Polywell in fiction

Discuss life, the universe, and everything with other members of this site. Get to know your fellow polywell enthusiasts.

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DeltaV
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Post by DeltaV »

MSimon wrote:No doubt I'm on a list - if there is one. So far the Men In Black have left me alone.
To quote William Cooper, "There's only one list, and if you're not one of Them, you're already on it."

Tom Ligon
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Post by Tom Ligon »

Excuse me, I have it on good authority from a member of Them, the application of extremely rapid nuclear pulse reactions to propulsion should use the term "propulsive device", not bomb.

That from a DHS function aimed at saving the world. They use people like me to mine for ideas like that. Fear not. Unless you are up to no good, and I don't think anyone here is.

Even Simon.

;)

DeltaV
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Post by DeltaV »

I don't think "Them" refers to bureaucrats. It's reserved for members of the ruling bloodlines.

djolds1
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Post by djolds1 »

Tom Ligon wrote:Excuse me, I have it on good authority from a member of Them, the application of extremely rapid nuclear pulse reactions to propulsion should use the term "propulsive device", not bomb.
"Pulse unit" Tom. The problem is the pulse unit. :twisted: Andrews space came up with a decent way to address that with their "Mini-Mag Orion" concept. Instead of being internally triggered (essentially a bomb, fissionable and trigger assembly in one package), the unit is externally triggered via a big Marx bank. Magnetic pinch trigger and fissionables being kept separate and basically inert if not properly brought together.
Tom Ligon wrote:That from a DHS function aimed at saving the world. They use people like me to mine for ideas like that. Fear not. Unless you are up to no good, and I don't think anyone here is.

Even Simon.

;)
Oh, I'm generally harmless unless provoked. :) OTOH, the watchers wouldn't be doing their jobs if they weren't on the lookout for information-search patterns similar to interests common here. And individual politics do play a complimentary role - as I mentioned, that list I'm on has definitely gotten some attention.
Vae Victis

MSimon
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Post by MSimon »

You get it. You really do. It'll work. I hope that the kids these days get an experimenter kit for Polywell or a Fusor in high school classes in every state eventually.


Back when Rick Nebel frequented the board (he may still do that - he just hasn't commented in a while) he suggest something like that. A WB-7 for every college that could afford the $ 3/4 million he wanted to charge.

Last time I asked for a show of hands there were 4 or 5 Naval Nukes in attendance.
Last edited by MSimon on Wed Mar 17, 2010 6:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Engineering is the art of making what you want from what you can get at a profit.

EricF
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Location: Pell City, Alabama

Post by EricF »

Tom Ligon wrote:Excuse me, I have it on good authority from a member of Them, the application of extremely rapid nuclear pulse reactions to propulsion should use the term "propulsive device", not bomb.

That from a DHS function aimed at saving the world. They use people like me to mine for ideas like that. Fear not. Unless you are up to no good, and I don't think anyone here is.

Even Simon.

;)
Where would I be able to read about nuclear propulsive devices (pulsed or otherwise) for air travel, I'm not even sure what terminology to search by. I'm thinking in the realm of something that would be fitted onto a Harrier jet or similar (assuming an appropriately sized power source were ever developed), rather than a low impulse 'ion' style engine for space travel.

Tom Ligon
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Post by Tom Ligon »

Someone brought up the old Project Orion, an idea to use bombs ... I mean pulse propulsion devices ... to power spacecraft.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Or ... ropulsion)

Bad idea for aircraft propulsion.

I've seen one photograph showing one used for propelling a battleship, but unfortunately it was straight up, and just once.

The concept is one of the few even close to viable using present technology for deflecting asteroids.

EricF
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Location: Pell City, Alabama

Post by EricF »

Tom Ligon wrote:Someone brought up the old Project Orion, an idea to use bombs ... I mean pulse propulsion devices ... to power spacecraft.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Or ... ropulsion)

Bad idea for aircraft propulsion.

I've seen one photograph showing one used for propelling a battleship, but unfortunately it was straight up, and just once.

The concept is one of the few even close to viable using present technology for deflecting asteroids.
Hmm, thats a bummer. Has nobody done any speculation on using nuclear power to propel an aircraft (aside from exploding fissionable material), perhaps even using fusion?

Say for example (without being the only thing in mind), using the high energy alpha particles that would be ejected by a plasma focus ala Focus Fusion for propulsion in place of a chemically powered jet engine.

Tom Ligon
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Post by Tom Ligon »

Yes, there were plans back in the 1950's for fission-powered bombers. I have an engineering textbook somewhere that shows one of the power plants. They were never deployed, but according to the link below, one prototype was built and tested.

http://www.aviation-history.com/article ... erican.htm

Dr. Bussard told me he held up the U2 program for about 6 months with a competing proposal. He wanted to set up a reactor at the Savannah River facility to produce, in bulk, a radioisotope of gold with about a 2 week half life. The isotope was quite literally "hot" in the thermal sense, and the idea was to build a jet that heated air for propulsion. He said it would fly for two weeks or more at a time in sustained supersonic flight. If the Russians had ever shot it down they would have wished they had not. Once landed, you had to force air over the fuel elements or they would overheat.

EricF
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Post by EricF »

Awesome, thanks

ladajo
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Location: North East Coast

Post by ladajo »

There were several design threads on using nuclear power to fly aircraft.
There was also a race for such between the US and Soviets.

One set of the US engines were out in Idaho. Maybe still. I recall they were kept on flatcars close to the old 16inch gun testing emplacement that looked out towards the east buttes. Ironically, not so far from the former site of SL-1, another mini-reacter project.

Everyonce and a while Science Channel or Discovery runs the "Nuclear Airplane" show.

The US program also included the nuclear powered cruise missile (Pluto?).

I am too lazy to google this, but I am sure that "Nuclear Aircraft" should give a plethora of stuff.

IntLibber
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Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2008 3:28 pm

Post by IntLibber »

Tom Ligon wrote:I'm sure fusor.net is watched. This one is, too, I'm pretty sure. I'm also sure they realize there is nothing subversive or dangerous going on in either.
Are you really that sure? "Big Sister" Napolitano thinks anybody who is a veteran or a gun owner is a threat to national security and potential terrorist. I'm both, in addition to being a single straight white male member of the oppressor class...

Well, the secret service DID visit my house once, but that was over that whole eminent domaining supreme court justices homes political theatre that followed the New London vs Kelo case... fun times... fun times..

Other than using a polywell as a rather ungainly and immobile power source for a plasma gun, I fail to see any really dangerous uses for it.

You could cause more damage by stealing tritium exit signs, smoke detectors, and radium alarm clocks to collect the substances for use in school lunches or something...

Anyways, the General board here is pretty subversive....

Tom Ligon
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Post by Tom Ligon »

IntLibber,

Personally I think the school lunches are more dangerous already than all the tritium exit signs in the world.

Nice thing about cabinet officers, they don't usually stay around very long. The civil servants who actually run the government know it, and ignore them where appropriate.

The particular civil servant who deals with SIGMA is a vet. Don't know if he keeps firearms, but I don't want to break in to his house to find out.

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