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US 2017/0287572 A1Published application
Diamond structures as fuel capsules for nuclear fusion
AssigneeSunshell LLC
InventorVictor B. KLEY
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Fuel capsules usable in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) reactors have shells made from materials having a diamond (sp3) lattice structure, including diamond materials in synthetic crystalline, polycrystalline (ordered or disordered), nanocrystalline and amorphous forms. The interior of the shell is filled with a fusion fuel mixture, including any combination of deuterium and/or tritium and/or helium-3 and/or other fusible isotopes.
Claims13
-113. (canceled)
An article of manufacture, comprising:
- a shell enclosing a volume, the shell having a polycrystalline diamond film having a surface roughness less than about 4 nm;
- wherein the hollow volume has a length of between 2mm and about 5mm along a long dimension,
- wherein the diamond film is capable of isotropic transmission of sound,
- wherein said diamond film further comprises a dopant, and
- wherein said dopant is at least one element selected from a list consisting of:
- boron and nitrogen.
3 more elements
An article of manufacture, comprising:
- a shell enclosing a volume, the shell having a polycrystalline diamond film having a surface roughness less than about 4 nm;
- at least one perforation in the shell;
- and at least one of:
- [a] at least one closure closing the at least one perforation, wherein the at least one closure comprises a material selected from the group consisting of:
- deuterium, tritium, and deuterium-tritium
- [b] at least one fill tube forming a glueless joint to the at least one perforation,
- wherein the diamond film is capable of isotropic transmission of sound,
- wherein at least one filling selected from a solid and a fluid is disposed in said volume, the solid or fluid being different than a substrate around which the shell was formed,
- wherein at least one fusion fuel selected from deuterium and tritium is disposed in said volume,
- wherein each fusion fuel of the at least one fuel is substantially free of oxygen, and
- wherein said fusion fuel is pressurized at greater than about 1 atm.
8 more elements
An article of manufacture, comprising:
- a shell enclosing a volume, the shell having a polycrystalline diamond film having a surface roughness less than about 4 nm;
- wherein the diamond film is capable of isotropic transmission of sound;
- wherein the article further comprises at least one perforation in the shell and a closure closing the at least one perforation, and
- wherein the material of the closure comprises diamond-like carbon.
- 117. An article of manufacture, comprising:
- a shell enclosing a hollow volume;
- at least one perforation in the shell;
- and
- at least one closure closing the at least one perforation in the shell, a material of the closure comprising solid deuterium,
- wherein the shell comprises a polycrystalline diamond film having a surface roughness of less than 10 nm;
- wherein the diamond film has a diamond grain size characteristic of being formed in a microwave plasma,
- wherein the diamond film is capable of isotropic transmission of sound,
- wherein the shell has a thickness of between about 50 microns and about 500 microns and a uniform thickness, and
- wherein the at least one perforation has a diameter of about 5 micrometers.
11 more elements
An article of manufacture, comprising:
- a shell enclosing a volume, the shell having a polycrystalline diamond film having a surface roughness less than about 4 nm;
- at least one perforation in the shell;
- at least one of:
- [a] at least one closure closing the at least one perforation, wherein the at least one closure comprises a material selected from the group consisting of:
- deuterium, tritium, and deuterium-tritium
- [b] at least one fill tube forming a glueless joint to the at least one perforation,
- wherein the diamond film is capable of isotropic transmission of sound, and
- wherein at least one filling selected from a solid and a fluid is disposed in said volume, the solid or fluid being different than a substrate around which the shell was formed,
- wherein said diamond film further comprises a dopant.
6 more elements
An article of manufacture, comprising:
- a shell enclosing a volume, the shell having a polycrystalline diamond film having a surface roughness less than about 4 nm;
- at least one perforation in the shell;
- at least one of:
- [a] at least one closure closing the at least one perforation, wherein the at least one closure comprises a material selected from the group consisting of:
- deuterium, tritium, and deuterium-tritium
- [b] at least one fill tube forming a glueless joint to the at least one perforation,
- wherein the diamond film is capable of isotropic transmission of sound, and
- wherein at least one filling selected from a solid and a fluid is disposed in said volume, the solid or fluid being different than a substrate around which the shell was formed, and
- wherein said diamond film has a surface roughness less than about 4 nm.
6 more elements
An article of manufacture, comprising:
- a shell enclosing a volume, the shell having a polycrystalline diamond film having a surface roughness less than about 4 nm;
- at least one perforation in the shell;
- at least one of:
- [a] at least one closure closing the at least one perforation, wherein the at least one closure comprises a material selected from the group consisting of:
- deuterium, tritium, and deuterium-tritium
- [b] at least one fill tube forming a glueless joint to the at least one perforation,
- wherein the diamond film is capable of isotropic transmission of sound,
- wherein at least one filling selected from a solid and a fluid is disposed in said volume, the solid or fluid being different than a substrate around which the shell was formed, and
- wherein said diamond film has a surface roughness of about 10 nm.
