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From: w-colinp@microsoft.UUCP (Colin Plumb)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Cold Fusion
Message-ID: <5392@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 5 Apr 89 02:19:29 GMT
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From: w-colinp@microsoft.UUCP (Colin Plumb)

> [mod.note:  Is it not possible to operate the fusion plant at "maintanence
> level", keeping the bulk of the deuterium in the palladium without
> reaching "critical mass" (or whatever the appropriate term in
> this technology) ?   Or perhaps one could remove part of the palladium
> from the "core" ?  If the plant can only be operated in an "on/off" mode,
> with 10 hours to turn it on, its uses will be greatly diminished. - Bill ]

First of all, this technoloogy is so new (although Hungarian TV announced
a duplication of results a few days ago, there's still plenty of room
for doubt that this is a real effect at all) that guesses about the
capabilities of a useful power plant are unlikely to be very accurate.

Having said that, by all appearances there appears to be no concept of
chain reaction or critical mass in cold fusion - you can make arbitrarily
small reactors.  Also, the current flow is needed, so regulating that offers
potential for a rapid on/off switch.

The 10 hour charge time is to allow the deuturium to saturate the palladium.
It takes a comparable amount of time to remove the deuturium, so right there
you know you haven't got a usable regulation system.  But since it appears
that mere saturation is not enough to start fusion (as opposed to a fission
reactor, where just putting enough uranium in one place will generate heat),
there are plenty of opportunities to stop the process.

I think we'll have answers soon enough (every university in the world is
going to play with it), so waiting a while (intolerable as it is) seems
apropriate.
-- 
	-Colin (uunet!microsoft!w-colinp)

"Don't listen to me.  I never do." - The Doctor