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US 12,262,462 B2Granted
High-energy plasma generator using radio-frequency and neutral beam power
AssigneeWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
InventorsCary Brett Forest, Jay Keith Anderson, John Philip Wallace, Robert W. Harvey, Yuri V. Petrov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for generating a highly energetic plasma employs a low-energy neutral beam injected into a magnetically contained mirror plasma to produce plasma ions boosted in energy to fusion levels by a coordinated radiofrequency field.
Claims17
An apparatus for producing high-energy plasma comprising:
- magnets providing a magnetic mirror containment field with axially-extending magnetic flux lines converging at opposed first and second ends of a containment volume holding a plasma;
- a neutral beam generator directing a neutral beam of particles into the containment volume at an energy less than 50 keV into a plasma of plasma ions in the containment volume;
- and
- a radiofrequency generator producing an electrical field to selectively accelerate plasma ions in the containment volume with higher energies to an energy sufficient for fusion of the plasma ions.
1 more element
A fusion apparatus comprising:
- a reaction volume holding a fusible material within a first axially-extending magnetic containment field;
- a first and second plasma plug flanking the reaction volume along the axis;
- each plasma plug including:
- (a) magnets providing a magnetic mirror containment field with axially-extending magnetic flux lines converging at opposed first and second ends of a containment volume holding a plasma;
- (b) a neutral beam generator directing a neutral beam of particles into the containment volume at an energy less than 50 keV into a plasma of plasma ions in the containment volume;
- and
- (c) a radiofrequency generator producing an electrical field to selectively accelerate plasma ions in the containment volume with higher energies to an energy above that of the particles entering the containment volume;
- whereby plasma ions escaping from the first and second plasma plug produce a fusion reaction in the reaction volume.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.