BUBBLE POWER (BASED ON: RENEWABLE AND NON-CONVENTIONAL SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY) SYNOPSIS: 1. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION 3. AN IDEA OF SONOFUSION 4. CONSTRUCTION & WORKING 5. FORMATION OF BUBBLES Page 1 of 12
6. EVIDENCE OF THE RESEARCH 7. FUSION REACTIONS TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY 8. WHEN THE DREAM BECOMES REAL 9. CONCLUSION 10. BIBLIOGRAPHY 11. WEBSITES ABSTRACT For more than half a century, thermonuclear fusion held out the promise of cheap, clean and virtual limitless energy. In an experimental research, which is not yet concluded, it is found that deuterium, a material which is abundant in ocean water, when made to tiny bubbles, Page 2 of 12
which can be imploded by using sound waves, can make hydrogen nuclei fuse. This phenomenon can be called as sonofusion. This is very much useful to produce bubble power. 1 km 3 of sea water could, in principle, supply the entire world s electrical energy need for several hundred years. At one day, it becomes a revolutionary new energy source. INTRODUCTION Tiny bubbles imploded by sound waves can make Hydrogen nuclei and may one day become a revolutionary new energy source. The bubbles violently collapse, can cause some of the deuterium nuclei to undergo fusion. Unleashed through a fusion reactor of some sort, the energy from 1 gm of deuterium, an isotope H 2, would be equivalent to that produced by burning 7000 liter of petrol. Page 3 of 12
Deuterium is abundant in ocean water. We have yet to identify an economically viable fusion reactor technology that can consistently produce more energy that it consumes. Page 4 of 12
AN IDEA OF SONOFUSION Technically known as Acoustic inertial confinement fusion. This is derived from a related phenomenon called sonoluminescence. In sonoluminescence, a loud speaker is attached to liquid filled flask sends pressure waves through the fluids, existing the motion of tiny gas bubbles. They grow and collapse producing visible flashes of light that last less than 50 picoseconds. The excitation pressure higher than about 170 kpa would be required to dislodge the bubble from its stable position and disperse it in the liquid. About 20 years ago, researcher studying this light emitting bubble speculated that their interiors might reach such high temperature and pressure that they could bigger fusion. Page 5 of 12
CONSTRUCTION & WORKING It consists of cylindrical pynex glass flask 100 mm high and 65 mm in dia. A lead zirconate titanate ceramic piezoelectric crystal in the form of ring to the flasks outer surface. This act as a loudspeaker. Neutron generator is used, in order to make the bubbles artificially. Fill the flask with commercially available deuterated action, in which 99.9% of H 2 atoms in acetone molecule are deuterium. Which neuron is generated and collides during low pressure, the bubbles swells instantaneously - a process called cavitation. To grasp the magnitude of the growth, imagine that initial bubble growing to 100,000 times. As the pressure cycle rapidly reverses, liquid pushes the bubbles wall inward the tremendous force and they implode with great violence. Page 6 of 12
This implosion create spherical shock wave within bubbles and travels inward cut high speed and significantly strengthen as they converge to their centers. FORMATION OF BUBBLES To initiate sonofusion process, apply oscillating voltage with a frequency of about 20 KHz to piezoelectric ring. The construction and expansion of ring produce concentric pressure waves through the liquid. The wave becomes acoustic standing wave. This causes the center of flask region to oscillate between a 1500 Kpa (max) and 1500 Kpa (min). During positive pressure the liquid is impressed. When the pressure reaches lowest point, we fire a pulsed neutron generator of 14.1 Mev in a burst for 6 micro sec. Neutron collides with deuterium; in this collision the fast moving neutron may knock the atoms nuclei out of their molecule. Page 7 of 12
The interaction between nuclei and molecule create heat and results in tiny bubbles of deuterated acetone vapour. EVIDENCE OF THE RESEARCH The action in the flask shows the evidence. One possibility gives you 2.45 MeV neutron plus helium and other gives you tritium plus a proton is given as, Helium Neutron Deuterium Deuterium + 0.82 MeV 2.45 MeV + Tritium Proton + 1.01 MeV 3.02 MeV Thus, the building of tritium above the measured initial levels is on independent and strong indication that fusion has taken place, since tritium cannot be produced without a nuclear reaction. Page 8 of 12
FUSION REACTIONS TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY Each individual fusion reactions is very brief. It lasts only about a pico seconds and it is confined to a very small region. Think of it as fusion sparks rather than a fusion burn. As a result, the energy output is like a miniature stars within the bubble, the fusion reaction don t melt the whole apparatus. To obtain something interesting interms of energy, the next step is to scale up the apparatus and make the fusion reactions selfsustaining. This is the greatest challenge not only for the sonofusion but also for all other fusion methods. The fusion produces high energy neutron that escape the plasma and hit a liquid filled blanket to generate vapour to drive a turbine and thus generate electricity. Yet tremendous challenges remain, such as controlling plasma in place while increasing temperature and pressure. It is a very unstable process that has proved difficult to control. Page 9 of 12
WHEN THE DREAM BECOMES REAL!!! It will have to overcome a number of challenges. This can be done by two adjacent sonofusion setups. Next it would be necessary to scale up the apparatus so it could produce more energy than it consumes. The heat produced by reaction is about 100 million degree centigrade controlling about 20,000 times that of the sun s surface temperature. Yet tremendous challenges remain, such as controlling reactions while increase in temperature and pressure. It is very unstable process that has proved difficult to control. So, when the dream becomes real? Page 10 of 12
CONCLUSION Nevertheless, the Holy Grail of all fusion research is the development of a new, safe, environmentally friendly way to produce electrical energy. Fusion produces no green house gases and unlike conventional nuclear fission reactors, it produces no noxious radio active wastes that last for thousands of years. With the steady growth of world population and with economic progress in developing countries, average electricity consumption per person will increase significantly. Therefore, seeking new sources of energy isn t just important, it is necessary. Much more research is required before it is clear whether sonofusion can become a new energy source. Page 11 of 12
BIBLIOGRAPHY Journal IEEE Spectrum, the page written by Richard T. Lahey Jr. N.Y. Rusi P. Taleyarkhan and Robert I. Nigmatulin. WEBSITES www. Rpi.edu/-laheyr / DARPA_slides_nigmatulin-Lahey.ppt. www. Llnl.gov./nif www. Iter.org. www. Washington.edu Page 12 of 12