NSD Fusion GmbH?

mheslep

Can anyone expound on product/design approach of the neutron-generator company NSD-Fusion GmbH?
http://www.nsd-fusion.com/core-tech.php

I'm guessing this is a spin off of the attempt by Daimler-Chrysler & G. Miley to build inertial electrostatic based N generators a few years back. Here they list N flux at 10^8 N/sec w/ D-T fusion:
http://www.nsd-fusion.com/14mev.php
I'm recalling from somewhere that the Daimler-C people thought one needed ~10^12 N/sec (~1 Watt) to make a commercially viable device, and it probably needed to be D-D.

AFAICT, of all the N gen. firms - Schlumberger, BakerHughes, Thermo Scientific, - NSD Fusion is the only one attempting a go w/ a renewable, accelerator based fusion scheme.

Any comments? My particular interest is in explosives detection.

Mark

Astronuc

Looks like an IEC - in cylindrical geometry - as opposed to a 'fusor' in spherical geometry.

Basically a [fast] neutron source for neutron radiography, or if thermalized, for neutron activation analysis.

D-D systems produced a lower level of 14 MeV n's, and one doesn't have to worry so much about T, although the D-D reaction produces T + p in ~50% of the reactions, and the T will more likely react with a D than D-D for a given energy.

D+D has a much lower reaction rate parameter the D+T, by almost 2 orders of magnitude at T ~ 50-70 keV, D+T would provide a greater neutron yield at lower energy input.

mheslep

Yes. T would also add cost/complexity for a commercial product: T is controlled, licensed & therefore expensive; D is not.

Mark

Astronuc

But if one wants 14.1 MeV neutrons, one must use D+T. Also, D+T has been historically used in 'neutron-howitzers'. The deuterons are accelerated into a tritiated source (metal hydride).