A "World Record" for fusion?

Reflections on fusion history, current events, and predictions for the 'fusion powered future.
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Paul_Schatzkin
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A "World Record" for fusion?

Post by Paul_Schatzkin »

This came through my Google Alerts this evening

https://www.itnonline.com/content/world ... hoenix-and

"The reaction yielded 46 trillion (4.6 x 10e13) neutrons per second, eclipsing the previous record by nearly 25 percent and setting a new standard for neutron generator technology that is expected to enable further advances in medicine, manufacturing and clean energy....The world record was achieved in late July during a demonstration of Phoenix’s third-generation gas-target neutron generator as part of the companies’ ongoing preparation for full-scale operation of the medical isotope production facility being built by Shine.

Is anybody familiar with this technique? I can't really tell what the approach is. What is a "third-generation gas-target neutron generator"? Is it an IEC device? Magnetic? Something entirely different?

Sure, it's a lotta neutrons.... but how exactly were they produced?

--PS
Paul Schatzkin, aka "The Perfesser" – Founder and Host of Fusor.net
Author of The Boy Who Invented Television: 2023 Edition – https://amz.run/6ag1
"Fusion is not 20 years in the future; it is 60 years in the past and we missed it."
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Richard Hull
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Re: A "World Record" for fusion?

Post by Richard Hull »

I actually reported on this "Shine" system being started to produce medical isotopes in a sub critical fission reaction via neutrons produced in a large fusion generator much like the fusor. My original post was in this very forum.

viewtopic.php?f=55&t=11189

This fellow is, Greg Piefer, a past graduate of the Univ of Wisconsin's fabulous fusor team. He is the head of the entire venture and what a great idea!

I met Greg at one of our local American Nuclear Society meetings last December, where he was to be the guest speaker. He fully explained the shine system at the meeting. At the open bar mixer held for an hour before his presentation, I chatted at length with him. On seeing my name badge he said, "Are you the Richard Hull doing fusor work?" I was a bit nonplussed that he would know me. He explained that at the U of W they regularly followed the work on fusor.net. I then remembered his connection and we bonded much more closely. I finished two jack and gingers as I got thirsty talking with him and got a preview of his system before the meeting. We had a small audience who sat at our table in silence as we went back and forth. As I stood up to go to the prepared dinner before the meeting, man, did my head spin. Ever stand up rapidly after about twice your normal liquor intake?

Without re-hashing what was in my post, I will give another quick rinse. Here is the beauty of his idea. It is a brilliant mix of fusion and fission.

1. Fission is the only way to get enough slow neutron flux to activate materials to medical isotope grade level in reasonable amounts in reasonable time frames.
2. Fission reactors take years for licensing and hundreds of millions to create
3. Take some miscible U-235 enriched chemical of suitably low enrichment in a tank of water in a net sub critical mass with internal stirrers such that it is impossible for it to go critical under any circumstance....
4. In the middle of this tank of liquid place a fusor of novel design but suitable neutron output............
5. Bring the fusor on line and fission will take place at a high yet, sub-critical level and produce a vastly increased flux of neutrons far exceeding that of the fusor, and you can make medical isotopes!

Naturally, there is some complex chemistry involved and some re-circulation and cooling of the fission solutions. Some chemical extraction of re-circulated radio active byproducts is also planned.

At the time of the talk, Shine had several employees critical to the mission. Chemists, nuclear engineers and a licensed RSO. They had no problem getting NRC licensing for controlled enriched sub-critical U235 for there start-up with NRC supervision and installation at time of startup. It could be a multi-million dollar operation within the first year after isotope manufacture, startup and sales. With the number of medical radio-isotope suppliers is forever dwindling, Canada and India were number one producers, but Canada is shutting down their operation completely. Shine is ready to fill the gap.

The record is for continously functioning fusion in a fusor type IECF device, only!

The past break even Thermal type fusion systems that cost billions and did fusion for .5 seconds had much higher flux levels, but just could not keep it up. Epic fails.

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
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Re: A "World Record" for fusion?

Post by John Futter »

Paul / Richard
I think they meant 4.6 x 10^13 neutrons/per sec ( trust a journalist to screw the units up)

still a way off Fission reactor pile neutrons per sec of ?? x 10^22 or greater
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Richard Hull
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Re: A "World Record" for fusion?

Post by Richard Hull »

John, Before I read this post, you will note, I had already edited Paul's post to be correct. I used my old college "e" for exponent, but I see the carat ^ being used a lot no I knew a sharpie like you would catch this so I tried to stave off the complaints, but you were fast on the trigger. The press written article did bungle the number, but hey, it's what they do and then they move on.

Plus, this was a Phoenix fusor and the number was isotropic emission and is to be used in Shine's system where it will fast neutron fission a uranium -238 pipe, (surrounding blanket). This neutron emission and missed fast neutrons will go thermal in the fissile liquid in the Shine tank's system in hope of a sub-critical 10e11 or 10e12 fission "flux".

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
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