Tokamak plasma heating with intense, pulsed ion beams
First Claim
1. Apparatus for heating a plasma, the plasma being confined in an apparatus of the type wherein the plasma is confined in a vacuum chamber by a magnetic field, comprising:
- means for producing a space-charge-neutralized, pulsed, ion beam;
means for directing the ion beam into the magnetic field before the plasma is fully formed; and
means for forming the remainder of the plasma around the beam,the beam transferring its energy to the plasma by classical collisions with the electrons and ions of the plasma.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An intense, space-charge-neutralized, pulsed ion beam is used to heat a magnetically-confined plasma, such as tokamak plasma, by injecting the ion beam into the plasma along a trajectory that is generally tangential to the confining magnetic field. The intense ion beam is injected into the tokamak before the plasma is fully formed, the remainder of the plasma is formed around the beam, and the beam transfers its energy to the plasma by classical collisions with the electrons and ions of the plasma. Heating of the plasma can be sufficient to produce breakeven or ignition.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. Apparatus for heating a plasma, the plasma being confined in an apparatus of the type wherein the plasma is confined in a vacuum chamber by a magnetic field, comprising:
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means for producing a space-charge-neutralized, pulsed, ion beam; means for directing the ion beam into the magnetic field before the plasma is fully formed; and means for forming the remainder of the plasma around the beam, the beam transferring its energy to the plasma by classical collisions with the electrons and ions of the plasma. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A method for heating a plasma confined in a magnetic field in a vacuum chamber comprising the steps of:
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(a) producing a space-charge-neutralized pulsed ion beam; (b) injecting the beam into the magnetic field before the plasma is fully formed; and (c) forming the remainder of the plasma around the beam, the beam transferring its energy to the plasma by classical collisions with the electrons and ions of the plasma. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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Specification