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Direct Electrical Conversion

Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2003 1:37 pm
by mrbungle
Any advice on who to contact for information, collaboration, etc on DEC would be very very warmly recieved.

Re: Direct Electrical Conversion

Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2003 9:55 pm
by guest
Curious, why do you need to know about direct energy conversion when there is no breakeven or net power fusion device to apply it to?

Re: Direct Electrical Conversion

Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2003 7:42 pm
by Richard Hester
What's wrong with curiosity?

Re: Direct Electrical Conversion

Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2003 8:41 am
by guest
There is nothing wrong with curiosity that's why I'm curious about why he needs a direct energy conversion system now.

The other reason for my curiosity is that a while back I had developed a scheme for a Fusor confinement method that would use direct energy conversion to protect the system from particle bombardment.

So as to kill two birds with one stone.

Re: Direct Electrical Conversion

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 8:05 am
by mrbungle
Hit the nail on the head with "curiosity." It's always nice to know where other peoples heads are on these matters - and even better to have someone point you down a road you hadnt seen before.

And correct - we dont have anything to hook it up to, but whats the harm in jumping the gun by 30 years?

Re: Direct Electrical Conversion

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 10:46 am
by Richard Hull
Jumping the gun reminds me of a true story.

It involves probably one of the most stupid things Farnsworth did in the entire fusor episode.

Source: Initially - Gene Meeks

Confirmation: Fred Haak, Steven Blaising, George Bain

Phil was so absolutely sure that they were going to be doing fusion on the large that once ITT cut loose with some coins for the 63 budget, he ordered and had delivered to the Pontiac Street plant, a 4 ton polyphase converter system ready to take and convert power from the running fusor.

The item never went into the building! It was so huge that it was left it on the far end of the loading dock covered in polyethylene. According to the team it sat there for 3 years and ultimately became an embarrasing joke to the team who were jibed about it rather constantly by everyone at Pontiac Street who had a job there "making money". Ultimately, the Admiral had it hauled off, no one knew where or cared except that it was gone.

George Bain (fusor project engineering director) noted that its purchase crippled their ability to get needed material in 63 due to it having really dented the budget.

Philo had a lot of ideas and thoughts, few of which really panned out over the long haul. There are a bunch of other similar tales of his getting hair brained ideas that the team was forced to move on.

The big converter system was a sick example of having the cart upgraded to a barge and then to an ocean liner before the horse was ever secured. The final fusors with all their neutrons, never generated enough energy to equal that of a paper clip hitting the floor droped from a desk top!

Richard Hull