Systems and methods for improved sustainment of a high performance frc plasma at elevated energies utilizing neutral beam injectors with tunable beam energies

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided that facilitate forming and maintaining FRCs with superior stability as well as particle, energy and flux confinement and, more particularly, systems and methods that facilitate forming and maintaining FRCs with elevated system energies and improved sustainment utilizing neutral beam injectors with tunable beam energy capabilities.

1 - 43 . (canceled) 
     
     
         44 . A system for generating and maintaining a magnetic field with a field reversed configuration (FRC) comprising
 a confinement chamber,   first and second diametrically opposed FRC formation sections coupled to the first and second diametrically opposed inner divertors,   first and second divertors coupled to the first and second formation sections,   one or more of a plurality of plasma guns, one or more biasing electrodes and first and second mirror plugs, wherein the plurality of plasma guns includes first and second axial plasma guns operably coupled to the first and second divertors, the first and second formation sections and the confinement chamber, wherein the one or more biasing electrodes being positioned within one or more of the confinement chamber, the first and second formation sections, and the first and second outer divertors, and wherein the first and second mirror plugs being position between the first and second formation sections and the first and second divertors,   a gettering system coupled to the confinement chamber and the first and second divertors,   a plurality of neutral atom beam injectors coupled to the confinement chamber and angled toward a mid-plane of the confinement chamber, wherein one or more of the plurality of neutral atom beam injectors are tunable between a first beam energy and a second beam energy, wherein the second beam energy differ from the first beam energy, and   a magnetic system comprising a plurality of quasi-dc coils positioned around the confinement chamber, the first and second formation sections, and the first and second divertors, and first and second set of quasi-dc mirror coils positioned between the first and second formation sections and the first and second divertors.   
     
     
         45 . The system of  claim 44 , wherein the second beam energy is higher than the first beam energy. 
     
     
         46 . The system of  claim 44 , wherein the plurality of neutral beams are configured to switch between the first and second beam energies during the duration of an injection shot. 
     
     
         47 . The system of  claims 44  through  46 , wherein the first and second beam energies are in the range of about 15 to 40 keV. 
     
     
         48 . The system of  claim 44 , further comprising an active feedback plasma control system configured to control the beam energies of the plurality of neutral beams. 
     
     
         49 . The system of  claim 44 , wherein the system is configured to generate an FRC and maintain the FRC without decay while the neutral beams are injected into the plasma and elevate the plasma temperature to about 1.0 keV to 3.0 keV. 
     
     
         50 . The system of  claim 44 , wherein the first and second divertors comprise first and second inner divertors interposing the first and second formation sections and the confinement chamber, and further comprising first and second outer divertors coupled to the first and second formation sections, wherein the first and second formation sections interposing the first and second inner divertors and the first and second outer divertors. 
     
     
         51 . The system of  claim 50 , further comprising first and second axial plasma guns operably coupled to the first and second inner and outer divertors, the first and second formation sections and the confinement chamber. 
     
     
         52 . The system of  claim 51 , further comprising two or more saddle coils coupled to the confinement chamber. 
     
     
         53 . The system of  claim 44 , wherein the formation section comprises modularized formation systems for generating an FRC and translating it toward a midplane of the confinement chamber. 
     
     
         54 . The system of  claim 44 , wherein biasing electrodes includes one or more of one or more point electrodes positioned within the containment chamber to contact open field lines, a set of annular electrodes between the confinement chamber and the first and second formation sections to charge far-edge flux layers in an azimuthally symmetric fashion, a plurality of concentric stacked electrodes positioned in the first and second divertors to charge multiple concentric flux layers, and anodes of the plasma guns to intercept open flux. 
     
     
         55 . The system of  claim 44 , further comprising a control system operably coupled to the quasi-dc coils and the first and second radial magnetic field coils, the control system including a processor coupled to a non-transitory memory comprising a plurality of instruction that when executed causes the processor to tune the magnetic field generated by the plurality of quasi-dc coils and the first and second radial field coils to stabilize an FRC plasma in a radial direction normal to a longitudinal axis of the chamber to position the FRC plasma axisymmetric about the longitudinal axis and in an axial direction along the longitudinal axis to position the FRC plasma axisymmetric about the mid-plane. 
     
     
         56 . The system of  claim 55 , wherein the system is configured to generate an FRC and maintain the FRC at or about a constant value without decay while neutral atom beams are injected into the FRC. 
     
     
         57 . The system of  claim 55 , wherein the first and second radial magnetic fields are antisymmetric about the mid-plane. 
     
     
         58 . The system of  claim 44 , further comprising first and second compact toroid (CT) injectors coupled to the confinement chamber at an angle towards the mid-plane of the confinement chamber, wherein the first and second CT injectors are diametrically opposed on opposing sides of the mid-plane of the confinement chamber. 
     
     
         59 . The system of  claim 47 , further comprising first and second compact toroid (CT) injectors coupled to the confinement chamber at an angle towards the mid-plane of the confinement chamber, wherein the first and second CT injectors are diametrically opposed on opposing sides of the mid-plane of the confinement chamber. 
     
     
         60 . The system of  claim 48 , further comprising first and second compact toroid (CT) injectors coupled to the confinement chamber at an angle towards the mid-plane of the confinement chamber, wherein the first and second CT injectors are diametrically opposed on opposing sides of the mid-plane of the confinement chamber.