METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE GENERATION, HEATING AND/OR COMPRESSION OF PLASMOIDS AND/OR RECOVERY OF ENERGY THEREFROM

• US 20110293056A1
• Filed: 02/12/2010
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Helion Energy, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MSNW, LLC
• Inventors: Slough, John T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,741,457 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 376/107
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/052 reversed field configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/19 Targets for producing thermonuclear fusion reactions, e.g. pellets for irradiation by laser or charged particle beams
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/02 Arrangements for confining plasma by electric or magnetic fields; Arrangements for heating plasma G21B1/00 takes precedence; electron optics H01J
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/10 Nuclear fusion reactors

Abstract

Method and apparatus for heating and/or compressing plasmas to thermonuclear temperatures and densities are provided. In one aspect, at least one of at least two plasmoids separated by a distance is accelerated towards the other. The plasmoids interact, for instance to form a resultant plasmoid, to convert a kinetic energy into a thermal energy. The resultant plasmoid is confined in a high energy density state using a magnetic field. One or more plasmoids may be compressed. Energy may be recovered, for example via a blanket and/or directly via one or more coils that create a magnetic field and/or circuits that control the coils.

Claims

1. A method of heating plasmoids, method comprising:

increasing a kinetic energy of at least one of at least two plasmoids initially separated from one another by a distance, each of the plasmoids having a respective initial thermal energy; and

at least temporarily confining an interaction of the plasmoids in a interaction chamber in a higher energy density state at a thermal energy greater than a sum of the initial thermal energies of the plasmoids.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein increasing a kinetic energy of at least one of the plasmoids includes accelerating at least one of the plasmoids relatively towards at least one of the other ones of the plasmoids.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein increasing a kinetic energy of at least one of the plasmoids includes magnetically accelerating each of the plasmoids relatively towards one of the other ones of the plasmoids over at least a portion of the distance.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein increasing a kinetic energy of at least one of the plasmoids includes accelerating at least one of the plasmoids relatively towards at least one of the other ones of the plasmoids, and further comprising:

compressing at least one of the plasmoids while accelerating the at least one of the plasmoids.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the two plasmoids to produce a resultant plasmoid in the interaction chamber to convert the kinetic energy of the at least one of the plasmoids into thermal energy.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

compressing at least one of the plasmoids with a magnetic field

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forming the at least two plasmoids.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forming each of at least two field reversed configuration (FRC) plasmoids outside of the interaction chamber.

9. The method of any of claim 8 wherein forming each of at least two field reversed configuration (FRC) plasmoids outside of the interaction chamber includes concurrently forming and accelerating at least one of the plasmoids.

10. The method of any of claim 8 wherein forming each of at least two field reversed configuration (FRC) plasmoids outside of the interaction chamber includes concurrently forming, accelerating and compressing at least one of the plasmoids.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein dynamically forming each of the two plasmoids by activating a series of magnetic coils in sequence comprises forming an initial plasmoid by using a respective annular array of plasma sources for each of the two plasmoids and activating the series of magnetic coils in sequence.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein forming each of the two plasmoids by activating a series of magnetic coils in sequence comprises forming each of the two plasmoids by activating a respective series of independently-triggered magnetic coils in sequence.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein, further comprising:

sequentially reversing a plurality of coils to dynamically form the plasmoids.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein increasing a kinetic energy of at least one of the plasmoids includes activating a series of magnetic coils in sequence to accelerate each of the plasmoids, the thermal energy of the resultant plasmoid including components of the conversion of a respective kinetic energy from the acceleration of each of the plasmoids.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein increasing a kinetic energy of at least one of the plasmoids includes simultaneously compressing and accelerating each of the plasmoids by activating a series of magnetic coils in sequence.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein simultaneously compressing and accelerating each of the plasmoids by activating the series of magnetic coils in sequence comprises each of the magnetic coils having a smaller radius than a preceding one of the magnetic coils in the series.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

heating and compressing the plasmoids by self compression into an radially converging magnetic field.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting at least one of heat, tritium, helium 3, fissile fuel, medical isotopes or other products resulting from interaction of neutrons produced by reaction of the plasmoids with a blanket of material at least proximate the interaction chamber.

19. An apparatus for heating plasmoids, comprising:

a interaction chamber having a generally cylindrical shape with a first end and a second end, the interaction chamber;

a first acceleration section that provides a first plasmoid coupling path to the interaction section;

a second acceleration section that provides a second plasmoid coupling path to the interaction chamber;

a first plurality of magnetic coils successively arranged along a least a portion of a length of the first acceleration section, the first plurality of magnetic coils configured to accelerate a first initial plasmid toward the interaction chamber with increasing kinetic energy; and

a second plurality of magnetic coils successively arranged along a least a portion of a length of the second acceleration section, the second plurality of magnetic coils configured to accelerate a second initial plasmid toward the interaction chamber with increasing kinetic energy.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a third plurality of magnetic coils successively arranged along at least a portion of an interaction chamber and surrounding an outer perimeter of interaction chamber configured to at least temporarily confine a resultant plasmoid in the interaction chamber.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a first formation section to temporarily retain the first initial plasmoid, the first acceleration section located between the first formation section and the interaction chamber, the first plasmoid coupling path being linear; and

