DIY: Man Builds Homemade Nuclear Fusion Reactor in Brooklyn
54 replies, posted
[QUOTE]Need a weekend project around the house? Mark Suppes, web developer by day, has built his own nuclear fusion reactor in a Brooklyn workspace. It kind of makes that project car you’ve got rusting in the garage seem lame by comparison.
Suppes' reactor – it’s about the size of an air conditioning unit with some extra bells and whistles attached – isn’t the answer to the world’s energy problems, at least not yet. He joins a list of 37 others recognized by the online community Fusor.net as having achieved homemade fusion (among them is a 15-year-old in Michigan). But his reactor is unique in the sense that it sits smack in America’s most densely populated city, and one in which the very word “nuclear” causes discomfort.
But rest easy, Brooklynites. Reactors of this kind are both legal and safe. It uses no fissile materials like uranium or plutonium that are associated with nuclear weapons, and it produces no pollution or other byproduct, other than heat. Suppes' reactor uses deuterium gas to fuel his reactor, which essentially creates an ideal atmosphere for fusion before mashing neutrons together at high energy.
While all the components of Suppes' machine – including the deuterium gas – were acquired through legal channels, some of it is somewhat dangerous. His power supply provides 30,000 volts, and his reactor does put off a negligible amount of radiation as it smashes neutrons together.
Suppes' reactor does not generate any more power than he puts into it, and as such is not the golden fusion generator scientists hope will fuel the future with clean, cheap energy. But at some point Suppes hopes to go much bigger, attracting the funding to build what’s known as a Bussard reactor that will break-even when it comes to energy input and output. In the meantime, to see what Suppes is doing in his makeshift lab firsthand, check out the BBC’s video package on the amateur physicist, or check out this extensive feature from Gizmodo.[/QUOTE]
Source: [url]http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-06/deuterium-diy-man-builds-homemade-nuclear-fusion-reactor-brooklyn[/url]
:science:
He should try building a time machine now.
What a badass. FOR SCIENCE!
I wonder how much he pays per month to keep that running.
OMG were all gonna DIY
Anyone thought of this?
[img]http://thefaust.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/tony-stark.jpg[/img]
He would have to gather over 90% of the heat released to get any positive energy output from that reactor.
Pretty cool that he made that though.
Also, hilarious people at the end. (Of this video [url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10385853.stm[/url])
this guy is building nuclear fusion reactors in his garage, and I don't even have a garage to build one in
I need to get on this asap
And I wonder why Iran has so much problems getting one of their own.
when i heard of the 15 year old reminded me of sheldon
[img]http://30.media.tumblr.com/mAN1CkU1ypoj6bc6xB658k1Jo1_400.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=CubeManv2;22835821]when i heard of the 15 year old reminded me of sheldon
[img]http://30.media.tumblr.com/mAN1CkU1ypoj6bc6xB658k1Jo1_400.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]
Sheldon could build a nuclear reactor while taking a shit
[QUOTE=wonkadonk;22835848]Sheldon could build a nuclear reactor while taking a shit[/QUOTE]
Out of his shit.
Apparently a few have built them. Now I want to.
Fucking nuclear fusion!! Just need to apply this thing to our other reactors, make it bigger, and we solved our energy crisis! God I love science and nuclear fusion.
Sorry for ruining the party, but Farnsworth fusors have been proven infeasible (At least for now :wink: )
That's why ITER uses a tokamak.
Don't let North Korea hear of this, they'll build a second fusion reactor.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;22835798]And I wonder why Iran has so much problems getting one of their own.[/QUOTE]
Something with Iran using things that could be used for a bomb, unlike this DIYer that uses things that can't make a bomb.
[QUOTE]It uses no fissile materials like uranium or plutonium that are associated with nuclear weapons[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Eudoxia;22836018]Sorry for ruining the party, but Farnsworth fusors have been proven infeasible (At least for now :wink: )
That's why ITER uses a tokamak.[/QUOTE]
Theres another article on Gizmondo that showed off, I think, another nuclear fusion reactor of this type. I do wished we had a video of it in action, but if this thing actually works, then I'd say we finally got nuclear fusion down right.
Link to article here: [url]http://gizmodo.com/5570817/no-sleep-til-fusion[/url]
[QUOTE=Neo222;22836070]Theres another article on Gizmondo that showed off, I think, another nuclear fusion reactor of this type. I do wished we had a video of it in action, but if this thing actually works, then I'd say we finally got nuclear fusion down right.
Link to article here: [url]http://gizmodo.com/5570817/no-sleep-til-fusion[/url][/QUOTE]
The Polywell is better than the Farnsworth fusor, but it still can't break even :smith:
It's promising though.
fuck fuck fuck fuck i live in brooklyn
[QUOTE=Eudoxia;22836164]The Polywell is better than the Farnsworth fusor, but it still can't break even :smith:
It's promising though.[/QUOTE]
Indeed. I am hoping that we get nuclear fusion sometime in the next 10-20 years, hopefully.
On a side note, I actually saw a TOKAMAK reactor in person. Okay, maybe not stand in front of it, but I did see one with my own eyes. Wasn't working, but still was awesome. Fusion is awesome!
I think what needs to be done is someone needs to make a TV show that educates people on nuclear technologies to help ease the taboo put on the word "nuclear" by uninformed idiots then research might be able to kick into full gear
This guy is so cool.
[QUOTE=Samuelgames;22835991]
I thought of this.[/QUOTE]
[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn"]I thought of this.[/URL]
[QUOTE=Bllasae;22836271][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn"]I thought of this.[/URL][/QUOTE]
As did I.
[QUOTE=Bllasae;22836271][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn"]I thought of this.[/URL][/QUOTE]
[img]http://www.foxnews.com/images/303168/0_61_080407_David_Hahn.jpg[/img]
wow he really fucked himself up later in life
How did he control the fucking massive chain reaction that would theoretically happen if you attempted to keep it running longer than a split second?
[editline]07:08PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;22835798]And I wonder why Iran has so much problems getting one of their own.[/QUOTE]
That would be nuclear FISSION that Iran is attempting, which requires enriched uranium or some other fissionable material, which is what is difficult to get. The reactors themselves are quite simple.
Not to discredit him in any way, but Fusor's have pretty much been proven infeasible by the man who designed them
Wait, it's Fusion. How come he isn't getting more output than input?
That's amazing... how do you even start a project like that?
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