ISEF or Bust! March 27, 2012

Recently I competed in a series of local and regional science fairs, and I have been selected as a grand prize winner to head to the Intel International Science Fair in Pittsburgh! I will have the reactor there, so if anybody wants to come see it and chat with me just send me an email and I’ll give you directions to find me at the fair. The fair is from May 13 – 18,  with public viewing on May 17th at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Some of the worlds brightest minds will be exhibiting their projects there, it is truly breathtaking, and I highly recommend stopping by if you are in the area.

Thanks for reading!

-WJ

Here’s some recent eye-candy of the reactor operating:

IEC Fusion Reactor MK. III Completion, and New Page on DC Magnetron Ion Source February 25, 2012

Hello everyone, I haven’t been writing for my website much as I’ve been crazy busy with school and actually working on the reactor, but I finally have some wtuff writtien up about IEC Reactor MK.III in it’s completed state.

You can read everything about it here: http://wjscience.com/iec-fusion-reactor-mk-iii 

I also have built a DC magnetron ion source, which I’ve written a ton about here: http://wjscience.com/dc-magnetron-ion-source

Here are some pictures of the completed reactor, including one where the ion source is operating:

The whole reactor.

Ion source operating with -26kV on reactor MK.III cathode.

Beginnings of Electronic Control System for IEC Fusion Reactor Mk.III November 20, 2011

I’ve mentioned in earlier posts that my next reactor will be remotely controlled, however I haven’t really gone in depth as to why. Well, it really all comes down to minimizing neutron dose. While the x-rays the reactor emits from the viewport are extremely easily shielded, the neutrons, which are emitted in all directions, are exceedingly hard to stop. Although the reactor currently operates at a measly 30,000 neutrons a second (total isotropic emission), I plan for this next reactor to be able to reach outputs of >= 1,000,000 neutrons/second TIER, and hopefully sustain those outputs for an extended period of time (~30 minutes). This will allow for a myriad of experiments to be performed. Now, at these levels, the radiation hazard becomes somewhat troublesome. With shielding the neutrons not being a truly viable option, I have no choice but to get away.

By my calculations, operating at 1,000,000 2.45MeV neutrons/sec while standing 2.5′ away would result in a dose rate of 1.71 mrem an hour. While this is not terribly high, it is still wise to keep dose rates as low as reasonably possible. However, at 25 feet away, the neutron dose rate plummets to a minuscule .017 mrem an hour. As a comparison, the average airline flight clocks in at .5 mrem an hour at cruising altitude.

So far I’ve only installed two switches, one to operate the diffusion pump heater, and the other to operate the diffusion pump cooling system. These switches just switch 120v 60hZ AC from to wall, and are mounted on the reactor itself, as they will not need to be operated while the reactor is producing radiation.

The rest of the reactor’s control system will be comprised of a remote control unit attached via a 25′ long 25 conductor cable to the reactor, and 25 conductor cable from the reactor to the 30kV power supply. The control unit will have the following capabilities: displaying reactor voltage, reactor current, power supply on/off, and a momentary DPDT (double pole, double throw) switch to adjust the position of the reactor’s main throttle valve.

The display of current and voltage will be achieved through the use of two analog panel meters, reading the voltage across pins on the power supply. The power supply on/off will be accomplished by a SPST (single pole, single throw) switch across the “common” and “HV enable” pins of the power supply.

The control of the main valve will be slightly trickier. A 120v to 8v transformer, and bridge rectifier will supply a 3 RPM motor with DC power. This motor will connect via a chain drive connecting it to the valve. This assembly will allow the valve to open and close at a rate of around 8 degrees/second. The DPDT switch in the control unit will be wired so that the DC motor can be driven in a forwards or reverse direction.

Additional information that will be available remotely will be the totalized neutron count, pressure in the chamber, and a remote view through the reactor’s viewport, although these still have to have the details worked out.

