Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
  • G21B—FUSION REACTORS
  • G21B3/00—Low temperature nuclear fusion reactors, e.g. alleged cold fusion reactors
  • G21B3/006—Fusion by impact, e.g. cluster/beam interaction, ion beam collisions, impact on a target
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E30/00—Energy generation of nuclear origin
  • Y02E30/10—Nuclear fusion reactors

Definitions

• This invention describes an energy technology which utilizes neutrals to undergo fusion. It relates to the field of energy production from nuclear fusion in which two atoms fuse together into a third atom with the resultant release of energy, a consequence of mass being converted into energy.
• This invention provides a new approach to the production of fusion energy using neutrals instead of charged particles. It describes how neutrals can be accelerated in a compact rotating configuration, thereby achieving repeated interactions among themselves.
• the present invention chooses to pursue fusion among neutrals in order to achieve very high density of particles for interactions, e.g. four orders of magnitude higher than is possible with charged particles. It uses the strong magnetic force (several thousands of newtons) on a current element to drive neutrals through the principle of ion-neutral coupling. The simple geometry and the compactness of the device makes it a
• the high density of neutrals makes it possible to produce energy at a significant rate for commercial application.
• the rate of fusion is proportional to the square of the density. This technology is different from the present day usage of charged particles for fusion, where it is difficult to achieve high density due to the energy requirement on ionization and instabilities of a charged medium.
• This device operates at high neutral densities in order to increase the rate of fusion reactions even for low cross sections of interacting elements. This rate is proportional to the square of neutral densities.
• This device requires only a simple capital outlay consisting of a superconducting magnet and a DC power supply. It can operate in various sizes from 50 cm size to lO's meters, depending on the application.
• Another aneutronic reactor uses the proton lithium ( p- Li 6 ) reactions with products of He 3 and He 4 .
• the ease of coating of Li on electrodes inside chamber might be an advantage of sources and sinks in certain applications.
• Fig. 1 shows one configuration of a p-B fusion device with concentric electrodes.
• Fig. 2 shows a high current multi-triggering discharge circuit to extend pulse duration
• Fig. 3 shows a 6 kilovolt direct current power supply for continuous wave discharge.
• Fig. 4 shows a 6 kilovolt 200 amp direct current power supply circuit.
• Fig. 5 shows a pulsed and continuous wave combination discharge circuit.
• Fig. 6 shows a typical plasma discharge monitored on the central rod using the combination supply from fig 5.
• Fig. 7 shows an alternate configuration of a fusion reactor in accordance with the present invention.
• Fig. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a system for supplying hydrogen to a fusion device in accordance with the present invention.
• Typical designs of pulse supplies and CW supplies used to produce pre-ionization and sustained rotation of the plasma are illustrated in Figs. 2-4.
• Fig. 1 shows a configuration of a p-B 11 fusion device with concentric electrodes.
• a superconducting magnet 11 is provided capable of generating an axial magnetic field.
• the chamber 5 has a cooling input 1.
• the chamber 5 also has a gas input 2.
• An electrical power supply 12 is connected to discharge rod 3.
• An expanded discharge rod 8 is provided in chamber 5.
• Element 4 is an insulator.
• Element 6 is an external discharge rod.
• Element 7 denotes Boron discs.
• Element 10 illustrates a Boron target.
• Element 9 illustrates a plasma.
• Multiple pulse supplies are triggered sequentially to produce a sequence of pulses for sustaining a high rotation rate. The timing of the pulses is such that before the conductivity of the plasma decays to a low value the next pulse is turned on to impart another radial current for rotation.
• the rotations of neutrals and ions are diagnosed using a camera with fast shutter speeds up to 100,000/s. By following a given inhomogeneity the rotation rate can be estimated.
• Another method is to use "laser tagging". A laser is tuned to a given wavelength which matches either an ion line or a neutral line. The resonant scattering at a different wavelength is monitored in space and time using the fast camera with a filter. Alternately a spectrometer and a fiber tuned to a given wavelength can also be used.
• Each element has both rotating and stationary distributions such that the rotating boron species collides with the stationary hydrogen species and vice versa.
• the stationary component of B 11 is provided at the inner and outer electrodes, while the rotating component B 11 is provided by J x B force.
• a continuous stream of hydrogen is fed from a pressure tank to produce background pressures of 1- 10 Torr.
• dW/dt n p n b ⁇ v Y rate of fusion/ cm sec
• n p , 3 ⁇ 4 are the densities of protons and borons respectively
• ⁇ is the fusion cross section at a particular energy
• v is the relative velocity between proton and boron
• n p represents both hydrogen ions and neutrals because for fusion reactions either neutrals or ions can participate in fusion.
