For all you tech, science, energy geeks, I have good news, I have it on good authority that on August 21st DR Bussard signed a contract with the US Navy to build the next device (WB7) on the way to fusion net power generation.
Dr Bussards approach is called Polywell Fusion. Polywell is an alternative to the internationally funded ITER Tokamak reactor being built in France that is slated to cost about 14 billion. DR Bussards EMC2Fusion corporation is one of 3 companies vying for Venture Capital funds to explore Inertial Electrostatic Confinement avenues to fusion.
Wanna talk about Maxwellian thermalization? Follow me...
Dr Bussard is the Former Assistant Director of the US Atomic Energy Commision, he lobbyied Congress for money to build the first US Tokamak Fusion reactor in the late 1960's early 1970's. The good Doctor no longer is an advocate of the Tokamak design he helped father. During the last 15 or so years Dr Bussard has worked on the simple and elegant Polywell design that is more akin to vacume tubes than donut shaped toruses used in Tokamak research.
This 2 minute video shows a schematic view of particle flow in a Polywell device. Over the last 15 or so years Dr Bussard has advanced his work to the point where in Oct 2005 his WB6 Fusion reactor was run near steady state (considering an electrons lifetime) Producing fusion at a rate 100,000 times more than any previous IEC device, at the same drive levels.
WB6 in 2005. WB6 was run in steady state operation for a number of tests before a short stopped testing. Navy funding will allow Dr Bussard to build WB7, similar in size (16 inches on a side), but as a truncated cube, which should allow for a 3 to 5 times increase in efficiency.
I do not believe that the Tokamak design will yield a net power device, capable of generating electricty in this century. Tokamaks are huge, the ITER building will be about 130 ft x 150 ft, a Polywell reactor building would be 30 ft square.:
Past Fusion diaries with tons of links to cool stuff:
- Univ. of Wis.: Inertial electrostatic confinement fusion.
- Update: Dr. Bussards IEC Fusion program... the cure for peak oil ?
- IEC Fusion update..Tom Ligon: guest on "thespaceshow.com" tonite @ 10pm eastern
- IEC Fusion, simple, elegant, and can power 76 day trip to Saturn
It appears that the Navy has funded the next test device, WB7, and not gone in hook line and sinker and funded a 5 year 200 million push to achieve proof of concept: a 100MW generator. Though if proven, the best case scenario is electrical generation on a scale to replace most liquid fuels by around 2050, replace all coal fired plants by around 2050. Putting a man on Mars & Titan by 2035, Mars would be a 33 day trip, Saturns moon, Titan is 76 days. Normally these days, Mars is 180 days away.
I would also like to add that it appears the Navy is not buying Todd Riders Masters Thesis and its objections to IEC or polywell fusion.
EDIT:
Polywell mesage board, talk~polywell