https://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=10079075&SectionNum=1&IDKey=4418D3A92113&HomeUrl=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2%2526Sect2=HITOFF%2526u=%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsearch-adv.htm%2526r=4%2526f=G%2526l=50%2526d=PTXT%2526p=1%2526S1=((dense%252BAND%252Bfocus)%252BAND%252BFusion.TI.)%2526OS=dense%252BAND%252Bfocus%252BAND%252BTTL/Fusion%2526RS=((dense%252BAND%252Bfocus)%252BAND%252BTTL/Fusion)
Nuclear fusion system
that captures and uses waste heat to increase system efficiency
Abstract
A nuclear fusion system comprises
a nuclear fusion device for providing heat energy, a capacitor for storing
electrical energy for use by the nuclear fusion device in providing the heat
energy, and an electrical conductor for carrying electrical energy from the
capacitor to the nuclear fusion device, each of the nuclear fusion device,
the capacitor and the conductor being located within a first chamber. The
first chamber is located within a second chamber. A fluid is located between
the first and second chambers, surrounds the nuclear fusion device, the
capacitor and the conductor, and receives heat energy from each of the
nuclear fusion device, the capacitor and the conductor, resulting in the
fluid being heated. A thermal energy converter receives heated fluid from the
second chamber. A super insulating material encloses the second chamber to
reduce heat loss from the heated fluid to the cooler ambient.
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The present invention relates to a thermonuclear fusion reactor and an energy
conversion apparatus.
Von
Inventors:
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Panarella; Emilio (Ottawa, CA)
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Filing Date Patent Number Issue Date
60274211 Mar 9, 2001
Advanced Laser and Fusion Technology Inc
Department of Electrical Engineering University of Tenneessee
The basic configuration
of a thermo-nuclear fusion reactor, as presently conceived is shown in FIG. 1.
The fusion reactor, generally shown at reference numeral 1, comprises a fusion
reactor chamber 3 containing fusion fuel, usually a mixture of deuterium and
tritium (D-T), surrounded by a liquid blanket 5. Energy for driving the nuclear
reactor is provided by an electrical energy source 7, for example, a charged
condenser bank via a transmission line 9. In order to generate fusion reactions
in the deuterium-tritium fuel, the fuel must be brought to the plasma state at
very high temperature of the order of a few keV (i.e. 1 to 10 keV) (1
keV=11,600,000.degree. K.).
The energy produced by the fusion reactions is carried out of
the plasma 11 in the form of neutrons and alpha particles. Bremsstrahlung
produced from the plasma during its burning cycle as well as other losses are
also carried out of the plasma 11. The energy is deposited in the liquid
blanket and converted to thermal energy which is subsequently converted into
electricity and returned to the energy source.
In practice, not all of the energy from the energy source is
conveyed to the fusion reactor, as some of the energy is lost as heat from the
transmission line and not all of the thermal energy generated in the liquid
blanket is converted into electricity, i.e. the conversion is not done with
100% efficiency. To achieve a break-even condition, the energy produced by the
fusion reaction must equal the energy lost from the reactor system during one
complete energy cycle.
The energy inventory of the fusion reactor illustrated in
FIG. 1 is as follows, where "a" is the percentage of energy delivered
from the energy source to the reactor and "b" is the percentage of
thermal energy from the liquid blanket converted to electricity. E initial
available energy aE portion of the available energy transferred to the plasma
chamber (1-a)E portion of the available energy dissipated as heat in the
transmission line. This heat is transferred to the surrounding environment aE
energy transferred from the plasma chamber to the liquid blanket mainly in the
form of bremsstrahlung radiation and heat losses E.sub.R energy produced by the
fusion reactions. This energy too is transferred to the liquid blanket aE+E.sub.R
thermal energy available from the liquid blanket for conversion to electricity
b(aE+E.sub.R) portion of the thermal energy converted to electricity that is
returned to the energy source (1-b) (aE+E.sub.R) portion of the thermal energy
that is not converted to electricity. This energy is deposited as heat in the
surrounding environment.