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Home fusionAugust 18, 2008What do you do in your spare time? Watch the Olympics? You might consider building your own nuclear fusion device. That, reports the Wall Street Journal, is the focus of “a small subculture of gearheads, amateur physicists, and science-fiction fans who are trying to build fusion reactors in their basements, backyards, and home laboratories.” Such hobbyists, the Journal notes, “call themselves "fusioneers," and have formed a loosely knit community that numbers more than 100 worldwide.” Only 42 have successfully built tabletop reactors—called fusors—thereby qualifying them for membership in the elite "Neutron Club." Fusors are based on a 1960s design pioneered by Philo T. Farnsworth and Robert L. Hirsch, the Journal notes. It paraphrases Hirsch as saying that he's “surprised and delighted that amateurs have picked up his old device.” Being a fusioneer is not without its downsides. Successful fusors produce x-rays and neutrons and require voltage on the order of 10,000 V to operate. Then of course there is the risk of running afoul of the Department of Homeland Security. The Journal quotes one home-fusion enthusiast as saying “Many people have a knee-jerk reaction that if you've got anything nuclear, you're a possible terrorist." So far, home fusion reactors require much more energy than they produce, so there is a lot of room for improvement. But who knows? A part-time experimenter might develop an approach that leads to practical large-scale fusion before the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) consortium does. Posted by Rick Nelson on August 18, 2008 | Comments (7) Industries: Bench and Modular Instrumentation
              
August 18, 2008
In response to: Home fusion Paul Rako commented: I would love a wind turbine in my backyard, as long as it was not turning and making noise. I could put an antenna on it and maybe get digital television better than my 20-foot tower. And is that the same Philo Farnsworth that invented raster-scan television?
August 18, 2008
In response to: Home fusion Rick Nelson commented: Yes, same Philo T. Farnsworth!
August 18, 2008
In response to: Home fusion Lonnie Burk commented: I've learned that Philo T. Farnsworth built his fusion reactor in a facility on Pontiac Street in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I here he had run in's later with EPA as there were hazardous chemicals used that they dumped outside on the ground, radiation leaks, etc. The building's lower level is supposedly sealed in concrete along with the reactor and is a messy cleanup site for contaminants. Still he was a brilliant mind that led to a much sought after home purchase in the television.
August 18, 2008
In response to: Home fusion Alan commented: Unfortunately the quoted 1995 paper, whilst interesting, is written in a "
August 19, 2008
In response to: Home fusion Tex Twister commented: What about the Ghostbusters ? They actually were pioneers in this field for the containment device? I believe that was downtown NYC ?
August 25, 2008
In response to: Home fusion Mister Fusion commented: More like 40KV folks!
October 4, 2008
In response to: Home fusion Down Comforter commented: The building's lower level is supposedly sealed in concrete along with the reactor and is a messy cleanup site for contaminants. Still he was a brilliant mind that led to a much sought after home purchase in the television. Lonnie Burk Test Engineer ITT
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