IL163872A - Device for carrying out controlled thermonuclear fusion - Google Patents

Description

DEVICE FOR CARRYING OUT CONTROLLED THERMONUCLEAR FUSION A DEVICE FOR REALIZATION OF CONTROLLED THERMONUCLEAR FUSION The invention belongs to the field of thermonuclear power. Controlled thermonuclear fusion provides the means for obtaining ecologically clean energy from a practically inexhaustible source. Solution of this problem for the Earth is especially urgent due to the limited reserves of oilfields. The fuel for thermonuclear fusion is heavy hydrogen - deuterium or mixture of deuterium with tritium. In the course of thermonuclear fusion of helium nuclei the energy emerges as a result of the nuclei collision. For this purpose the energy, for instant, of deuterium ions in the moment of collision should be not less than 100 keV per ion [1]. Ranges of the presented invention's application are heat power engineering and power industry. Moreover, the invention may be used in defense industry, in propulsion engineering, including spaceship engines, as well as for practical mastering of relativist effects on the Earth.

There exist known methods and devices for obtaining energy of controlled thermonuclear fusion. In the known devices this energy is attempted to get by using the thermal energy of electric discharge plasma - which is used as a conductor emitting Joule heat as a consequence of passing current through a plasma filament. This involves insurmountable difficulties due to the following reasons: the volt-ampere characteristics of plasma filament are dropping, also for low pressures, used in the case of controlled thermonuclear fusion. It is known [1] that at temperature elevation the ohmic resistance of plasma filament declines, and the conductivity increases. By this expedient the plasma may be heated only to the ion energy 1 keV/ion (10* 106 k) It is known also [1], [2], that for mastering the thermonuclear fusion two "Lawson's conditions" should be fulfilled: 1. The product of plasma density ( ri) consisting of heavy hydrogen ions, by time ( τ ) of energy's retaining in the plasma, should be larger than 10l4(cm"3*s). 2. The energy of heavy hydrogen ions, depending on their composition (deuterium+ tritium, or only deuterium), should be larger reflectively that 10 ÷ 100 keV/ion (100* 106k ÷ 1000* 106k).

Thus, the energy transferred to the ions because of the electric discharge's dropping volt-ampere characteristics is 10 ÷ 100 times lower than the energy demanded by conditions 1. and 2. Over past years of work in this field all the efforts to increase the plasma's energy and density, in order to fulfill the mentioned conditions 1 and 2, and to ignite the controlled thermonuclear fusion on dropping volt-ampere characteristics of electric discharge, have failed. In the patent [2] by the way of additional heating plasma by electromagnetic fields of various frequencies some increase in the energy - from 1 keV/ion to 2.2 keV/ion has been gained. However, this energy was not sufficient for the considered goal. In the devices designed for operating with constantly burning electric discharge, including the "Tokamak" systems, power growth in electric discharge is attained by current increase. Because of dropping volt-ampere characteristics, voltage in the discharge will decrease to such extent, that it will amount to only a few volts. But the energy of each ion will increase by a negligible margin.

The device that is closest by technical solution is that of patent [3], where to the purpose of plasma's temperature raise in a reactor with continuous discharge and vortex hydrogen blowing, a vortex hydrogen inlet is realized. The device operates at a pressure of 10 cm mercury column. The described method and facilities permits to lower the heat losses in the flash chamber down to 50%. This device operates with vortex stabilization of the electric discharge. Such devices, as it is well known, have dropping volt-ampere characteristics, and the heated gas has only thermal energy. In such plasmotrones with hollow tubular electrodes the gas flow is limited from below due to vortex mechanism of the discharge twist and stabilization. This leads to limitation of the elapsing plasma energy. The chief disadvantage of this device is low temperature of plasma, only 7000 - 10000° K, which is insufficient according to the second Lawson's condition.

Earlier I have performed some work in the quest for plasmotrone with electric discharge magnetic stabilization and a rising volt-ampere characteristic development - both resulting in increasing ratio between plasma stream power and gas flow. The presented device is the result of 40 years of my work in the field of controlled thermonuclear fusion.

