Jones, I did not intend to throw a spark into a tinder box. Of course, politics trumps scientific merit when money is doled out.
Here is another new (Chinese) patent proposing an (almost) aneutronic fusion scheme producing direct-to-electrical power, avoiding heat issues: Controlled fusion in a field reversed configuration and direct energy conversion -- CN 1874646 B ABSTRACT: A system and apparatus for controlled fusion in a field reversed configuration (FRC) magnetic topology and conversion of fusion product energies directly to electric power. Preferably, plasma ions are magnetically confined in the FRC while plasma electrons are electrostatically confined in a deep energy well, created by tuning an externally applied magnetic field. In this configuration, ions and electrons may have adequate density and temperature so that upon collisions they are fused together by the nuclear force, thus forming fusion products that emerge in the form of an annular beam. Energy is removed from the fusion product ions as they spiral past electrodes of an inverse cyclotron converter. Advantageously, the fusion fuel plasmas that can be used with the present confinement and energy conversion system include advanced (aneutronic) fuels. http://www.google.com/patents/CN1874646B?cl=en Perhaps to good to be true, but maybe not. -- Lou Pagnucco Jones Beene wrote: > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > >> Exactly which extravagant claims in the paper/patent are you attacking? > ... If this is some well-funded boondoggle that should be de-funded, > please > explain. > > Yes, Lou - let me reiterate the stance that the Hot Fusion program, in > general, is an extremely well-funded boondoggle which should be defunded > immediately. Excuse me for hijacking a thread intended to show that a > modest > advance in that larger program had transpired - but IMO this story is > merely > a ploy to promote renewed funding for a dead-end technology. There is no > real breakthrough - just more of the same. > > Do you have any understanding of the amount of resources which have been > wasted on Hot Fusion since the 1950's? > > Best guess - worldwide is that one quarter of a trillion dollars, $250 > billion (in 2012 dollars) has been spent on Hot fusion, internationally - > with almost nothing to show for it. Enough is enough. Defund it now! > [...]
