Latest from MSNBC 02 May 008

Point out news stories, on the net or in mainstream media, related to polywell fusion.

Moderators: tonybarry, MSimon

zbarlici
Posts: 247
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:23 am
Location: winnipeg, canada

Post by zbarlici »

Dr. Nebel sure knows how to single-file all these electrons firing in the brain. No use getting too excited until we get peer-reviewed results.

Here`s a thought. Suppose the "encouraging results" of WB6 turn out to be some kind of erroneous reading, do you think funding for this research will continue?

tonybarry
Posts: 219
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 4:32 am
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contact:

Post by tonybarry »

Dr. Nebel, thanks again for your post. I too work in research (cardiology) and do not expect eureka moments twice a week. Once in ten years is pretty darn good ...

That said, progress is measured by milestones - WB-7 has been delivered from the stainless fabricators; the magnetic grid has been installed; we have first light; the detectors are being set up ... all these kinds of things are good for me. In some ways I don't really need to know the details (other people ere might well want them! but it's not necessary for me). Just the plod forward, crossing the T's and dotting the i's and getting it right so Robert Bussard's ideas get the best chance to come to pass.

I correspond with some other people here in Australia and keep them informed on a layman level about your progress. You see, for many of us, we see that ITER is just not going to happen. Coal, oil, natural gas, wind, solar ... all these forms of current energy production are not going to keep going and supply what we need. Polywell may be our best hope for a future where energy is not a rationed item.

For all these reasons - your work is important. In some ways, it may be more important for the future than the research I support right now, and for that reason (like Simon and many other people here) I think I would be ready to do a move and offer what assistance I could to getting the Polywell running. I am sure you have no lack of willing workers, but the reason I write is so you understand that for many of us, Polywell represents more than just a bloody marvellous bit of kit which will actually do what it's supposed to do. It may be the only road forward for my children into a future where their choices are greater and more diverse than what mine were.

Regards,
Tony Barry

jlumartinez
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:29 pm
Location: Spain

Post by jlumartinez »

Let´s be patient. Research has its own tempo. So we should be glad of having some info from rnebel (Thank you !!) but they need time and tranquility to develop their ideas.

Rnebel, as you could have guessed this website is full of "freaks" (fondly) - I am one of them- so don´t get too involved in answering all our questions because we are trying to get from you as many news as we can and all the info may be -and surely will be- exaggerated and misinterpreted in our hands. Thanks for your posts but please it will be better just one weekly update: if not it will be a long suffering.... trying to read what is not written and trying to imagine the rest... Good luck and go ahead!!!

Fellows, we should be patient and realize ourselves that in days or weeks any research is not going to evolve . It needs time, dedication and good food (as any child to grow up fine)

rnebel
Posts: 144
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:15 am

Post by rnebel »

zbarlici:

I think the WB-6 neutrons are probably real. The measured neutron rate matches well against the expected rate if the plasma was operating in the wiffleball. But if we don't see them, then the question will be whether they aren't real or something just got screwed up. If there are open questions that need to be answered, then there is a reasonable chance the the research will continue. Let's hope that we don't get in the mode where we have to perpetually rebuild the laboratory like we've had to do this time.

Roger
Posts: 788
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 2:03 am
Location: Metro NY

Post by Roger »

rnebel wrote:zbarlici:

I think the WB-6 neutrons are probably real.
I would hope/expect the guy running the WB-7 program would feel this way, makes me warm and fuzzy, in a non maxwellian way.
I like the p-B11 resonance peak at 50 KV acceleration. In2 years we'll know.

Keegan
Posts: 206
Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2007 6:29 am
Location: Brisbane, Australia

Post by Keegan »

rnebel wrote:To all:

I understand that people are interested in our results, particularly on this website. I‘ll keep you informed. This is typical of DOD contracts, and the rationale behind it is pretty simple. They don’t want contractors making public statements that aren’t correct, or haven’t been looked at. That sort of thing can turn into a huge embarrassment.

The perfect example of that was the cold fusion mess. That was funded out of Advanced Energy Projects at the DOE. The Utah people got paranoid and went public before their work was adequately reviewed. Advanced Energy Projects no longer exists at the DOE. We’re not going to let that happen. We’re going to have a credible, independent review, and we won’t prejudge what they have to say.
I whole heartedly agree, when i talk to people about fusion, even to those who are competent in science and engineering, I am often faced with a large deal of skepticism and cynicism regarding the polywell solution.

