Talk-Polywell.org

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http://arstechnica.com/science/news/200 ... -title.ars

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Despite all the focus on alternative energy sources, nuclear fusion has barely rated a mention, as it has turned out to be very difficult to execute. The construction of ITER, a very large scale fusion reactor, has become a divisive issue within physics because of its size and resultant cost: €5 billion. But a team of researchers has discovered what may be a workable configuration for a different kind of reactor, a reverse field pinch that operates on a much smaller scale. Even with comparatively low energy and fields, calculations suggest it should be able to achieve fusion.

It´s good to have a bunch of different alternatives. A fusion powered future is get closer and closer.

At the end the only fusion technology which will survive among all the alternatives will be the simplest and most versatile one.

I met a bunch of fusion guys at Los Alamos about 10 years ago.

These guys had just left the field because funding was cut for the fusion technique (Spheromak) they were working on just prior to me meeting them. They believed that their spheromak had a reasonable chance of success (not 100% of course) but that they needed something like $100 million to develop the technology, which they did not get.

They also told me that there was a very strong bias in the physics community for the Tokamak project, even though many of them privately thought there was no chance of its success. Call it bureaucratic inertia.

Interesting, they believed that the only way fusion could be a viable power source was if it was based on an advanced (aneutronic) fuel cycle, either Lithium or Boron. The reason was that the neutron flux with either the D-T or D-D reaction would require replacement of the chamber vessel too often and that the chamber vessel walls are coated in an exotic material that is very expensive.

The other problems with the Tokamak, even if it was successful, is that it would be very large (10-100 Gigawatt output) and that it would require a large team of PhD scientists to operate and maintain (actually rebuild). This, of course, would be laughable to the utilities.

I also like a lot the MTF technology (Magnetized Target Fusion) because it´s a middle point between the magnetic confinement and the inertial confinement. Usually the good things are in the middle since they take the best from both sides .Also Polywell is in the middle : it uses magnetic confinement and inertial acceleration -dued to electric fields- to smash the ions

The neutron flux from D-D is in the range of the flux from a fast breeder. I don't see a problem. Other than the usual ones.