Z machine melts diamond to puddle

[Tormod]

Sandia's Z machine, by creating pressures more than 10 million times that of the atmosphere at sea level, has turned a diamond sheet into a pool of liquid.

 

lefthttp://hypography.com/gallery/files/5/diamond-pressure_thumb.jpg[/img]The object of the experiment was to better understand the characteristics of diamond under the extreme pressure it would face when used as a capsule for a BB-sized pellet intended to fuel a nuclear fusion reaction.

 

The experiment is another step in the drive to release enough energy from fused atoms to create unlimited electrical power for humanity. Control of this process has been sought for 50 years.

 

Half a bathtub full of seawater in a fusion reaction could produce as much energy as 40 train cars of coal.

 

Results of the fusion reaction also will be used to validate physics models in computer simulations used to certify the safety and reliability of the US nuclear weapons stockpile.

 

Sandia is a National Nuclear Security Administration facility.

 

The problem for two giant machines that would use this method -- the National Ignition Facility in Lawrence Livermore National Lab, which asked for the experiment, and Sandia's Z machine -- is that the outer shell of the pellet must transmit pressure evenly into its interior. Diamond as a solid will do that. Diamond as a liquid will do that. But diamond that is partially both and exists between 6.9 million atmospheres and 10.4 million atmospheres provides uneven pressures. This in-between phase would create instabilities that would ruin the implosion, like a hand squeezing a water balloon that allows portions of the balloon to exit through spaces between the fingers.

 

So, if diamond is used as a capsule, the energies involved must be tailored to avoid landing in this zone.

 

Why use diamond at all? It was hoped that diamond would help smooth out the applied pressure loads and keep the capsule implosion symmetric.

 

Wouldn't a more flexible material like vinyl be better?

 

"At the pressures we're interested in, everything is compressible," said capsule designer Mark Herrmann, a Sandia researcher.

 

Because of limited time to run the experiments, due to the shutdown of Z for renovations that should increase its power by 30 percent, Sandia lead experimenter Marcus Knudson found a predictive use of a quantum-molecular simulation program developed at Sandia by Mike Desjarlais very helpful in pinpointing the pressures at which diamond would begin and finish liquefying.

 

In the experiments, the applied pressure came from shock waves passing through the diamond. The waves were created by impacting the diamond with tiny plates hurled using Z's huge magnetic fields at about 20 times the speed of a rifle bullet.

 

The results were the subject of an invited talk given this week at the American Physical Society's Division of Plasma Physics in Philadelphia.

 

Source: Sandia

[ronthepon]

Pressure turns a solid to a liquid? I'm going to have to do some research on this...

 

And why use diamond at all?

[arkain101]

tastey fresh squeezed diamond juice!!

 

This is an incredible discovery.

[arkain101]

something tells me they need to use the manmade labratory grown diamonds. They are nearly 100% perfect in atomic structure. Much more pure than diamonds found in the earth as I understand it.

 

Maybe that could assist them.. who knows, they'll figure it out :D

 

But if I was given the option to give a suggestion, I would say try using a much much much finer material used for pulse impacting the diamond or material that is being used.

 

It sounds like they are using a material that blocks up and leaves unbalanced openings in the pulsing impacts for universal compression. ->

 

The waves were created by impacting the diamond with tiny plates hurled using Z's huge magnetic fields at about 20 times the speed of a rifle bullet.

 

 

I say grind up that dust into molecules and blast it from all angels with a molecular tsunami.

[infamous]

Keeping my fingers crossed for success in fusion research. If and when break even energies are achieved, energy independence lies just around the corner............Take your foreign oil and shove it where the sun don't shine.......................Infy

[Jay-qu]

Something tells me they would already be using man made diamonds.. otherwise the experiment would be to expensive!

[Lord Hakk]

Something tells me they would already be using man made diamonds.. otherwise the experiment would be to expensive!

but man made dimonds arnt perfect like acual dimonds right? also, it would be expensive but I bet tons of people are pumping this project full of money becuase if they found an unlimited engery scource then the billions they put into this would be nothing compared to what they get from selling the energy right?

[Buffy]

but man made dimonds arnt perfect like acual dimonds right?

Nope: other way around. Lack of flaws makes man-made diamonds boring. Or so goes the DeBeers propaganda.

also, it would be expensive but I bet tons of people are pumping this project full of money becuase if they found an unlimited engery scource then the billions they put into this would be nothing compared to what they get from selling the energy right?

Well, it would be nice to get a fusion reactor going, but that wasn't the point of this experiment. Indeed cynics would say that the only reason for it was that since they can't get a sustainable net-positive energy result from this very expensive toy known as the National Ignition Facility, this was mostly a publicity stunt to justify its cost.

 

Unfillable rat holes,

Buffy

[Qfwfq]

If and when break even energies are achieved, energy independence lies just around the corner.

Tokamak already works, in the lab, but a reactor for generation purpose is a mammoth task of engineering with plenty of practical troubles to get around. Unless a few unexpected breakthroughs come in, we'll be waiting a while yet...

[arkain101]

wait not, there is only now. :)

 

I get what you mean though, I was just kiddin around.

 

What I have noticed is when people make predictions of what is to come they measure that rate of advancement from the current time and historic example.

 

It should be noticed that as time passes on so does the rate of which there is advancement. Thus predictions should include a secondary possibility. That being like quantative acceleration, if that is the word I am looking for.

[InfiniteNow]

wait not, there is only now. ;)

Ludicrous! :hihi:

 

 

:eek_big: