Method and apparatus for the generation, heating and/or compression of plasmoids and/or recovery of energy therefrom

• US 9,741,457 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2010
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Helion Energy, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MSNW, LLC
• Inventors: Slough, John T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith, Jack W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davis, Sharon M
• Application Number:
  US13/201,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20110293056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,748 Days
• Field of Search: 376121, 376107, 376120, 376124
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/052 reversed field configuration
• 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 1/02 Arrangements for confining plasma by electric or magnetic fields; Arrangements for heating plasma G21B1/00 takes precedence; electron optics H01J
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/10 Nuclear fusion reactors

Abstract

Method and apparatus for heating and/or compressing plasmas to thermonuclear temperatures and densities are provided. In one aspect, at least one of at least two plasmoids separated by a distance is accelerated towards the other. The plasmoids interact, for instance to form a resultant plasmoid, to convert a kinetic energy into a thermal energy. The resultant plasmoid is confined in a high energy density state using a magnetic field. One or more plasmoids may be compressed. Energy may be recovered, for example via a blanket and/or directly via one or more coils that create a magnetic field and/or circuits that control the coils.

Claims

1. A method of moving field reversed configuration (FRC) plasmoids, each of the FRC plasmoids a respective coherent structure of plasma and magnetic fields, the method comprising:

forming a first FRC plasmoid in a first plasmoid formation section;

forming a second FRC plasmoid in a second plasmoid formation section;

increasing a velocity and a kinetic energy of the first and the second FRC plasmoids that are initially separated from one another by a first compression section, a second compression section, and an interaction chamber located between the first compression section and the second compression section,

wherein the velocity and the kinetic energy of the first FRC plasmoid is increased by magnetically accelerating the first FRC plasmoid with an increasing magnetic field established by a first plurality of accelerator coils disposed around the outside of the first compression section so that the first FRC plasmoid moves through the first compression section that is defined by an axial radius that decreases in the direction of movement of the first FRC plasmoid towards the interaction chamber,

wherein the velocity and the kinetic energy of the second FRC plasmoid is increased by magnetically accelerating the second FRC plasmoid with an increasing magnetic field established by a second plurality of accelerator coils disposed around the outside of the second compression section so that the second FRC plasmoid moves through the second compression section that is defined by an axial radius that decreases in the direction of movement of the second FRC plasmoid towards the interaction chamber,

wherein each of the first and the second FRC plasmoids move relatively towards each other into an interaction chamber, and

wherein the first and second FRC plasmoids have a respective initial temperature, kinetic energy, and total energy;

concurrent with the increasing of the velocity and the kinetic energy of the first and the second FRC plasmoids, compressing each of the first and the second FRC plasmoids with the increasing magnetic field;

confining an interaction of the first and the second FRC plasmoids in the interaction chamber at a higher temperature than either of the respective initial temperatures of the first and the second FRC plasmoids,

merging the first and the second FRC plasmoids together during the interaction forming a magnetically isolated plasmoid; and

collecting at least one of heat, tritium, helium 3, fissile fuel, and medical isotopes resulting from interaction of neutrons produced by reaction of the first and the second FRC plasmoids in the interaction chamber with a blanket of material proximate the interaction chamber.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the first and the second FRC plasmoids to produce the slower moving resultant magnetically isolated plasmoid in the interaction chamber to convert the kinetic energy of the first and the second FRC plasmoids into thermal energy, thereby increasing the temperature.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the interaction chamber defines a volume, the method further comprising:

forming the first FRC plasmoid outside the volume of the interaction chamber; and

