but I do not think you will be getting a direct reading of the cathode potential this way when the device is operating. You'll end up with, hopefully!, some useful metric, but when the plasma is in operation each junction of that resistor string I think you will find you have a current through it into the plasma, as well as down the resistor string.

The voltage across your sense resistor is measuring the current between that first electrode and ground, which is composed of *some function* of the current as it passes down through each electrode stage together with the current that particular electrode is drawing.

You'll be roughly OK providing a) the current through the resistor string is significantly greater than the net current into the plasma, and b) the current into the plasma is uniform for each electrode. If I were not confident of a and/or b then I would not use the reading as a measure of cathode potential.
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction

Post by acaldarone »

I'm a bit new to this but let me see if I understand this correctly. You're going to use the fusion products to create a second positive electrical potential to drive the electrons to create a current? An I right? If so that's a fascinating way to draw energy from a fusor in an indirect fashion.

Also, I was reading some of the stuff you wrote about this fusor, and you said the fusion products will be traveling out of the chamber via the flight tube? But it looks from the photos that the deuterium bottle is already attached to the top of the flight tube as an ion gun. Can you please clarify the operation of this device, and how it is different from a standard fusor, in novice terms, please?
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction

Post by Chris Bradley »

Andrew, may be better to add this to the existing thread on Steven's theory than in this 'construction' thread. viewtopic.php?f=14&t=6958#p42641
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction

Post by Steven Sesselmann »

Andrew,

The idea is quite simple, you store the deuterium gas at cathode potential, and ionize it in the cathode, thereby creating lots of ions with insufficient energy to climb their way out of the potential energy well, the number density and temperature of the plasma in the cathode therefore rises rapidly.

The deutrons are forced to fuse, and by doing so, will liberate enough energy for the resulting products (He3, T, p and n) to escape via the flight tube.

By climbing their way out, against an electrical potential of up to 100Kv, every positive charge of +1 liberates 100kev of electrical energy, because the electron must fall through the equivalent potential to rejoin the proton.

Steven
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction

Post by Steven Sesselmann »

Chris,

We must have posted at the same time...

Just on you previous comments, I agree that inserting the divider at the ground end may be far from ideal, but I am sure you agree that it would be a lot more difficult to get a measurement directly from the high voltage cathode.

I don't think it will be much of a problem, because in order to turn up the voltage, the pressure in the tube needs to be very low, plasma therefore not very conductive.

Steven
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction

Post by Chris Bradley »

I'm struggling to see what function the resistors will actually serve in practice, when the plasma is operating.

If we consider, say, (e.g.) 50kV applied then this will result in ~75uA through the resistor string. If the current through the plasma turns out to be, e.g., one or two mA then the effect of the resistors will be negligible. The potentials of the intermediate electrodes will be dominated by what the plasma is doing. Then, the plasma's own resistance/potential gradient will determine the potentials of the intermediate discs.

Put it another way; if a mid-point half way down the tube in the plasma is getting 1mA of current directly through the plasma, then how will a measly 75uA from the ring electrode through the resistor string have much of an effect? Are you not in need of a power supply with the capacity to deliver in excess of the equivalent plasma current, at each and every target potential of your discs, for them to have the effect you are after?
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction

Post by Steven Sesselmann »

Chris,

I can easily lower the value of the resistors. My limitation is the power supply, with maximum 5ma. 5M resistors is about as low as I can go (see excel screen shot below).

Steven
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction

Post by Chris Bradley »

Hi Steven,

I think I would anticipate 5mA is what you will be needing to 'compete' with the current in the plasma, such that the disc electrodes 'win' and *they* get to set the voltage, rather than the plasma 'deciding'!

However, 5mA through 5Mohm is 125W - each resistor! Plus, you still need to cover whatever current the plasma pulls, on top of that. (I'll PM you by email with a suggestion for an alternative approach.)

In any case, these are only 'things to think about' at this stage, because it would be guesswork to deduce how the device will actually operate. Who can say just yet - maybe it *will* only pull 10uA and then the resistor values will look OK.

On occasions, various configurations of my own device have pulled as low as 20uA! It gets difficult to tell external leakage currents from 'drawn' current, then!! You don't get to see a plasma, all you have to tell you something is happening are the comings-and-goings of the indicated voltages and currents, and occasionally glowing dielectrics in the paths expected of ions or electrons!
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction

Post by Richard Hull »

Chris is correct, of course.

The proper way to measure your voltage to about 5% or 10% is to have a single, isolated circuit with a very high value resistance like 1 gigohm in series with a 10K ohm wire wound resistor creating a roughly 1: 10e5 reduction allowing a 0-1volt span to represent 0-100kv. Note: the meter placed across the 10K should have an internal impedance of at least 1megohm. The usual neon lamp and or "transorb" diode needs to be across the 10K ohm resistor, as well.

The 1 gigohm is going to be hard to find in a long enough stick to be proof against 100kv. Locate some 100 megohm resistors that are long enough to withstand 10kv across them. (Much easier task to locate) Place 10 in series and you are home free.

There are the usual issues regarding corona leakage and voltage standoff in such an assembly. Be very careful if you pot or put this in oil as the overall resistance may change based on the conductivity (cleanliness, moisture content) of the medium used.

Richard Hull
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction

Post by Steven Sesselmann »

Chris and Richard,

I have taken your comments on board, and so shall it be done, or redone in this case.

What is the selection criteria for the transorb diode, is this to protect the volt meter?

Steven
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction

Post by Chris Bradley »

Steven Sesselmann wrote:
> What is the selection criteria for the transorb diode, is this to protect the volt meter?

If the voltmeter burns out and goes open circuit, one side of it (connected to the resistor chain) may float to the full applied potential.

I don't think it is a concern if you are measuring the voltage across a low-ish 'sense' resistor with one side tied to earth (and with your 1Mohm internal-resistance meter reading that voltage, across the resistor), as in that scenario your meter can go poof but would still stay close to ground by virtue of the sense-resistor. I'm not sure if any sort of transorb would serve a useful purpose in that scenario, but if you were measuring just current (no parallel resistor to the meter) then some additional safety component is desirable.

Personally, I tend to float my meters anyway and isolate them all on rubber mats on top of something dielectric. 'DO NOT TOUCH', etc..
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Re: F.I.C.S. Construction

Post by Richard Hull »

Both the neon and the transorb are for protection. A 5 volt transorb would do the trick.

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Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
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