Localised energy concentration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9984774-B2
Application number	US-201414772941-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2014
Priority date	Mar 6, 2013
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A method of producing a localized concentration of energy includes: creating at least one shockwave propagating through a non-gaseous medium so as first to be incident upon a focusing pocket of fluid within the medium. The focusing pocket of fluid is positioned relative to a differently sized target pocket of gas within the medium, and is arranged to shield the target pocket of gas from the initial shockwave, such that the incidence of the shockwave on the focusing pocket of fluid concentrates the intensity of a shockwave subsequently incident upon the target pocket of gas. An apparatus for producing a localized concentration of energy is also described.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of producing a localised concentration of energy comprising:
creating at least one shockwave propagating through a non-gaseous medium so as first to be incident upon a focusing pocket of fluid within the medium, wherein the fluid in the focusing pocket of fluid has a different composition to the non-gaseous medium;
wherein the focusing pocket of fluid is positioned relative to a differently sized target pocket of gas within the medium, wherein the target pocket of gas is positioned on the opposite side of the focusing pocket from the direction of incidence of the initial shockwave such that the initial shockwave is incident upon the focusing pocket of fluid before being incident upon the target pocket of gas, such that the focussing pocket of fluid acts to shield the target pocket of gas from the initial shockwave, wherein the incidence of the shockwave on the focusing pocket of fluid concentrates the intensity of a shockwave subsequently incident upon the target pocket of gas.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the target pocket is positioned on the opposite side of the focusing pocket from the direction of incidence of the initial shockwave.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the focusing pocket of fluid is larger in size than the target pocket of gas.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the focusing pocket of fluid has a diameter at least 1.5 times the diameter of the target pocket of gas.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the non-gaseous medium has therein a plurality of focusing pockets of fluid.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the plurality of focusing pockets of fluid are positioned relative to each other such that the centre of one focusing pocket of fluid is spaced from the centre of its adjacent focusing pocket of fluid by less than 2 times the diameter of the larger of the two adjacent focusing pockets of fluid.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one or more further pockets of fluid are positioned in the non-gaseous medium further away from the initial shockwave than the target pocket of gas.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the non-gaseous medium has therein a plurality of target pockets of gas.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the shielding for the target pocket of gas comprises a solid obstacle positioned between the target pocket of gas and the initial shockwave, wherein the solid obstacle is arranged to shield the target pocket of gas from the initial shockwave and to deflect the incident shockwave away from the target pocket of gas.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a plurality of shockwaves is applied from a plurality of different directions to the non-gaseous medium.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the shockwave is a non-planar shockwave.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the target pocket of gas is attached to a surface.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the surface comprises a depression shaped so as partially to receive the target pocket of gas.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the surface is concave to concentrate the intensity of the resultant shockwave which is incident upon the target pocket of gas.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the target pocket of gas is spaced from a surface.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the surface is concave so as at least partially to reflect the resultant shockwave in such a way as to direct it onto the target pocket of gas.

17. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the target pocket of gas is in contact with the focusing pocket of fluid.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the target pocket of gas is either attached to or contained within the focusing pocket of fluid.

19. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the focusing pocket of fluid and the target pocket of gas are of different compositions.

20. A method of producing a localised concentration of energy comprising:
creating at least one shockwave propagating through a non-gaseous medium so as first to be incident upon a focusing pocket of fluid within the medium, wherein the fluid in the focusing pocket of fluid has a different composition to the non-gaseous medium;
wherein the focusing pocket of fluid and a solid obstacle are positioned within the medium relative to a target pocket of gas within the medium, wherein the solid obstacle is positioned between the target pocket of gas and the initial shockwave such that the solid obstacle is arranged to shield the target pocket of gas from the initial shockwave, and wherein the incidence of the shockwave on the focusing pocket of fluid is arranged to concentrate the intensity of a shockwave subsequently incident upon the target pocket of gas.

21. A method of producing a localised concentration of energy comprising:
creating at least one shockwave propagating through a non-gaseous medium, said non-gaseous medium containing a focusing pocket of fluid and a target pocket of gas, wherein the target pocket of gas is positioned on the opposite side of the focusing pocket from the direction of incidence of the initial shockwave such that the shockwave is first incident upon the target pocket of gas before being incident upon the target pocket of gas, wherein the fluid in the focusing pocket of fluid has a different composition to the non-gaseous medium;
wherein the target pocket of gas is of different size to the focusing pocket of fluid and the centre of the focusing pocket of fluid is spaced from the centre of the target pocket of gas by less than 1.5 times the diameter of the larger of the focusing pocket of fluid and the target pocket of gas such that the incidence of the shockwave on the focusing pocket of fluid creates a resultant, more intense shockwave which is subsequently incident upon the target pocket of gas.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21 , wherein the target pocket of gas is smaller than the focusing pocket of fluid.

23. A method as claimed in claim 21 , wherein the centre of the focusing pocket of fluid is spaced from the centre of the target pocket of fluid by less than 2.5 times the radius of the larger of the focusing pocket of fluid and the target pocket of gas.

24. A method as claimed in claim 21 , wherein the focusing pocket is elongate in a direction, wherein the direction has at least a component parallel to the direction from which the shockwave approaches the focusing pocket.

25. A method of producing a localised concentration of energy comprising:
creating at least one shockwave propagating through a non-gaseous medium so as first to be incident upon a focusing pocket of fluid within the medium, wherein the fluid in the focusing pocket of fluid has a different composition to the non-gaseous medium;
wherein the focusing pocket of fluid is of different composition to the target pocket of gas and is positioned relative to a target pocket of gas within the medium, wherein the target pocket of gas is positioned on the opposite side of the focusing pocket from the direction of incidence of the initial shockwave such that the incidence of the shockwave on the focusing pocket of fluid concentrates the intensity of a shockwave subsequently incident upon the target pocket of gas.

Assignees

• Isis Innovation
• Univ Oxford Innovation Ltd

Inventors

• Ventikos Yiannis
• Hawker Nicholas
• Betney Matthew

Classifications

• F15B21/12

  Fluid oscillators or pulse generators · CPC title

• G21B3/006 Primary

  Fusion by impact, e.g. cluster/beam interaction, ion beam collisions, impact on a target · CPC title

• G10K15/043

  producing shock waves (G10K15/046, G10K15/06 take precedence; generating seismic energy G01V1/02) · CPC title

• Y02E30/10

  Nuclear fusion reactors · CPC title