Making a Desktop Fusion Reactor

So this was a fun project to try, fusion is the gold standard of energy and I wanted to try making a reactor of my very own.

The design is loosely based on a Farnsworth Fusor - powered off a 10KV transformer, stepped up to 70KV with a voltage multiplier.

Let me know what you think, and if you have any suggestions for other projects I should try!

Many thanks to Barney and Bart for helping out with making and testing this project!

[davidcassar]

So I'm not a physicist, but I have built parts for a fusor for a physicist. I'm a toolmaker who works for the Faculty of Science in the uni of Sydney. Perhaps I can answer a few of the criticisms leveled at this bloke.

1. Temperature. Temperature is a measure of the kinetic energy of molecules. You can have very high temperature gas (or plasma) that is unable to transmit much heat due to the fact that there are fewer molecules present. It's a vacuum chamber after all. Again - I'm not a physicist, but that's my take.

2. Have a look on the wikipedia article for fusors or fusion reactors and do some homework before claiming that this isn't fusion. That glow leads me to think it is.

3. The reason this guy isn't a millionaire is because this is old tech that yields a net loss in energy. I.e. you get less energy out than you put in - but that does not mean it's a fake.

[DanielRenardAnimation]

Think I did it wrong.
Small black sphere hovering in the center of room, now. 🌌
It's removing all the dust and small flying insects though, so it's okay, I guess!

[vizjournalist]

As someone who has built a working farnsworth fusor I find this design pretty. His information is slightly deceptive though as this is NOT a neutron producing reactor. This is a demo fusor toy. To achieve measurable fusion you need to back fill the chamber with deuterium gas. What your seeing isn’t fusion. It’s a plasma generator.

[tacticalfranman]

Good video but it lacks explanations, it feels like an empty montage

[giggertmcbabby]

3.6 Roentgen? Not great, not terrible

[integza]

Really cool video, you deserve more subs and you just got one more

[nicolasrulli]

I wish he went into more detail on this. He was kinda like here’s this and that now we put it together. But didn’t touch on a lot of stuff :/

[powershin]

Me: Watch HBO Chernobyl.
YouTube: Wanna make reactor?

[dylenogarcia]

The fact that the quality, professionalism, and excitement of this video isnt in the millions is absurd

[zellryss]

Nobody:
Will From London: "I made a miniature sun for your desktop!"

[Paul-voze]

I wish you had focused less on the music and more on actual information. What is the gas? What does it do? How are things working?

Such a shame. I had knowledge blue balls.

[ALISA]

With ordinary hydrogen shines just as well. This is an ordinary gas discharge lamp. Light is emitted when recombination of positive ions with electrons. A positively charged electrode separates the electron from the nucleus and a positively charged ion is formed - the nucleus of hydrogen. The positively charged hydrogen nucleus is accelerated by the electric field and flies towards the negatively charged grid. Electrons are produced on the grid, which recombine with hydrogen nuclei and emit light. If deuterium is used, then perhaps a small part of the hydrogen nuclei, accelerated by an electric field, collides in the center and forms helium-4. That is, nuclear fusion is purely kinetic. And it depends on the probability of getting into the effective cross section of the nucleus. To really start a thermonuclear reaction, you must first create a highly ionized deuterium plasma. Then, it is necessary to place this positively charged plasma in a very strongly positively charged sphere. So much charged that the repulsive force from the walls of the sphere was more repulsive forces in an array of nuclei. In this case, the nuclei will be concentrated and squeezed in the center of the sphere.

[bloodsweatandtearsforeverl]

I watched this twice, I noticed you didn't show how you made the middle piece that actually creates the light (plasma)..? And where did you hook the power supply up to?

[jermjr.]

amazing cinematography here. And just good ole fashioned simplified science. Love it.

[S_Tadz]

This mini-sun has potential for making really amazing fly traps!

[BurkenProductions]

What?! That's it?! What kind of video is that? No explanation of the physics behind it at all. Just a fancy hydrogen lamp it looked like.

[jonnysavage_]

These guys are crazy. Great videography man... you got some skills! The mini fusor is nicely built as well. Kudos from a Nuclear Engineer and former machinist!

[smotmot]

Do you have confirmed neutron emissions? What was the chosen reactant? A little doubtful sorry. Looks to me like a cathode tube with low pressure atmospheric gasses. Nice build though! Thumbs up.

[alexanderfederowicz]

Awesome ! Have not heard of the Farnsworth Tech. since the 1970's !!!!

[eatmorevegetables]

I don't really understand why people insist that this is fake. The Farnsworth Fusor is a well tested and well understood fusion reactor. The mechanism is fairly simple, a wikipedia search will verify this design as being commonplace. It is even mentioned on the fusor wikipedia page that this type of reactor has been taken up by hobbyists and amateurs. This is fusion, albeit an extremely inefficient form of it. Very cool.