Progress of Reactor MK.III Rebuild November 6, 2011

I’ve been working on the new frame ever since I posted the CAD renderings, and the new reactor is finally starting to take shape. The 8020 aluminum has made the entire process extremely quick and easy. It’s extremely easy to mount things, try different arrangements of components, and just build quickly with it. It’s a bit pricier than other solutions like welded steel, but I highly recommend it to anyone with similar needs.

Another update I’ve made  is a new diffusion pump cooling system. Diffusion pumps (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_pump) are convection based, high vacuum pumps that basically heat oil to the point where it vaporizes, rises at an extremely high speed, and then is directed downwards in a series of jets while simultaneously being cooled and condensing. These oil jets force gas molecules towards the bottom of the pump. The old system used a fan from an air mattress inflator to push air over the pump’s heatsink (in order to allow for condensation of the oil vapor to occur). This fan produced lots of vibration, as well as an extremely loud, high pitched noise. I’ve replaced it with two 115v, 25W computer fans, which will work in tandem to pull and push air over the pump’s condenser section heatsink.

Another prospect I’m looking at is that of a remote control system for the reactor. I’m planning on creating a relatively simple system to control pumps, fans, valves, power supplies, etc. from 10-15 feet away from the reactor. This will merely serve to keep neutron radiation doses as low as reasonably possible as I approach higher levels of operation (hopefully 500,000 – 1,000,000 neutrons/sec total isotropic emmission rate). This goes in accordance with the old proverb: “Nothing beats getting the hell away from a source of radiation.” -Unknown

New Frame for Reactor MK.III October 10, 2011

The past few days I’ve been designing a new frame for reactor MK. III. The frame was designed with ease of use, adaptability, and good geometry for experimentation in mind. The frame will house all the reactor’s components minus the neutron detection system, roughing pump, and high voltage power supply. The material I will build it from is 1″ 80/20 modular aluminum framing.

Here are some CAD drawings I made of it.

Beginnings of IEC Reactor MK.III October 6, 2011

Recently I’ve been working on a new reactor, IEC Fusion Reactor MK III. Unlike its predecessor, MK III is based in a small, 1.5″ diameter, cross shaped chamber. Small reactor designs have shown promise of high efficiency and high neutron rates, and I would like to personally investigate these claims. Additionally, I intend to use this reactor to begin investigation into the neutron activation of elements, an area of research that will require long run times and high neutron fluxes. Finally, the reactor will serve as an experimental test bed for new ideas that come to my mind.

I’ve constructed the reactor partially; the new chamber is currently mounted on reactor MK II’s old frame. I’ve also tested the reactor to a small extent, with a max neutron rate of 21800 n/s TIER, however it’s been held back from it’s full potential due to grid arcing, pressure control issues, and minor amounts of outgassing.

Some updates (coming soon!) are a new throttle valve, and a new t-slotted aluminum frame. I will also be setting up a gamma spectrometry system soon, and will begin activation experiments.

Here are some pictures of the reactor in it’s current state.

IEC Fusion Reactor Mk.II Video April 27, 2011

I recently uploaded a video to youtube of my reactor, to serve as a video introduction to it.
Here it is, enjoy.

A Simple Introduction April 27, 2011

I imagine I should christen this website with a short introduction:

This is WJ Science and Engineering, a blog that will detail the endeavors of myself, Will Jack, in science and engineering. I will write about many of my projects here, perhaps most notably my  Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion Reactor. At the time of writing this, I am currently a sophomore in high school, and I will soon be attending the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. I’ve been really busy lately, so I may not be updating this website as much as I would like. In the meantime, readers may be interested in my “Basics of IEC Fusion” page, which outlines exactly how my reactor works, and my “IEC Fusion Reactor Mk.II” page, which details my reactor of the same name, however, I must emphasize that it is NOT a cold fusion, nor a breakeven fusion reactor, rather it is terrible inefficient, and very, very hot.

All in all, welcome to my website! I am open to any recommendations or tips you may have.