Liquid lithium first walls for electromagnetic control of plasmas in fusion power reactor environments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10643752-B2
Application number	US-201715435101-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2017
Priority date	Apr 1, 2011
Publication date	May 5, 2020
Grant date	May 5, 2020

Abstract

A method, system, and apparatus are disclosed for liquid lithium first walls for electromagnetic control of plasmas in fusion power reactor environments. In particular, the method involves installing at least one layer of at least one tile on the surface area of the internal walls of the reactor chamber. A portion of the tile(s) facing the interior of the reactor chamber includes a plurality of channels. The method further involves applying an electric charge to the liquid lithium. Further, the method involves circulating the liquid lithium throughout the interior network of the tile(s) to allow for the liquid lithium to flow into the channels and to reach the external surface of the tile(s) that faces the interior of the reactor chamber. In some embodiments, the method also involves installing at least one magnetic coil between the tile(s) and the surface area of the internal walls of the reactor chamber.

First claim

I claim:

1. A method for maintaining liquid lithium on a surface area of internal walls of a reactor chamber, the method comprising:
installing at least one layer of at least one porous open-cell tile on the surface area of the internal walls of the reactor chamber,
wherein a portion of the at least one tile facing an interior of the reactor chamber is divided into a plurality of channels;
flowing the liquid lithium, which has an electric charge, into an interior network of open cells of the at least one tile;
circulating the liquid lithium through the interior network of the at least one tile via at least one of the open cells to allow for the liquid lithium to seep from the interior network of the open cells to the channels on an external surface of the at least one tile that faces the interior of the reactor chamber; and
outputting the circulated liquid lithium from the at least one tile.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the interior network of the at least one tile and the channels of the at least one tile are manufactured from a porous open-cell material that is one of a ceramic foam or a metal foam, and wherein the channels are hydraulically and electrically separated from one another by solid ceramic strips.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the interior network of the at least one tile and the channels of the at least one tile are manufactured from a porous open-cell material that is one of a ceramic foam or a metal foam, and
wherein the channels are hydraulically and electrically separated from one another by ceramic foam strips treated with a lithium-blocking, electrically insulating coating.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one tile is manufactured from a porous open-cell material that is a ceramic foam, and
wherein the channels are hydraulically and electrically separated from one another by strips of the ceramic foam that are treated with a lithium-blocking, nonconductive coating.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one tile comprises a varied porosity.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one tile comprises one of a regular shape or an irregular shape.

7. A system for maintaining liquid lithium on a surface area of internal walls of a reactor chamber, the system comprising:
at least one porous open-cell tile, wherein a portion of the at least one tile facing an interior of the reactor chamber is divided into a plurality of channels; and
the reactor chamber, wherein at least one layer of the at least one tile is installed on the surface area of the internal walls of the reactor chamber,
wherein the at least one tile allows for electrically charged liquid lithium to be flowed into an interior network of open cells of the at least one tile,
wherein the at least one tile further allows for the liquid lithium to be circulated throughout the interior network of the at least one tile via at least one of the open cells to allow for the liquid lithium to seep from the interior network of the open cells to the channels on an external surface of the at least one tile that faces the interior of the reactor chamber, and
wherein the at least one tile further allows for the circulated liquid lithium to be outputted from the at least one tile.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the interior network of the at least one tile and the channels of the at least one tile are manufactured from a porous open-cell material that is a metal foam, and
wherein the channels are hydraulically and electrically separated from one another by solid ceramic strips.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the interior network of the at least one tile and the channels of the at least one tile are manufactured from a porous open-cell material that is one of a ceramic foam or a metal foam, and
wherein the channels are hydraulically and electrically separated from one another by ceramic foam strips treated with a lithium-blocking, electrically insulating coating.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one tile is manufactured from a porous open-cell material that is a ceramic foam, and
wherein the channels are hydraulically and electrically separated from one another by strips of the ceramic foam that are treated with a lithium-blocking, nonconductive coating.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one tile comprises a varied porosity.

12. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one tile comprises one of a regular shape or an irregular shape.

13. The system of claim 7 , wherein each of the at least one tile comprises at least one of an input plenum or an output plenum.

14. A tile for maintaining liquid lithium on a surface area of internal walls of a reactor chamber, the tile comprising:
a porous open-cell material;
a plurality of channels; and
an interior network of open cells in an interior of the tile for circulating electrically charged liquid lithium within the interior network of the tile via at least one of the open cells to allow for the liquid lithium to seep from the interior network of the open cells to the channels on an external surface of the at least one tile that faces an interior of the reactor chamber.

15. The tile of claim 14 , wherein the interior network of the tile and the channels of the tile are manufactured from porous open-cell material that is one of a ceramic foam or a metal foam, and
wherein the channels are hydraulically and electrically separated from one another by solid ceramic strips.

16. The tile of claim 14 , wherein the interior network of the tile and the channels of the tile are manufactured from a porous open-cell material that is one of a ceramic foam or a metal foam, and
wherein the channels are hydraulically and electrically separated from one another by ceramic foam strips treated with a lithium-blocking, electrically insulating coating.

17. The tile of claim 14 , wherein the tile is manufactured from a porous open-cell material that is a ceramic foam, and
wherein the channels are hydraulically and electrically separated from one another by strips of the ceramic foam that are treated with a lithium-blocking, nonconductive coating.

18. The tile of claim 14 , wherein the tile comprises a varied porosity.

19. The tile of claim 14 , wherein the tile comprises one of a regular shape or an irregular shape.

20. The tile of claim 14 , wherein the tile comprises at least one of an input plenum or an output plenum.

21. The system of claim 13 , wherein the input plenum and the output plenum, of each of the at least one tile, are each manufactured from at least one non-porous material.

22. The system of claim 13 , wherein the input plenum and the output plenum, of each of the at least tile, each comprise a portion manufactured from a conductive material.

23. The system of claim 22 , wherein the conductive material is a metal.

24. The system of claim 22 , wherein the system further comprises at least one electrical power supply connected to the portion manufactured of the conductive material of each of the input plenum and the output plenum, of each of the at least one tile, to supply electric current to electrically charge the liquid lithium.

25. The system of claim 13 , wherein the input plenum and the output plenum, of each of the at least one tile, each comprise at least one portion manufactured from an insulating material.

26. The system of claim 13 , wherein the input plenum, of each of the at least o

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Weaver Thomas Lyman

Classifications

• G21B1/13 Primary

  First wall; Blanket; Divertor · CPC title

• Y02E30/128

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02E30/10

  Nuclear fusion reactors · CPC title