- #1
Arubi Bushlee
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has anyone looked into the possibility of nuclear fusion without neutrons? it would make IEC fusion easier without all the neutrons running around making things radioactive and wearing them down.
I am wondering if p-B11 (proton-boron11) fusion is really an aneutronic fuel. deuterium-Helium3 fusion is aneutronic, until you account for the face D2D fusion can produce neutrons and in those reactions the neutrons carry a lot of energy. You could say, "well why not controll the speed at which the ions travel. They should be made fast enough to allow Deuterium-Helium3 fusion, but too slow for D2D (deuterium to deuterium) fusion." unfortunately for some reason, (one which I still am kinda fuzzy on, help me out with this) there is thermalization. When you shoot ions in all at the same speed, some end up faster than usual and some slower. The fast ions carry energy out of the reactor, and the slow ones are too slow to fuse. The fast ions can also facilitate some unwanted nuclear reactions in "aneutronic fuel" (i.e. D2D fusion.)
The point being p-B11 fusion produces neutrons every 1/1000 reactions. The total neutron energy is about 1/500 of the total energy produced. Is this still too much for the fuel to be considered aneutronic? (by definition it fits, but is it, you know good enough to not cause damage to a reactor or people around it?) If not are there any better aneutronic fuels.
*also in IEC fusion is there a way around the whole thermalization thing. I understand what happens I just have no idea how particles can start out at the same velocity (temperature) and than have some become slower and some become faster than the pack. To me it just sounds like the transfer of heat in reverse. Again I am not an expert, just looking to learn something.
P.S. the Polywell seems to be a good method of fusion. Any particular reason I haven't seen that around at all?
*edit* as thoroughly researched as other methods of fusion and IEC fusion.
I am wondering if p-B11 (proton-boron11) fusion is really an aneutronic fuel. deuterium-Helium3 fusion is aneutronic, until you account for the face D2D fusion can produce neutrons and in those reactions the neutrons carry a lot of energy. You could say, "well why not controll the speed at which the ions travel. They should be made fast enough to allow Deuterium-Helium3 fusion, but too slow for D2D (deuterium to deuterium) fusion." unfortunately for some reason, (one which I still am kinda fuzzy on, help me out with this) there is thermalization. When you shoot ions in all at the same speed, some end up faster than usual and some slower. The fast ions carry energy out of the reactor, and the slow ones are too slow to fuse. The fast ions can also facilitate some unwanted nuclear reactions in "aneutronic fuel" (i.e. D2D fusion.)
The point being p-B11 fusion produces neutrons every 1/1000 reactions. The total neutron energy is about 1/500 of the total energy produced. Is this still too much for the fuel to be considered aneutronic? (by definition it fits, but is it, you know good enough to not cause damage to a reactor or people around it?) If not are there any better aneutronic fuels.
*also in IEC fusion is there a way around the whole thermalization thing. I understand what happens I just have no idea how particles can start out at the same velocity (temperature) and than have some become slower and some become faster than the pack. To me it just sounds like the transfer of heat in reverse. Again I am not an expert, just looking to learn something.
P.S. the Polywell seems to be a good method of fusion. Any particular reason I haven't seen that around at all?
*edit* as thoroughly researched as other methods of fusion and IEC fusion.
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