Newsgroup sci.physics.fusion 27188

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I am considering and sorting through some of the options that people have
suggested.  If I were to change my field, from physics to lets say to
engineering, what would be the best way to do this?  There seems to be
some choices here.  One is to stay within the physics graduate program in
physics, but work with a advisor outside of the department of physics (for
example a professor in electrical engineering graduate department).  I
will have a piece of paper saying that I was awarded a Ph.D in physics. 
But i will have background in electrical engineering.
Or get into the engineering program within the same school.  So I move
from department of physics graduate program to engineering graduate
program in the same university.  
Or move to another school.  
Which is the best choice
would it be wise to do the first option
what are the positive and negatives
thank you again for your help
C.N.

Fusion as an "available" (in a thermodynamical sense) source of useful
power (sic, not energy) on a planetary surface is something I have never
seen addressed.
Hot fusion of hydrogen is a bare possibility as a net producer. There
are no containments other than electromagnetic which can deal with the
requisite environment. An engineer's "Forget it".
Cold Fusion? Get real. If cold fusion were possible, (I agree it might
be  on a timescale exceeding that of proton decay by at least a dozen
orders of magnitude), the only hydrogen atoms left would be the result
of Helium decay. Anyone know the half life of Helium? Anyone care to
guess? 10exp200 maybe?
Need some reality here. Lots of great Sci Fi newsgroups around.

Just wanted to let everyone know about the latest:
(Typed verbatim from Fusion Power Associates January Newsletter)
In JT-60U Experiment Report #39, dated November 11, 1996, scientists at
the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute state that "a high fusion
performance satisfying the break-even plasma condition was achieved on
October 31, 1996".  The results, obtained in a deuterium-only plasma, were
equivalent to an energy multiplication factor Q(DT) {the value expected if
a 50-50 mixture of deuterium and tritium had been used} of 1.05.  Energy
confinement time of 0.97 seconds, ion temperature of 16.5 keV, and
electron density of 9.7 x 10^19 m^-3 were reported.  The report states,
"This achievement demonstrates the feasibility of bootstrap-current-driven
steady-state tokamak fusion reactors whose primary operational scheme is
the negative magnetic shear discharge.  Information on JT-60U results can
be found on their web page (http://www-jt60.naka.jaeri.go.jp)
I guess all of you pessimists out there will have to rethink your position
on fusion power generation... then again, probably not.

From an engineering perspective an energy multiplication factor
of 1.05 does not indicate a commercially viable reactor.
Commercial fission reactors use about 1/5 the output of the
reactor to run pumps etc. (a multiplication of 5).
(I could be off by a factor of 2 or so. Its been a long time
since I did an energy balance on a system.)
Commercial viability would require a multiplication factor of at
least 2:1. If the output was used thermally to run steam
turbines a multiplication factor of 5 or more is probably
required.
So 1.05 is good news. But it is no where near commercial
viability.
Simon - former Naval Nuclear Reactor Operator
----------------------------------------------------------------
cdean73352@aol.com (CDean73352) wrote:
>Just wanted to let everyone know about the latest:
>(Typed verbatim from Fusion Power Associates January Newsletter)
>In JT-60U Experiment Report #39, dated November 11, 1996, scientists at
>the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute state that "a high fusion
>performance satisfying the break-even plasma condition was achieved on
>October 31, 1996".  The results, obtained in a deuterium-only plasma, were
>equivalent to an energy multiplication factor Q(DT) {the value expected if
>a 50-50 mixture of deuterium and tritium had been used} of 1.05.  Energy
>confinement time of 0.97 seconds, ion temperature of 16.5 keV, and
>electron density of 9.7 x 10^19 m^-3 were reported.  The report states,
>"This achievement demonstrates the feasibility of bootstrap-current-driven
>steady-state tokamak fusion reactors whose primary operational scheme is
>the negative magnetic shear discharge.  Information on JT-60U results can
>be found on their web page (http://www-jt60.naka.jaeri.go.jp)
>I guess all of you pessimists out there will have to rethink your position
>on fusion power generation... then again, probably not.
In the end people get the government they deserve.
Read "The Weapon Shops of Isher" by A.E. vanVogt
Simon