1. Pyroelectric Fusion with Helium-3
A Way to Generate Electricity?

2. Elementary Particles
Everything is made of protons, neutrons and electrons.

3. Different Proton Number
There are different elements based on the number of protons in the element.

4. Different Neutron Number
Elements can also have different numbers of neutrons

5. Fusion is Fusing Elements Together

6. Opposites Attract; Like Charges Repel

7. Ionization and Charges
A strong positive charge will attract an electron and repel a nucleus.

8. Pyroelectric Fusion
In 2005, Naranjo et. al. used a pyroelectric crystal with a tungsten needle attached to generate a strong enough electric field to ionize deuterium.
The deuterium was also accelerated fast enough by this positive charge to fuse with some stationary deuterium.
Thus they achieved fusion at low pressure and room temperature!

9. Pyroelectric Fusion

10. Tungsten Needle
Key to this experiment was the charge being amplified on the tungsten needle.

11. Deuterium Pressure
In Naranjo et al.’s experiment, the deuterium pressure was kept low because too much deuterium would take charge away from the crystal (Gillich et. al., 2009).

12. Increase Pressure
The pressure of the deuterium gas could be increased by putting some barrier between the gas and the crystal.

13. Using Helium-3 instead of Deuterium
The same electric field should strip both electrons from helium-3 because the electric field should be stronger at smaller distances from the needle, and the helium-3 should be at a greater pressure.

14. Changes from original experiment
Use helium-3 instead of deuterium
Contain helium-3 in a metal canister to have atmospheric pressure
Extract energy from proton products by having them pass through perpendicular loops of wire

15. Maximizing Current Generated
A moving charge generates a magnetic field.
A moving magnetic field produces a changing magnetic flux.
By using the right-hand rule and Lenz’ Law, there is a way to extract current from a beam of protons.

16. Beam of Protons
Beam of protons must be redirected to extract current

17. Magnetic Flux
Magnetic flux entering and leaving on right side will generate current

18. Magnetic Flux
Magnetic flux entering and leaving will also generate current on left side

19. Key Point
The metal containers have to be thin enough to allow protons through, but thick enough that helium-3 and helium-4 nuclei bounce back.

20. Diagram of Apparatus

21. Magnets Keep Proton Path
(Use right hand rule)

22. References
Gillich, D., Kovanen, A., Herman, B., Fullem, T., and Danon, Y. (2009) Pyroelectric crystal neutron production in a portable prototype vacuum system. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A. 602:
Naranjo, B., Gimzewski, J. K., and Putterman, S. (2005) Observation of nuclear fusion driven by a pyroelectric crystal. Nature 434:1115