[ExI] Tri Alpha Energy

[Stephen Van Sickle]

*because it produces no neutrons and no radioactive isotopes*

Very reduced neutrons, but there are still small side reactions that
produce neutrons.  About .2% of the total energy is fast neutrons.  .2% of
100 megawatts is still 200 kw of neutrons, enough to be a hazard and to
produce radioactive waste by neutron activation.  Much less, but not zero.

But any proton-boron reactor can easily burn deuterium, yielding a large
fraction in fast neutrons.  And cheap neutrons are a proliferation
hazard...even a small fusion reactor can breed lots of plutonium, and make
lots of bombs.




On Tue, Aug 25, 2015 at 10:43 AM, John Clark <johnkclark at gmail.com> wrote:

> Tri Alpha Energy is about the most secretive publicity shy company around,
> they have 150 employees 140 million in the bank and no website; they've
> been around since 1998 but until recently all they've said it that they're
> trying to develop fusion power using the Hydrogen-Boron reaction which is
> one of the cleanest nuclear reaction known because it produces no neutrons
> and no radioactive isotopes. Also the reaction produces fast electrically
> charged particles so it can produce electricity directly, bypassing the
> need for steam turbines and generators. Boron and Hydrogen are very common
> elements too.
>
> Recently the company has opened up a bit and published papers showing that
> they have made real progress, they've confined plasma in field-reversed
> configuration (a sort of plasma smoke ring) at 10 million degrees Celsius
> and held it steady for 5 milliseconds, which is over 10 times longer
> than anybody has before. But there is still a long way to go.
>
>
> http://news.sciencemag.org/physics/2015/08/secretive-fusion-company-makes-reactor-breakthrough
>
>
>
> http://news.sciencemag.org/physics/2015/06/mystery-company-blazes-trail-fusion-energy
>
>   John K Clark
>
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>
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