• the fusion break-even condition is given by the fusion output being greater than the energy input per unit volume: dW/dt > V in Iiliens / V where
• Vi n Voltage applied between two concentric electrodes
• Iin Radial current due to the applied voltage Vi n
• V Volume of rotating region where neutrals and ions are being driven by J x B force; energy input comes from the DC voltage and current applied between the two electrodes.
• the operating magnetic field is usually between 0.5-3 T.
• Initial ionization by electrons along the axial magnetic field might be used to provide electrons and ions for pre -ionization.
• the plasma impedance between the two concentric cylinders is lowered such that a radial current flows between the concentric cylinders.
• This radial discharge current across the magnetic field takes place primarily via ion transport across the strong magnetic field because ions have much larger orbit than electrons.
• the force J x B causes ions to rotate in the azimuthal direction. At high densities frequent collisions between ions and neutrals make them rotate together.
• a 0.1 ohm resistance and a radial current of 10 KA were observed for a voltage of 1 KV.
• the radial current produces a strong torque to push ions in the azimuthal direction, causing collisions with neutrals and co-rotation of the neutrals with the ions.
• the power supply further produces a continuous chain of pulses, such that the radial current is sustained so as to produce a continuous driving force to rotate ion and neutrals.
• a combination of pulses and CW voltages are used to maximize the efficiency between rotating energy and the input electrical energy; pulses are used to sustain the number of ions in the system and CW voltages are used to maintain the rotation.
• the fusion reaction produces energetic alpha particles (He 4 ), which are used for direct conversion to electrical energy; and the slowing down of these alphas yields a charging current in a power supply.
• the energy input is 2.5 KV and 4000 A or 10 MW for 0.1 ms which is equal to 1 KJ.
• the number of total reactions in 1 ms in a volume of 3 x 10 3 cm 3 is equal to 9 x 10 16
• the product of reactions in He nuclei is 2.7 x 10 .
• the density of He particles is 0.9 x lO 14 /cm 3 or 10 "3 Torr / ms pulse . This density of He is detectable by a quadrupole mass spectrometer of RGA ( residual gas analyzer ). The population of He particles is increased with the number of pulses, when the volume is not pumped.
• the reactants may be in solid (powder, nanoparticles, or other), liquid, or gaseous state, may be mixed in a solution with water or any other solvent, and may be present in elemental form or in any chemical compound.
• boron is often found in borate minerals, including borax, kernite, ulexite, colemanite, and boracite, any of which could be used to provide boron fuel into the fusion reactor described above (hereinafter referred to as the "Alpha Unit").
• other boron compounds which are not borate minerals, including but not limited to elemental boron, lanthanum hexaboride, and boron nitride, could be used.
• Alpha Unit is suitable for use with all other fusion reactions, both neutronic and aneutronic, including (but not limited to):
• the reactions in the Alpha Unit have been prompted by a series of short-duration pulses of voltage on the inner electrode to induce a plasma current between the inner and outer electrodes and cause the fluid inside the Alpha Unit to rotate.
• the Alpha Unit could be run with a continuous supply of voltage to the inner electrode.
• Some fission reactions for example the thorium fission cycle, rely on a large flow of high-energy particles (e.g., neutrons, protons, alpha particles) to drive the reaction.
• high-energy particles e.g., neutrons, protons, alpha particles
• Such reactions may have advantages over conventional nuclear fission fuel cycles in that they involve only trace amounts of radioactive material, which are insufficient to drive a nuclear chain reaction
• the Alpha Unit could be used to drive these fission reactions by providing the supply of high-energy particles.
• a mixture of doubly-charged He4 (a particles), and charged and neutral boron and hydrogen nuclei could be directed out of the Alpha Unit and into a separate reactor containing the fission fuel.
• the energy generated by the fission reaction could be used independently from, or in combination with, energy extracted from the Alpha Unit (for electricity generation, industrial heat, or other useful purposes).
• a key component of the Alpha Unit is a magnet which could be a
• superconducting magnet (including use of same from retrofitted MRI machines), a permanent magnet, an electromagnet or other suitable type of magnet.
• the other components consist of a chamber wall, and an outer and an inner electrode.
• Auxiliary components such as a power supply, fuel input rod, and cooling systems may also be present.
• the design of the Alpha Unit is not specific to any one set of materials.
• the design of the Alpha Unit described above includes an inner and outer electrode to conduct a plasma current, as well as a superconducting magnet to create an axial magnetic field.
