Nuclear Fission initiated fusion

[DerekL1963]

8 minutes ago, MatterBeam said:

This might re-invigorate the topic:

NSWR revisited

Neutron flux from fissioning sources initates fusion within fusion fuels.

I stopped reading as soon as I saw the author - William Mook is a very well known nutjob.

[sevenperforce]

33 minutes ago, DerekL1963 said:

I stopped reading as soon as I saw the author - William Mook is a very well known nutjob.

Fission-initiated fusion of this sort would not be possible, but uranium-fission-initiated lithium fission would be quite possible. Lithium fissions into helium and hydrogen.

[fredinno]

On 2/12/2016 at 8:35 AM, wumpus said:

Unless you can make multi-tesla magnets with only helium*, you are going to scatter neutrons into matter that is going to get radioactive.  At some point we will have to get over the idea that diffusing pollution is always better than concentrating pollution (is it better to litter than throw you trash in a landfill?).  While I'm not against chasing fusion, we really need to do more with fission and less with coal.

* for Tokomak-style reactors.  The national ignition facility laser confinement might be able to pull this off.

Well, the nuclear waste is only going to have to be dealt with during decommissioning, is less radioactive than nuclear fuel rods, and much of the neutron irradiation would be absorbed by the lithium inside the tomahawk, which would turn into tritrium.

[Bill Phil]

The main problem with fusion is making it last. Most fusion reactors can only fuse for a few seconds at best, and probably not even that much.