Directed beam fusion reaction with ion spin alignment

• US 4,390,494 A
• Filed: 04/07/1980
• Issued: 06/28/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Energy Profiles Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Energy Profiles Incorporated
• Inventors: Salisbury, Winfield W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Behrend, Harvey E.
• Application Number:
  US06/138,139
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• Field of Search: 176/1, 176/2, 176/5, 176/4, 176/6, 324/300, 324/313, 324/319, 324/320, 313/359, 313/362, 313/363, 315/111.4, 315/111.61, 315/111.21, 315/111.41, 250/251, 250/423 R, 376/143, 376/107, 376/127
• US Class Current: 376/107
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/15 Particle injectors for producing thermonuclear fusion reactions, e.g. pellet injectors
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 3/006 Fusion by impact, e.g. cluster/beam interaction, ion beam collisions, impact on a target
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/10 Nuclear fusion reactors

Abstract

A nuclear fusion system is disclosed wherein a pair of beams are to traverse common helical paths in a reaction zone. Two sources of oppositely directed gaseous ions are provided for producing the beams with means for establishing helical flow of ions in common paths whose spins are aligned in both beams.

Claims

1. In a fusion reaction system where ions from two sources are forced by passage through magnetic fields to travel helically towards each other in opposite senses of rotation and directions at a common radius in a cylindrical annular reaction zone defined by two coaxial spaced apart cylindrical electrodes, the improvement comprising:

(a) establishing a low velocity beam of gaseous ions from each said source;

(b) aligning the spins of said ions while at said low velocity to produce polarized ion beams;

(c) accelerating said ions in said polarized ion beams to fusion velocities for injection into said reaction zone;

(d) applying said magnetic fields to cause opposite directional travel of said ions in said polarized ion beams;

(e) establishing a D.C. radially directed electrostatic field between said coaxial cylindrical electrodes for confining said beams to said helical paths and compressing said ion beams, said D.C. electrostatic field being applied as the confining field free of any applied magnetic field in said annular reaction zone; and

(f) injecting each of said two oppositely directed polarized ion beams into said zone.

2. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein the alignment of ions in both beams is parallel to the axis of said reaction zone.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the ion beams are of cylindrical configuration.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the magnetic moments of ions in each said beam are sensed upstream in each source and spin energy is absorbed downstream in each source to bring magnetic moments in each said stream into a predetermined condition.

5. In the generation of energy from fusion of atomic nuclei where two beams of fusible gaseous ions travel opposed in rotation along helical paths having common axes, radii and space for collision of ions in one beam with ions of the other beam in a cylindrical annular reaction zone defined by two coaxially spaced apart cylindrical electrodes, the improvement which comprises:

(a) establishing two low velocity beams of gaseous ions;

(b) establishing a predetermined ion spin alignment for ions in said beams so as to form two polarized ion beams, and accelerating the ions in each of said two polarized ion beams;

(c) causing said two polarized ion beams to travel toward each other opposed in rotation along said helical paths;

(d) establishing a D.C. radially directed electric field between said coaxial cylindrical electrodes for the ions in confining said beams to orbital paths and compressing said beams, said D.C. electric field being applied as the confining field free of any applied magnetic field in said annular reaction zone; and

(e) injecting each of two oppositely directed polarized ion beams into said reaction zone.

6. In a nuclear fusion system wherein a pair of beams are to traverse common helical paths in a cylindrical annular reaction zone defined by two coaxial spaced apart cylindrical electrodes, the combination therewith which comprises:

(a) two sources of oppositely directed low velocity gaseous ions for producing said beams;

(b) means for aligning the spins of the ions in each said beam for producing two oppositely directed polarized low velocity ion beams;

(c) means for accelerating the ions in each of said two low velocity polarized ion beams;

(d) means for establishing a D.C. radially directed electric field between said coaxial cylindrical electrodes for confining the ions in said beam to said paths and compressing said beams, said D.C. electric field being applied as the confining field free of any applied magnetic field in said annular reaction zone; and

(e) means for causing the ions in each of said two oppositely directed ion beams to traverse said common helical paths and enter said annular reaction zone.

7. The system of claim 6 in which the axis of said paths and the axes of spin of said ions upon achieving said alignment are parallel.

8. The system of claim 7 in which said sources each include:

(a) sensing means to respond to nuclear spin upstream in said beams; and

(b) means responsive to said sensing means to oppose unwanted spin downstream in said beams to produce a predetermined spin alignment of each of said beams.

9. The system of claim 8 in which said sources each comprise:

(a) a repository of releasable ionizable atoms;

(b) means to actuate said repository;

(c) means to ionize atoms emanating from said repository;

(d) electron beam means to bombard said ions to ionize said atoms;

(e) means to accelerate said ions along a selected path;

(f) means to establish a magnetic field in which flux lines thereof are parallel to said selected path;

(g) means to change the nuclear spin of said ions for alignment parallel to said slecected path; and

(h) means to direct said aligned beams to said reaction zone.

10. In a fusion reaction system where ions from two sources are to pass through magnetic fields and electrostatic fields for helical travel toward each other on a common axis while rotating in opposite senses in orbital paths at a common radius in an annular reaction zone of circular symmetry at any given corss-section perpendicular to the axis of said paths and bounded by spaced apart outer and inner coaxial electrode walls for promoting collisions of ions in one beam with ions in the other beam, the improvement comprising:

(a) establishing a low velocity beam of gaseous ions from each said source;

(b) aligning the spins of said ions while at said low velocity to produce polarized ion beams;

(c) extracting aligned ions free of electrons;

(d) accelerating said extracted ions in said ion beams;

(e) applying said magnetic fields to direct opposite travel of said accelerated ions in said polarized beams toward said orbital paths;

(f) establishing a D.C. radially directed electrostatic field between said electrodes for confining said ion beams to said orbital paths free of negatively charged particles and where said D.C. field is applied as the confining field free of any applied magnetic field; and

(g) injecting each of said two oppositely directed polarized ion beams into said zone.