US20110142185A1

(19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2011/0142185 A1 US 2011 O142185A1 Woodruff (43) Pub. Date: Jun. 16, 2011 (54) DEVICE FOR COMPRESSING ACOMPACT (52) U.S. Cl. ........................................................ 376/121 TOROIDAL PLASMA FOR USE ASA (57) ABSTRACT (75) (73) (21) (22) (60) (51) NEUTRON SOURCE AND FUSION REACTOR Inventor: Assignee: Appl. No.: Filed: Simon Woodruff, Seattle, WA (US) Woodruff Scientific, Inc., Seattle, WA (US) 12/706,963 Feb. 17, 2010 Related U.S. Application Data Provisional application No. 61/287,170, filed on Dec. 16, 2009. Publication Classification Int. C. G2B I/05 (2006.01) A. Provided are methods and devices for compression of a spheromak plasma (e.g., deuterium-trirtium (D-T)-derived) in a magnetic well configured within a plasma combustion chamber using an induction coil axially adjacent to the plasma, wherein a moveable member (e.g., piston, cam and follower) drives the induction coil toward the plasma, push ing the plasma via magnetic pressure into the magnetic well and compressing the plasma Substantially adiabatically (e.g., coil motion is well below the plasma sound speed). The compression quickly increases both plasma density and tem perature past the point of ignition, and after plasma burn, the coil is backed-off to allow the plasma to re-expand, providing for refueling and repetition of the compression cycle. Addi tionally provided are spaced annular plasma formation elec trodes, Suitably configured for generating and injecting mag netized plasma into a plasma combustion chamber. Preferably, spaced annular plasma formation electrodes are used in combination with moveable compression members as disclosed herein. US 2011/O142185 A1 Jun. 16, 2011 Sheet 1 of 17 Patent Application Publication ?ŠNN Zy)||||||| 4 |CN Z US 2011/O142185 A1 f f 6:25, %% ¿? Jun. 16, 2011 Sheet 2 of 17 Patent Application Publication 10f US 2011/O142185 A1 Jun. 16, 2011 Sheet 3 of 17 Patent Application Publication ? ? ? t?=========No.s============== N Patent Application Publication Jun. 16, 2011 Sheet 4 of 17 US 2011/O142185 A1 & 21 /////////// SES 25 1 N- M f9 Z& 20 21 Fig. 3 US 2011/O142185 A1 Jun. 16, 2011 Sheet 6 of 17 Patent Application Publication & & & / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / Patent Application Publication Jun. 16, 2011 Sheet 7 of 17 US 2011/O142185 A1 SOL FW-Tungsten Armor (W) 30 ) FW-Silicon Carbide (SC) 35 42 40 1 Cm RWM Shell 40 4 cm Vertical Stabilizing Shell 4 cm Vertical Stabilizing Shell Blanket (Li Pb/Si/C) g J 28 D HT Si C Shield o C Cold Shield 45 Gap Vacuum Ve SSel 26 Gap + Th Insulation Winding Pack Fig. 6 US 2011/O142185 A1 2011 Sheet 8 Of 17 . 16, Jun Patent Application Publication Patent Application Publication Jun. 16, 2011 Sheet 9 of 17 US 2011/O142185 A1 401 2 Y % 2 % 2 % % 2 % 2 % 2 % % % % % 2 % % 2 % 2 % 2 % % 2 % 2 % 2 % % 2 Patent Application Publication Jun. 16, 2011 Sheet 10 of 17 US 2011/O142185 A1 Patent Application Publication Jun. 16, 2011 Sheet 11 of 17 US 2011/O142185 A1 Volume Fig. 10 Patent Application Publication Jun. 16, 2011 Sheet 12 of 17 US 2011/O142185 A1 - - - - Bitor - - - - Btor BDol Fig. 11B Patent Application Publication Jun. 16, 2011 Sheet 13 of 17 US 2011/O142185 A1 Velectrode (V) 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 t(s) 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 Fig. 12A 14 12 10 t(s) 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 Fig. 12B t(s) 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 Fig. 120 Patent Application Publication Jun. 16, 2011 Sheet 14 of 17 US 2011/O142185 A1 T (e V) 14000 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 t(s) 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 Fig. 12D n (m-3) 3.5x102 3.0x102 2.5x1021 2.0x102 1.5x1021 1.0x1021 5.0x1020 0.5 1.0 15 2.0 Fig. 12E n Tau (m^-3ke Vs) 1022 1021 1020 1019 1018 1017 0.5 1.0 15 2.0 Fig. 12F US 2011/O142185 A1 Jun. 16, 2011 Sheet 15 of 17 Patent Application Publication 100; Patent Application Publication 2 1020 Un Compressed State O 0.5 1 Radius in meters Un Compressed State O 0.5 1 Radius in meters Jun. 16, 2011 Sheet 16 of 17 US 2011/O142185 A1 O 0.5 Radius in meters 15 Compressed State 0.5 1 Radius in meters 1.5 Suº 19UU U | Srl | DD 9" ||——————0 US 2011/O142185 A1 WM) eunio Mue Mod Jun. 16, 2011 Sheet 17 of 17 Patent Application Publication US 2011/O 142185 A1 DEVICE FOR COMPRESSINGA COMPACT TOROIDAL PLASMA FOR USE ASA NEUTRON SOURCE AND FUSION REACTOR CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 0001. This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/287,170, filed Dec. 16, 2009 and entitled FUSION INTERNAL COM BUSTION