• a current drive For example, rotation could be induced by creating an AC magnetic field with a rotating current, causing ions to rotate via resonant coupling, and eliminating the need for a magnet and inner electrode.
• the Alpha Unit as a cylinder. While this may well be an optimal design, the Alpha Unit could also be operated with other geometries, such as an oval cross-section, or a torus, so long as particles are able to rotate around the device.
• an Alpha Unit Since fusion reactions happen on a nuclear level (-10-15 m), there is almost no fundamental limit to the scale (large and small) at which an Alpha Unit could be implemented.
• an Alpha Unit might be applied on a nano-level, such that it could be used to provide power to electronic circuitry, or for other purposes; or implemented on a very large scale where it could, for example, satisfy the electricity requirements of entire cities, regions or countries using one or more Alpha Units. Changes in scale could be achieved by increasing or decreasing the length of the Alpha Unit, increasing or decreasing its diameter, doing both, or (in the case of scaling up) by using multiple modules. Similar adjustments could be made to versions of the Alpha Unit with non-cylindrical geometries.
• fusion reactions produce high-energy charged particles, which can be directly converted to usable electricity using electromagnetic means (e.g., by inducing an electrical current in a nearby wire). ).
• Charged particles from fusion have energy in the MeV range and have low collision frequencies with background medium and therefore undergo motion dictated by the background electric and magnetic fields, even in a normally collisional environment.
• One notable concept developed by researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory involves charged particles being selectively removed, guided away from the plasma in which fusion reactions are taking place using a magnetic field, and decelerated by retarding electric fields. The energy given up by the particles during deceleration is converted to an electrical current.
• Such a concept could be used with the Alpha Unit, either independently or in combination with other direct energy conversion techniques and/or thermal energy conversion techniques.
• the direct energy conversion could be significantly more efficient at producing electrical energy than the maximum efficiency of a thermal energy conversion technique.
• Charged particles for example, doubly-charged He 4 (a particles) move axially, as a result of their high energy, in addition to high-speed azimuthal rotation induced by the magnetic field and plasma current in the Alpha Unit.
• Charged particles created as a product of fusion reactions have much higher energy than other charged particles or neutrals which are not produced by fusion reactions.
• these high-energy charged particles (such as a particles in the case of the p-B 11 reaction) move axially at much higher average speeds than other particles in the Alpha Unit.
• This axial movement of charged particles may be directly converted to electricity, for example by creating an electric field opposing the flow of charges outward from the electrodes.
• the kinetic energy of charged particles rotating azimuthally can be captured by similar means.
• the batteries or electric fields referred to above can be used to create an electric field opposing the rotation of charged particles.
• These batteries could be placed about the section of the Alpha Unit containing the electrodes and/or about the sections without the electrodes. This could be done separately from, or in conjunction with, the system described above.
• the path of the charged fusion products e.g., alpha particles.
• One way to do this is to overlay the cyclotron frequency of the alpha particles on top of a DC voltage created on the inner electrode, generating an electromagnetic wave at the cyclotron frequency.
• tuning the phase of this electromagnetic wave at the cyclotron frequency it is possible to adjust the paths of the charged fusion products such that they rotate in a controlled fashion, allowing direct energy conversion to be optimized.
• resonance with the intrinsic nuclear spin of the fuel or product nuclei may be used to increase or decrease the number of fusion reactions or control the paths of the particles in such a way as to increase the efficiency of energy recovery.
• the radius of the chamber to either side of the electrodes may be kept the same as in the section containing the electrodes, or it may be larger or smaller.
• the radius of the chamber might be increased in the direction axially away from the section containing the electrodes, and the resonant frequency of fusion products (for example, alpha particles in the case of the p-Bl 1 reaction) could be used to excite them to rotate in increasingly large orbits as they move axially away from the electrodes. This could result in enhanced efficiency and efficacy of the direct energy conversion.
• Fuel for example, hydrogen
• Fuel can be introduced directly into the annular space between the two electrodes in controlled amounts during operation. Much of this fuel will be consumed before it escapes the section of the Alpha Unit containing the electrodes, or is able to enter the annular space between the outer electrode and the chamber wall. Charged fusion products (e.g., alpha particles) which enter these portions of the Alpha Unit will thus encounter few fuel particles (the vast majority of which are neutral).
• Fuel for example, hydrogen
• Fuel can be introduced into the Alpha Unit in a short, controlled burst, perhaps injected in the radial direction.
