Energy efficient proton production?

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Chris Bradley
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Re: Energy efficient proton production?

Post by Chris Bradley »

I don't think so, but I don't know and would be interested to hear how to calculate likely ion concentrations in a, e.g., anode layer source.
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Carl Willis
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Re: Energy efficient proton production?

Post by Carl Willis »

This is a hobby community. We don't work collectively towards a solution to anything. We work individually. Or more accurately, we play. Some play with neutrons. Some play with plasma phenomena. A few are interested explicitly in solving the energy crisis with fusion and maybe one or two of those types have built something that actually does fusion.

>your reply does not give figures for input energy versus output energy (theoretical) for this reaction

That is a bit irrelevant if getting units correct and doing a multiplication problem are a stretch! Also, there is no one solution to the question of what the "theoretical" input vs. output energy is. It is driven by circumstances particular to the method. So many rustlings about the putative virtues of p-B11 fusion have come blustering through this forum with not a single sycophant committed enough to the cause to build anything! Armchair physics. I've watched many years of this.

It's up there with shoes and ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings. Every few months, the time has come to talk about it. Time never comes to do something other than move jaw on it though. Why reopen the debate? Don't our voluminous archives do it justice, at least in light of the vacuum of actual practical involvement with the subject?

-Carl
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Quantum
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Re: Energy efficient proton production?

Post by Quantum »

I can't say I disagree with you, Chris...... And I'm not even going to bother suggesting a fusor with a central cathode made of crystalline boron 11.

It looks like the MaGrid/Polywell is the only way to go.....
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Re: Energy efficient proton production?

Post by Quantum »

That would probably be a function of charge (voltage), vacuum,teperature of anode and size. Do you mean +ions radiated by, or -ions attracted by the anode?
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Re: Energy efficient proton production?

Post by Quantum »

Like I said, I based my calculations on those of Robert W Bussard, as published by Tom Ligon. Bussard's fusor has, I understand, $200,000,000 funding from US Govt to achieve proton-boron 11 fusion. Busard contributed to this site before he died, and Tom Ligon has discussed this topic in detail on this site and has been published elsewhere.

Bussard's fusor is an electromagnetic fusor, as opposed to an electrostatic fusor, otherwise it is identical to other fosors on this site, just a bit bigger than most (3m x 3m x 3m MaGrid).

The general consensus is that, using duterium/tritium as a fuel, the fusor would self destruct in a very short time, due to internal neutron bombardment.

I may be repeating what others have said elsewhere.

This is, after all, what the purpose of the fusor is, to produce power through fusion without self-destructing.
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Chris Bradley
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Re: Energy efficient proton production?

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No, I think it'd just be a function of magnetic field.
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Re: Energy efficient proton production?

Post by Quantum »

I think I mis-understood your question, crossed threads. I can see what you mean now. The magnetic field required to constrict the ions.

btw, I can see from your maths that the protons would need a HUGE amount of energy in order to maintain sufficient velocity to attain a sufficient number of collisions to reach break even. Like I said earlier, I wasn't going to attempt to do the maths until I had some idea of the losses involved.

Do you think the WB-8 and WB-9 polywells will achieve proton-boron 11 fusion?
wonderer
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Re: Energy efficient proton production?

Post by wonderer »

why dont u try to make a new element thats more efficiant and is capable of using all the energy it creates and has minimum waste produce.
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