Fueling method for small, steady-state, aneutronic FRC fusion reactors
A system and method for fueling a fusion reactor. The system includes a reactor chamber containing a stable plasma including a fusion fuel; a heating system configured to heat the plasma and increase an ion energy of the plasma to a level sufficient for producing net power from fusion reactions in the stable plasma; a plurality of magnets coaxial to the reactor chamber, the plurality of magnets producing a magnetic field sufficient to confine the stable plasma and promote rapid loss of fusion products into a scrape off layer; and a neutral beam injection system configured to inject additional quantities of the fusion fuel to sustain the power output of the fusion reaction.
1. A field reversed configuration (FRC) fusion reactor system comprising:
a plasma formation box configured to receive a fusion fuel and ionize the fusion fuel to form a source plasma of fuel ions;
a reactor chamber configured to receive a neutral beam and maintain a stable plasma, wherein the plasma formation box is a separate chamber from the reactor chamber;
an ion extraction grid configured to form an ion beam by continuously extracting a plurality of fuel ions from the source plasma;
an ion acceleration grid configured to form an accelerated ion beam by accelerating the ion beam as the ion beam passes through an electric field of the acceleration grid; and
a charge exchange box;
a heating system configured to heat the stable plasma and increase an ion energy of the stable plasma to 5 kiloelectronvolts in order to produce a power output from fusion reactions in the stable plasma;
a plurality of magnets coaxial to the reactor chamber, wherein the plurality of magnets produce a magnetic field sufficient to confine the stable plasma and promote rapid loss of fusion products into a scrape off layer, wherein the plurality of magnets in conjunction with the stable plasma produces a magnetic field in a field-reversed configuration,
wherein the charge exchange box is configured to:
form the neutral beam having a power of less than 1 kW by interacting the accelerated ion beam with a neutralizing gas, and
focus the neutral beam at a fusion core in the reactor chamber.
2. The FRC fusion reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the plasma formation box is configured to receive the fusion fuel that comprises deuterium and helium-3.
3. The FRC fusion reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the magnets are superconducting magnetic coils.
4. The FRC fusion reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the magnets are permanent magnets.
5. The FRC fusion reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the neutralizing gas is argon.
6. The FRC fusion reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the heating system employs radio frequency odd-parity rotating magnetic fields produced by radio frequency magnetic coils.
7. The FRC fusion reactor system of claim 1 , wherein said reactor chamber is a vacuum vessel which is transparent to radio frequencies.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plasma formation box is configured to receive the fusion fuel that is helium-3.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the energy of the neutral beam is in a range of 10 to 30 kiloelectronvolts.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the energy of the neutral beam is 20 kiloeletronvolts.
11. A method for fueling a field-reversed configuration (FRC) fusion reactor that includes a reactor chamber containing a stable plasma comprising a fusion fuel, a plurality of magnets coaxial to the chamber, a heating system, and a neutral beam injection system, the method comprising:
using the FRC reactor system of claim 1 for injecting, by a fuel injection system, the fusion fuel into the reactor chamber;
heating, by the heating system, the plasma such that the fuel is ionized and heated to at least 5 kiloelectronvolts to produce power from a sustained nuclear fusion reactions, occurs in the plasma;
forming, by the plurality of magnets, a magnetic field to confine the plasma and promote rapid loss of fusion products into a scrape-off-layer, wherein said plurality of magnets in conjunction with said stable plasma produces a magnetic field in a field-reversed configuration;
injecting the fusion fuel into a plasma formation box;
ionizing the fusion fuel in the plasma formation box whereby a plasma source is formed;
extracting a plurality of desired fuel ions, by an ion extraction grid, from the plasma source, wherein the fuel ions that are extracted form an ion beam;
accelerating, by an ion acceleration grid, the ion beam through a potential gradient of an electric field, wherein energy of the ion beam that is accelerated is function of said potential gradient;
directing the ion beam that is accelerated into a charge exchange box;
injecting a neutralizing gas into the charge exchange box and neutralizing the ion beam that is accelerated, whereby a neutral beam is formed; and
injecting the neutral beam toward a core of the plasma located in said reactor chamber, such that fuel is provided for fusion reactions.
12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said fusion fuel comprises deuterium and helium-3.
13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the plurality of magnets are superconducting magnetic coils.
14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the plurality of magnets are permanent magnets.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the neutralizing gas is argon.
16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the heating system employs radio frequency odd-parity rotating magnetic fields produced by radio frequency magnetic coils.
17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising attenuating and deflecting radiation produced from the fusion reactions.
18. The method of claim 11 , wherein said reactor chamber is a vacuum vessel which is transparent to radio frequencies.
19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the fusion fuel is helium-3.
20. The method of claim 11 , wherein energy of the neutral beam is in a range of 10 to 30 kiloelectronvolts.