6 more elements
An article of manufacture, comprising:
- a shell enclosing a volume, the shell having a polycrystalline diamond film having a surface roughness of less than about 4 nm;
- at least one perforation in the shell;
- at least one of:
- [a] at least one closure closing the at least one perforation, wherein the at least one closure comprises a material selected from the group consisting of:
- deuterium, tritium, and deuterium-tritium
- [b] at least one fill tube forming a glueless joint to the at least one perforation,
- wherein the diamond film is capable of isotropic transmission of sound,
- wherein at least one filling selected from a solid and a fluid is disposed in said volume, the solid or fluid being different than a substrate around which the shell was formed, and
- wherein said diamond film has physical characteristics of being formed in a microwave plasma.
6 more elements
An article of manufacture, comprising:
- a shell enclosing a volume, the shell having a polycrystalline diamond film having a surface roughness less than about 4 nm;
- at least one perforation in the shell;
- at least one of:
- [a] at least one closure closing the at least one perforation, wherein the at least one closure comprises a material selected from the group consisting of:
- deuterium, tritium, and deuterium-tritium
- [b] at least one fill tube forming a glueless joint to the at least one perforation,
- wherein the diamond film is capable of isotropic transmission of sound,
- wherein at least one filling selected from a solid and a fluid is disposed in said volume, the solid or fluid being different than a substrate around which the shell was formed, and
- wherein said shell has a thickness of between about 50 microns and about 500 microns.
6 more elements
An article of manufacture, comprising:
- a shell enclosing a volume, the shell having a polycrystalline diamond film having a surface roughness less than about 4 nm;
- at least one perforation in the shell;
- at least one of:
- [a] at least one closure closing the at least one perforation, wherein the at least one closure comprises a material selected from the group consisting of:
- deuterium, tritium, and deuterium-tritium
- [b] at least one fill tube forming a glueless joint to the at least one perforation,
- wherein the diamond film is capable of isotropic transmission of sound,
- wherein at least one filling selected from a solid and a fluid is disposed in said volume, the solid or fluid being different than a substrate around which the shell was formed, and
- wherein the shell has shell has a thickness of between about 50 microns and about 500 microns.
6 more elements
An article of manufacture, comprising:
- a shell enclosing a volume, the shell having a polycrystalline diamond film having a surface roughness less than about 4 nm;
- at least one perforation in the shell;
- at least one of:
- [a] at least one closure closing the at least one perforation, wherein the at least one closure comprises a material selected from the group consisting of:
- deuterium, tritium, and deuterium-tritium
- [b] at least one fill tube forming a glueless joint to the at least one perforation,
- wherein the diamond film is capable of isotropic transmission of sound,
- wherein at least one filling selected from a solid and a fluid is disposed in said volume, the solid or fluid being different than a substrate around which the shell was formed, and
- wherein the shell has a uniform thickness.
6 more elements
An article of manufacture, comprising:
- a shell enclosing a volume, the shell having a polycrystalline diamond film having a surface roughness less than about 4 nm;
- at least one perforation in the shell;
- at least one of:
- [a] at least one closure closing the at least one perforation, wherein the at least one closure comprises a material selected from the group consisting of:
- deuterium, tritium, and deuterium-tritium
- [b] at least one fill tube forming a glueless joint to the at least one perforation,
- wherein the diamond film is capable of isotropic transmission of sound,
- wherein at least one filling selected from a solid and a fluid is disposed in said volume, the solid or fluid being different than a substrate around which the shell was formed,
- wherein the at least one perforation has a diameter of about 5 micrometers.
6 more elements
An article of manufacture, comprising:
- a shell enclosing a volume, the shell having a polycrystalline diamond film having a surface roughness less than about 4 nm;
- at least one perforation in the shell;
- at least one of:
- [a] at least one closure closing the at least one perforation, wherein the at least one closure comprises a material selected from the group consisting of:
- deuterium, tritium, and deuterium-tritium
- [b] at least one fill tube forming a glueless joint to the at least one perforation,
- wherein the diamond film is capable of isotropic transmission of sound,
- wherein at least one filling selected from a solid and a fluid is disposed in said volume, the solid or fluid being different than a substrate around which the shell was formed, and
- wherein said filling comprises a frozen layer of deuterium-tritium fuel and a central DT gas core.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.