Cno cycle dense plasma focus fusion

[sustainability]

hello, new to site. This is my first post. I just was wondering what any ones thoughts were on using the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen cycle in a dense plasma focus device to produce aneutronic fusion power.

 

[Astronuc]

hello, new to site. This is my first post. I just was wondering what any ones thoughts were on using the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen cycle in a dense plasma focus device to produce aneutronic fusion power.

The CNO process takes place at high temperatures in high density plasmas, the product of which produces high pressures beyond the capability of mechanical contraint.

The CNO cycle requires slightly higher temperatures than the p-p chain; it produces very little energy below about 16 million Kelvin (1.378773 keV). The central temperature of the Sun is just below this critical value, around 15 million Kelvin. Only stars with masses higher than our Sun reach such temperatures in their cores.

. . . .

Ref: http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys230/lectures/stellar_energy/stellar_energy.html

 

[sustainability]

thanks for the reply.

 

[Astronuc]

As I recall, the pressures associated with the CNO cycle are well beyond what can be produced in the terrestrial environment, at least at Earth's surface (nominally 1 atm, 0.10133 MPa).

FYI - PP and CNO-Cycle Nucleosynthesis: Kinetics and Numerical Modeling of Competitive Fusion Processes
http://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1013&context=utk_physastrpubs

 

[JimmyTrow]

Why go there (CNO)

The focus fusion are getting pretty close to success with their Boron -11 and Hydrogen fuel. Which doesn't require quite as high temperatures. For now at least why bother with other fuel cycles?

 

[ckyap]

Superconductivity of plasma the solution to Focus Fusion?

Superhot plasma has very good conductivity. As it heats up, it might be able to shrink away from a tokamak wall provided it has focus fusion current in it. This might solve containment issues as the plasma ring could then be quite tiny and isolated.

For commercialisation, I imagined a nanotechnology tube (if it were possible) firing hydrogen at a slowish rate into the centre of the plasma dot.