System of converging plasma pistons
AssigneeUniversity of New Hampshire
InventorJames J. Connell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A magnetic confinement system includes a magnetic mirror device that includes a chamber to hold a target plasma and a coil arrangement to generate a magnetic field configuration in the chamber to confine the target plasma in cylindrically-symmetric form in the chamber, the magnetic field configuration having open ends. The magnetic confinement system further includes plasma guns to generate plasma pistons and project the plasma pistons at the open ends of the magnetic field configuration. In operation, the plasma pistons converge towards each other to close the open ends of the magnetic field configuration and to compress and heat the target plasma.
Claims27
A magnetic confinement system comprising:
- a) a magnetic mirror device including
- i) a chamber to hold a target plasma;
- ii) a coil arrangement to generate a magnetic field configuration in the chamber to confine the target plasma in cylindrically-symmetric form in the chamber, the magnetic field configuration having open ends, the coil arrangement including plural coils arranged along a length of the chamber to generate a longitudinal magnetic field to confine the target plasma radially, the magnetic field strengthened at the ends of the magnetic field configuration to form magnetic mirrors;
- and
- b) plasma guns to generate plasma pistons and project the plasma pistons at the open ends of the magnetic field configuration and at the target plasma confined by the magnetic field configuration, the plasma guns arranged to project the plasma pistons along a longitudinal axis of the chamber, the plasma pistons in operation converging towards each other, current through the coils of the coil arrangement in operation being adjusted as the converging plasma pistons enter the chamber, the coils including end coils at ends of the target plasma and central coils between the end coils, wherein the current being adjusted includes relaxing current in the end coils to relax the magnetic mirrors so as to accommodate the converging plasma pistons, and wherein the system is configured to electromagnetically pin the plasma pistons in place at the target plasma, to plug the open ends of the magnetic field configuration and to compress and heat the target plasma.
A magnetic confinement system comprising:
- a) a magnetic mirror device including
- i) a chamber to hold a target plasma;
- ii) a coil arrangement to generate a magnetic field configuration in the chamber to confine the target plasma in cylindrically-symmetric form in the chamber, the magnetic field configuration having open ends, the coil arrangement including plural coils arranged along a length of the chamber to generate a longitudinal magnetic field to confine the target plasma radially, the magnetic field strengthened at the ends of the magnetic field configuration to form magnetic mirrors;
- b) coaxial railguns to generate plasma pistons and project the plasma pistons along a longitudinal axis of the chamber at the open ends of the magnetic field configuration, the plasma pistons in operation converging towards each other, current through the coils of the coil arrangement in operation being adjusted as the converging plasma pistons enter the chamber, the coils including end coils at ends of the target plasma and central coils between the end coils, wherein the current being adjusted includes relaxing current in the end coils to relax the magnetic mirrors so as to accommodate the converging plasma pistons, and wherein the system is configured to electromagnetically pin the plasma pistons in place at the target plasma, to plug the open ends of the magnetic field configuration and to compress and heat the target plasma;
- c) a mechanism to further compress the target plasma radially;
- and
- d) a central conductor extending through the chamber between two of the coaxial railguns to stabilize the plasma pistons.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.