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: Pulsing an IEC 1,2,3 BANG!!!!
Date: Oct 13, 09:35 am
Poster: Richard Hull

On Oct 13, 09:35 am, Richard Hull wrote:

200 ma pulses are rather mild compared to my ideas with the H2 thyratron. I was looking at 600 amp pulses at about a khz rate. The problem is to limit the pulses to about 1-2us or you will start tearing up the grid. Arc mode might even be entered and the ion transit times might be longer than this. (meaning it wouldn't work)

I haven't really investigated this as I have so many other irons in the fire that all this is back burner stuff.

The 200ma at 1ms sounds most reasonable and conservative and could be done with standard vacuum tubes.

neutron counting in pulse mode would go totally statitical (not that it isn't already even in continuous operation machines), but would enter a new order of approximation. I am not familiar with counting techniques for pulsed mega blasts of neuts but suspect it is highly statistical as real bursts might swamp many systems. The best hope might be to remove the counter to a greater distance, and this would help, but you are getting more and more statistical in sampling an ever smaller and smaller region and range of hard data particles.

My counter will easily see a proton recoil from a neut and be ready for another count in as short as a microsecond or two. This, ostensibly would indicate near megapulse per second count rates, but electron transit times in the tubes, electronic delays and such might realistically limit the thing to about 100 kilo-counts/second or less. Pulsed bursts would have a lot of coincidences up close. Anyway, it is more grist for the mill.

It is wise to consider neutron safety if you are going this route as our big bag of water bodies with not give a hoot in hell about the statistical niceties of bursts, just damaged tissue. fast neuts are about the highest RBE (Relative Biological Effectiveness) crap flyin' around so be wise and be safe.

Richard Hull