General Fusion Inc.

Research Corporation Technologies, Inc.

Oreo Products Inc.

Michel Georges Laberge

Douglas Harvey Richardson

Lon William McIlwraith

Stephen James Howard

Meritt Wayne Reynolds

Daniel Gelbart

Victoria Suponitsky

Kelly Bernard Epp

David Franklin Plant

Joerg Zimmermann

James Gregson

John Senger

Alexander Douglas Mossman

Peter Leszek Kostka

Darcy Montgomery

Ryan Walter Zindler

Michael Harcourt Delage

Blake Kenton Rablah

Robert Vlastimil Bouchal

Troy Nickolas Tyler

Kristin Bell

Ross Henry Hill

Denis J Connor

Martin Clifford Wight

Yakov Gofman

Aaron Matthew Froese

Malcolm Newton Williams

Peter Joseph Larkin O'Shea

Donald James Froese

Charles Beaufort Eyrich

David Plant

Eunice Kuatsjah

Lon Mcilwraith

Donald Froese

Charles Eyrich

Peter O'shea

Blake Rablah

Raphael Segas

W Randolph Smith

Douglas H Richardson

Ryan Zindler

Merritt Wayne Reynolds

Lon William Mcilwraith

Douglas Harvey Richarson

A system for generating magnetized plasma and sustaining plasma's magnetic field comprises a plasma generator for generating magnetized plasma and a flux conserver in which the generated magnetized plasma is injected and confined. A central conductor comprises an upper central conductor and a lower central conductor that are electrically connected forming a single integrated conductor. The upper central conductor and an outer electrode form an annular plasma propagating channel. The lower central conductor extends out of the plasma generator and into the flux conserver such that an end of the inner electrode is electrically connected to a wall of the flux conserver. A power system provides a formation current pulse and a sustainment current pulse to the central conductor to form the magnetized plasma, inject such plasma into the flux conserver and sustain plasma's magnetic field.

System and method for generating plasma and sustaining plasma magnetic field

A method and system for stably generating and accelerating magnetized plasma comprises ionizing an injected gas in a plasma generator and generating a formation magnetic field to form a magnetized plasma with a closed poloidal field, generating a reverse poloidal field behind the magnetized plasma and having a same field direction as a back edge of the closed poloidal field and having an opposite field direction of the formation magnetic field, and generating a pushing toroidal field that pushes the reverse poloidal field against the closed poloidal field, thereby accelerating the magnetized plasma through a plasma accelerator downstream from the plasma generator. The reverse poloidal field serves to prevent the reconnection of the formation magnetic field and closed poloidal field after the magnetized plasma is formed, which would allow the pushing toroidal field to mix with the closed poloidal field and cause instability and reduced plasma confinement.

System and method for generating and accelerating magnetized plasma

Examples of a high voltage insulator are described. The high-voltage insulator is vacuum compatible and comprises a glass substrate having a face surface and a ceramic layer with uniform thickness coated on the face surface ofthe glass substrate. The coated surface of the insulator is able to withstand high voltage pulses and exposure to charged particles radiation for a pre-determined time period. The ceramic coated glass insulator is made of a single piece of glass and can be made to large sizes.

Vacuum compatible electrical insulator

Examples of systems for imploding liquid liner are described. The imploding system comprises a vessel and a rotating member positioned within the vessel. The rotating member has a plurality of shaped blades that form a plurality of curved passages that have an inboard opening at an inner surface and an outboard end at an outer surface. The rotating member is at least partially filled with liquid medium. A driver is used to rotate the rotating member such that when the rotating member rotates the liquid medium is forced into the passages forming a liquid liner with an interface curved with respect to an axis of rotation and defining a cavity. The system further comprises an implosion driver that changes the rotational speed of the rotating member such that the liquid liner is imploded inwardly collapsing the cavity. The imploding liquid liner can be used in plasma compression systems.

Methods and systems for imploding a liquid liner

Embodiments of systems and methods for compressing plasma are described in which plasma pressures above the breaking point of solid material can be achieved by injecting a plasma into a funnel of liquid metal in which the plasma is compressed and/or heated.

Systems and methods for compressing plasma

Examples of a system for generating and compressing magnetized plasma are disclosed. The system comprises a plasma generator with a first closed end and an outlet, and a flux conserving chamber that is in tight fluid communication with the outlet of the plasma generator such that the generated plasma is injected into an inner cavity of the flux conserving chamber. An elongated central axial shaft is also provided such that the central shaft extends through the outlet of the plasma generator into the flux conserver. The end of the central shaft in connected to the flux conserver. A power source that comprises a formation power circuit and a shaft power circuit is provided to provide a formation power pulse to the plasma generator to generate magnetized plasma, and a shaft power pulse to the central axial shaft to generate a toroidal magnetic field into the plasma generator and the flux conserving chamber. The duration of the shaft power pulse is longer than the duration of the formation power pulse to maintain plasma q-profile at a pre-determined range. During plasma compression the shaft power pulse is increased to match the raise of the plasma poloidal field due to the compression and thus maintain the q-profile of the plasma.

