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US 2018/0322962 A1Published application
Reactor using electrical and magnetic fields
OwnerAlfred Y. Wonginventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods, apparatuses, devices, and systems for producing and controlling and fusion activities of nuclei. Hydrogen atoms or other neutral species (neutrals) are induced to rotational motion in a confinement region as a result of ion-neutral coupling, in which ions are driven by electric and magnetic fields. The controlled fusion activities cover a spectrum of reactions including aneutronic reactions such as proton-boron-11 fusion reactions.
Claims30
An apparatus comprising:
- a confining wall at least partially enclosing an annular confinement region having a longitudinal axis;
- at least one magnet configured to generate a magnetic field through the confinement region in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis;
- a first electrode;
- a second electrode, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are separated by the confinement region in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis;
- a fluid containing a first reactant;
- a second reactant attached to the confining wall;
- and
- a control system comprising a voltage and/or current source and configured to:
- (a) generate, from the first reactant, a weakly ionized plasma of ions and neutrals, the plasma having a mole fraction of ions to neutrals in the rotating gas species that is about 1:1000 to about 1:1,000,000;
- and
- (b) control a potential between the first electrode and the second electrode, the potential being sufficient to (i) produce an electrical current between the first and the second electrode and (ii) produce an electric field that interacts with the magnetic field to produce a Lorentzian force that induces azimuthal rotation of the ions around the longitudinal axis, the azimuthal rotation of the ions imparting azimuthal rotation to the neutrals of the first reactant, and promoting repeated collisions between the second reactant and one or both of the ions and the neutrals in the confinement region;
- wherein, during operation:
- the repeated collisions between the neutrals and the second reactant produce an interaction with the second reactant that gives off energy and produces a product having a nuclear mass that is different from a nuclear mass of any of the nuclei of the neutrals and the second reactant.
10 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a confining wall at least partially enclosing an annular confinement region having a longitudinal axis;
- a first magnet having a substantially cylindrical surface the;
- a second magnet located within a region interior to the first magnet and separated from the from the first electrode by at least the confinement region;
- a first electrode and a second electrode separated from one another by at least the confinement region in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis;
- a fluid containing a first reactant;
- a second reactant attached to the confining wall;
- and
- a control system comprising a voltage and/or current source and configured to:
- (a) generate, from the first reactant, a weakly ionized plasma of ions and neutrals, the plasma having a mole fraction of ions to neutrals in the rotating gas species that is about 1:1000 to about 1:1,000,000;
- and
- (b) control a potential between the first electrode and the second electrode, the potential being sufficient to (i) produce an electrical current between the first and the second electrode and (ii) produce an electric field that interacts with the magnetic field to produce a Lorentzian force that induces azimuthal rotation of the ions around the longitudinal axis, the azimuthal rotation of the ions imparting azimuthal rotation to the neutrals of the first reactant, and promoting repeated collisions between the second reactant and one or both of the ions and the neutrals;
- wherein, during operation:
- during operation, the repeated collisions between the neutrals and the second reactant produce an interaction with the reactant that gives off energy and produces a product having a nuclear mass that is different from a nuclear mass of any of the nuclei of the neutrals and the second reactant.
10 more elements
A method comprising:
- introducing neutrals to a confinement region;
- providing a magnetic field, from at least one magnet, through the confinement region in a direction substantially perpendicular to a substantially cylindrical inner surface of a confining wall
- wherein the confining wall at least partially encloses the confinement region,
- wherein the substantially cylindrical inner surface has an axis, and
- wherein the confining wall has a reactant attached to it or embedded in it;
- applying an electrical potential difference between a first electrode and a second electrode to produce an electrical current between the first to the second electrode in the confinement region in a direction substantially along the axis of the substantially cylindrical inner surface, wherein the magnetic field and the electrical current between the first electrode to the second electrode induce rotational movement of ions and the neutrals in the confinement region;
- maintaining rotational movement of the neutrals to promote repeated collisions between the neutrals and the reactant to thereby produce a reaction between the reactant and the neutrals that gives off energy and produces a product having a nuclear mass that is different from a nuclear mass of any of the nuclei of the neutrals and the reactant.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.