Continuous fusion due to energy concentration through focusing of converging fuel particle beams

Abstract

A thermonuclear reaction system for generating a thermonuclear fusion reaction includes a reaction chamber and a number of particle beam emitters. The particle beam emitters are supported spatially around oriented toward a common focal region of the reaction chamber. The particle beam emitters accelerate energized particles of at least one thermonuclear fuel type, such as hydrogen or deuterium, into the reaction chamber as a plurality of particle beams converging at the common focal region. When the high-energy particle beams converge at the common focal region, the resulting plasma ball is sufficiently dense and hot that a thermonuclear fusion reaction is instigated and thereafter sustained by the energy release accompanying the fusion reactions. Optionally, laser beams or other input energy devices may also be oriented around and toward the common focal region to direct high-energy laser beams at the plasma ball to assist with instigation of the fusion reaction.

1 . A thermonuclear reaction system for generating a thermonuclear reaction, the thermonuclear reaction system comprising:
 a reaction chamber;   a plurality of particle beam emitters supported spatially around oriented toward a common focal region of the reaction chamber; and   a fuel injector for energizing a supply of at least one thermonuclear fuel type, the plurality of particle beam emitters in fluid communication with the fuel injector and the reaction chamber to receive energized particles of the at least one thermonuclear fuel type from the fuel injector and to accelerate the energized particles of the at least one thermonuclear fuel type into the reaction chamber as a plurality of particle beams converging at the common focal region to instigate the thermonuclear reaction.   
     
     
         2 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the energized particles of the at least one thermonuclear fuel type are in a high-energy plasma state. 
     
     
         3 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 2 , wherein at least one of the plurality of particle beam emitters comprises a particle beam tube at least partially composed of a high-melting point material having a melting point substantially above an equilibrium temperature of the energized particles in the high-energy plasma state. 
     
     
         4 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 3 , wherein the particle beam tube is at least partially composed of two materials comprising the high-melting point material and another material, and wherein an inner cylindrical surface of the particle beam tube is coated with a layer of the high-melting point material. 
     
     
         5 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 3 , wherein the high-melting point material comprises tungsten or graphite. 
     
     
         6 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 3 , wherein the particle beam tube comprises a first end portion in fluid communication with the fuel injector for receiving the supply of the at least one thermonuclear fuel type from the fuel injector and a second end portion in fluid communication with the reaction chamber for emitting the plurality of particle beams into the reaction chamber. 
     
     
         7 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 6 , wherein the second end portion partially extends into the reaction chamber. 
     
     
         8 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of particle beam emitters further comprises an electromagnetic system for generating an electromagnetic field to provide radial confinement and axial acceleration of the energized particles in the high-energy plasma state within the particle beam tube. 
     
     
         9 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 8 , wherein the electromagnetic system comprises a voltage supply electrically coupled to the particle beam tube and configured to generate a primary electrical current in an electrically conductive outer cylindrical portion of the particle beam tube running between the first end portion and the second end portion for inducing a secondary electrical current flowing generally axially in the energized particles in the high-energy plasma state, the secondary electrical current for generating an inwardly directed radial force field within the electrically conductive outer cylindrical portion to urge the energized particles in the high-energy plasma state toward a central axis of the particle beam tube and to accelerate the energized particles in the high-energy plasma state toward the second end portion. 
     
     
         10 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 9 , wherein the electromagnetic system further comprises a plurality of electromagnetic coils aligned axially with and supported exterior to and in close proximity surrounding the particle beam tube along at least a portion of particle beam tube, the plurality of electromagnetic coils for generating an axial magnetic field within the particle beam tube to provide supplemental radial confinement of the energized particles in the high-energy plasma state within the particle beam tube. 
     
     
         11 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 2 , further comprising a gas collection tank fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber and the fuel injector in a closed loop circulation to transport unburned thermonuclear fuel particles extracted from the reaction chamber to the fuel injector. 
     
     
         12 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 11 , wherein the gas collection tank is fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber by a gas outlet supported in an upper portion of the reaction chamber. 
     
     
         13 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 11 , wherein the gas collection tank is fluidly coupled to the fuel injector by a circulation system heated to a temperature of at least 1800° C. to maintain the unburned thermonuclear fuel particles extracted from the reaction chamber in a plasma state during transport to the fuel injector. 
     
     
         14 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of ignition lasers supported spatially around and optically coupled with the reaction chamber, each of the plurality of ignition lasers oriented toward the common focal region to generate and emit a plurality of laser beams converging at the common focal region with the plurality of particle beams for assisting instigation of the thermonuclear reaction. 
     
     
         15 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 1 , wherein an inner wall of the reaction chamber is coated with an inner wall layer substantially encompassing the inner wall and formed of a high-melting point material for providing the reaction chamber with thermal and gamma-ray insulation. 
     
     
         16 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 15 , the high-melting point material is selected from the group consisting of tungsten, graphite or tantalum hafnium carbide (Ta4HfC5). 
     
     
         17 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 2 , wherein the energized particles emitted from at least one other of the plurality of particle beam emitters are in a charged state. 
     
     
         18 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 17 , wherein the reaction chamber further comprises a gas inlet to receive a supply of a low pressure gas into the reaction chamber, the low pressure gas being reactive with the energized particles in the charged state to neutralize the energized particles in the charged state prior to arrival at the common focal region. 
     
     
         19 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 17 , further comprising at least one particle converging element for focusing the energized particles in the charged state at the common focal region of the reaction chamber. 
     
     
         20 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of particle beam emitters are supported around the reaction chamber in a three-dimensional spatial orientation. 
     
     
         21 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 20 , wherein the three-dimensional spatial orientation is substantially spherical. 
     
     
         22 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 20 , wherein the three-dimensional spatial orientation is substantially symmetric in at least three mutually orthogonal planes. 
     
     
         23 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 20 , wherein the plurality of particle beam emitters are approximately equidistant from the common focal region. 
     
     
         24 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one thermonuclear fuel type comprises an isotope of Hydrogen. 
     
     
         25 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 1 , wherein the fuel injector is configured to energize particles of at least two thermonuclear fuel types, and each of the plurality of particle beams is configured to receive the energized particles of the at least two thermonuclear fuel types, and the plurality of particle beams comprises a mixture of the energized particles of the at least two thermonuclear fuel types. 
     
     
         26 . The thermonuclear reaction system of  claim 25 , wherein the at least two thermonuclear fuel types comprise Hydrogen-1 and Hydrogen-2. 
     
     
         27 . A method of generating a thermonuclear reaction, the method comprising:
 providing at least one thermonuclear fuel type;   energizing a supply of the at least one thermonuclear fuel type to provide energized particles of the at least one thermonuclear fuel type;   accelerating the energized particles of the at least one thermonuclear fuel type into a reaction chamber as a plurality of particle beams oriented toward a common focal region of the reaction chamber; and   converging the plurality of particle beams at the common focal region to instigate the thermonuclear reaction.   
     
     
         28 - 40 . (canceled)