Backyard Nuclear Fusion

Safety Orientation

A standard safety orientation will be given to everyone involved with or visiting this Project prior to entering the Project area.  The safety orientation will include a standard checklist of topics, specifically addressing the points below.  All attendees of the safety orientation will sign and date the check list indicating they understand the safety protocols and they are aware of the safety risks.

High Voltage System

The high voltages used in fusor operation are lethal and many precautions need to be taken to ensure the safety of the operators and people around the device. The first basic portion of safety is the on/off activation system, in this system a lockable master switch will be set up to activate the high voltage along with a blinking LED to decipher if it's on or not. There will be two LEDs used, one within the fusor room as well as outside of the fusor room. The next aspect for safety involving high voltage is a sectioned off control room. In this room, all the required controls for high voltage operation will be held and the master switch will normally be locked out. This room will be locked with keys distributed only to the operators, no one besides the operators of the fusor will be given access to the control room. There will also be a safety lockout system for the control room ensuring that only certain personnel have control access. The control area will be surrounded with high voltage warning signs as well as no access signs to ensure no accidents will occur. Insulation of the high voltage feed through, power supply and all wires is a very important step to provide safety. A PVC tube will be surrounding the hot wire that connects the HV chamber feed through and power supply outlet. For proper grounding of the chamber we will use our own grounding connection. To ground the device, a flexible, insulated wire will be attached to the chamber and connected to a grounding rod or grounding plate that is away from the fusor and deep enough in the ground per electrical code & city regulations. The copper grounding rod or plate l system will ground the device to ensure safety from electrocution of all metal components within the fusor.

Material list:

1.    Adjustable high voltage power supply with lockable master switch, voltage and current metering

2.    Copper grounding rod

3.    Heavily insulated conductive wires

4.    Terminals to connect the wires to the components

5.    PVC tubes (for insulation)

6.    High voltage feed through

7.    No access signs

8.    High voltage signs

9.    Safety lockout parts

Neutron Radiation Safety

Protection from neutron radiation is an extremely critical precaution that must be taken to ensure safety. The first step to protection from the neutron radiation will be making sure everyone coming close to the fusor is aware of the dangers, this will be done through radiation indicators in the form of radiation hazard signs and LEDs separate from the HV LEDs. Blinking LED lights that can be controlled from the control room, will be placed in the fusor room as well as the outside of the fusor room door, signifying that the fusor is in use so operators and viewers are aware of the radiation and know to stay clear. Radiation hazard signs will be placed within the fusor room and directly outside of the fusor room to provide another warning of radiation. When it comes to the shielding of the neutron emissions, walls of neutron shielding material; paraffin and borax, will be placed around the fusor in a 5-sided box formation to ensure no neutrons are able to exit anywhere within a 10” radius of the fusor. Paraffin walls 3”-4” thick reduces the energy of the neutrons from 2.45MeV (fast neutrons) to below .02eV (thermal neutrons). This allows for neutron detection to take place as most neutron detectors can only measure thermal neutrons. Slowing the neutrons to thermal energies is not enough, they must be fully absorbed. Paraffin does not do this so blocks of borax 2” thick or borax dissolved in water and contained in fish tanks outside of the paraffin will be used to fully absorb the neutrons

Material List:

1.    2 Radiation Hazard signs

2.    2 Blinking LED lights with controls and wiring

3.    Paraffin Wax

4.    Borax walls or borax powder

X-Ray Safety

The production of X-Rays is yet another concerning safety issue that must be planned against. Once again, making sure that everyone has knowledge of these life-threatening hazards is an important part of the safety protocols required for X-ray protection. Alerting people within our facility will be achieved through radiation hazard signs and through the same blinking LEDs indicating that the high voltage system is on, and in consequence that x-rays are being produced. There will be one LED inside and outside of the fusor room. Another problem that must be faced when confronting x-rays is the actual radiation, this can be countered through shielding off the weak ports (HV feed through and viewport) with lead plates. The x-rays pouring out of the weak ports are arranged in a cone shaped formation so the lead must be as close to the ports as possible. 5 slates of lead 1/16” to 1/8” thick will be formed in an open box to cover the viewport while also leaving room for the camera monitoring the inner grid. The view port will be surrounded with 4 sheets of lead of the same thickness on all four sides of the viewport.

Material List:

1.    Lead Shielding, 9 slates 6”by 6” - 1/16”  to ⅛“  thick (OR Borated Polyethylene http://www.radiationproducts.com/borated-polyethylene)

2.    2 Radiation Hazard signs (as listed in x-ray safety materials)

3.    2 Blinking LED lights with controls and wiring (As listed in HV safety materials)