System and method for plasma generation and compression

Examples of systems for forming cavity and a liquid liner are described. The system comprises a vessel and a rotating member positioned within the vessel and rotatable about an axis of rotation. The rotating member has an inner surface 5 curved with respect to the axis of rotation, an outer and plurality of fluid passages that each has an inboard opening at the inner surface and an outboard opening at the outer surface. The rotating member is filled with a liquid medium and a rotational driver rotates the rotating member such that when rotating the liquid medium at least partially fills the fluid passages forming liquid liner, defining the 10 cavity. The cavity formation system is used in a liquid liner implosion system with an implosion driver that causes the liquid liner to implode inwardly collapsing the cavity. The imploding liquid liner system can be used in plasma compression systems.

Methods and systems for forming a liquid liner of a cavity

Examples of system for generating vortex cavity are disclosed. The system comprises a vessel into which a fluid is injected through one or more inlet ports and a fluid circulating system configured to circulate the fluid through the vessel such that the fluid is removed from the vessel through an outlet port and is returned back into the vessel through the one and more inlet ports. A first spinner is mounted at one wall of the vessel while a second spinner is mounted at the opposite wall of the vessel such that the second spinner is at some distance away from the first spinner and it faces the first spinner. When the fluid circulating system starts circulating the fluid within the vessel a vortex cavity is formed that extends between the first and the second spinners so that one end of the vortex cavity sits on the first spinner while the opposite end of the vortex cavity sits on the second spinner.

Apparatus and method for generating a vortex cavity in a rotating fluid

Examples of a pressure wave generator configured to generate high energy pressure waves in a medium are disclosed. The pressure wave generator can include a sabot carrying a piston. The sabot can further comprise a locking means to lock the piston in a fixed position when the locking means are activated. When the locking means are in a deactivated position, the piston can be released and can move at least partially away from the sabot. The sabot carrying the piston can be disposed within an inner bore of a housing of the pressure wave generator and can move within the inner bore of the housing from its first end toward its second end along a longitudinal axis of the bore. A transducer can be accommodated in the second end of the housing. The transducer can be coupled to the medium and can convert a portion of the kinetic energy of the piston into a pressure wave in the medium upon impact of the piston with the transducer. The sabot carrying the piston can be accelerated by applying a motive force to the sabot. Once accelerated within the inner bore of the housing the sabot can be decelerated by applying a restraining force to the sabot while the piston can be released at least partially from the sabot to continue to move toward the transducer until it impacts the transducer. Examples of methods of operating the pressure wave generator are disclosed.

Pressure wave generator with a sabot launched piston

Examples of a modular compression chamber for use in a compression system are disclosed. The modular compression chamber comprises a plurality of individual modules and a plurality of fasteners to attach the plurality of modules in an interlocking fashion to form the chamber. The modules have a pre-determined geometry and size to form a compression chamber with a desired geometry and size. The plurality of fasteners keeps each of the individual modules in compression with neighboring modules so that the formed chamber maintains its integrity during operation. The modules can comprise a plurality of pressure wave generators to generate a pressure wave within the chamber. In one embodiment, the pressure wave generators have a pre-determined geometry and size and are configured to interlock with the neighboring generators forming the individual modules. The fasteners are configured to maintain intimate contact between side walls of the adjacent pressure wave generators.

Modular compression chamber

An apparatus for generating a pressure wave in a liquid medium is disclosed. The apparatus includes a plurality of pressure wave generators having respective moveable pistons, the pistons having respective control rods connected thereto. The apparatus also includes a plurality of transducers coupled to the liquid medium and means for causing the pistons of respective ones of the plurality of the pressure wave generators to be accelerated toward respective ones of the plurality of transducers. The apparatus further includes means for causing restraining forces to be applied to respective control rods to cause respective pistons to impact respective transducers at respective desired times and with respective desired amounts of kinetic energy such that the respective desired amounts of kinetic energy are converted into a pressure wave in the liquid medium.

Pressure wave generator and controller for generating a pressure wave in a liquid medium

Examples of a pressure wave generator configured to generate high energy pressure waves in a medium are disclosed. The pressure wave generator can include a movable piston with a guide through which a piston control rod can move or slide. The pressure wave generator can include a transducer coupled to a medium. During an impact of the piston on the transducer, the control rod can slide in the guide, which can reduce stress on the rod. The pressure wave generator can include a damper to decelerate the control rod, independently of the piston. Impact of the piston on the transducer transfers a portion of the piston's kinetic energy into the medium thereby generating pressure waves in the medium. A piston driving system may be used to provide precise and controlled launching or movement of the piston. Examples of methods of operating the pressure wave generator are disclosed.

Pressure wave generator with movable control rod for generating a pressure wave in a medium

Examples of a plasma acceleration and compression device are described. The device includes a plasma accelerator with a high compression funnel section extending from an inlet of the accelerator and an elongated section connected to the high compression funnel section that can extend from the end of the funnel section to an accelerator's outlet. The funnel section can be a cone with a steep tapering while the elongated section can have a mild, gentle, tapering along its length toward the outlet. The device further includes a power source for providing a current pulse to the accelerator to generate a pushing flux to accelerate and compress a plasma torus throughout the accelerator. The current pulse can be so shaped so that the current pulse behind the plasma torus at the outlet of the elongated section is significantly smaller than the current pulse at the first end of the elongated section while the pressure of the plasma torus at the outlet of the elongated section is greater than the pressure of the plasma torus at the beginning of the elongated section.

Apparatus for accelerating and compressing plasma

Growing community of inventors

Vancouver, Canada

Michel Georges Laberge