University of California

Tae Technologies, Inc.

Eusebio Garate

Michl W Binderbauer

Norman Rostoker

Vitaly Bystritskii

Sergei Putvinski

Yuanxu Song

Hiroshi Gota

Vitaly Bystriskii

Artem N Smirnov

Michel G Tuszewski

Artan Qerushi

Hooshang Tahsiri

Frank Joseph Wessel

Michael Anderson

Mark Morehouse

Houyang Guo

Dan Barnes

Michl Binderbauer

Alan VanDrie

Artem Smirnov

Michel Tuszewski

Alex Cheung

A high performance field reversed configuration (FRC) system includes a central confinement vessel, two diametrically opposed reversed-field-theta-pinch formation sections coupled to the vessel, and two divertor chambers coupled to the formation sections. A magnetic system includes quasi-dc coils axially positioned along the FRC system components, quasi-dc mirror coils between the confinement chamber and the formation sections, and mirror plugs between the formation sections and the divertors. The formation sections include modular pulsed power formation systems enabling static and dynamic formation and acceleration of the FRCs. The FRC system further includes neutral atom beam injectors, pellet or CT injectors, gettering systems, axial plasma guns and flux surface biasing electrodes. The beam injectors are preferably angled toward the midplane of the chamber. In operation, FRC plasma parameters including plasma thermal energy, total particle numbers, radius and trapped magnetic flux, are sustainable at or about a constant value without decay during neutral beam injection.

Systems and methods for forming and maintaining a high performance FRC

Systems and methods for multiplying the loop voltage of a coil having one or more turns using multiple coil sections to multiply the loop voltage by a factor equal to the number of coil arc sections. The systems and methods for producing fractional turn windings comprise splitting the initial feed line from the capacitor by as many times as the desired total multiple of the voltage in the capacitor, and applying the feeds to the respective fractional turns or arc sections of the coil.

Fractional turn coil winding

Systems and methods that facilitate the formation and maintenance of new High Performance Field Reversed Configurations (FRCs). An FRC system for the High Performance FRC (HPF) includes a central confinement vessel surrounded by two diametrically opposed reversed-field-theta-pinch formation sections and, beyond the formation sections, two divertor chambers to control neutral density and impurity contamination. A magnetic system includes a series of quasi-dc coils axially positioned along the FRC system components, quasi-dc mirror coils between the confinement chamber and the adjacent formation sections, and mirror plugs between the formation sections and the divertors. The formation sections include modular pulsed power formation systems that enable FRCs to be formed in-situ and then accelerated and injected (=static formation) or formed and accelerated simultaneously (=dynamic formation). The FRC system further includes neutral atom beam injectors, a pellet injector, gettering systems, axial plasma guns and flux surface biasing electrodes.

A plasma containment system comprises a chamber, a magnetic field generator, and an annular plasma layer that comprises a circulating beam of ions. The chamber includes axial insulating breaks in the chamber wall that run along almost the entire length of the chamber. An inductive plasma source is mountable within the chamber and includes a shock coil assembly and a Laval nozzle to introduce gas into the inductive plasma source. A RF drive comprises a quadrupolar cyclotron located within the chamber and having four azimuthally symmetrical electrodes with gaps there between.

Inductive plasma source and plasma containment

A method of containing plasma and forming a Field Reversed Configuration (FRC) magnetic topology. A magnetic guide field is created within a cylindrical chamber. The guide field has field lines axially extending within the chamber parallel to the longitudinal axis. A plasma of charged electron and ion particles is injected into the chamber. The plasma is caused to rotate, which forms a magnetic poloidal self-field surrounding the rotating plasma due to the current carried by the rotating plasma. The rotational energy of the plasma is increased to increase the magnitude of the self-field to a level that overcomes the magnetic guide field axially extending within the chamber, which causes the formation of a magnetic field within the chamber with FRC topology.

Formation of a field reversed configuration for magnetic and electrostatic confinement of plasma

A system and apparatus for controlled fusion in a field reversed configuration (FRC) magnetic topology and conversion of fusion product energies directly to electric power. Preferably, plasma ions are magnetically confined in the FRC while plasma electrons are electrostatically confined in a deep energy well, created by tuning an externally applied magnetic field. In this configuration, ions and electrons may have adequate density and temperature so that upon collisions ions are fused together by the nuclear force, thus forming fusion products that emerge in the form of an annular beam. Energy is removed from the fusion product ions as they spiral past electrodes of an inverse cyclotron converter. Advantageously, the fusion fuel plasmas that can be used with the present confinement and energy conversion system include advanced (aneutronic) fuels.

Vacuum chamber for plasma electric generation system

A system and apparatus for controlled fusion in a field reversed configuration (FRC) magnetic topology and conversion of fusion product energies directly to electric power. Preferably, plasma ions are magnetically confined in the FRC while plasma electrons are electrostatically confined in a deep energy well, created by tuning an externally applied magnetic field. In this configuration, ions and electrons may have adequate density and temperature so that upon collisions they are fused together by the nuclear force, thus forming fusion products that emerge in the form of an annular beam. Energy is removed from the fusion product ions as they spiral past electrodes of an inverse cyclotron converter. Advantageously, the fusion fuel plasmas that can be used with the present confinement and energy conversion system include advanced (aneutronic) fuels.

A system and method for containing plasma and forming a Field Reversed Configuration (FRC) magnetic topology are described in which plasma ions are contained magnetically in stable, non-adiabatic orbits in the FRC. Further, the electrons are contained electrostatically in a deep energy well, created by tuning an externally applied magnetic field. The simultaneous electrostatic confinement of electrons and magnetic confinement of ions avoids anomalous transport and facilitates classical containment of both electrons and ions. In this configuration, ions and electrons may have adequate density and temperature so that upon collisions they are fused together by nuclear force, thus releasing fusion energy. Moreover, the fusion fuel plasmas that can be used with the present confinement system and method are not limited to neutronic fuels only, but also advantageously include advanced fuels.

Growing community of inventors

Irvine, CA, United States of America

Eusebio Garate