Method of producing fusion reactions and apparatus for a fusion reactor

• US 4,853,173 A
• Filed: 07/24/1987
• Issued: 08/01/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rolf Stenbacka
• Original Assignee: Rolf Stenbacka
• Inventors: Stenbacka, Rolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Kyle, Deborah L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wendtland, Richard W.
• Application Number:
  US07/078,907
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 376/106, 376/107, 376/108, 376/110, 376/111, 376/112, 376/113, 376/119, 376/120, 376/121, 376/127, 376/129, 376/142, 376/144
• US Class Current: 376/123
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/05 with magnetic or electric plasma confinement
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/15 Particle injectors for producing thermonuclear fusion reactions, e.g. pellet injectors
• 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 7/06 Two-beam arrangements; Multi-beam arrangements storage rings; Electron rings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/10 Nuclear fusion reactors

Abstract

A method of producing fusion reactions comprises the steps of bringing deuterium ions from an ion source to run in a substantially closed path for accumulation of the ions to a predetermined density, whereupon the ions are deflected towards a reaction center inside this closed path. An apparatus for a fusion reactor includes two annular, coaxially disposed magnets (12,20) which are disposed to produce magnetic fields in a vacuum tank. The inner magnet (20) produces a homogenous field transversely to the plane in which deuterium ions are intended to circulate prior to reaction, and the outer magnet (12,14) produces an inhomogenous field which decreases outwardly in radial direction and is also directed transversely to said plane. Electrodes (16,18) are provided to produce a radial electric field in the area having said inhomogenous magnetic field, which electric field is directed transversely to this inhomogenous field. A deuterium ion source (24) is arranged to inject ions in a path in said area having an inhomogenous magnetic field and a reaction center (34) is disposed in the tank, in the center of the inner magnetic ring, towards which center ions in said path are deflected by changing the electric field.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a fusion reaction, comprising;

two annular, coaxially disposed magnets arranged to produce magnetic fields in a vacuum tank, the inner magnet producing a homogeneous field, transversely to the plane in which deuterium ions are intended to circulate prior to a reaction, the outer magnet producing an inhomogeneous field which decreases outwardly in a radial direction and is also directed substantially transversely to said plane;

controlling means for controlling the magnetic fields of the two magnets separately;

means for ions to circulate with a constant path radius in said inhomogeneous magnetic field while accumulated;

means being provided to determine the ion density in said path; and

electrodes (16,

     18) being provided to produce a radial electric field in the area having said inhomogeneous magnetic field and transversely to this inhomogeneous field, and in that a deuterium ion source (24), followed by coaxially disposed electrostatic lens electrodes (V₁ -V₃), are disposed to inject ions in a path in said area with inhomogeneous magnetic field, a reaction center (34) being disposed in the tank in a magnetic field free area in the center of the inner magnet, towards which point ions in said path are intended to be deflected by reducing the radius of the path to zero by changing the electric field.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein;

said ion source (24) includes a plasma gun with RF-heating, followed by a linear accelerator (26) for acceleration of the ions up to energies of 3 MeV.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising;

a system of quadropole lenses (32) is arranged to focus the accelerated ions for injection into the desired path in the vacuum tank.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein pick-up and kicker devices (36, 38) are provided alternately around the circumference of the area inside the outer magnet, each pick-up and kicker device including a coupling loop (8), and in that signals are generated in the coupling loops of the pick-up devices in response to the motion of the ion beam, which signals are supplied to the corresponding kicker devices to control the motion of the ion beam according to the pick-up signals.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the tank wall is made of steel or copper.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

heavy paraffin containing deutrons with or without lithium is disposed around the reaction point (34) as a moderator and target for particles which are scattered from the primary reaction, as well as for energy conversion.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the outer annular magnet (12) is designed such that the lines of force of the inhomogeneous magnetic field are concave towards the central axis of the tank.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the outer annular magnet (12) is disposed to produce a magnetic field which can be varied in time to deflect the ions towards the reaction center.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein:

the area around the reaction center (34) is filled with deuterium gas having a pressure of the order of 1000 mm Hg.

10. An apparatus according to, claim 1, wherein:

the area around the reaction center (34) is filled with tritium gas.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the electrostatic lens electrodes form a 3-electrode electrostatic lens system (V₁ -V₃) for focusing ions to their plane of motion.