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US 6,486,593 B1Granted
Plasma accelerator
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorsZhehui Wang, Cris W. Barnes
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Abstract
There has been invented an apparatus for acceleration of a plasma having coaxially positioned, constant diameter, cylindrical electrodes which are modified to converge (for a positive polarity inner electrode and a negatively charged outer electrode) at the plasma output end of the annulus between the electrodes to achieve improved particle flux per unit of power.
Claims30
An apparatus for plasma acceleration comprising:
- (a) an outer cylindrical electrode;
- (b) an inner cylindrical electrode positioned coaxially within said outer cylindrical electrode;
- (c) a power source connected to supply power to said inner electrode;
- (d) a plasma gas source for introducing plasma gas into an annulus between said coaxially positioned cylindrical electrodes;
- wherein said outer cylindrical electrode has a mesh screen extension on the output end of said outer cylindrical electrode with said mesh screen extension shaped to converge toward the output end of said inner cylindrical electrode.
2 more elements
A method for plasma acceleration comprising:
- (a) creating a plasma by contacting a plasma gas with an electrical charge in a first end of an annulus between an inner electrode and an outer electrode;
- (b) allowing said plasma to stream through said annulus toward a second end of said annulus;
- and
- (c) allowing said plasma to stream through a mesh screen at said second end of said annulus.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.