forming the second FRC plasmoid outside the volume of the interaction chamber.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein forming the first and the second FRC plasmoids outside the volume of the interaction chamber includes forming the first FRC plasmoid while at the same time beginning the accelerating of the first FRC plasmoid, and forming the second FRC plasmoid while at the same time beginning the accelerating of the second FRC plasmoid.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein forming the first and the second FRC plasmoids outside the volume of the interaction chamber includes forming the first FRC plasmoid while at the same time beginning the accelerating and compressing of the FRC first plasmoid, and forming the second FRC plasmoid while at the same time beginning the accelerating and compressing of the second FRC plasmoid.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the first and the second FRC plasmoids outside the volume of the interaction chamber comprises dynamically forming each of the first and the second FRC plasmoids by using a respective annular array of plasma sources and activating a series of magnetic coils in sequence about small plasmoids discharged from the annular array of plasma sources.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein forming the first and the second FRC plasmoids outside the volume of the interaction chamber comprises forming each of the first and the second FRC plasmoids by activating a respective series of independently-triggered magnetic coils in sequence.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sequentially reversing flux generated by a plurality of coils to dynamically form each of the first and the second FRC plasmoids.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein increasing a velocity of the first and the second FRC plasmoids includes activating a series of magnetic coils in sequence to accelerate the first and the second FRC plasmoids, the thermal energy of the resultant magnetically isolated plasmoid including components of the conversion of a respective kinetic energy from the acceleration of the first and the second FRC plasmoids.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein increasing a velocity of the first and the second FRC plasmoids includes simultaneously compressing and accelerating the first and the second FRC plasmoids by activating a series of magnetic coils in sequence.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the series of magnetic coils have a smaller radius than a preceding one of the magnetic coils in the series in the direction towards the interaction chamber.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

heating and compressing the first and the second FRC plasmoids simultaneously by self compression into a radially converging and increasing magnetic field.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein after the merging of the first and the second FRC plasmoids, the magnetically isolated plasmoid reaches equilibrium.

14. A method of merging a first moving field reversed configuration (FRC) plasmoid and a second FRC plasmoid into a magnetically isolated plasmoid, comprising:

forming and moving the first FRC plasmoid, comprising;

introducing a gas into a first plasmoid formation section;

reverse biasing a plurality of first formation coils disposed about an outer perimeter around the first plasmoid formation section to compress the gas in the first plasmoid formation section into the first FRC plasmoid;

sequentially forward biasing each of the plurality of first formation coils to accelerate the first FRC plasmoid in the first plasmoid formation section to exit out of the first plasmoid formation section;

receiving the first FRC plasmoid exiting the first plasmoid formation section into a first end of a first acceleration/compression section; and

sequentially forward biasing each of a plurality of first acceleration coils of the first acceleration/compression section to accelerate and compress the first FRC plasmoid received from the first plasmoid formation section, wherein the first FRC plasmoid is moved from the first end of the first acceleration/compression section to a second opposing end of the first acceleration/compression section so that the first FRC plasmoid exits from the first acceleration/compression section;

forming and moving the second FRC plasmoid, comprising;

introducing the gas into a second plasmoid formation section;

reverse biasing a plurality of second formation coils disposed about an outer perimeter around the second plasmoid formation section to compress the gas in the second plasmoid formation section into the second FRC plasmoid;

sequentially forward biasing each of the plurality of second formation coils to accelerate the second FRC plasmoid in the second plasmoid formation section to exit out of the second plasmoid formation section;

receiving the second FRC plasmoid exiting the second plasmoid formation section into a first end of a second acceleration/compression section; and

sequentially forward biasing each of a plurality of second acceleration coils of the second acceleration/compression section to accelerate and compress the second FRC plasmoid received from the second plasmoid formation section, wherein the second FRC plasmoid is moved from the first end of the second acceleration/compression section to a second opposing end of the second acceleration/compression section so that the second FRC plasmoid exits from the second acceleration/compression section;

receiving the first FRC plasmoid exiting the first acceleration/compression section into an interaction chamber;

receiving the second FRC plasmoid exiting the second acceleration/compression section into the interaction chamber; and

colliding and merging the first FRC plasmoid and the second FRC plasmoid with each other in the interaction chamber forming the magnetically isolated plasmoid.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein after the merging of the first and the second FRC plasmoids, the magnetically isolated plasmoid reaches equilibrium.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of heat, tritium, helium 3, fissile fuel, and medical isotopes resulting from interaction of neutrons produced by reaction of the first FRC plasmoid and the second FRC plasmoid in the interaction chamber becomes collectable from the interaction chamber.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein introducing the gas into the first plasmoid formation section comprises operating a plurality of first puff valves to introduce the gas into the first plasmoid formation section, and wherein introducing the gas into the second plasmoid formation section comprises operating a plurality of second puff valves to introduce the gas into the second plasmoid formation section.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein introducing the gas into the first plasmoid formation section and the second plasmoid formation section comprises introducing Deuterium gas into the first plasmoid formation section and the second plasmoid formation section.