Begell House Inc.
Multiphase Science and Technology
MST
0276-1459
17
3
2005
BUBBLE NUCLEAR FUSION TECHNOLOGY-STATUS AND CHALLENGES
191-224
10.1615/MultScienTechn.v17.i3.10
R. P.
Taleyarkhan
Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN, USA
Richard T.
Lahey, Jr.
Center for Multiphase Research, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180-3590, USA
Robert I.
Nigmatulin
P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Energetic bubble implosions can generate sonoluminescence (SL) light flashes along with extreme states of compression and temperatures. In cavitation experiments with chilled deuterated acetone, neutron and tritium nuclear emissions were detected, indicative of thermonuclear fusion. The neutron emissions were time correlated with SL light emission. The gamma ray emissions were delayed as would be expected from neutron slowing down and capture. Control experiments with normal acetone did not result in tritium activity nor neutron emissions. Fusion was observed during experiments in which the nanoscale nucleation of bubbles were induced in chilled deuterated acetone using a pulse neutron generator as well as with an isotope neutron source. Video images clearly indicate the existinence of complex bubble clusters when bubble fusion occurs, and also the formation of comet-like structures which were detrimental to bubble nuclear fusion. Hydrodynamic shock code simulations have supported the experimental findings and indicate temperatures during implosion in the 108K range along with Gbar shock pressures in the imploding bubbles within bubble clusters, but not in single bubble environments. Various thermal-hydraulic aspects of the experimentation as well as nuclear emission data are presented along with discussions related to key technical challenges concerning modeling and experimentation..
THE ANALYSIS OF LINEAR AND NONLINEAR BUBBLE CLUSTER DYNAMICS
225-256
10.1615/MultScienTechn.v17.i3.20
I. S.
Akhatov
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA
Robert I.
Nigmatulin
P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Richard T.
Lahey, Jr.
Center for Multiphase Research, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180-3590, USA
THE DESIGN OF ACOUSTIC CHAMBERS FOR BUBBLE DYNAMICS RESEARCH
257-291
10.1615/MultScienTechn.v17.i3.30
S.
Cancelos
Center for Multiphase Research, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180-3590, USA
F. J.
Moraga
Center for Multiphase Research, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180-3590, USA
Richard T.
Lahey, Jr.
Center for Multiphase Research, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180-3590, USA
P.
Bouchilloux
Magsoft Corporation, Troy, NY 12180-3511, USA
The purpose of this article is to describe a methodology for designing high efficiency acoustic chambers. ATILATM, a finite element method (FEM) based code, was used to numerically solve the mathematical model detailed in this paper, which accounts for fluid/structure interaction, acoustic waves and the physics of piezoelectric materials. A high-Q (i.e., strongly resonant) acoustic chamber was built according to ATILATM simulations to study sonoluminescence and sonofusion. The as-built chamber was experimentally characterized by measuring the pressure profile and frequency response in the liquid using a traversing hydrophone. Excellent agreement was found between the code predictions and measurements demonstrating the validity of the mathematical model and the reliability of the ATILATM code.