According to a new article at NextBigFuture.com, the polywell project is alive and well. After successful completion of the WB-7 and WB-7.1 reactor, which to my understanding were for the testing of the potential to perform Deuterium fusion, the US Navy extended funding for the construction of the WB-8 reactor, which, again to my understanding, was to test the feasibility of the pB11 fusion cycle. WB-8 has now been built and is undergoing testing over the next 9-12 months.
Given the apparent success of WB-7.x, they wouldn’t have gone forward with WB-8 if it had not proven itself, then regardless the outcome of the p-B11 experiments with WB-8, it would seem plausible that development is underway to design a full scale reactor for a deuterium based fusion energy facility. I would be shocked if this wasn’t a serious action item on EMC2 Fusion’s agenda.
I look forward to the completion of experiments with WB-8 and hope that other companies are looking closely at developing fusion reactors based on Dr. Robert Bussard’s polywell design. With peak-oil, and peak natural gas threatening to derail the future of human civilization it’s more important – now more than ever before – that we begin to develop real alternatives to a petroleum/gas/coal based economy.
