Nuclear fusion reactor incorporating spherical electromagnetic fields to contain and extract energy

• US 20020101949A1
• Filed: 08/24/2001
• Published: 08/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: John T. Nordberg
• Original Assignee: John T. Nordberg
• Inventors: Nordberg, John T.
• Application Number:
  US09/939,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20020101949A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 376/122
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/05 with magnetic or electric plasma confinement
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/11 Details
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/10 Nuclear fusion reactors

Abstract

A nuclear fusion reactor system includes a reactor core containing nuclear fusionable material and a plurality of conducting spheres arranged adjacent each other with at least two of said conducting spheres adjacent the reactor core. The reactor core and the conducting spheres form a electro/magnetic circuit such that fusion of fusionable material in the reactor core establishes an electro/magnetic flow around the electro/magnetic circuit. Preferably, a spherical electromagnetic confinement field is initiated around the reactor core such that fusion of the nuclear fusionable material generates a plasma which interacts with the spherical electromagnetic confinement field in a magnethydrodynamic manner. Preferably, electrical energy is inductively extracted in response to the electro/magnetic flow through a coil arrangement located around at least one of the conducting spheres.

Claims

1. A nuclear fusion reactor system comprising:

a reactor core containing nuclear fusionable material;

a plurality of conducting spheres arranged adjacent each other with at least two of said conducting spheres adjacent said reactor core;

means operably connected to at least one of said conducting spheres for initiating a spherical electromagnetic confinement field proximate said reactor core; and

means for initiating fusion of said fusionable material.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein fusion of said fusionable material generates a plasma that interacts with said spherical electromagnetic confinement field in a magnethydrodynamic manner.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said reactor core and said conducting spheres form a magnetic circuit and fusion of said fusionable materials establishes a magnetic flow around said magnetic circuit.

4. The system of claim 3 further comprising:

means operably connected to at least one of said conducting spheres for inductively extracting electrical energy in response to said magnetic flow.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said reactor core and said conducting spheres form an electrical circuit and fusion of said fusionable materials establishes an electrical flow around said electrical circuit.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising:

means operably connected to at least one of said conducting spheres for inductively extracting electrical energy in response to said electrical flow.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said conducting spheres are of a uniform size.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein each conducting sphere is comprised of a spherical conductive layer having a non-conductive material contained within said spherical conductive layer.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said conductive layer is comprised of a copper-niobium alloy and said non-conductive material is amorphous carbon.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said conducting sphere and said reactor core are arranged in an oval with said reactor core located in a middle of a straight segment of said oval and said means for initiating said electromagnetic confinement field is located along another straight segment of said oval.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said conducting spheres are positioned in a non- conductive retaining channel, said retaining channel having dimensions that permit thermal expansion of said conducting spheres during operation of the system.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said retaining channel contains a non-conductive liquid coolant.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein said retaining channel contains a liquid coolant and said conducting spheres include an insulating layer surrounding at least a portion of each conducting sphere.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

means operably connected to at least one of said conducting spheres for inductively extracting electrical energy.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said means for initiating said electromagnetic confinement field and said means for extracting extracting electrical energy comprise a coil arrangement positioned around at least one of said conducting spheres, said coil arrangement selectively operably coupled to a source of electrical energy for said means for initiating said electromagnetic confinement field and to a power grid for said means for extracting electrical energy.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said coil arrangement is selected from the set consisting of:

at least one hemispheric coil, at least one spheric coil, at least one Rowland ring coil, or any combination thereof.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein said source of electrical energy comprises a bank of charged electrical capacitors.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of conducting spheres comprise at least ten conducting spheres arranged adjacent each other in an oval pattern.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said oval pattern includes a plurality of reactor cores.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein said two of said conducting spheres adjacent said reactor core include a divot region defined in a portion of the conducting sphere adjacent said reactor core.

22. The system of claim 2′

wherein said conducting sphere and said reactor core are arranged in an oval with said reactor core located in a middle of a straight segment of said oval and said means for inductively extracting electrical energy is located along another straight segment of said oval.

21. A nuclear fusion reactor system comprising:

a reactor core containing nuclear fusionable material;

a plurality of conducting spheres arranged adjacent each other with at least two of said conducting spheres adjacent said reactor core;

means for initiating fusion of said fusionable material such that said reactor core and said conducting spheres form an electro/magnetic circuit and fusion of said fusionable materials establishes an electro/magnetic flow around said electro/magnetic circuit; and

means operably connected to at least one of said conducting spheres for inductively extracting electrical energy in response to said electro/magnetic flow.

23. A method for the production of commercial electricity, comprising the steps of:

generating a spherical magnetic confinement field around a fusion fuel source located in a reactor core;

igniting a fusion burn to convert said fusion fuel source to fusion plasma;

transferring energy released from said fusion burn to a proximally located conducting sphere;

converting energy transferred to said conducting sphere into a form capable of transfer and use through an electric power grid.

24. A nuclear fusion reactor system comprising:

a reactor core containing nuclear fusionable material;

means for creating a spherical electromagnetic confinement field proximate said reactor core; and

means for initiating fusion of said fusionable material that generates a plasma which interacts with said spherical electromagnetic confinement field in a magnethydrodynamic manner.

25. A method for confining a fusion plasma burn inside a reactor core, comprising the steps of:

inducing a strong spherical electromagnetic field in at least one reactor core; and

initiating a fusion burn in the reactor core that generates a plasma which interacts with the spherical electromagnetic field in a magnethydrodynamic manner.

26. A nuclear fusion reactor system comprising:

a reactor core containing nuclear fusionable material;

means for creating a spherical electromagnetic confinement field proximate said reactor core; and

means for initiating fusion of said fusionable material such that said spherical electromagnetic confinement field creates a magnethydrodynamic effect within said reactor core.

27. A method for confining a fusion plasma burn inside a reactor core, comprising the steps of:

inducing a strong spherical electromagnetic field in at least one reactor core; and

initiating a fusion burn in the reactor core such that said spherical electromagnetic confinement field creates a magnethydrodynamic effect within said reactor core.