ENGINE, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 0002 The invention was made with government support under Contract No. DE-FGO2-06ER84449 from the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The United States gov ernment has certain rights in the invention. FIELD OF THE INVENTION 0003. The present invention relates generally to the use of a magnetic coil contained in a moving member (e.g., piston) to adiabatically compress a magnetized plasma (e.g., contain ing deuterium and tritium fuel), to a point where plasma pressure is Sufficient to achieve ignition thereof, and in more particular aspects, the compression drives the plasma tem perature and density to fusion regimes, resulting in steady state fusion power that is captured directly or in a thermal cycle to drive, for example, a turbine. Certain aspects relate to the use of Such compressed plasma as a neutron source or as an energy source by capturing the neutrons in a blanket Sur rounding the combustion chamber. BACKGROUND 0004. During the last 50 years, many concepts have been explored for economic fusion energy, the technology ulti mately directed towards building a small-scale fusion power core. Fusion power has been obtained reliably from two devices: JET (Joint European Torus, Culham, UKAEA Oxfordshire, UK); and TFTR (Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor experiment, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory). In the next few years, two new devices, NIF (National Ignition Facility, Lawrence Livermore National Securities, LLC) and ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor; an international tokamak magnetic confinement fusion research/engineering project based in Cadarache, France) will demonstrate net gain from fusion reactions. 0005 Additionally, the last decade has seen renewed inter estin plasma compression as a simple alternative to auxiliary fueling and heating. Experiments at JT-60 (JT-60 tokamak at Japan Atomic Energy Agency Naka Fusion Institute) achieved plasma compression by ramping up a poloidal field, showing increases of plasma temperature and density consis tent with adiabatic compression. Unfortunately, Such toka mak compression Suffers from low efficiency, because most of the energy of the ramped poloidal field is put into a vacuum field outside the plasma, not in the region of interest. 0006 Various other plasma compression schemes have been considered over the years. For example, in 1960, Post et al compressed magnetic mirror plasmas and attained electron temperatures in the ke V range. In 1974, the first compression of compact torus (CT) plasmas was performed with a ramped dipole field used to drive two theta-pinch plasmas together, Jun. 16, 2011 and claims of achieving ke V ion temperatures were made (see Wells etal). Subsequently, additional schemes using multiple coils were considered in the 1970s and 1980s, culminating in a large study by EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, Calif.) for a translating ring reactor. In the mid 1980s, the Marauder and RACE experiments compressed a spheromak driven down an electrode cone. In the 1990s and 2000s came the imploding Fields Reversed Configuration (FRC) liners and tokamak experiments mentioned above in which a piston is destroyed on every pulse. 0007 Various patents mention the use of toroidal plasmas or plasma compression for fusion power or neutron genera tion, for example: U.S. Pat. No. 2,993,851 to G. P. Thomson et al. (1962); U.S. patent ); U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,488 to Daniel R. Wells (1981): U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,568 to Daniel R. Wells et al. (1981): U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,658 to Tihiro Ohkawa (1981): U.S. Pat. No. 3,141,826 to K. O. Friedrichs et al. (1964); U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,889 to F. H. Coensgen et al. (1972); U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,879 to Hartman et al. (1982); U.S. Pat. No. 4.363,777 to Yamada et al. (1982); U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,691 to Jardinet al. (1984); U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,871 to Turner (1986); U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,617 to Janos et al. (1987); U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,793 to Hitachi Ltd et al. (1987); U.S. Pat. No. 4,931,251 to Watanabe et al. (1990); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,432 to Koloc (1991). 0008. There is, nonetheless, a substantial need in the art for an improved compression scheme and compression device for compression of plasmas that provides for increased efficiency and stability.