SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FORMING AND MAINTAINING A HIGH PERFORMANCE FRC
First Claim
1. A system for generating and maintaining a magnetic field with a field reversed configuration (FRC) comprisinga confinement chamber,first and second diametrically opposed FRC formation sections coupled to the confinement chamber, anda plurality of neutral atom beam injectors coupled to the confinement chamber, wherein the system is configured to generate an FRC having a particle confinement that is greater than the particle confinement of a conventional FRC by at least a factor of 2 deviation from conventional FRC confinement scaling that substantially depends on the ratio R2/ρ
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1 Assignment
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Accused Products
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.
45 Citations
99 Claims
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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, and a plurality of neutral atom beam injectors coupled to the confinement chamber, wherein the system is configured to generate an FRC having a particle confinement that is greater than the particle confinement of a conventional FRC by at least a factor of 2 deviation from conventional FRC confinement scaling that substantially depends on the ratio R2/ρ
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9. 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 it 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 coupled to the confinement chamber, the first and second formation sections, and the first and second divertors, the magnetic system including 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.
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32. 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, 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, and a magnetic system coupled to the confinement chamber, the first and second formation sections, and the first and second divertors, the magnetic system including first and second mirror plugs position between the first and second formation sections and the first and second divertors.
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46. 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, 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 coupled to the confinement chamber, the first and second formation sections, and the first and second divertors, and one or more biasing electrodes for electrically biasing open flux surfaces 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.
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64. 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, 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, and a magnetic system coupled to the confinement chamber, the first and second formation sections, and the first and second divertors.
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79. 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, 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 coupled to the confinement chamber, the first and second formation sections, and the first and second divertors, and a gettering system configured to coat the plasma facing surfaces of the confine chamber and the first and second divertors with a layer of gettering material.
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92. 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, 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 coupled to the confinement chamber, the first and second formation sections, and the first and second divertors, the magnetic system comprising two or more saddle coils coupled to the confinement chamber on each side of the midplane of the confinement chamber.
Specification