5. Detailed Description

This nuclear fusion reactor contains a lot of features and specificities, many variations are possible, for example, it can be comprised by two, three, four, five, six, seven, height magnets, and so on, varying form and size of the parts, and various changes can be made. Just remembering that this invention is patent pending, then before making, using, or selling it, please get an inventor agreement. He will be pleased in licensing it for noble-minded purposes like global warming and deforestation reduction, and for outer space travels.

For a better understanding will be described a basic embodiment comprised by two magnets representing the true three-dimensional confinement plus a bi-dimensional ion injection.
For a higher probability of fusion reactions will be described a preferred embodiment comprised by six magnets representing the true three-dimensional confinement plus a three-dimensional ion injection.

As aforesaid, in a bi-dimensional injection, the electrostatic repulsion diverges the ion paths from the central point.
In a three-dimensional injection, the electrostatic repulsion converges the ion paths to the central point.
In the three-dimensional injection, the ions kinetic energy will exchange to potential energy as they approach to the central point, then the kinetic energy must be higher than 123KeV, about 600KeV for boron hydrides.
The three-dimensional injection increases the probability of fusion reactions at the beginning.
The three-dimensional confinement will do the remaining fusion reactions after that.


A preferred embodiment, comprised by six magnets, is shown in FIG. 2, however, for a better understanding, a basic embodiment, comprised by two magnets, is shown in FIG. 1, in where is illustrated a magnet 1 and a magnet 2 joined forming an angle of 180° between each other, and a circular ion injector belt 3 with the output of its ion injectors 4 between the intersection (region of magnetic cusps). The circular injector belt 3 is comprised by twenty ion injector 4 disposed concentrically and equally spaced around the intersection of the magnets. An electrical insulator 5 is attached to magnet 1 and an electrical insulator 6 is attached to magnet 2, both by four bolts each one (see bolt 7).

The ideal structure is illustrated in FIG.2 in where there are six magnets, each one similar to magnet 9, joined forming angles of 90° at adjacencies, and an arc-shaped injector belt 12 with the output of its ion injector between the intersections (region of magnetic cusps). The arc-shaped injector belt 12 is comprised by twelve arcs of arccos (1/3) ≈70.52878°, and by sixty eight ion injectors disposed concentrically and equally spaced around the intersection of the magnets. An electrical insulator 10 is attached to magnet 9 by four bolts (see bolt 11), similarly to others set of magnet and electrical insulator. A cold coolant inlet 8 (FIG. 1), a cold coolant inlet 13 and a hot coolant outlet 14 belongs to a heat exchange system and will be further explained. The intersection of two or more magnets bore forms the reactor chamber.

In the ion injector 4, several types of ion sources can be used (e.g., RF ion source due to its long life), however, it is preferably a duoplasmatron ion source having a low beam angle dispersion in order to produce either positive or negative ions in a well focused beam. A measurement of electron current between the ion source and the ground electric potential (common electric potential), using a conventional ammeter plus a fuel flow meter, can be used to determine charge-to-mass ratio of the plasma. The output of the ion injector is comprised by an electrical insulated material preferably boron nitride. In case of using solid fuels, like decaborane (213°C), then a pre-heating mechanism must be provided for heating the fuel until it vaporizes. Both the circular injector belt 3 and arc-shaped injector belt 12 can have its ion injectors as described above.


The magnet coils can be wound as a conventional magnet in a single multilayer winding of enamelled copper wire, however, FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-section taken of magnet 9 to clarity a preferred winding 15 in where is comprised by multiple flat pancake coils (sixteen as illustration) coaxially disposed along the longitudinal axis of the magnet. The flat pancake coils are grouped, preferably in four groups, having each group an independent electrical current source in order to be acting as an independent magnetic lens. A superconducting magnet winding is preferably, typically niobium-titanium (e.g., multifilamentary NbTi copper in epoxy), niobium-tin or copper oxide ceramics (e.g., YBCO, TBCCO, HgBCCO, BSCCO), cooled below a critical temperature by liquid helium, performing a magnetic flux of 4.5 Tesla or better, at low power consumption. A magnet bore 17 is preferably coated with a hard and dense metal alloy, tungsten or depleted uranium covered by a layer of a dielectric material like silicon dioxide or titanium dioxide, in order to reflect electromagnetic radiation keeping low the bore temperature, and more preferably that the coating be done in an electrical insulated annular way or using a powder compound of the metal alloy in order to keep an electrical insulation along the longitudinal axis of the magnet, thereby a voltage produced by inductive reactance of the pancake coils, due to an electrical current variation, can be transferred axially to plasma. Magnet 1 can be done in some way as magnet 9, only differing on openings 16 for the ion injectors and shape of the intersections. The magnets intersection (region of magnetic cusps) is where an acceleration electric potential (first electric potential) is applied.


