Moment free toroidal magnet
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorPeter Bonanos
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A toroidal magnet for confining a high magnetic field for use in fusion reactor research and nuclear particle detection. The magnet includes a series of conductor elements arranged about and fixed at its small major radius portion to the outer surface of a central cylindrical support each conductor element having a geometry such as to maintain the conductor elements in pure tension when a high current flows therein, and a support assembly which redistributes all or part of the tension which would otherwise arise in the small major radius portion of each coil element to the large major radius portion thereof.
Claims18
A magnet for developing a large toroidal magnetic field, comprising:
- a. a plurality of coil elements, each having straight inner major radius portion and a curvilinear outer major radius portion, the inner portion of each of said coil elements being located at a same distance from a central axis and parallel to the central axis, forming a torus for confining a toroidal magnetic field therewithin;
- and
- b. structural means, connected to each of said plurality of coil elements, for exerting purely tensile forces on said plurality of coil elements when said plurality of coil elements are energized with a large current flow therein to reduce the tensile stress in said inner portion of each of said plurality of coil elements.
A magnet for confining a large cross section plasma column in a strong magnetic field, comprising:
- a. a support core having a central axis extending in a first direction and having an external surface;
- b. a plurality of closed loop coil elements, each having an inner major radius portion extending generally parallel to said central axis and connected to said external surface, and an outer major radius portion, said elements being spaced circumferentially one from the other about said core, forming a torus about said central axis, for confining said plasma column therein;
- and
- c. structural means, connected to said inner and outer portions, for reducing tensile stress in said inner portion when said plurality of coil elements are energized with a large current flow therein.
In a device for detecting high energy particles, a magnet for developing a strong toroidal magnetic field, comprising:
- a. support means having a central axis and an external surface;
- b. a plurality of closed loop coil elements, each of said elements having an inner major radius portion extending parallel to said central axis and an outer major radius portion, said inner portion being mounted to said external surface, said elements being spaced circumferentially one from the other about said core to form a torus, the cross sectional area of said inner portion measured in a plane perpendicular to said central axis being substantially less than the cross sectional area of said outer portion measured in said plane, said torus surrounding a source of said high energy particles;
- and
- c. structural means, connected to said inner and outer portions, for reducing tensile stress in each said inner portion when said plurality of coil elements are energized with a large current flow therein.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.