At the heart of the invention lies the goal of building a device which would exert control over the magnitudes of deuterium ions density and energy and over their counter-current collision; thus to accomplish a controlled thermonuclear fusion.

The solution of this problem is achieved by using two coaxial plasmotrones with rising volt-ampere characteristics, installed in such way that the counter current of their plasma flows in axial and rotary motion will lead to the ions collision chamber, which is connected with heat exchange chamber and with vacuum pump.

The rising volt-ampere characteristics of the plasmotrones permit, with invariable hydrogen weight rate, through plasmotrone loading voltage rise, to increase the plasma stream power, and thus to increase the energy of each ion.

For this purpose each of this plasmotrones has two tubular water-cooled electrodes with back-to back solenoids on there outside surface, for plasma exit - one of the electrodes is a front one, and another - the outlet. There are also magnetic circuit encircling the solenoids and the inter-electrode isolator; the solenoids are positioned at such a distance between them, that the annular gap area is less than the sum of the areas of the cross-sections of cylindrical volumes enclosed by solenoids; and the conductors to solenoids and electrodes in the plasmotrone and above the annular gap are laid along the outside surface of the electrodes parallel to their axis, so the current within the leads flows in one direction.

The prevalent energy of plasma stream is kinetic energy of the ions motion. To increase the . ions collision energy, the signs of rotation of the vortex flows elapsing from the plasmotrones are oriented to the opposite directions. For the same purpose the cylindrical discharge chambers are positioned coaxially with the collisions chamber, and their diameters are equal.

To demonstrate the features and advantages of the presented invention we shall further describe the preferable versions of the invention's realization, only as examples, with reference to the enclosed device.

Figure 1 displays the device for controlled thermonuclear fusion realization.

The device consists of two identical plasmotrones, each containing two tubular water-cooled electrodes : 1 - the front one; 2 - the outlet one. The electrodes form a discharge chamber with solenoids - 3 on its outside surface. The solenoids are encased by magnetic circuit 4 for the reduction of magnetic field dissipation. The electrodes 1 and 2 are separated by isolator 5, the conductors 6 are laid between the solenoids in the slot of the magnetic circuit 4 parallel to the electrodes axis. The plasmotrone is encased in case 7, insulated at least from one of the electrodes (here from the front electrode 1). When operating, a magnetic field is created, shown by field line -position 8. Position 9 denotes the electric discharge. In isolator 5 tangential apertures for vortex feed of the gas (deuterium) into the spark gap are made. The output electrodes are installed coaxially to the ions collision chamber 10, and their diameters are made equal. The ions collision chamber is connected with the heat exchange chamber 1 1 with joined up vacuum pump 12. The additional consumption of deuterium is provided into the collision chamber for controlling energy gives off the thermonuclear fusion. The apparatus is made with the discharge chamber water-cooling system, collision chamber and heat exchange chamber. The cooling systems are made with regard to measure their heat losses power.

The device works in the following way. Turn on the water-cooling system. Turn on the vacuum pump to provide under reduced pressure the pumping of gas (hydrogen) flow. Connect the electrodes and solenoids to the power-supply source, and induce electric discharge in the gap between electrodes 1 and 2. Electromagnetic forces eject the discharge from the gap to the chamber's axis and stretch it, simultaneously rotating the current-carrying plasma around the plasmotrone axis. By regulating the discharge's electrical power and the hydrogen flow, set the required mode of operation. We shall take as an example the mode with hydrogen flow G = 2* 1018 ion/s. With ions density n = 10 ion/cm .

In the described example the plasmotrone, worked with pumping ordinary hydrogen.

During the work process the electrical and thermal characteristics of the modes of operation were being measured in the discharge chamber and at the chamber's output.

At the indicated hydrogen flow rate the plasmotrone has an increasing volt-ampere characteristic, which allows to increase the plasma stream power and the energy of each ion of plasma by increasing the voltage on plasmotrone terminals.

