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A comment on Radical hydrogen-boron reactor leapfrogs current nuclear fusion tech?. Parent comment

Re:Radical hydrogen-boron reactor leapfrogs current nuclear ... by jabl on Friday February 21, 2020 @08:50AM (#22383022)
The big problem with H-B11 and other heavier fusion processes is that the energy radiated away as brehmsstrahlung is greater that the energy gain from the fusion. This was worked out by Todd Rider in his 1995 PhD thesis.

Yeah, in theory it might be possible to capture the brehmsstrahlung and pump it back into the reactor with sufficiently high efficiency, but we're pretty far away from that.

That being said, all these fancy fusion reactor schemes are interesting. Just make them work on boring old D-T fuel first, then lets see if these other fuels are usable, no?

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Re:Radical hydrogen-boron reactor leapfrogs current nuclear ... by DennisP on Friday February 21, 2020 @09:02AM (#22383116)
Yes, but Rider based that on various assumptions, and included an appendix on various ways those assumptions might be violated to achieve net power with aneutronic fuels. I think this reactor would qualify, since it doesn't rely on thermal heating.
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Re:Radical hydrogen-boron reactor leapfrogs current nuclear ... by marktangotango on Saturday February 22, 2020 @07:55PM (#22394387)
Polywell claimed to circumvent it as well, I was never clear on their basis for that belief. At least Brussard seemed adamant when he was alive.
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Re:Radical hydrogen-boron reactor leapfrogs current nuclear ... by pfdietz on Monday February 24, 2020 @09:19PM (#22410425)
There was no basis for the belief. Read some of the comments in this reddit thread.

https://www.reddit.com/r/fusion/comments/dmqgd5/is_the_polyw...

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Re:Radical hydrogen-boron reactor leapfrogs current nuclear ... by strbean on Friday February 21, 2020 @02:31PM (#22386000)
Wait... Todd Rider the DRACO guy?
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Re:Radical hydrogen-boron reactor leapfrogs current nuclear ... by pfdietz on Friday February 21, 2020 @04:06PM (#22386737)
Yes, he moved away from fusion after basically showing the whole non-Maxwellian approach for aneutronic fusion couldn't work.
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Re:Radical hydrogen-boron reactor leapfrogs current nuclear ... by Lev1a on Friday February 21, 2020 @11:03AM (#22384100)
> brehmsstrahlung

Bremsstrahlung

FTFY

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Re:Radical hydrogen-boron reactor leapfrogs current nuclear ... by jabl on Saturday February 22, 2020 @12:45PM (#22392227)
Indeed, you're correct. Thanks.
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