• a vacuum could be drawn, perhaps from the annular space between the inner and outer electrodes, to remove particles. Because highly charged fusion products (e.g., alpha particles) are more likely to exit this annulus than lower-energy fuel particles, the vacuum would draw out a disproportionately low fraction of fusion products. As a result, the fusion products remaining in the Alpha Unit would encounter few neutrals, allowing for greater direct conversion of energy.
• FIG. 7 A schematic drawing of a potential Alpha Unit configuration, including a chamber of varying radius as described above, is shown in Figure 7.
• the drawing assumes the use of a p-B reaction, although other reactions could be used.
• the drawing also includes vacuum pumps and safety valves on either side of the chamber, which could be used to avoid unsafe pressure buildup within the Alpha Unit.
• the dimension of the inner electrode, outer electrode, and chamber wall may be modified to change the volumes of these spaces relative to one another and reduce the incidence of charged fusion products colliding with neutrals.
• Control systems and outer annular space geometry may be optimized to facilitate gas evacuation so as to minimize charged particle collisions with neutral particles thereby minimize otherwise avoidable energy transfer.
• thermal energy capture is a common practice in commercial applications (for example, fossil fuel-fired power plants), and it could be done on the Alpha Unit in much the same way.
• a working fluid e.g., water, helium, sodium
• thermal coils, thermal jackets, or other heat transfer devices located within or around the Alpha Unit to absorb thermal energy.
• the hot working fluid passed out of the Alpha Unit could then be used with any number of devices to convert its thermal energy into mechanical motion directly or by means of a secondary loop.
• the mechanical motion of these devices could be used directly (e.g., to turn a wheel), or indirectly (e.g., to turn a conventional generator to produce electricity).
• These devices include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Stirling engine (either to drive a separate electric generator or to have the piston in the Stirling engine fashioned as a magnet so as to create electricity from the motion of the magnet)
• Thermocouple A single device listed above could be used, or one or more devices could be used in combination with each other. One or more devices could also be used for secondary, tertiary, etc. thermal energy recovery using waste heat from other devices. Alternatively, the thermal energy could be used directly to supply heat for industrial processes, for space heating in buildings or for water desalination.
• An Alpha Unit could also be used in combination with a separate heat transfer device to provide auxiliary heat.
• thermal energy from the Alpha Unit could be added to the combustor or inlet section of a combustion turbine, either by placing the Alpha Unit within such section or by transferring the heat using a working fluid.
• the Alpha Unit could be used as an auxiliary heat source for a conventional thermal power plant, either to pre -heat steam or another working fluid passed into the boiler, or by adding the heat directly to the boiler.
• Fusion fuel can be supplied to the Alpha Unit using purchased materials (for example, in the case of the p-B 11 reaction, using pressurized hydrogen gas cylinders and solid pieces of boron compound, amongst other options).
• purchased materials for example, in the case of the p-B 11 reaction, using pressurized hydrogen gas cylinders and solid pieces of boron compound, amongst other options.
• Hydrogen for the p-B 11 reaction could be supplied with an electrolysis system or a thermal dissociation system integrated with an Alpha Unit and powered by the Alpha Unit, or by a smaller, auxiliary Alpha Unit, or by a separate source of electricity.
• Hydrogen for the p-B 11 reaction could be supplied using an integrated spin system (as described in US Patent No. 8,298,318 and US Patent Publication No.
• FIG. 8 A schematic diagram illustrating this concept is shown in Figure 8.
• a supply of water is applied to the electromagnetic spin system (EMSS - described in detail in the '318 and 783 documents), which produces a supply of hydrogen.
• the hydrogen is supplied to an Alpha Unit, together with Boron, which are used in a fusion reaction to generate electricity. Part of the electricity produced is used to operate the EMSS.
• Hydrogen for the p-B reaction could also be supplied by using compounds such as sodium borohydride, which produces hydrogen when mixed with water.
• the charged particles created by the reactions ionize fuel atoms (e.g., hydrogen in the case of p-B 11 ), reducing resistivity, increasing the plasma current and Lorentz force, and further increasing the rate of fusion reactions without an increase in energy input.
• the increased rate of fusion reactions magnifies the space charge effect and fuel particle ionization, which leads to further fusion .
• boron compounds e.g., boron nitride, lanthanum hexaboride
• excellent electron emitters including but not limited to graphene, could be chemically combined with the fuel target (e.g., boron nitride), or could be fabricated as a composite with the fuel target (i.e., the fuel and electron emitter are physically but not chemically bonded).
