Problems with dense plasma focus

[Stanley514]

Is here some people who knows something about dense plasma focus fusion technology?
I`m interested to know how main problems of the technology are supposed to be solved.
For example: 1) if it is assumed that pinching device supposed to be surrounded with ambient deuterium gas,then how heating of this gas and melting reactor wall through contact with gas is prevented?As I could understand there is no magnetic confinement assumed.2)How long copper electrodes suppose to last if they will experience neutron bombardment,giant temperatures and giant currents?3)Is it possible to achieve explosion of dense plasma focus using petawatt laser?

 

[phyzguy]

One proposal that I had seen that addresses some of these problems involves using an electrode which is a vortex of liquid lithium. See US patent number 4129772. Since the electrode is not solid, most of your objections don't apply, and the lithium breeds tritium at the same time. However, there are still lots of other problems with making the plasma focus into a viable reactor, which is why you probably don't see it as a major contender today.

 

[JimmyTrow]

In focus fusion there IS magnetic confinement. It's just not continuous. The filaments and subsequent plasmoid has a self contained magnetic field which compresses the gaseous fuel.

With regard to the neutron bombardment of the copper: Deuterium as a fuel and subsequent neutron production is only going to be present in the development phase. The production generators will use Boron-11 and Hydrogen-1 as fuel and the reaction produces no neutrons.