INDUCTIVE PLASMA SOURCE AND PLASMA CONTAINMENT

• US 20170236599A1
• Filed: 01/12/2017
• Published: 08/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Bystriskii, Vitaly, Garate, Eusebio, Song, Yuanxu, Anderson, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,403,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/052 reversed field configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/24 Generating plasma nuclear fusion reactors G21B1/00; gas-filled discharge reactors H01J37/32
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/46 using applied electromagnetic fields, e.g. high frequency or microwave energy H05H1/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/10 Nuclear fusion reactors

Abstract

A system and apparatus for controlled fusion in a field reversed configuration (FRC) magnetic topology and conversion of fusion product energies directly to electric power. Preferably, plasma ions are magnetically confined in the FRC while plasma electrons are electrostatically confined in a deep energy well, created by tuning an externally applied magnetic field. In this configuration, ions and electrons may have adequate density and temperature so that upon collisions they are fused together by the nuclear force, thus forming fusion products that emerge in the form of an annular beam. Energy is removed from the fusion product ions as they spiral past electrodes of an inverse cyclotron converter. Advantageously, the fusion fuel plasmas that can be used with the present confinement and energy conversion system include advanced (aneutronic) fuels.

Claims

1. A method of generating a plasma comprising the steps of

distributing a neutral gas radially from a circumferentially oriented outlet of a nozzle over a coil of parallel wound wires coupled to a disc shaped body of a low inductance coil,

energizing the coil of parallel wound wires to ionize the neutral gas into a plasma and eject the plasma from the low inductance coil.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of energizing the coil of parallel wound wires includes energizing all wires of the coil of parallel wound wires.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of energizing the coil of parallel wound wires includes energizing a first set of wires and energizing a second set of wires after a predetermined amount of time.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of energizing the coil of parallel wound wires includes energizing the wires in a synchronized manner.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plasma ejected from the coil of parallel wound wires is an annular shaped plasma.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of distributing the neutral gas radially over the coil of parallel wound wires includes radially directing plasma toward an outer periphery of the disc shaped body from the circumferentially oriented outlet of a nozzle.

7. A method of confining plasma within a confinement chamber comprising the steps of

creating a magnetic guide field within a confinement chamber,

distributing a neutral gas radially from a circumferentially oriented outlet of a nozzle over a coil of parallel wound wires coupled to a disc shaped body of a low inductance coil coupled to the confinement chamber,

energizing the coil of parallel wound wires to ionize the neutral gas into a plasma and eject the plasma from the low inductance coil into the confinement chamber,

rotating the plasma, and

forming a magnetic field having a field reverse configuration (FRC) topology about the rotating plasma.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of rotating the plasma includes rotating the plasma to form a poloidal magnetic self-field surrounding the plasma.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of forming the FRC includes

increasing the rotational energy of the plasma to increase the magnitude of the self-field to a level that overcomes the magnitude of the guide field, and

joining field lines of the guide field and the self-field into the FRC.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of rotating the plasma includes creating an azimuthal electric field within the chamber to cause the plasma to rotate.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of energizing the coil of parallel wound wires includes energizing all wires of the coil of parallel wound wires.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of energizing the coil of parallel wound wires includes energizing a first set of wires and energizing a second set of wires after a predetermined amount of time.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the plasma ejected from the coil of parallel wound wires is an annular shaped plasma.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of creating the guide field includes energizing a plurality of field coils and mirror coils extending about the confinement chamber.

15. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of increasing the magnitude of the guide field to maintain the rotating plasma at a predetermined radial size.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of creating the azimuthal electric field includes the step of energizing a betatron flux coil within the chamber and increasing current running through the coil.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of increasing the rotational energy of the rotating plasma includes increasing the rate of change of the current running through the coil.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of increasing the rate of change of the current running through the flux coil to accelerate the rotating plasma to fusion level rotational energy.

19. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of creating an electrostatic well within the chamber.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of tuning the electrostatic well by manipulating the magnitude of the guide field.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising the steps of injecting high energy ion beams into the FRC and trapping the beams in betatron orbits within the FRC.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of injecting and trapping the high energy ion beams further comprises the steps of

neutralizing the ion beams,

draining the electric polarization from the neutralized ion beams, and

exerting a Lorentz force due to the applied magnetic field on the neutralized ion beams to bend the ion beams into betatron orbits.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising the steps of magnetically confining ions within the FRC and electrostatically confining electrons within the electrostatic well.

24. The system of claim 7 wherein the shock coil is configured to fire the wires of the coil of parallel wound wires in a synchronized manner.

25. The system of claim 7 wherein the wires of the coil of parallel wound wires are combined into a plurality of groups of wires that are azimuthally symmetric about the surface of the disc shaped body of the low inductance coil.