homemade fusor (nuclear fusion reactor) - neutron and x-ray radiation, silver activation

nucleosynthesis with a farnsworth-hirsch-fusor - a homemade nuclear fusion reactor that, in this case, fuses deuterium (H-2) atoms.
the result is an intense output of x-radiation - and neutron radiation, which allows for activation of e.g. silver!
in mentioned process, nuclear transmutation occurs by silver atoms capturing neutrons released by the fusion reaction - thus, turning into radioactive isotopes of silver which will then beta-decay into cadmium atoms.

Category:

Science & Technology

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[SanfranciscoUB]

You handle so much radioactive things due to your work I guess. I heard that if one play with so much radiation he/she would have cancer. I see you've got 2 year old videos playing with radiation. What is the purpose of putting yourself in this great danger?!

[bionerd23]

@SanfranciscoUB

1. evidence to disbelieve in the danger

2. curiosity

3. fun! life should be fun!

4. consider it a life-long experiment on hormesis. we'll find out if i get cancer sooner or later, i suppose. but maybe, i'll just die of a car accident before i can even get cancer. who knows? time will tell.

[meagain2222]

I am very impressed with your instrumentation and control.

You are taking this very seriously.

The question really is can the fusor produce practical amounts of heat

energy?What about cold fusion?

[bionerd23]

@meagain2222

as i stated in the video, this is not my fusor. and, well... it's an experiment rather than a power plant, but it does produce sufficient heat to melt its own electrodes if run for too long or at too high voltages (~100kV = runtime of much less than a minute, or the reactor's inner electrode melts).

[lollazers]

I want to build a fusor now =o

So what would happen if you activated a fissile material like DU? Would it contribute neutrons back to the reaction?

And some guy mentioned 5 Sv at the chamber wall? That's hot. No, really.

[bionerd23]

@lollazers

depleted uranium is another word for uranium 238, and that is not fissile material. however, bombarding it with fast neutrons would result in U-238 -> neutron capture -> U-239 -> beta-decay -> Np-239 -> beta-decay -> Pu-239. it produces plutonium, and as has been done in "fast breeder reactors".

bombaring fissile U-235 with thermal neutrons would result in fission and additional neutrons, however.

[ytmachx]

Cool video! I think that reactor looks a little better than "homemade"

[bionerd23]

@ytmachx

that'll be a compliment to the constructor, who happens to be a mechanic. :)

[StiloNautica]

pretty cool!!

[SignatureCha0s]

What did you use for achieving that vacuum? My fusor along with the vacuum pumps can only get a 10^4 torr vacuum

[seanp1129]

Can you give a brief rundown on some of the equipment in the tower on the left of the reactor? I couldn't figure out what some of the electronics were.

[cortexedge]

I think you wanted to write 0.025MeV

[dispatcher7007]

@bionerd23:

Careful! U238 may undergo fission with neutrons well above 1MeV, too. Would never sustain a chainreaction, thought...

[tvalerianopereira]

Nice hands

[msounderson]

Neutron activation;-)

[Fusiontron]

Awesome. I'm looking to make one of my own.