Recyclotron III, a recirculating plasma fusion system

• US 4,639,348 A
• Filed: 11/13/1984
• Issued: 01/27/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William S. Jarnagin
• Original Assignee: William S. Jarnagin
• Inventors: Jarnagin, William S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Larson, Lowell A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Terrell, William E.
• Application Number:
  US06/670,806
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 376/107, 376/121, 376/127, 376/128, 376/129, 376/130, 376/112, 376/147, 313/62, 328/234, 328/235
• US Class Current: 376/107
• 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: Y02E 30/10 Nuclear fusion reactors

Abstract

This is one of a series of nuclear fusion (vs. fission) inventions by this physicist-inventor. This invention is designed to burn the cleanest of all known fusion fuels: boron hydride (B-H, or p-¹¹ B). Boron hydride has no free neutrons on either side of its reaction equation: p+¹¹ B=3α+W. If this fuel can be made to fuse as planned the many problems associated with neutron-based fuels, deuterium-tritium (D-T) in particular, can be obviated. D-T gives off 80% of its energy in the form of neutrons. These make the apparatus radioactive; and the neutrons may be used to breed weapons grade fission material. Whereas, p-¹¹ B cannot be used to make fission bomb material; its product particles are entirely safe inert helium particles. B-H fuel is abundant, available and inexpensive. Boron hydride comes in gas, liquid or solid form, stable or unstable. The invention at hand proposes to accelerate macromolecular ions of boron hydride (such as B₂ H₆) into one another, then reaccelerate the debris ions (p, ¹¹ B) into one another also. This is to be done by recyclotrons--cyclotrons modified to recirculate a similar device'"'"'s output. Recyclotrons take advantage of the fact that modest energies to a particle accelerator correspond to enormous kinetic temperatures in a plasma.

Claims

1. A recyclotron nuclear fusion system comprising a plurality of recyclotrons, each said recyclotron comprising cyclotron means for receiving and accelerating charged particles in spiral and work conservative pathways, and output means for forming a beam from particles received from said cyclotron means;

(i) said cyclotron means comprising

(a) a channel shaped electromagnet having a pair of indented polefaces, oriented along an input axis and defining an input magnetic well,

(b) a pair of elongated linear electrodes centered along said input magnetic well arranged generally parallel to said input axis and having a gap therebetween,

(c) tuned oscillator means connected to said electrodes for applying an oscillating electric potential thereto,

(ii) said output means comprising

(e) inverter means comprising an electromagnet having a polarity opposite that of the channel shaped electromagnet oriented contigously therealong for extracting fully accelerated particles from said cyclotron means,

(f) reinverter means comprising an electromagnet having a polarity the same as that of the channel shaped electromagnet for correcting the flightpath of the extracted particles, said inverter means and said reinverter means defining an output axis, said output means directing said beam along said output axis;

each of said plurality of recyclotrons being arranged so that particles of its output beam are received by the input magnetic well of an opposing similar recyclotron.

2. A recyclotron nuclear fusion system as in claim 1, wherein said channel shaped electromagnet comprises a plurality of electromagnets arranged in series along said input axis having different magnetic inductive strengths and wherein said tuned oscillator means comprises one or more oscillators tuned to accelerate and reaccelerate fuel particles of different masses or charges.

3. A recyclotron nuclear fusion system as in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of magnetic mirror means for reflecting particles back towards a central plasma, each of said magnetic mirror means being located intermediate the central plasma and one of said recyclotrons, whereby the recyclotrons receive and reinject plasma particles through a loss cone defined by a small solid angle coaxial with a main axis of said mirror.

4. A recyclotron nuclear fusion system as in claim 1, further comprising helically wound inductive-capacitive coils extending from an end of each recyclotron opposite the direction of its output beam.

5. A recyclotron nuclear fusion system as in claim 1, wherein said plurality of recyclotrons are arranged in a generally spherical array, each recyclotron being radially tapered and having its output beam directed toward the center of the generally spherical array.