Fuel pellets for thermonuclear reactions
OwnerJ. Christian Stauffer, John E. Staufferinventors
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Abstract
Fuel pellets for use as targets in a device employing thermonuclear fusion by inertial confinement (Laser fusion) are manufactured from high polymer hydrocarbons in which bound hydrogen has been replaced with tritium. The required polymer is prepared by polymerizing monomer(s) which contain carbon and tritium. The hollow pellets are filled with thermonuclear fuel, e.g., a mixture of deuterium-tritium. To improve the sphericity of the pellets and the uniformity of their wall thickness, manufacture of the pellets is contemplated in the near-zero gravity of space.
Claims6
A pellet for use as a target in a device that produces thermonuclear fusion by inertial confinement, said pellet made by a process comprising the following steps:
- A. preparing monomers which contain exlusively carbon and tritium,
- B. polymerizing said monomers to produce a high polymer hydrocarbon containing only carbon and tritium, and
- C. forming a rigid, hollow pellet from said high polymer hydrocarbon that is substantially spherical in shape and has a wall of uniform thickness and density and, wherein said wall contains only carbon and tritium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.