Posted on 09/02/2016 10:59:03 AM PDT by BenLurkin
So much energy in the universe and we can’t harness it!
Ramparts!! :)
The phrase “star in a jar” reminds me of that old cold fusion fiasco back in the day.
I gather this isn’t that.
That’s a torus!
I’m still waiting for my flying car. But a Mr. Fusion would be nice, too.
No, this is hot fusion.
“Fiasco” is an interesting term. Pons and Fleischman found something difficult to explain, and even harder to replicate. Fusion? Maybe not. But something...
Small, fourth generation fission plants are more than enough to generate all the power we need for civilian activities. They’re cheap and safe, and we should build them by the thousands.
Fusion, if we can ever do it in a controlled fashion, is too much power for civilian use.
But it’s perfect for weapons.
Those are called H-Bommbs!
Yeah, how do you keep the star in the jar?
Inertial electrostatic confinement. The concept was discovered over a century ago.
A fusion reaction in a bell jar. The trick is the energy conversion, and energy gain.
I did some experiments with this process about 20 years ago.
To be commercially viable, the energy gain would have to be at least 20 to 1.
The process would produce fast neutrons, a lot of x-rays, and a helium daughter product.
The key will be direct conversion of reaction to electric potential.
Think of a diode vacuum tube with a nuclear powered cathode, with a fusion powered supply of electrons.
Lord knows that old Ben is not a scientist of any sort, but wouldn’t fast neutrons and x-rays be dangerous?
Doctor Who probably has a handheld version in a coat pocket.
The islam-a-Nazis are thinking about how to put a RPG or a TOW into one of those.
We've owned 2 of those, they're good cars.
Yes, extremely dangerous. Lots of heavy shielding combined with religious dosimetry measurements hopefully kept the nuclear genie in the bottle.
"Ceterum censeo Hillary esse delendam."
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
The good news is the Star in the Jar is just 20 years away. /s
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