[The Claw]

 Actually, we heat the gasses into plasma not so much for the kinetic energy it develops (we could use particle accelerators for that) but the fact that when we get them hot enough, the atoms shed their electrons, thus making it easier for the atoms to fuse.
 And my gods, I can't believe I didn't realise that... thanks jonskowitz... that really does make me want to kick myself, but I already headbutted my knee yesterday so I'll give it a miss  
 And Jabu, that's why cold fusion doesn't really fit into the Physics thing, cause the atoms are joining at a low temperature...
 Of course, it might not actually be fusion, but in that case it's debatable what's actually happening.

[Shrike]

 

Originally posted by venom2506:
? I'm not sure if it's the same thing, but what I know about MHD is that it's used to move in a dense element (air, water) thanks to magnetics fields (and that it works damn well, so I'm still waiting someone to explain me why submarines and planes won't use that...)

The way (I think) it works, is that the plasma, as it's going around the torus, generates a strong magnetic field, which is used to directly power an electrical transformer.

[KillMeNow]

the plamsa does create a meganetic feild of its own but its not to produce energy it just serves to help contain the plasma cause to do it all with the reactors fields would require more powerful electronmagnets

and the cold fusion thinga bout giving off heat somesaid that the create largers molecules - thats it exactly molecules not elements- in fusion hydrogen turns into helium basically - what your talkina bout is like pouring acid into a alkaline you ameracans call them bases or something produces heat etc but its not an atomic reaction its a molecular or chemical reaction - only true fusiion is the kinda that involved of heat

and that idea for extracting power from a fusion reactor is that fact or did you jsut think of it and if you did think of it do you happen to have a degree in nuclear physics? cause if thats true and it sounded plausible then that is very cool indeed

and finally - the first nuke acaully used explosives very carefully shaped to create an imposive shockwave in a sphere or plutonium or was it uranium i can never remmeber which is which - as i understand it they shaped the plastic explosives to lense the shockwave directly evenly around teh sphere so it compressed the plutonium and resulted in it achieving critical mass and bang

hell if you have the right ingrients any fool could make a nhuke although it would be small one and might not go off correctly but still create a far bigger bang than a normal bomb - just need to stick your sphere in a ball of plastic explosives

[jonskowitz]

 

Originally posted by KillMeNow:

and that idea for extracting power from a fusion reactor is that fact or did you jsut think of it and if you did think of it do you happen to have a degree in nuclear physics? cause if thats true and it sounded plausible then that is very cool indeed

The idea for it was based off of current designs for NASA'a plutonium batteries used to power deep space probes.  But the theory that makes it works is as old as vaccuum tubes!

[Shrike]

 

Originally posted by KillMeNow:
and that idea for extracting power from a fusion reactor is that fact or did you jsut think of it and if you did think of it do you happen to have a degree in nuclear physics? cause if thats true and it sounded plausible then that is very cool indeed

No, I didn't make it up.  At the moment though I couldn't give you a link or anything, it was something I heard a while back.

[Av0uu]

It was stated that not all elements can be fused, if they can't then how do you get anything bigger than iron, it has to be put together somehow.

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Yeah,I invented Pants
You can thank me later

[KillMeNow]

elements heavier than iron are formed only in supernova's or the very largest of stars

[Shrike]

 

Originally posted by Av0uu:
It was stated that not all elements can be fused, if they can't then how do you get anything bigger than iron, it has to be put together somehow.

Transiron elements cannot be made in a normal fusion reaction, however, in a supernova the neutron flux is so high that all the heavier elements are made by the process of neutron capture.