• this material could be adhered to the wall of the outer electrode (as in our past operation), or the outer electrode could itself be fabricated out of the material (such that the electrode would be gradually consumed by the fusion reactions).
• the inner electrode, chamber wall, or other components of the Alpha Unit could be composed of consumable fusion fuel, or a composite or compound containing fusion fuel and other materials.
• the design of the Alpha Unit could be optimized (e.g., by the choice of fuel compound, placement of the fuel, geometrical design of the electrodes and chamber) to enhance fuel particle ionization, further contributing to positive feedback.
• the materials created as a result of a fusion reaction will have no use once their energy has been removed to the extent desired through direct and/or thermal energy conversion, and may, in fact, inhibit the operation of the device.
• helium created by the reaction may not be intended for any additional reactions, and its presence may reduce the number of p-boron reactions taking place.
• Such removal could take many forms, and could depend upon the particular reaction being used in the Alpha Unit.
• commercial hydrogen filters exist which are selectively permeable to hydrogen but not larger nuclei.
• Such a filter could be applied within the Alpha Unit to create differing proportions of fusion products to non- fusion products on either side of the filter, allowing the fusion product-rich stream to be removed from the device.
• Such a filter might also be useful in enhancing direct energy conversion (since the presence of neutrals vs. charged fusion products degrades conversion efficiency), and/or could be used to recirculate fuel-rich mixtures to the electrode section of the Alpha Unit for consumption.
• Similar filters designed to be selectively permeable to different atoms or molecules could be used for operation of the Alpha Unit with both the p-Bl 1 reaction and in other fusion reactions. Multiple filters designed for one or more atoms/molecules could also be used in combination with one another.
• the fusion products (such as helium in the case of the p-B 11 reaction) will be some of the lightest atoms in the system, particularly once many reactions have occurred (e.g., when much of the hydrogen has been consumed in the p-B 11 reaction).
• these fusion products will tend to concentrate near the inner electrode, where they can be easily removed.
• the separation efficiency of the Alpha Unit will assist in removing a high proportion of the fusion products without removing a high proportion of the fusion fuel.
• MRI/NMR proton NMR could be used to measure the movement of hydrogen atoms in 3 dimensions, in real-time, within the device. In cases such as p-B 11 which use hydrogen as a fuel, this could be useful to monitor the disappearance of the protons (indicating consumption in fusion reactions), as well as for other purposes.
• Optical sensors such as ultra-high speed cameras. For example, during the operation of our Alpha Units, we record p-B 11 reactions using an ultra-high speed camera with one or more helium filters, which selectively pass light at helium's spectral frequency. Light intensity in the camera's field of view corresponds to the number of helium nuclei present at a particular point (which correlates to the number of fusion reactions taking place, energy generated, etc.).
• Heat/temperature sensors which could be useful for monitoring integrity of materials, rate of energy generation, cooling system performance, etc.
• Control systems integrated with MRI/NMR, optical sensors, heat/temperature sensors, or other sensors to control operating parameters e.g., rate of fuel input, rate of fusion product removal, flow of working fluid for thermal energy capture, amplitude and duration of pulses applied to the inner electrode.
• the most obvious application of the Alpha Unit is in stationary electricity generation applications, including:
• New build power plants either central (utility-scale) or distributed (e.g., building- scale). These plants may be in rural, suburban, or urban settings on land, or may be applied in sub-sea environments. In distributed generation applications, a building relying on electricity from one or more Alpha Units might choose to avoid connecting to the power grid, since the Alpha Units would be capable of satisfying 100% of the building's electricity need.
• the Alpha Unit could also be used to generate electricity in non-stationary settings. For example:
• Mobile electronic devices e.g., cell phones, laptop computers, tablets
• Transportation devices/vehicles (cars, buses, trains, planes, lighter-than-air aircraft, helicopters, ships, submarines, satellites, spacecraft, space stations, etc.) • As a replacement for pumps (e.g., self-propelled pigs for pipelines)
• the Alpha Unit is primarily contemplated as a closed device whereby energy generated by fusion reactions is extracted from the Alpha Unit using either direct energy conversion or thermal energy conversion.
• an Alpha Unit could be used as a device to propel an object attached to the Alpha Unit (e.g., a vehicle, either on Earth or in space) by directing a flow of particles out of the Alpha Unit.
• the high velocities of particles within the Alpha Unit would result in a large reactive force when those particles are directed outward, propelling the Alpha Unit and the object to which it is attached at a high rate of speed.

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• 2014
  • 2014-03-11 WO PCT/US2014/023809 patent/WO2014204531A2/en active Application Filing
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