The general power of discharge P0 has been calculated the product of current / of the discharge by its voltage : P0 = I*V. Furthermore, the consumption of cooling water and its temperature at the input and output of the discharge chamber has been measured. According to the energy balance of cooling water the power of heat losses in the discharge chamber Pi has been measured. The power of plasma stream Ps ejected by the hydrogen flow from the discharge chamber has been determined as the difference between the general measured power and the heat losses power in the discharge chamber, that is Ps - P„ - Pi . The average energy Wt of each ion departing before collision from the discharge chamber is equal to: Wt- = P" * 03 [ keV/ion ]> Gi*K where K - coefficient of energies dimensions ratio, K = 1.6 * 10~16 J/keV.

The results of the experiments are shown in the table: The value Wj satisfies the Lawson condition for thermonuclear fusion. Taking into account the counter-collisions of the ions departing from the two plasmotrones, the collisions energy shall be 4 times higher, and its values will be quite sufficient for generating energy from the thermonuclear fusion reaction of deuterium or its mixture with tritium.

( For the comparison of results notice that in plasmotrones with dropping volt-ampere characteristics, even with large power of electric discharge, the mentioned hydrogen flow gives power, exported by the plasma stream from the discharge chamber, not exceeding 0.32 kW, for the average thermal energy of a ion in such discharges, as is well known, does not exceed 1 keV/ion).

In the device we have employed two coaxially located plasmotrones with increasing volt-ampere characteristics, positioned in a way allowing counter-efflux of their plasma flows in axial and rotary motion into the ions collision chamber, connected in series with heat exchange chamber and vacuum pump; which permit a substantial increase in density and energy of the ions counter-collision for executing controlled thermonuclear fusion.

The construction of each one of the said plasmotrones, with tubular water-cooled electrodes, the front one and the outlet, for plasma exit; with back-to back solenoids on their outside surface; with magnetic circuit encircling the solenoids and the inter-electrode isolator; the solenoids are located at such a distance between them, that the annular gap area is less than the sum of the areas of the cross-sections of cylindrical volumes enclosed by solenoids; and the conductors to solenoids and electrodes in the plasmotrone and above the annular gap are laid along the outside surface of the electrodes parallel to their axis, so that the current within the leads flows in one direction - all this features of the construction permit getting increasing volt-ampere characteristics of the discharge. They present a possibility of achieving the necessary ions energy in the outflowing plasma stream by raising the voltage on the plasmotrone's terminals.

The construction in the presented device of the collisions chamber diameter equal to the output electrode chamber diameter permits to use more fully the kinetic energy of the ions for their counter-collision.

Specialists in the given field will easily find, that various configuration and modifications of the invention are applicable to above cited examples of its realization, without deviation from its essence formulated in the clauses of the presented claim.

LITERATURE D. I. Kotelnikov. The surprises of plasma. "Technika", Kiev, 1990.

United States Patent, Jacobson, 5,198,181 , March 30. 1993.

Stabilizing plasma in thermonuclear fusion reactions using resonant low level.

United States Patent, Greene, 5,272,731, December 21, 1993 Process and apparatus to increase plasma temperature in a continuous discharge fusion.

Claims (4)

1. two coaxially located plasmotrones with increasing volt-ampere characteristics, positioned in a way allowing counter-efflux of their plasma flows in axial and rotary motion into the ions collision chamber, connected with heat exchange chamber and vacuum pump.

2. The device of claim 1, in which each one of the said plasmotrones has tubular water-cooled electrodes, the front one and the outlet, for plasma exit; with back-to back solenoids on their outside surface; the magnetic circuit encircling the solenoids and the inter-electrode isolator; the solenoids are positioned at such a distance between them, that the annular gap area is less than the sum of the areas of the cross- sections of cylindrical volumes enclosed by solenoids; and the conductors to solenoids and electrodes in the plasmotrone and above the annular gap are laid along the outside surface of the electrodes parallel to their axis, so that the current within the leads flows in one direction.

3. The device of claims 1 and 2, where the diameter of the ions collision chamber is constructed equal to the output electrode chamber diameter.

4. The device of claims 1 to 3 for carrying out controlled thermonuclear fusion, conceptually conforming to the above description, with reference to the enclosed drawings. The applicants: E. Rudyak Y. Rudyak Y. Rudyak