Talk-Polywell.org

Well, shucks. That's disheartening ... I don't suppose anyone has ever considered building a bigger machine so we could perhaps discover the answers to some of these questions and build up a theory, have they? Like I don't know the answer to that one. :P The alternative would be to build some bigger...

Well, that has a dampening effect. Of course you are right. I can see where it might be a bit difficult to include R as a variable while empirically developing this loss equation, R being a constant for this machine. I wonder if there is any data available to us about this test as conducted on WB-2 ...

I also found this near the bottom of page 21 of the WB-6 Final Report. QUOTE Procedure, Beta=1 tests Several beta=1 tests were run during October, 2005, to try and determine the value of Kj, the MaGrid transport equation coefficient, which sets the loss rates for cross-field losses of electrons. Thi...

Dr. Carlson: The numbers, 100 Megawatts and 1.5 meter radius, are for pB11 fusion. They are extrapolations but I am not sure of their basis, or how they were originally derived. To correct that, I was looking for information to use in calculating “Konstant” from the WB-6 final report. Those tests us...

We can hope that the Smithsonian will want some of these early machines. Maybe it will want them all, or maybe only the break even, proof of concept BFR. Whatever they want, I hope we save it so they can have it. OH, and did I hear someone say, Nobel? physics?

Dr. Carlson: It would be nice if we could, but I frankly don't see a relationship. I see that I can write, in most simplistic terms, Q-out = Konstant * R^7, and using numbers generally accepted on this forum, I can even write 100 megawatts = Konstant * 1.5 ^7 giving Konstant = 5.852766347 * 10^6 . T...

It means that the word of the review panel will be final, and there will be no second guessing. That is, no second guessing from outside companies, VC's, research companies, etc. Graduate students in need of a thesis will of course still consider it a topic for research. But the above will be true b...

I don't know if "Incredible" is close enough, but check out the second post on this thread.
viewtopic.php?t=679
Or just read the whole thread.

Earlier in the thread, someone mentioned that maybe a show stopper had came up, forcing the dearth of positive and gleeful news. (Not in those words.) It has occurred to me that there are things other than science that can stop shows like this one. I'm thinking company size at the moment. There is a...

Yea, Mumbles, but its so hard to stay practical...

On thinking about it further, it occurs to me that the mechanism for delivery of the vacuum chamber will probably be the same whether the BFR is site built or factory built. That is, the vacuum chamber will not be built on site no matter what. Maybe assembled on site, but the pieces will be made els...

So ... we need a working machine (proof of concept), then we can design a factory to mass produce these things sized to the optimum power point, that is, dollars per kilowatt including delivery and setup on a prepared site. Site specific costs not included. Mass production should drive the costs dow...

Thank you Dr.'s. Your posts have provided me with more enlightenment than a month of reading on this forum. You have answered the question that I didn't realize I had, "Why are we doing this?" I knew in general, but now I know better how the threads fit together. :) we're trying to avoid the G^4 pro...

Well, that's encouraging. True, there could have been more glowingly encouraging comments, like mother used to make when we were in PeeWee league but then there were none of the "Don't get your hopes up" remarks like older brothers can make, either. I believe this is the first time I have heard the ...

Yes - I was thinking highway delivery, but river traffic can go to a lot of places. How about rail? There is a width problem with rail, isn't there? I mean, I'm assuming that the vacuum chamber would be shipped as a complete unit. Is that necessary?