crossfirefusion (design idea)

rcain · Post by **rcain** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 7:09 am

just came across this on my travels:

http://www.crossfirefusion.com

search of TalkPolywell didn't bring up any matches, so i assume it hasn't been mentioned/discussed before - but i might be wrong.

looks like just preliminary ideas being sketched out - no numbers, no experiments, no patent (application), that i can see so far.

still, quite an interesting likeness to Polywell concept, in some respects.

any one any views on it's likelihood of working?

hanelyp · Post by **hanelyp** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 2:32 pm

Colliding beam fusion is an old idea. The problem with most designs for the concept is beam scattering at the intersection point. The polywell is different is use of spherical symmetry, where ion scattering to a different direction doesn't impact confinement.

Penning trap devices suffer from cross field drift at ion densities useful for fusion production.

Skipjack · Post by **Skipjack** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 2:43 pm

Tri Alpha and MSNWLLC both seemed to have had quite good successes with FRC- colliding beam devices. Tri Alpha even to the point that they want to do PB11 with it.

DeltaV · Post by **DeltaV** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 5:14 pm

Skipjack wrote:Tri Alpha and MSNWLLC both seemed to have had quite good successes with FRC- colliding beam devices. Tri Alpha even to the point that they want to do PB11 with it.

Two FRC plasmoids do not a beam make. FRC machines are inherently pulsed plasmoid colliders. My view of the semantics.

Skipjack · Post by **Skipjack** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 5:20 pm

Hey, they themselves call them "FRC- colliding beam" reactors. It is not my invention...

rcain · Post by **rcain** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 6:25 pm

hanelyp wrote:Colliding beam fusion is an old idea. The problem with most designs for the concept is beam scattering at the intersection point. The polywell is different is use of spherical symmetry, where ion scattering to a different direction doesn't impact confinement.

Penning trap devices suffer from cross field drift at ion densities useful for fusion production.

a good starter for 10.

don't know how they imagine solving that - just a big focussing/columnating super-magnet i think - will read a bit more.

nice to see Van de Graaf generator finding a use after all these years anyway.

re: FRC - agree with DeltaV - totally different animal really (i do hope - TriAlpha/John Slough - have some success with it, soon).

Skipjack · Post by **Skipjack** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 6:50 pm

FRC - agree with DeltaV - totally different animal really (i do hope - TriAlpha/John Slough - have some success with it, soon).

Well it is colliding beams, according to their own words. The general principle is however- as you say- very different.