Vacuum chamber for plasma electric generation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9607719-B2
Application number	US-37137106-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2006
Priority date	Mar 7, 2005
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A system and apparatus for controlled fusion in a field reversed configuration (FRC) magnetic topology and conversion of fusion product energies directly to electric power. Preferably, plasma ions are magnetically confined in the FRC while plasma electrons are electrostatically confined in a deep energy well, created by tuning an externally applied magnetic field. In this configuration, ions and electrons may have adequate density and temperature so that upon collisions ions are fused together by the nuclear force, thus forming fusion products that emerge in the form of an annular beam. Energy is removed from the fusion product ions as they spiral past electrodes of an inverse cyclotron converter. Advantageously, the fusion fuel plasmas that can be used with the present confinement and energy conversion system include advanced (aneutronic) fuels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vacuum chamber for containing plasma comprising
a cylindrical chamber wall having first and second ends, the chamber wall extending radially around an interior volume and being formed of metal, and
a plurality of insulating breaks extending axially along the chamber wall between and in spaced relation with the first and second ends, wherein each of the plurality of insulating breaks includes a slot extending from an exterior surface of the chamber wall through the chamber wall to the interior volume of the vacuum chamber, wherein each of the plurality of insulating breaks includes an insulating material inserted into the slot of the insulating break to prevent the formation of an azimuthal current in the chamber wall substantially in the area of the chamber wall in which the slots extend, and
a plurality of metal shrouds positioned within the interior volume and over the insulating material of each of the plurality of insulating breaks, wherein each of the plurality of shrouds being coupled at opposing ends to the chamber wall adjacent opposing ends of the slot of each of the plurality of insulating breaks.

2. The chamber of claim 1 wherein the chamber wall is formed of stainless steel.

3. The chamber of claim 1 wherein the insulating material is a ceramic material.

4. The chamber of claim 1 further comprising a sealing plate extending over the slot, the sealing plate being formed of a substrate, wherein the substrate is fiberglass.

5. The chamber of claim 4 wherein the insulating material is coupled to the sealing plate.

6. The chamber of claim 4 further comprising a means for forming a seal between the sealing plate and the chamber wall.

7. The chamber of claim 6 wherein the sealing plate is formed from fiberglass material.

8. The chamber of claim 1 further comprising a magnetic field generator coupled to the chamber for generating a unidirectional magnetic field within the chamber.

9. The chamber of claim 8 wherein the magnetic field generator includes a plurality of field coils extending azimuthally about the perimeter of the chamber wall.

10. The chamber of claim 9 wherein the plurality of field coils are parallel oriented to one another.

11. The chamber of claim 9 wherein the plurality of field coils includes first and second sets of mirror coils.

12. The chamber of claim 8 further comprising a betatron flux coil extending concentrically with the chamber wall within the interior volume.

13. The chamber of claim 12 wherein the betatron flux coil is positioned outside of the chamber wall.

14. The chamber of claim 12 wherein the betatron flux coil includes a plurality of parallel wound coils.

15. The chamber of claim 1 further comprising one or more ion beam injectors orthogonal to and radially spaced from a longitudinal axis of the chamber wall.

16. The chamber claim 15 wherein the ion beam injectors include a means for neutralizing the electric charge of the ion beams emitted by the ion beam injectors.

17. The chamber of claim 1 further comprising a plasma source for forming an annular cloud of background plasma toward a chamber mid-plane.

Assignees

• Vandrie Alan
• Garate Eusebio
• Song Yuanxu
• Univ California

Inventors

• Vandrie Alan
• Garate Eusebio
• Song Yuanxu

Classifications

• Y02E30/122

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• G21B1/052 Primary

  reversed field configuration · CPC title

• Y02E30/00

  Energy generation of nuclear origin · CPC title

• G21D7/00

  Arrangements for direct production of electric energy from fusion or fission reactions (obtaining electric energy from radioactive sources G21H1/00) · CPC title

• G21B1/17 Primary

  Vacuum chambers; Vacuum systems · CPC title