p + 7.Li --> 2 (4.He) + 17.3 ev
Having been a longtime advocate of proton-beryllium
fusion reaction as a spaceship drive, when I heard of the proton-lithium cycle I
immediately converted because of the universal abundance of lithium compared to
beryllium. Both these cycles have the insuperable advantage of not yielding
neutrons, as do other fusion cycles, making them clean and not dirty. My
proposal for a compact space drive includes a lithium electric arc centered
between cyclotron dees, to project lithium ions through gaseous hydrogen, as the
basis for a fusion drive. Lithium is not as abundant as hydrogen, which suggests
it should be the accelerated species, that a higher proportion of it might be
involved in fusion reactions. The ideal material for a combustion chamber would
be 12.C isotopic CVD (chemical vapor deposition) diamond deposited over cooling
channels through which liquid hydrogen circulates; no solid material conducts
heat better than diamond made of carbon-12, nor does any element carry heat away
faster than hydrogen, superfluid helium III excepted, for which cryogenic
requirements are too strict for use in engines. Diamond can be used only because
there are no oxidizing conditions present, and under reducing conditions diamond
will serve as a fair refractory, so long as its temperature can be kept below
its sublimation point. As with any rocket drive, I would wrap a
superconducting coil around the exit jet, for the magnetoplasmadynamic
benefits.
Johnny Thunderbird
http://personal.msy.bellsouth.net/msy/b/u/bugzappr
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