Ion-ring ignitor for inertial fusion
AssigneeCornell Research Foundation, Inc.
InventorRavindra N. Sudan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus is disclosed for inertial fusion in which a pulse of ions is injected into a magnetic mirror where the ions are trapped in the form of an ion ring which is then magnetically compressed to increase its energy and reduce its dimensions. The compressed ion ring is then accelerated through a guide tube to strike a pellet in a thermonuclear fusion reactor.
Claims14
In a system comprising means for extracting useful energy in a controlled manner from a target imploded by an energy beam, said target giving off useful energy in a controlled manner when imploded by said beam,
- a reactor chamber;
- a target fuel pellet mounted within said reactor chamber;
- means for producing an annular ring of ions;
- means to compress said ring of ions to increase its energy and decrease its size;
- and
- means including a guide tube for transporting said ring of ions to impact said target pellet within said reactor chamber for the purpose of initiating a fusion reaction in the pellet by energy transfer from said ions to said pellet.
A method for extracting useful energy in a controlled manner from a target imploded by an ion beam, said target giving off useful energy in a controlled manner when imploded by said ion beam, comprising:
- producing an intense, charge neutralized, ion beam pulse;
- injecting said ion beam pulse into a magnetic mirror;
- forming said ion beam into a rotating ion ring and trapping said ring in said mirror;
- magnetically compressing said trapped ion ring by transporting said ring through a spacially increasing magnetic field to increase ring energy and reduce its dimensions;
- and
- releasing said ion ring into a guide tube to propogate the ion ring along the tube and into contact with said target, said ion ring having sufficient energy upon impact to cause implosion of said target.
In a system for extracting useful energy in a controlled manner from a target imploded by an ion beam, said target giving off useful energy in a controlled manner when imploded by said ion beam, apparatus for generating a high energy ion ring and propogating said ring for impact on a target fusion pellet in a reaction chamber, comprising:
- a pulsed ion diode of the magnetically insulated annular ring type for generating an intense ion beam;
- means for charge neutralizing said beam;
- first magnetic field generating means causing the ions in said ion beam to propogate in ballistic cyclotron orbits to form a rotating ring of ions trapped by said first magnetic field;
- second magnetic field generating means for magnetically compressing said rotating ring;
- and
- means for releasing said rotating compressed ion ring and propogating the ring toward said target, said last named means including a guide tube for directing said ring to said target.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.