At 07:11 PM 12/8/2009, Horace Heffner wrote:
Here is the main point of interest to me: If CF excess heat is
really due principally to DD fusion, then trace tritium doping
should produce additional neutrons via DT fusion. If trace tritium
doping does not produce very substantial neutron count increases,
especially during excursion events, then something *major* has been
learned about CF. If trace tritium does produce increased neutron
counts, then an invaluable tool is available to get instant feedback
on lattice fusion conditions, actual fusion conditions.
Agree and disagree.
Agree that if trace doping increases neutron counts, it would be very
interesting, with implications.
Disagree that if trace doping does not increase neutron counts, we
have learned almost nothing (except ruling out certain mechanisms
involving cold tritium, but not the basic tritium fusion that would
use the same basic mechanism as the d-d fusion).
I.e., there is a boatload of deuterium in there. Suppose that one
deuterium nucleus out of N, very large number, is lucky enough to
fuse. Suppose that a small amount of tritium included would fuse the
same way (which is quite reasonable, a mechanism that allows, say, 4D
fusion would probably also allow 3D + T fusion, my guess... though
there might be some variation in rate because of the lack of
symmetry, which could be important to 4D fusion).
Suppose what seems to be quite likely from other evidence: the
primary reaction does not produce neutrons. But a certain (small)
percentage of the reactions does produce tritium, and the tritium it
produces is hot. And such hot tritium could be the source of the
neutrons, as it fuses with the plentiful deuterium. Adding trace
tritium, even if it greatly increased (from the normal very small
quantities) would not increase the numbers of hot tritons being
produced. So it would not be expected to increase the neutrons.
However, there is another possibility as well. It was mentioned that
tritium, if included in what would otherwise be 4D fusion, would
result in Be-9, a stable isotope. The nucleus formed would be
excited, but the momentum would be low. So it would either break up,
as described (to 2 alpha plus a very energetic neutron), or it would
radiate photons like the Be-8 apparently is supposed to do.
But I rather doubt that this could be detected, unless there were a
lot of tritium added. It would be interesting to add a lot of tritium
and see if one gets measurable quantities of Be-9.
