Fusion Message Board

In this space, visitors are invited to post any comments, questions, or skeptical observations about Philo T. Farnsworth's contributions to the field of Nuclear Fusion research.

Subject: Re: Cross Sections
Date: Jun 14, 5:50 pm
Poster: David Morgan

On Jun 14, 5:50 pm, David Morgan wrote:

>Can you say Tritium?
>
>Mr. Rodgers neighborhood needs tritium!!
>
>I could sure go for a 2.5 magnitude increase in neuts!! Also, once you hit 30kv applied there would be little need to continue much higher. As it stands we would contine to gain neutron numbers all the way up to 250,000 volts on our little D-D fusors and even at that huge voltage be behind the 30kv applied D-T fusor by a factor of 80!
>
>Restated, A D-T fusor runing with 10kv applied (40KEV collisional) would be the equal of a D-D system with 250,000 volts on it!!!
>
>I can say Tritium.

I'm wondering if it's worthwhile to say Lithium.
Jim posted a 20-30 Barn thermal neutron cross-section for Li(6?) a while ago - It seems
like we could plunk a little glob of LiD or LiH
at the edge of a fusor and form a handy Li ion gun to get some lithium floating around in the chamber, being accelerated just like the Deuterons. That would place some Lithium atoms
in the area of highest neutron flux (the center) during Fusor operation. How much extra tritium (and neutrons for the Li(7) reaction) would this make?

Is LiD a controlled substance?

Also, if you put a nice thick, heavy, tamper around the fusor to keep the neutrons inside, the neutron flux could be increased substantially in the chamber for higher probability of Li+n reactions.

David