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by D Tibbets
Sun Dec 07, 2008 4:06 am
Forum: Theory
Topic: Electron interactions with the magnetic field
Replies: 56
Views: 24908

Electron interactions with the magnetic field

Since things have been slow I'll take this opportunity to ask for feedback, expansion on my understanding of charged particle- magnetic field interactions. Much of my understanding of the effects are represented by this You-tube video of a declassified nuclear test. Most of the pertinent information...
by D Tibbets
Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:22 pm
Forum: Theory
Topic: Recirculation redux
Replies: 11
Views: 6887

Some speculation from a layman's point of view. The advantage of WB6 over WB4 is mostly the round geometry (and the spacing between the coils). And this is what Dr Bussard claimed made all the difference. I suppose a square cross section magnet would be easier to build, and would have a sharper turn...
by D Tibbets
Tue Nov 25, 2008 8:30 am
Forum: Theory
Topic: Polywell presentation on U tube- usefull?
Replies: 4
Views: 3698

Polywell presentation on U tube- usefull?

I just found a U-tube presentatin (3 parts), Looks like it was a lecture presentation in a class or meeting. The presenter seemed to have collected much of the general information, but there are so many misstatements and apparent misconceptions that I cannot decide if it serves better as a Polywell ...
by D Tibbets
Tue Nov 25, 2008 1:08 am
Forum: Theory
Topic: Wiffle-Enhanced Inertial (Thermalized) Confinement?
Replies: 7
Views: 5329

I'm not certain how close these approches are to what you ask about, but the National Ignition Facility should be coming online next year. They hope to achive ignition and net power by explosively compressing (imploding) a pellet with lasers. And, Sandia Labs have compressed pellets with a 'Z- pinch...
by D Tibbets
Tue Nov 25, 2008 12:48 am
Forum: Theory
Topic: Polywell for Space Propulsion
Replies: 27
Views: 14615

Some replies to various comments on this thread... ( hopefully not too inacurate) With thermal nuclear rockets- cooling should not be a problem as the 'fuel' (ideally hydrogen) acts as the coolant as it passes through the reacter and carries away the heat in the exaust. I see two advantages of a P B...
by D Tibbets
Sat Sep 27, 2008 11:59 am
Forum: Theory
Topic: Further 'cheap' tests
Replies: 15
Views: 9043

I hadn't considered shrinkage. I'm guessing that measurements of electron confinement time, varous other plasma measurements could be usefull. But, measurement of neutron output would be problamatical. The 30? cm WB6 only produced ~3 detected neutrons in a sub microsecond period . Smaller sizes woul...
by D Tibbets
Sat Sep 27, 2008 4:18 am
Forum: News
Topic: Any official news as of late July 2008?
Replies: 154
Views: 92736

So, if I'm following correctly, at least for the first collision the crossection is directly proportional to the reaction rate, and since the IEC fusers are essentially opposing beam devices they have a distint advantage over Tokamak type devices that depend on random collisions within the hot plasm...
by D Tibbets
Sat Sep 27, 2008 3:58 am
Forum: Theory
Topic: Further 'cheap' tests
Replies: 15
Views: 9043

Further 'cheap' tests

Making the assumption that some limited funds are aviable to continue work with the current infrastructure EMC has, what tests can be done without further large capital investments (other than new magrids)? Increased power to test reaction rates -vs- voltage/current. Magnetic field strength effects ...
by D Tibbets
Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:42 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Any official news as of late July 2008?
Replies: 154
Views: 92736

My understanding is that the WB-6 only used D-D fuel. It was compared to earier Farnsworth- Hersch type fusers that obtained similar neutron outputs with D-T fuel and at voltages ~10 times greater. And, simply speaking, I'm guessing that extrapolating fusion rates of various fuels based their crosse...
by D Tibbets
Fri Sep 12, 2008 4:21 am
Forum: News
Topic: TOKAMAK Instabilities
Replies: 25
Views: 16336

From RNebel ..."That's why the Polywell has a customer while the Tokamak doesn't, and hasn't had one for at least 25 years."... Reading between the lines- does this mean that EMC2 has funding for further development, possibly from a venture capitalist source :?: Or, does it just refer to the past Na...
by D Tibbets
Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:14 pm
Forum: Theory
Topic: Power costs to run the electromagnets
Replies: 26
Views: 13590

Power costs to run the electromagnets

In the Wikopedia article on JET they mention that they got up to ~ 70-80% of break even. That was compared to the input heating energy (~ 20 MW), but ignored the power to run the electromagnets. They needed hundreds of MW to run the system overall. And the polywell probably does not consume much ene...
by D Tibbets
Fri Aug 29, 2008 6:00 am
Forum: General
Topic: Lets make sure it's called the 'Bussard Reactor'
Replies: 62
Views: 36141

In stead of BFR for Bussard Fusion Reactor( BFR), change it to Bussard Fusion System (BFS). Eventually, it could be shortend to Bussard System ( BS ). That way,when Scotty see's a really big and powerful Bussard System, he can say- "that is really alot of BS".



Dan Tibbets
by D Tibbets
Fri Aug 29, 2008 5:48 am
Forum: General
Topic: He3 catalysed DD cycle?
Replies: 4
Views: 3454

There are tricks that nuclear scientists/engeneers can use to increase the deuterium H3 reaction rate over deuterium side reactions. As shown in the referance by DrMike at 100,000 electron volts the D-H3 reaction cross section is 7-8 times that of D-D. And if if excess (10-20?, 10,000?) times more H...
by D Tibbets
Sun Aug 24, 2008 2:19 am
Forum: Theory
Topic: Does Recirculation real?
Replies: 7
Views: 5606

To expand on my impression of asymetry of the magnetic fields, I'm thinking that the line- edge-corner- funny (?) cusps outside the magnet donut have more dense and curved field lines due to compression by the adjacent magnets, and that difference is magnified by the 'Wiffle Ball' effect(?). http://...
by D Tibbets
Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:08 pm
Forum: Design
Topic: Boron Fuel Injection
Replies: 27
Views: 16893

Yes, it has the advantage of being a complete fuel. What I should have said was - no unwanted contaminates, and if the three to one ratio of hydrogen/boron in the molecule is not to high. Are you better off with a 1: 1 ratio, 2: 1, 10: 1 ?

Dan Tibbets