a trap to catch the sun. sonoluminescence: sound into light
TRANSCRIPT
A TRAP TO CATCH THE
SUN
Sonoluminescence: Sound into
Light
Sonofusion
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/02/26/science/20070227_FUSION_GRAPHICSUB.html
"A Mach number is associated with every shock wave. This number represents the ratio of the shock wave to the ambient speed of sound. The temperature behind a shock wave is higher than that in front of it; the ratio of those temperatures is proportional to the square of the Mach number. For an imploding air bubble, the Mach number approaches infinity as the shock front moves closer to the focal point, which means that a tremendous amount of heating takes place. Furthermore, when the shock hits the center and explodes outward, the molecules that were behind the shock are suddenly in front of it again. The hot molecules are hit a second time, and their temperatures go up by another factor of the square of the Mach number.”"Temperatures that can be reached by this mathematical model are therefore unimaginably high.” Seth Putterman – Sound into Light
100x106K
Rela
tive r
eact
ion r
ate
10 100 1000
Temperature million kelvin
Deuterium-Tritium Deuterium-DeuteriumDeuterium-Helium
Relative Fusion Reaction Rates
“…Prospects for initiation of thermonuclear fusion reactions within a sonoluminescing bubble were suggested when theoretical simulations of the SBSL phenomenon by Wu and Roberts showed the existence of maximum bubble temperatures of the order of 108 K! These extreme temperatures were limited to a small region of the bubble interior and were made possible by the launch of a shock wave within the already compressed gas. The shock focuses as it approaches the bubble centre and doubles its strength when reflected from the origin.”“In an another study, Moss et al. showed that hydrodynamic simulations of a collapsing bubble containing D2 and D2O vapour provide the possibility for a small number of thermonuclear D–D fusion reactions in the bubble...”
Sonoluminescence and bubble fusionVijay H. Arakeri
A major problem with bubbles in a gravitational field is that they are not spherical, as the hydrostatic pressure at the bottom of the bubble is higher than the top. To make a perfect bubble, the system would have to be placed in a microgravity environment. Hence the focus in this situation is currently not a point, and temperatures subsequently cannot reach their theoretical maximum.
The Liquid Piston Concept
The General Fusion Engine
The General Fusion system also creates a non-spherical bubble, but this is compensated for by the much larger scale than can be achieved through sonoluminescence
Liquid metal vortex
Electronically synchronised pneumatic piston/hammers
A shock front is launched as the surface of the liquid piston exceeds the speed of sound
Diagrammatic representation of the General Fusion engine
Fusion Demonstrator
The breakthrough to nett energy output happened in 2014 at the National Ignition Facility in the US
The Liquid Pendulum Concept
Gravitational field
Centrifugal field
Bearing
Eccentric rotating at the natural frequency of the pendulum
Liquid pendulum
Rotating housing
Shock chamber
Flywheel
With conventional sonoluminescence research (with bubble diameters of approximately 50 micron), Mach numbers of four have been measured in the walls of imploding gas bubbles, along with plasma temperatures estimated to be at least 105K. It is suggested that by increasing the scale by the proposed method, it may be possible to generate Mach numbers in excess of 30.
As the maximum temperature attained in sonoluminescence is estimated to be a function of the fourth power of the Mach number, on this basis temperatures in the order of at least 108K may be feasible. This is higher than can be attained by any other mechanism, and high enough to be considered for initiation of the fusion of deuterium.
In the Liquid Pendulum Engine, the natural frequency of the oscillation of the system is proportional to the rotational velocity. The piston is able to cycle at several hundred times per second. This is at least two orders of magnitude greater than that for the General Fusion concept and hence the number of fusion reactions required per cycle is reduced accordingly. Furthermore some of the energy may be delivered directly through the eccentric shaft rather than having to go through a Rankine cycle steam plant.
Possible Advantages of the Liquid Pendulum
Although a cylindrical implosion would be effective, a spheroidal one would be better. This could arguably be achieved by a concentric “pinch.”
Shear zone
Final spheroidal void
The cooling of the system would arguably be highly efficient due to the movement of water across the exposed metal surfaces at relatively high velocity and pressure.
This cooling could be enhanced by making the surfaces porous in order to allow evaporative cooling.
The heat from this cooling process would be used to generate steam and hot water as is intended for conventional fusion power systems.
…This - this is the dawn of a new day in human living. At the climax of that civilisation which had its beginning in the hammered flint and the fire-stick of the savage, just when it is becoming apparent that our ever-increasing needs cannot be borne indefinitely by our present sources of energy, we discover suddenly the possibility of an entirely new civilisation. The energy we need for our very existence, and with which Nature supplies us still so grudgingly, is in reality locked up in inconceivable quantities all about us…
H.G.Wells The World Set Free
http://www.vortexengineer.com/liquid-pendulum-engine.html
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