Future of Fusion

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2002-12-01 09:25pm

When you think of fusion generators, you probably think big donuts that cost billions and running at a few million degrees and cant come anywhere close to breakeven. Or maybe you think of lasers blasting away at a small pea sized bit of frozen deuterium.

But what you probably don't think about is a small sphere with some wire globes inside. But this silly device, which can be made from little more then a TV, some wire, and a fishbowl, can and frequently does achieve fusion. This is the Inertial Electrostatic Confinement fusion generator, aka Farnsworth/Hirsch Fusor. The devices are quite simple and, while they dont achieve breakeven, they do achieve fusion. These rather simple pieces of equipment are actual fusion generators which you can build yourself (just dont because its dangerous).

Opinions?

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2002-12-01 09:33pm

Now where can I find specs for it?

data_link · Post by **data_link** » 2002-12-01 09:37pm

If it doesn't reach breakeven, what's the point?

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2002-12-01 09:38pm

Everything fusion-based we have does achieve fusion. They just don't achieve that breakeven point. That's the ultimate goal.

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2002-12-01 10:39pm

Yep... Not much point in using fusion as a power source if it outputs less energy than you put into it

ClaysGhost · Post by **ClaysGhost** » 2002-12-02 09:47am

data_link wrote:If it doesn't reach breakeven, what's the point?

They're great. Portable neutron source on a desk, for which there are quite a few uses. It was also a good piece of applied thinking, since electric fields are easier and nicer to deal with than magnetic fields. The problems, last time I looked, were mainly to do with the grid eventually burning under the plasma.

Evil Sadistic Bastard wrote:Now where can I find specs for it?

Google, probably, although you'll most likely put yourself in line for a Darwin award by contracting radiation poisoning.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2002-12-02 11:08am

Actually, haven't we reached the breakeven point? IIRC, the problem was that even they generated too little net power to be of any use.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2002-12-02 12:03pm

phongn wrote:Actually, haven't we reached the breakeven point? IIRC, the problem was that even they generated too little net power to be of any use.

We have broken breakeven, not by much and the fact that it was for a few milliseconds doesn't help either. The next gen Tokamak will be started in Canada next year if funding goes ahead, the UK, US and Japan are pouring money into this to the extent that they had better get results soon.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2002-12-02 06:30pm

AFAIK we havent reached breakeven at all, tho i could be wrong.

And one of the main problems with the Fusor is the grid ABSORBING ions. The inner grid has the tendency to block moveing ions. I forget who it was, but someone rather major in scifi (an engineer or something) suggested using a grid made up of solenoids so it generates both an electric field and a magnetic field which would deflect incoming ions around it preventing them from impacting the grid thusly increasing efficiency.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2002-12-02 06:36pm

I stand corrected, we have achieved breakeven in the JET

Shaka[Zulu] · Post by **Shaka[Zulu]** » 2002-12-05 01:46am

been hanging around the Fusor BBS eh Koji?

I do have to hand it to the JET guys... but lets see them try to maintain their reactor at better than breakeven (or even sub-break) levels for more than a few (less than 10) minutes. Fusors routinely operate into the 10's of minutes while doing fusion, and the main reason they arent as far along as tok's wrt output is a simple matter of $ and politics... just like with spaceflight and so many other areas of endeavour.

IDMR · Post by **IDMR** » 2002-12-05 04:41am

Thread moved.

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2002-12-05 08:39pm

Has anyone heard how NSTX or MAST are doing? Those two seemed to have some potential, but I haven't heard any updates since March.