Robthebob wrote:building the fusor is to test the environment that can later host the polywell.
The CTH group, the fusion group i worked under during my undergrad years, had similar power and vacuum system, just bigger. A small fusor is the closest to a small polywell in terms of power usage and environment, that was the reason.
He's building a polywell now tho, or had built a polywell.
Under no circumstances can I see how the small vacuum chamber of a fusor is the same environment for that of a much larger polywell.
Everything must necessarily be much larger, and even so, the bigger problem for running polywell experiments is initially the power source for the coils. The Fusor power supply might power the drive for experiments, but I would certainly want something more robust if a sustained reaction is attempted.
It would be funny if the first indication of success was a lightning flash between the Vacuum chamber and the feedthrough electrodes. Of course that would only happen if the chamber was insulated from ground. (An unlikely condition.)
I think the version Prometheus is working on is too small for that worry though.
‘What all the wise men promised has not happened, and what all the damned fools said would happen has come to pass.’
— Lord Melbourne —
ladajo wrote:Haven't seen much work out of his lab for a while. Just a couple of road show presentations.
I have been wondering if Marc ran out of money again, and had to get a real job for a funding plus up.
It takes a serious bit of cash to even play with this idea. I estimated a hundred grand as the minimal shoestring budget and that is with building the thing out of mostly second hand junk. ( I didn't count costs such as building rent, etc. because I already own a suitable building.)
One of my ideas was to wind the coils out of lead coated copper tubing. (Lead superconducts at 7.2 degrees, within reach of liquid helium.) Might be an issue with sealing the feedthroughs for tubes carrying a liquid at 4 degrees. Nowadays there are better (easier) methods.
Anyone that didn't figure on spending some serious money will find it hard to convince me they are trying to make a serious effort.
On the other hand, who knows? Maybe an Angel will show up.
‘What all the wise men promised has not happened, and what all the damned fools said would happen has come to pass.’
— Lord Melbourne —
Marc must be pushing 100K in his efforts to date. I would imagine he is definitely over 50K.
I guess he can answer.
The development of atomic power, though it could confer unimaginable blessings on mankind, is something that is dreaded by the owners of coal mines and oil wells. (Hazlitt)
What I want to do is to look up C. . . . I call him the Forgotten Man. (Sumner)
Diogenes wrote:
This reminds me of what Baldrick said to Leftenant Georgewhen George said "Look! One of the King's Carrier Pigeons!" Baldrick replied: "No, that pigeon couldn't carry the King... He doesn't have a tray or anything! "
You mispelt Lieutenant. They pronounce it the way you spelled it, but spell it the way I did. Just FYI.
Diogenes wrote:Under no circumstances can I see how the small vacuum chamber of a fusor is the same environment for that of a much larger polywell.
Who said anything about a much larger polywell. The HDP polywell parts he was planning to wrap with superconducting tape is 4 to 6 inches in diameter, at most 8 inches on the long axis of the cube. (I don't remember the specific dimensions right now, but I know I'm in the correct range.)
Diogenes wrote:
This reminds me of what Baldrick said to Leftenant Georgewhen George said "Look! One of the King's Carrier Pigeons!" Baldrick replied: "No, that pigeon couldn't carry the King... He doesn't have a tray or anything! "
You mispelt Lieutenant. They pronounce it the way you spelled it, but spell it the way I did. Just FYI.
Trying to bring in a bit of the flavor of the show. I actually looked it up to see how it was spelled, but couldn't find it. Now I know why.
As one wit remarked, "English is the only language that has spelling bees, or needs to."
krenshala wrote:
Diogenes wrote:Under no circumstances can I see how the small vacuum chamber of a fusor is the same environment for that of a much larger polywell.
Who said anything about a much larger polywell. The HDP polywell parts he was planning to wrap with superconducting tape is 4 to 6 inches in diameter, at most 8 inches on the long axis of the cube. (I don't remember the specific dimensions right now, but I know I'm in the correct range.)
Yes, I saw that on the video. I regarded it as more evidence that he wasn't series about doing anything useful. At best it could be just another data point for plotting the scaling factor.
I wouldn't bother commencing any sort of project unless I was starting with the minimal theoretical size necessary to achieve DD Beta=1.
‘What all the wise men promised has not happened, and what all the damned fools said would happen has come to pass.’
— Lord Melbourne —
I've been working fulltime for the last few months.
My most immediate goal is to run the sydney experiment again but with a hot cathode electron gun and nothing else (no deuterium). Characterize how changes in the electron beam and magnets effect the floating potential as measured by the langmuir probe.
Then get these findings published, in a journal.
This is a goal I'm sure I can achieve and is worth achieving.
Regarding 3D printing: this may not be immediately useful at least directly. But it does allow for fabricating parts with internal geometries that would be impossible with conventional machining. NOW, consider how fantastically complex a superconducting polywell is... even a small prototype. This is where the potential of 3D metal and ceramic printing may pay big dividends. Plus it's fun and I enjoy it so fukit I'm 3D printing shit.