This is no doubt due to the wild, extravagant claims made over the past decades. Maxwellian Neutronic Tokamaks being a perpetual "20 years away", the whole cold fusion debacle, the Greens and Jane Fonda demonising the concept of "Nuclear Power" and also peripheries like Zero Point Energy adding more confusion to the mix.

The only way the Polywell solution can hope to accelerate is through concrete and infallible scientific data. Because of this I congratulate you and your team for going back to square one and re-casting a solid foundation upon which future projects can be built.

Alas, at the same time you already mention your obligations to the DOD and make no illusions to fact that they are paying for it all. Which is fine. None of us would be here now if the navy hadn't sponsored Dr Bussard to get to WB6. Nether the less, there exists the possibility of the entire project being stamped classified for state secret and nuclear proliferation reasons.

This could be disastrous. It should be noted that the polywell is already 10 years behind schedule because of the previous publishing embargo. Seriously all it would have taken is forum like this and someone like me, back in the 90's to suggest;

"Hey Dr B, i feel your coils should be conformal to the B fields, Construction of proper toroidial coils would greatly enhance electron flow"

..........and we would have 2 meter WBXX's today !

Alot of us here have been investing a large amount of our time in studying the machine in the hope that one day we may be equipped to contribute something to this incredible technology. I dont mean to sound paranoid but i would hate to end up like David Bohm in WW2.

I strongly feel Dr Bussard left a legacy of the polywell being largely free and open to the world.
Is anyone still going to fight for that ?
Purity is Power

Nanos
Posts: 363
Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2007 8:57 pm
Location: Treasure Island

Post by Nanos »

Isn't there enough information available in the public domain that even if not another word was said about the results, that someone else could easily replicate their own version of a WB6 and just continue the research elsewhere ?

Keegan
Posts: 206
Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2007 6:29 am
Location: Brisbane, Australia

Post by Keegan »

^ Nanos, I believe Dr Bussard said in his video "The Devil, is in the details"
Purity is Power

MSimon
Posts: 14334
Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:37 pm
Location: Rockford, Illinois
Contact:

Post by MSimon »

Keegan wrote:^ Nanos, I believe Dr Bussard said in his video "The Devil, is in the details"
To get the details right you can trade money for time.
Engineering is the art of making what you want from what you can get at a profit.

Mumbles
Posts: 52
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:03 am
Location: Leonardtown, MD, USA

Fast, Good or Cheap...

Post by Mumbles »

MSimon wrote:To get the details right you can trade money for time.
We always say, "You can get it fast, you can get it good, you can get it cheap. Pick Two."

Be Safe
Mumbles

Tom Ligon
Posts: 1871
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:23 am
Location: Northern Virginia
Contact:

Post by Tom Ligon »

Nanos,

Dr. Bussard did, in fact, believe there is enough information out that someone else could build Polywells. He was quite sure it would be built, one way or another.

My take on it is, they could build them, but based on what Dr. Bussard had published, they would have a lot of work to do to understand them. What went into the math was more or less known, but they would have to re-derive much of the details.

But I'd bet some people in this forum have a good head start on that.

rnebel
Posts: 144
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:15 am

Post by rnebel »

To Keegan:
The worldwide electricity market is $6,000,000,000,000/year. Noone has ever cornered a market anywhere near this size. We don’t think that a little 5 person company in the New Mexico desert is going to pull that off, and we’re not going to try to do that. We are presently developing commercialization strategies to open up this technology. However, right now I’m not going to tip my hand as to what we are going to try. Suffice it to say that are plans are consistent with Doc’s original vision. We’re focused on getting the WB-7 to work first.

TallDave
Posts: 3140
Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:12 pm
Contact:

Post by TallDave »

rnebel wrote: Suffice it to say that are plans are consistent with Doc’s original vision.
Glad to hear it. I had the privilege of discussing that vision with Dr. Bussard on a radio show he did around this time last year. It sounded like the right thing to do.

Nanos
Posts: 363
Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2007 8:57 pm
Location: Treasure Island

Post by Nanos »

If I may ask, is there a specific end date for the project that you have to worry about getting results by ?

rnebel
Posts: 144
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:15 am

Post by rnebel »

The contract is through the end of August.

Post Reply