Reactor using electrical and magnetic fields

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, devices, and systems for producing and controlling and fusion activities of nuclei. Hydrogen atoms or other neutral species (neutrals) are induced to rotational motion in a confinement region as a result of ion-neutral coupling, in which ions are driven by electric and magnetic fields. The controlled fusion activities cover a spectrum of reactions including aneutronic reactions such as proton-boron-11 fusion reactions.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 introducing a fluid to a confinement region through an inlet to the confinement region, the fluid containing a first reactant;   applying an electric potential difference between a first electrode and a second electrode to produce an electrical current from the first electrode toward the second electrode, wherein:
 the first electrode has a substantially cylindrical inner surface that has a longitudinal axis and forms at least a portion of a confining wall that at least partially encloses the confinement region, 
 the second electrode is located within a region interior to the first electrode and separated from the from the first electrode by at least the confinement region; and 
 at least one magnet is configured to provide a magnetic field through the confinement region, at least a portion of the magnetic field in the confinement region being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis; and 
   operating a control system comprising a voltage and/or current source so as to: (a) control a potential of an electric field substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, the potential being between the first electrode and the second electrode, and the potential being sufficient to produce an electrical current from the first electrode toward the second electrode; (b) generate, from the first reactant, a weakly ionized plasma of ions and neutrals; and (c) produce a Lorentz force resulting from the electric field and the magnetic field that induces azimuthal rotation of the ions around the longitudinal axis, the azimuthal rotation of the ions imparting azimuthal rotation to neutrals of the first reactant, and promoting repeated collisions between one or both of the ions and the neutrals with a second reactant; wherein, during operation:
 the repeated collisions produce an interaction between the neutrals and the second reactant that produces a product having a nuclear mass that is different from a nuclear mass of any of the nuclei of the neutrals and the second reactant, and, 
 a mole fraction of the ions to the neutrals in the weakly ionized plasma is in the range of about 0.0001% to about 1%. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second electrode has a diameter of at most about 0.5 inches. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second electrode is a filament. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second electrode comprises a material selected from the group consisting of tungsten, copper, tantalum, lanthanum hexaboride, and carbon. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one magnet comprises at least one permanent magnet having opposite magnetic poles offset from one another a distance parallel to the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one magnet comprises two permanent magnets separated from one another by at least the confinement region and in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one magnet comprises two permanent magnets radially separated from one another by at least the confinement region. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one magnet comprises an electromagnet. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the electromagnet is a superconducting magnet. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second electrode is coated with an electron emitting material. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second electrode is coated with boron or a boron-containing material. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the confining wall comprises a layered structure in which at least one the layers comprises the first electrode. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second reactant comprises boron 11. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the neutrals include neutral hydrogen, deuterium, and/or tritium. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, in the confinement region proximate the second electrode, the neutrals have a concentration of at least about 10 20 /cm3. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising emitting electrons from one or more electron emitters configured to, during operation, emit electrons into a region adjacent to the second electrode. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the electron emitters comprise boron or a boron-containing material. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising producing an electron-rich region in the confinement region proximate the second electrode, wherein the electron-rich region has an excess of electrons over positively charged particles of at least about 10 6 /cm3. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the electron-rich region extends from the second electrode into the confinement region by a distance of between about 50 nanometers and about 50 micrometers. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the electron-rich region includes an electric field strength of at least about 10 6  V/m. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein, in the electron-rich region, the neutrals have an energy of, on average, of between about 0.1 eV and 2 eV. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising cooling the second electrode by passing a fluid through the second electrode. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising moving the second electrode in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the neutrals are introduced to the confinement region at a pressure less than about 20 torr. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein applying an electric potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode is performed using a constant current. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein applying an electric potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode is performed using a capacitor or a battery.