Talk-Polywell.org

There is no indication that there will be ANY power conversion equipment in the WB-D, is there?

That's a good question Kite.

I would guess the answer is "yes," and here's why: they're planning for WB-D to be 1.5M radius and generate 100MW. Unlike ITER that's too much power density to have sitting in one place; it has to be moved. The additional cost of running it through a thermal generator is probably relatively small.

Enginerd wrote: Hmm. You couldn't be thinking of the Hatch Geothermal Power Plant? Reportedly, thus far it is consuming 4MW to produce 5MW for Anaheim. Nowhere close to 100MW...

Nope.. Just small power projects that would allow independence from the grid if a blackout should occur. In California we have a rough time meeting power demand and the EPA requirements during the summer. It's going to be 115 in the desert tomorrow.

KitemanSA wrote:

Giorgio wrote: A 100 MW Polywell plant has been suggested as a start to cost 200M US$ to be recovered in 20/30 years.

Maybe I missed it, but that amount was the cost of a research demo plant, not a production plant. Do you have a source for that value or is it an assumption on your part?

Let me clarify my position. I am one of the FAQ answerers and am seeking to answer the general "how much" FAQ.
Thanks for your support!

Yes, I assumed the cost of a final plant complete with accessories and ancillaries to be equal to the cost of the research plant.
The 200 MUS$ figure has been discussed in several posts during the last years and if you need I can try to get a list of them.

A "possible" break down cost for mass production of Polywell was detailed here at pag. 88, at 35M US$:
http://www.polywellnuclearfusion.com/Cl ... lywell.pdf

Edited to fix typos

TallDave wrote:

There is no indication that there will be ANY power conversion equipment in the WB-D, is there?

That's a good question Kite.

I would guess the answer is "yes," and here's why: they're planning for WB-D to be 1.5M radius and generate 100MW. Unlike ITER that's too much power density to have sitting in one place; it has to be moved. The additional cost of running it through a thermal generator is probably relatively small.

So this is where you and I disagree. The "BoP", i.e., the thermal conversion plant, is usually about as expensive as the core. When Weinberg built the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment he just passed the heat thru a liguid/air heat exchanger and dumped multi-megawatts of power. It was MUCH cheaper.

If the first plant is other than pB&J, my guess would be no. If it is pB&J, then MAYBE. But even that may be an add-on rather than a basic design item.

KitemanSA wrote:

Mike_P wrote:Here is the summary of the last conversation I had on costs:....

May I ask, conversation with whom?

Sounds like something I wrote. I think that was for a .5 m coil R test plant.

IIRC I am thinking in the 50 cents a watt range for series production.

HIF 2010 has come and gone. The only post-symposium reporting I've been able to find is here. Basically, they're looking for peer review and investors. Also, they have a non-profit foundation.

Somebody brought up Polywell in the comments on the Sentinel article.

...and they alll need $200 million.

What is it with $200 million? Does it just sound like the 'right' amount of money?