a second formation section to temporarily retain the second initial plasmoid, the second acceleration section located between the second formation section and the interaction chamber, the second plasmoid coupling path being linear.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising:

a first plasma source configured to form a first initial plasmoid in the first formation section; and

a second plasma source configured to form a second initial plasmoid in the second formation section.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising:

a first annular array of plasma sources to produce the first initial plasmoid in the first formation section; and

a second annular array of plasma sources to produce the second initial plasmoid in the second formation section.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising:

a fourth plurality of magnetic coils successively arranged along at least a portion of the first formation section and surrounding an outer perimeter of the first formation section; and

a fifth plurality of magnetic coils successively arranged along at least a portion of the second formation section and surrounding an outer perimeter of the second formation section.

25. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein each of the first and the second pluralities of magnetic coils surround an outer perimeter of the first and the second acceleration sections respectively and comprises a series of magnetic coils configured to be activated in sequence to accelerate the first and the second initial plasmoids, respectively.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a blanket at least partially surrounding providing the interaction chamber;

a quantity of lithium at least temporarily contained proximate the interaction chamber by the blanket; and

an extraction system to extract tritium resulting from interaction of neutrons produced by reaction of the plasmas with the lithium proximate the interaction chamber.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a blanket at least partially surrounding providing the interaction chamber;

a quantity of lithium at least temporarily contained proximate the interaction chamber by the blanket; and

an extraction system to extract heat resulting from interaction of neutrons produced by reaction of the plasmas with the materials in the blanket.

28. A method of direct energy conversion of any or all parts of the input energy or product fusion energy, method comprising:

successively supplying electrical energy to a first series of magnets along at least a first acceleration section to accelerate a first plasmoid toward an interaction chamber;

successively supplying electrical energy to a second series of magnets along at least a second acceleration section to accelerate a second plasmoid toward the interaction chamber; and

recovering electrical energy from at least some of at least one of the first or the second series of magnets after the first and the second plasmoids begin interacting in the interaction chamber.

29. The method of fusion generation of claim 28 wherein recovering electrical energy from at least some of the magnets includes recovering electrical energy from at least one of the magnets of both the first and the second series of magnets.

30. The method of fusion generation of claim 28, further comprising:

recovering thermal energy from a blanket containing material at least proximate the interaction chamber generated by the interaction of the first and the second plasmoids in the interaction chamber.

31. The method of fusion generation of claim 28, further comprising:

recovering a fuel from a blanket including a quantity of lithium at least proximate the interaction chamber generated by the interaction of the first and the second plasmoids in the interaction chamber.

32. A fusion generation system, comprising:

an interaction chamber in which at least two plasmoids may interact

a first acceleration section that leads to the interaction chamber;

a first series of magnets spaced longitudinally along at least a portion of the first acceleration section to accelerate a first plasmoid toward the interaction chamber;

at least one circuit operable to successively supply electrical power to the magnets of at least the first series of magnets to accelerate at least a first one of the plasmoids toward the interaction chamber and to recover electrical energy from the magnetic circuits.

33. The fusion generation system of claim 32, further comprising:

a second acceleration section that leads to the interaction chamber;

a second series of magnets spaced longitudinally along at least a portion of the second acceleration section to accelerate a second plasmoid toward the interaction chamber.

34. The fusion generation system of claim 32 wherein the at least one circuit is operable to successively supply electrical power to the magnets of at least the second series of magnets to accelerate at least a second one of the plasmoids toward the interaction chamber and to recover electrical energy from at least some of the magnets of at least the second series of magnets after the plasmoids interact in the interaction chamber.

35. The fusion generation system of claim 32, further comprising:

a thermal extraction subsystem thermally coupled to the blanket and operable to recover thermal energy produced by the interaction of the plasmoids in the interaction chamber.

36. The fusion generation system of claim 35 wherein the thermal extraction subsystem includes a heat engine powered electrical generator.

37. A method of plasmoid generation, method comprising:

forming at least a first plasmoid in a formation section; and

accelerating at least the first plasmoid concurrently with forming the first plasmoid.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

compressing at least the first plasmoid concurrently with forming and accelerating the first plasmoid.

39. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

sequentially reversing a plurality of coils to dynamically form at least the first plasmoid.

40. The method of claim 37 wherein accelerating at least the first plasmoid includes accelerating at least the first plasmoid relatively towards at least one other plasmoid.

41. The method of claim 37 wherein accelerating at least the first plasmoid includes magnetically accelerating at least the first plasmoid relatively towards at least one other plasmoid over at least a portion of a distance.

42. The method of claim 38 wherein compressing at least the first plasmoid concurrently with forming and accelerating the first plasmoid includes compressing at least one of the plasmoids with a magnetic field.