A continuation of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 2 is shown in FIG. 4, further illustrating a partial assembly view (lines of mounting shown as dashed lines) in where the magnet 9 is connected to the electrical insulator 10 by bolts 11. A magnet bending 23 fastened by bolts 22 to an armature 20, fixing the insulator 10 by pressing it inward the armature. The armature, preferably a metal alloy like titanium or stainless steel, sustains the six magnets and its respective electrical insulators, and the magnets are pressed to sustain each other at the intersection region. The assembly described above is repeated, equally spaced at an angle of 120° to the others magnet bending top 23 and as well to a magnet bending bottom 33 equally spaced at angle of 120° to the others magnet bending bottom, where magnet bending top and magnet bending bottom are in an angle of 60°.

The armature 20 keeps the reactor components together, providing support to magnets, insulators, ion injector belt 12 and bending magnets. The armature is where a confinement electric potential (second electric potential) is applied.

The magnet bending is useful to bend the exhausting products of nuclear fusion, the magnet bending top 23 has a bending angle of (90° + (arccos (1/3) / 2)) ≈125.26439°, and the magnet bending bottom 33 has a bending angle of (90° - (arccos (1/3) / 2)) ≈54.73561°. The magnet bending coils can be a single multilayer superconducting magnet winding, much simpler than aforesaid for magnet 9.

Continuing with the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 in where each magnet bending top 23 is connected to an output electrical insulator 26, as well each magnet bending bottom 33 is connected to an output electrical insulator 34. An electrostatic deflector 27 comprised by three plates disposed around the output electrical insulator 26 is to deflect the charged products in order to align its trajectory giving some steering. A hot coolant pipe 21 belongs to a heat exchange system and will be further explained. The neutralizers 25, 28, 29, 30 and 32 are electrons guns (e.g, Lanthanum hexaboride, Cerium hexaboride) and duoplasmatron ion sources used for electricity conversion by neutralization process and will be further explained. An optical fiber top 35, as well an optical fiber bottom 31, is to control and monitor the neutralizers and other components of the reactor which are at different electric potential, thereby optical fiber is preferably due to its high electrical insulation and immunity to an electromagnetic interference.

The electrical insulators for the present invention can be made from several materials types like polytetrafluoroethylene (60MV/m), acrylic glass, ceramic, porcelain, nylon (14MV/m), polyester, polystyrene (24MV/m), neoprene rubber (12MV/m), but the two recommended is boron nitride due to its excellent thermal properties and a dielectric strength of 6MV/m, and the polycarbonate due to its physics properties and dielectric strength of 15MV/m.


A continuation of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 4 is shown in FIG. 5, further illustrating a fuel reservoir 38, preferably made of graphite-epoxy or carbon fiber reinforced plastic. An electrical transformer 36, and below that a vacuum pump 37, preferably an oil diffusion pump or better, to keep the whole reactor system, preferably including electric and electronic components, in a very low pressure of 10^-6 Torr or lower, in order to provide a high electrical insulation of a dielectric strength of 1GV/m, meaning an optimum short circuit preventing. A base 39 is preferably an aluminum alloy to act as a heat sink. The output electrical insulators 26, 34 and so forth are fixed on the base. An air breathing 40 and a landing pad 41 are parts of a spacecraft and will be further described.

A continuation of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 5 is shown in FIG. 6, hiding the magnet bending, output insulators and so on, for illustrating electrical transformer 36, and below that the vacuum pump 37, and further illustrating a battery bank 42, preferably comprising a hydrogen fuel cell. A heat exchange system 43 and a cold coolant pipe 24. An output covering 44 and an exhaust output 57 will be further described.

The electrical transformer 36 is illustrated in FIG. 7, better illustrating a low voltage power supply 45 of about 250 Volts, an acceleration power supply 46 (first electric potential), and a confinement power supply 47 (second electric potential). The power supplies have a custom bidirectional switching-mode full bridge mosfet technology. The electrical transformer windings no overlap each other, primary and secondary windings are defined dynamically allowing a multidirectional energy flow as will be further described.


