Systems and methods for forming and maintaining a high performance FRC

• US 9,997,261 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2012
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• 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: Tuszewski, Michel, Binderbauer, Michl, Barnes, Dan, Garate, Eusebio, Guo, Houyang, Putvinski, Sergei, Smirnov, Artem
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sathiraju, Srinivas
• Application Number:
  US13/261,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20150187443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,036 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/052 reversed field configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/15 Particle injectors for producing thermonuclear fusion reactions, e.g. pellet injectors
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/14 wherein the containment vessel is straight and has magnetic mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/10 Nuclear fusion reactors

Abstract

Systems and methods that facilitate the formation and maintenance of new High Performance Field Reversed Configurations (FRCs). An FRC system for the High Performance FRC (HPF) includes a central confinement vessel surrounded by two diametrically opposed reversed-field-theta-pinch formation sections and, beyond the formation sections, two divertor chambers to control neutral density and impurity contamination. A magnetic system includes a series of quasi-dc coils axially positioned along the FRC system components, quasi-dc mirror coils between the confinement chamber and the adjacent formation sections, and mirror plugs between the formation sections and the divertors. The formation sections include modular pulsed power formation systems that enable FRCs to be formed in-situ and then accelerated and injected (=static formation) or formed and accelerated simultaneously (=dynamic formation). The FRC system further includes neutral atom beam injectors, a pellet injector, gettering systems, axial plasma guns and flux surface biasing electrodes.

Claims

1. A system for generating and maintaining a magnetic field with a field reversed configuration (FRC) comprising

a confinement chamber,

first and second diametrically opposed FRC formation sections coupled to the confinement chamber, the formation section comprising modularized formation systems for generating an FRC and translating the FRC toward a midplane of the confinement chamber,

first and second divertors coupled to the first and second formation sections,

first and second axial plasma guns operably coupled to the first and second divertors, the first and second formation sections and the confinement chamber,

a plurality of neutral atom beam injectors coupled to the confinement chamber and oriented normal to the axis of the confinement chamber,

a magnetic system comprising a plurality of quasi-dc coils positioned around the confinement chamber, the first and second formation sections, and the first and second divertors, first and second set of quasi-dc mirror coils positioned between the confinement chamber and the first and second formation sections, and first and second mirror plugs position between the first and second formation sections and the first and second divertors,

a gettering system coupled to the confinement chamber and the first and second divertors,

one or more biasing electrodes for electrically biasing open flux surface of a generated FRC, the one or more biasing electrodes being positioned within one or more of the confinement chamber, the first and second formation sections, and the first and second divertors,

two or more saddle coils coupled to the confinement chamber, and

an ion pellet injector coupled to the confinement chamber.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the mirror plug comprises a third and fourth sets of mirror coils between each of the first and second formation sections and the first and second divertors.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the mirror plug further comprises a set of mirror plug coils wrapped around a constriction in the passageway between each of the first and second formation sections and the first and second divertors.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second formatting sections include an elongate quartz tube with a quartz liner.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the formation systems are pulsed power formation systems.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the formation systems comprise a plurality of power and control units coupled to individual ones of a plurality of strap assemblies to energize a set of coils of the individual ones of the plurality of strap assemblies wrapped around the elongate tube of the first and second formation sections.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein individual ones of the plurality of power and control units comprising a trigger and control system.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the trigger and control systems of the individual ones of the plurality of power and control units being synchronizable to enable static FRC formation wherein the FRC is formed and then injected or dynamic FRC formation wherein the FRC is formed and translated simultaneously.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of neutral atom beam injectors comprises one or more RF plasma source neutral atom beam injectors and one or more arc source neutral atom beam injectors.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of neutral atom beam injectors are oriented with an injection path tangential to the FRC with a target trapping zone within separatrix of the FRC.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the gettering system comprises one or more of a Titanium deposition system and a Lithium deposition system that coat the plasma facing surfaces of the confine chamber and the first and second divertors.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein biasing electrodes includes one or more of one or more point electrodes positioned within the containment chamber to contact open field lines, a set of annular electrodes between the confinement chamber and the first and second formation sections to charge far-edge flux layers in an azimuthally symmetric fashion, a plurality of concentric stacked electrodes positioned in the first and second divertors to charge multiple concentric flux layers, and anodes of the plasma guns to intercept open flux.

13. A system for generating and maintaining a magnetic field with a field reversed configuration (FRC) comprising

a confinement chamber,

first and second diametrically opposed FRC formation sections coupled to the confinement chamber,

first and second divertors coupled to the first and second formation sections,

one or more of a plurality of plasma guns, one or more biasing electrodes and first and second mirror plugs, wherein the plurality of plasma guns includes first and second axial plasma guns operably coupled to the first and second divertors, the first and second formation sections and the confinement chamber, wherein the one or more biasing electrodes being positioned within one or more of the confinement chamber, the first and second formation sections, and the first and second divertors, and wherein the first and second mirror plugs being position between the first and second formation sections and the first and second divertors,

comprising a gettering system coupled to the confinement chamber and the first and second divertors,

a plurality of neutral atom beam injectors coupled to the confinement chamber and oriented normal to the axis of the confinement chamber, and

a magnetic system comprising a plurality of quasi-dc coils positioned around the confinement chamber, the first and second formation sections, and the first and second divertors, first and second set of quasi-dc mirror coils positioned between the confinement chamber and the first and second formation sections.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the mirror plug comprises third and fourth sets of mirror coils between each of the first and second formation sections and the first and second divertors.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the mirror plug further comprises a set of mirror plug coils wrapped around a constriction in the passageway between each of the first and second formation sections and the first and second divertors.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising first and second axial plasma guns operably coupled to the first and second divertors, the first and second formation sections and the confinement chamber.

17. The system of claim 15 further comprising two or more saddle coils coupled to the confinement chamber.

18. The system of claim 15 further comprising an ion pellet injector coupled to the confinement chamber.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the formation section comprises modularized formation systems for generating an FRC and translating it toward a midplane of the confinement chamber.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein biasing electrodes includes one or more of one or more point electrodes positioned within the containment chamber to contact open field lines, a set of annular electrodes between the confinement chamber and the first and second formation sections to charge far-edge flux layers in an azimuthally symmetric fashion, a plurality of concentric stacked electrodes positioned in the first and second divertors to charge multiple concentric flux layers, and anodes of the plasma guns to intercept open flux.