dynamic fusor patent, Salvatore Pais

[stefan.kuzminski]

Don't know if this has been posted elsewhere, new patent out of US Navy,

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2019/0295733.html

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/3 ... on-reactor

[Paul_Schatzkin]

More magnets.

They’ll never learn.

—PS

[Bob Reite]

Controlling a plasma with a magnetic field is like trying to hold Jello with rubber bands.

[Richard Hull]

When fusion researchers finally get the magnets in just the right configuration with just the right field shape and the perfect magnetic strength they will have a bunch of magnets in a configuration with a field that has some known strength. Fusion? Well that is another whole kettle of fish.

More magnets! There are never enough magnets.

Richard Hull

[Paul_Schatzkin]

Glad you guys share my sentiments about magnets. I’ve heard that line about jello and rubber bands before. May have to use it...

—PS

[stefan.kuzminski]

I understand that the deep experience of the folks on this board would tend to a skeptical viewpoint
but come'on let's pick it apart just a little more than that..

I doubt I understand it, but apparently the claim is that some piezoelectric effect used to create a coherent 'spinning and/or accelerated vibration' in the plasma.
I suppose compared to a 'normal' radio-frequency heating which gives more of a hot mess.
hard to imagine the grid physically spinning, although we can hope..

There are a set of patents from this gentleman, all in a similar vein
https://patents.google.com/?inventor=Sa ... tore+Pais)

[Dennis P Brown]

Many in the real fusion community are laughing about this - but then, anything can be patented if it is different. A patent does not require anything to work, just not violate laws of physics. I won't worry about this effort enough to even evaluate it any further - zero money will be put into it and that's exactly what this idea is worth.

[Patrick Lindecker]

Hello Dennis,

I have a doubt about patents in USA. It seems possible to patent ideas. Do you confirm?
This is not possible here (France and surely Europe). You need a "proof of concept". You cannot patent ideas.

I read the patent. The author suggests that he is able to produce 1E6 teslas (with toroidal coils...). It is just enormous whereas passing 5 Teslas is a challenge (without considering the enormous mechanical constraints generated). I understand that obtaining 1E6 Teslas easily would be, of course, great for fusion. However it is a wish and this comes back to my question about patenting an idea.
Moreover there are no details, just generalities which could not permit to a standard enginner to realize the prototype (normally a patent must have sufficiently details to permit the construction of the prototype for an engineer of the same field).

Note: the author refers to a paper that I'm going to read.

Patrick Lindecker

[stefan.kuzminski]

Clearly the patent system in the USA is totally dysfunctional and even corrupt, and this work is easy to categorize as 'fake news' without any demonstrated embodiment.

But laughing grey-beards are a poor indicator of the worth of new ideas if history is any guide..

Does anyone know of other groups working with piezoelectric materials in a containment design?

[Paul_Schatzkin]

...but often for all the wrong reasons.

I think this whole story – it's publication, the reactions to it – reflect a) the culture's hunger for this kind of energy and b) the media's total lack of judgement regarding news of the subject. That began basically in 1989 with the feeding frenzy over "Cold Fusion" continues to this day.

The subject continues to curry cultural favor, from "Back to The Future" ("....Roads? Where we're going, we don't roads...") to more recent expressions. Over the weekend I watched the 2012 movie "Cloud Atlas," which includes some rather exotic transport vessels. When asked how the vessels are powered, the answer is "fusion engines." Well, duh, sure, 200 years into the fictional future...

The world wants – and with each passing day more desperately needs – this form of energy.

But I am finally coming to the realization – which is not easy to articulate but I'm getting there – that the reason fusion energy is not at our disposal has nothing to do with the technology and everything to do with the shortcomings of the species (that would be us humans) that has come to the threshold of its realization.

More on that, hopefully sooner rather than later.

--PS