The heat exchange system is illustrated in FIG. 8, in where a coolant, preferably liquid helium due to its low tendency to absorb neutrons, circulates towards a branching 52 by a pipe 48, then towards a magnet coolant inlet 13 (FIG. 2) by a pipe 24 (FIG. 6). The heated coolant circulates from a magnet coolant outlet 14 (FIG. 2) towards a merging 53 by a pipe 21 (FIG. 4), then to a steam turbine 43 by a pipe 49, and then to a conventional internal serpentine of a condenser 51. The steam turbine rotates and transfers its mechanical energy to an electrical generator 50 recycling the heat excess to electricity. The condenser 51 transfers the remaining heat excess to the base 39 (FIG. 6) which is acting as a heat sink. A condenser internal pump circulates the coolant from the serpentines toward the pipe 48 continuing the cycle. The liquid helium, for superconducting magnet requirements, must be cooled down to temperatures of approximately 4.2 Kelvin.


A continuation of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 2 is shown in FIG. 9A and an exploded assembly view is shown in FIG. 9B (lines of mounting shown as dashed lines), illustrating arc-shaped injector belt 12 and armature 20, in order to clarify the assembly of the set of magnet 9, electrical core insulator 10, one of the bolts 11, the openings 16 for the ion injectors, cold coolant inlet 13 and hot coolant outlet 14. The six magnet assemblies will sustain each other concentrically to the arc-shaped injector belt by being pressed against the armature by the magnets bending already described in FIG. 4. The magnets intersection (region of magnetic cusps) is where the acceleration electric potential (first electric potential) is applied. The armature 20 is where the confinement electric potential (second electric potential) is applied. The ion injectors exchange its electrons with the ground electric potential (common electric potential) to ionize the nuclear fusion fuel.


A spacecraft (weigh: 500000kg, height: 22m, diameter: 15m) using the preferred embodiment of FIG. 5 as power plant is shown in FIG. 10, in where three landing pads 41 are equally spaced at an angle of 120° to sustain the base 39 which sustain a hull 55, preferably made of an aluminum alloy of at least 10 cm of thickness to protect against outer space radiation. Three electric thrusters 54, preferably a magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster, positioned near the center of mass of the spacecraft or a little above and disposed around the hull equally spaced at an angle of 120°. The electric thruster is preferably moveable around its axis in order to give some steering for stabilization during the launching, re-entry and landing, and some maneuverability in the space. The MPD thrusters must operate during short periods due to its low lifetime. To keep the spacecraft aligned straight ahead for a long time is used the electrostatic deflector 27 as already described in FIG. 4. A six output covering 44 is to cover the six exhaust output 57 during startup of the reactor in order to maintain the vacuum, after the reactor startup, all six outputs covering open letting the products of nuclear reaction, already neutralized by neutralizers, thrust the spacecraft. An air breathing 40, 56, there are six disposed equally spaced around the base at angle of 60°, is to increase the reaction mass when the spacecraft is in an atmospheric environment doing the products of the nuclear reaction heat incoming atmospheric gases expanding it to give more thrusting for the spacecraft. The landing pads 41 are preferably moveable or retractile in order to reduce the aerodynamic drag.


A continuation of the basic or alternative embodiment of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 11, further illustrating an armature 63 which keeps the reactor components together, providing support to core insulator 5 and 6, magnet 1 and 2, circular ion injector belt 3. The magnets intersection (region of magnetic cusps) is where the acceleration electric potential (first electric potential) is applied. The armature is where a confinement electric potential (second electric potential) is applied. An extra confinement insulator 60 and a disc 62 are for applying an extra confinement electric potential in order to confine both reactants and products of the nuclear fusion reaction at the top end. The products can only escape at bottom end passing by output insulator 61. An electrostatic deflector 68 comprised by three plates disposed around the output electrical insulator 61 is to deflect the charged products to align its trajectory. The neutralizers 64, 65 and 66 are electrons guns and duoplasmatron ion source used for electricity conversion by neutralization process. An output covering 67 is to cover the exhaust output during startup of the reactor in order to maintain the vacuum. Most of the components are similar to that already cited in FIG. 4, except that there is only one output.



A continuation of the alternative embodiment of FIG. 11 is shown in FIG. 12, further illustrating a fuel reservoir 68 similar to that previously described in FIG. 5. A base 71 is preferably an aluminum alloy to act as a heat sink. An electrical transformer 69 similar to that previously described in FIG. 7 except that there are an extra electrical voltage for apply an electric potential at disc 62 providing the extra confinement in one of the ends. A heat exchange system 70 similar to that previously described in FIG. 8, an air breathing 72 and a landing pad 73 are similar to that previously described in FIG. 10. A ground wire 74 (common electric potential) for the ion injectors exchange its electrons for ionizing the nuclear fusion fuel. Most of the components are similar to that already cited for the preferred embodiment.