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beezey
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With 10000 dollars, 10 people and 1 year, is it possible for me to make a fusion generator? The efficiency doesn't matter. Any tips would be nice. What kind of fusion would be best for the situation?
beezey said:With 10000 dollars, 10 people and 1 year, is it possible for me to make a fusion generator?
No. It is not possible.With 10000 dollars, 10 people and 1 year, is it possible for me to make a fusion generator?
mikedan said:why? ten thousand bucks is a pretty god chunk of change but i wouldn't know. no experience in the field.
I'd drop the word 'generator' as it justs confuses the issue, but yes absolutely you can produce a fusion device in your garage based on a concept called Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) fusion invented by Philo Farnsworth (TV inventor) in the 1960's, called the Farnsworth Fusor. It can done for less than $5000, maybe $2000 if you are a good scrounger. A well built device can easily produce enough neutrons to activate materials. It will consume more energy than it produces by many orders of magnitude. The primary components of fusor w/ respect to cost: high voltage power supply and apparatus, vacuum chamber, vacuum pumps (regular and diffusion), deuterium gas supply and apparatus.beezey said:With 10000 dollars, 10 people and 1 year, is it possible for me to make a fusion generator? The efficiency doesn't matter. Any tips would be nice. What kind of fusion would be best for the situation?
Beezey stated efficiency doesn't matter. If we are going to talk about fusion power: NIF alone has cost $4B; the US has spent much more than that on the general concept of laser implosion fusion for 40 years. Similar amounts have been spent on ITER and magnetic confinement fusion. Neither have yet produced more power than they consumed, though in the case of ITER it appears very much like it will indeed produce slightly above break even once constructed. There are still very serious questions if either of them (ITER/NIF) can be used as practical power sources before the second have of the century, if then.Mech_Engineer said:A fusor is NOT a fusion generator. It's more like science fair project.
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Alternatively, you could look at the Department of Energy's National Ignition Facility, which has the purpose of achieving Fusion "Ignition" when it is finally finished in the next decade. Originally estimated at $667 million in 1993, it has to date cost over 4 billion dollars, and will be the most powerful laser facility on the planet when completed.
The vacuum/diffusion pump is indeed usually the highest cost component. However, please re-read the OP and let's not go off topic, the OP is clearly about the possibility of amateur experimentation. For materials cost alone a D-D IEC device with measurable neutron output (10^5/sec) can indeed be made for very little, <<$10000.GTrax said:Hee Hee
About $800 would buy you the non-evaporating oil for the booster vacuum pump. Its not too hard to price up all the little bits and pieces and get over $10000 without getting around to any main fusor bits at all!
You have to have a good picture in your mind of just how vastly empty is the space between and inside of those atoms, and how truly difficult it is to force some nuclei near each other, given they fiercely resist most of the way. Nuclear engineers have been determinedly trying every trick they can dream up for decades.
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The sub $10000 route is just not feasible. Just spent on paying you for your efforts toward this endeavour, how long would you work for that much, let alone put to purchasing hardware?
X-rays appear to be the only thing the majority of these guys produce w/ any real power which are easy to stop. All the amateurs use a camera to look through the glass view ports. Anyway, I expect the foolish never get pass the high voltage setup. :uhh:vanesch said:Don't forget to put money aside for the chemo-therapy :uhh:
mheslep said:X-rays appear to be the only thing the majority of these guys produce w/ any real power which are easy to stop.
Yep, though only a handful of amateurs have ever reported reaching even a sustained 10^5 n/s on the amateur web site. That is, it takes a fairly knowledgeable amateur to get there.vanesch said:I was more thinking of a serious flux of fast neutrons...
mheslep said:Yep, though only a handful of amateurs have ever reported reaching even a sustained 10^5 n/s on the amateur web site. That is, it takes a fairly knowledgeable amateur to get there.
Apparently SODERN is using D-T for the 10^10n/s model. D-T of course has a much better fusion cross section. Not much T available to the amateur.vanesch said:There are commercial "hand-held" devices, like this one from SODERN, which pretend delivering 10^10 neutrons per second. Pretty dangerous things if used inappropriately...
http://www.sodern.com/site/FO/scripts/siteFO_contenu.php?mode=&noeu_id=45&lang=EN
While the cost of constructing a fusion reactor can range in the billions, with a team of dedicated scientists and engineers, it is possible to create a scaled-down version using inexpensive materials and innovative techniques. The goal is to create a proof-of-concept that can demonstrate the potential of fusion energy and pave the way for larger, more expensive reactors in the future.
The main materials needed for a fusion generator include a vacuum chamber, deuterium gas, and a fuel source such as lithium. Other essential components include magnets, a heating system, and a cooling system. With careful planning and resourcefulness, these materials can be obtained within the given budget.
The timeline for building a fusion generator can vary depending on the scale and complexity of the project. With a team of 10 people working full-time for a year, it is possible to create a functional prototype of a fusion generator. However, further testing and refinement may be needed before it can be considered a viable source of energy.
A fusion generator has the potential to provide a virtually limitless source of clean energy, with minimal carbon emissions and waste. It could also reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and contribute to the fight against climate change. Additionally, fusion energy is safer and more sustainable than nuclear fission, as it does not produce long-lived radioactive waste.
One of the main challenges in creating a fusion generator is achieving and sustaining the extreme temperatures and pressures needed to initiate fusion reactions. Another challenge is finding cost-effective and efficient methods for containing and controlling the plasma, which is the fuel for fusion. Additionally, there are technical and logistical obstacles to overcome when building and operating a fusion reactor.