Search found 106 matches
- Fri Feb 25, 2011 2:09 pm
- Forum: News
- Topic: What is the state of decelerator R&D?
- Replies: 54
- Views: 27844
While DD would allow electricity via thermal conversion (however you wanted to do it) I would definitely NOT say "it is done" when that happens. Direct DC conversion to electricity has much higher efficiency than running things through a thermal cycle, so the effort of getting the decelerator grids...
- Wed Feb 23, 2011 11:06 pm
- Forum: News
- Topic: What is the state of decelerator R&D?
- Replies: 54
- Views: 27844
What is the state of decelerator R&D?
So, I know that Bussard was a big fan of the idea of using p+B11 fusion to generate power using a decelerator grid. I was reading the article over at Focus Fusion about the status update on WB-8 (linked to in another thread here on the forum), and I got to wondering. . . If they end up building WB-8...
- Tue Jan 04, 2011 6:19 pm
- Forum: News
- Topic: Recovery.Gov Project Tracker
- Replies: 1822
- Views: 1341251
@Robthebob: Have you looked at the University of Cincinnati? I honestly don't know if they have what you are looking for, but they have a very good engineering college, which has an "Energy" program/department which includes nuclear engineering (I believe). I don't know if they have anyone working o...
- Wed Nov 17, 2010 10:03 pm
- Forum: News
- Topic: Polywell being discussed afar!
- Replies: 42
- Views: 17897
I believe Bussard at one point published something in which he envisioned Polywells on ships processing biowaste into fuel, which becomes cost-effective when you have cheap fusion energy. We're probably headed somewhere like that if Polywell pans out. I'm a bit confused. . . if you have a polywell ...
- Thu Nov 11, 2010 8:07 pm
- Forum: News
- Topic: Polywell being discussed afar!
- Replies: 42
- Views: 17897
Fusion power would greatly extend the life of the oil and coal industries, though it would reduce the influence of oil on politics. Transportation and refinement costs would drop off. With oil wells where the pressure has dropped off, it becomes possible to literally dig right down to the pool and ...
- Sun Oct 31, 2010 7:34 pm
- Forum: News
- Topic: Polywell being discussed afar!
- Replies: 42
- Views: 17897
Honestly, if it happens, I don't think in the big picture, it matters who holds the patents. It'd be nice (from my pespective as a U.S. citizen/resident) if it was a U.S. Corp, but patents aren't forever. If polywell works, it will be useful far, far after the patents expire. Polywell isn't an iPad ...
- Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:44 pm
- Forum: News
- Topic: Peak oil conspiracy spreads to compromised military
- Replies: 30
- Views: 19059
Before the discussion progresses much further, I would like to explicitly state my initial post was a direct application of Poes Law, and that no one called me out usage of the tone implied with words like liberal conspiracy and penetrate speaks to the atmosphere in the overall forum. I didn't figu...
- Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:35 pm
- Forum: News
- Topic: NIF is abusing tritium pellets ...
- Replies: 20
- Views: 11019
On the topic of the NIF, could someone explain something to me - it's my understanding (which might be wrong, not sure), that each pellet will burn for like a few millionths of a second, or milliseconds - very short duration, anyhow. How would this concept be used to generate continuous energy? I gu...
- Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:29 pm
- Forum: General
- Topic: One of the few good uses for solid rocket motors
- Replies: 107
- Views: 27395
Once they had the Mach 3 Blackbird flying, the downside of ultra high speed set in. Word has it that it takes three states to turn the SR-71 around at that speed, and the states are Texas, Alaska, and Hawaii. Dogfighting becomes moot at those speeds. I thought the point of high speeds was A) the ab...
- Thu Sep 30, 2010 1:51 pm
- Forum: News
- Topic: Tokamaks now proven SUCCESSFUL!
- Replies: 70
- Views: 26259
- Thu Sep 30, 2010 1:46 pm
- Forum: News
- Topic: Discover Magazine - October 2010
- Replies: 13
- Views: 5459
- Tue Sep 28, 2010 2:19 pm
- Forum: News
- Topic: Tokamaks now proven SUCCESSFUL!
- Replies: 70
- Views: 26259
c'mon. lighten up guys! Just having a bit of fun. It won't be long now before Polywell limps into line behind tokamaks in the 'flunked out fusion' queue. But I'll give it another.. how long was it now?... 12mths or so before assuming the worst. April. Man, they should *definitely* make an announcem...
- Mon Sep 27, 2010 11:44 pm
- Forum: News
- Topic: Is the nuclear renaissance dead yet?
- Replies: 102
- Views: 32696
Yes, Reprocessing can help - some. You have the problem with unfissionable isotopes being formed. So, once you get too much Pu-240 or U-234, or whatever in your used fuel, you can't put it into the core again, because it will poison the reaction, and ALSO contaminate any additional breeding. Isn't ...
- Mon Sep 27, 2010 10:11 pm
- Forum: News
- Topic: Is the nuclear renaissance dead yet?
- Replies: 102
- Views: 32696
Kiteman, I haven't seen anyone claiming > 80% burnup for any fuel cycle; that was an advanced Thorium design. The trouble with high burnup is that your K gets more and more unsure, and your residual heat load goes up also (as fission products are typically much higher lambda). I guess I should ask ...
- Mon Sep 27, 2010 12:52 pm
- Forum: News
- Topic: Is the nuclear renaissance dead yet?
- Replies: 102
- Views: 32696
The MIT "Future of Nuclear Power" paper, has this to say: "Typical LWR spent fuel today reaches a burnup of 50,000 MWD/MT" There is a lot of information in the MIT study and it is definitely worth reading. A burn-up of 50 GWd/MTIHM (50 gigawatt.day per metric ton of initial heavy metal) is typical ...