Granted Patent B2

US 10,172,226 · App. 15/338,197 · Granted Jan 1, 2019

Inventors: Richard Nebel (Los Alamos, NM); Cihan Akcay (Los Alamos, NM); Daniel Barnes (Lamy, NM); Juan Fernandez (Los Alamos, NM); John Finn (Los Alamos, NM); William Gibson (Los Alamos, NM); Aaron McEvoy (Los Alamos, NM); Keith Moser (Libertyville, IL); Liviu Popa-Simil (Los Alamos, NM)

H05H1/16H02M7/42

Abstract

Claims (32)

1. An apparatus comprising:

a chamber configured to contain plasma;

at least two input electrodes disposed at least partially within the chamber and configured to receive a direct current into the chamber, wherein the at least two input electrodes are configured to direct the direct current to induce motion in the plasma; and

at least two output electrodes extending from the chamber, wherein the at least two output electrodes are configured to conduct an alternating single phase or three phase current from the chamber based on the induced motion in the plasma.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least two input electrodes are equally spaced around the chamber.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the chamber comprises an end cap and a split electrode disposed at opposite ends of the chamber, and wherein all output leads of the at least two output electrodes are disposed through the split electrode.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a solenoid disposed around at least a portion of an external wall of the chamber, wherein an electric current passing through the solenoid induces a magnetic field within the chamber in an axial direction of the solenoid.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the magnetic field is caused by the induced motion to align at least in part with magnetic fields caused by at least a portion of the at least two input electrodes thereby inducing the direct current within the chamber.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising a protective cover disposed between the solenoid and the chamber.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least two input electrodes comprise at least two direct current input electrodes.

8. A method comprising:

conveying a direct current into a chamber;

inducing motion in a plasma contained in the chamber based on the direct current; and

receiving an alternating three phase or single phase current from the chamber based on the induced motion of the plasma.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising generating a magnetic field through the plasma, and wherein inducing the motion in the plasma distorts the magnetic field thereby inducing the alternating three phase or single phase current within the chamber.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein inducing motion in the plasma comprises providing the direct current through at least two helical electrodes within the chamber.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein inducing motion comprises inducing a rotation sheared in an axial direction relative to the plasma, and further comprising generating the alternating three phase or single phase current in the axial direction.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein conveying a direct current comprises conveying with a first voltage, and further comprising conveying the alternating three phase or single phase current from the chamber with a second voltage.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising rotating a split electrode to convert the axially directed current in the chamber to three phase alternating current or single phase alternating current.

14. The method of claim 8 where multiple pairs of primary electrodes electrically connected via a rotating external rotor convert axial currents in the chamber to three phase alternating current or single phase alternating current.

15. The method of claim 8 , wherein inducing motion comprises generating a turbulent flow, a laminar flow, or a combination of turbulent and laminar flows, in the plasma.

16. The method of claim 8 , wherein inducing motion comprises inducing a differential rotation in the plasma.

17. A system comprising a transformer configured to transform a direct current to an alternating three phase or single phase current, the transformer comprising,

a chamber configured to contain plasma;

at least two input electrodes disposed at least partially within the chamber and configured to direct the direct current to induce motion in the plasma, thereby generating the alternating three phase or single phase current;

at least two output electrodes extending from the chamber and configured to conduct the alternating three phase or single phase current from the chamber; and

an electrical delivery network electrically coupled to the at least two output electrodes and configured to conduct the alternating three phase or single phase current to at least one remote location.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein each of the at least two input electrodes comprises at least one helically shaped portion.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the chamber comprises an end cap and a split electrode at opposite ends of the chamber, and wherein the split electrode conveys either three phase AC or single phase AC from the chamber.

20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the at least two input electrodes comprise at least two sets of electrodes equally spaced around the chamber.

21. The system of claim 17 , wherein the transformer further comprises a solenoid disposed around at least a portion of an external wall of the chamber, and wherein an electric current passing through the solenoid induces a magnetic field within the chamber in an axial direction of the solenoid.

22. The system of claim 21 , wherein the induced the motion in the plasma distorts the magnetic field thereby inducing the three phase alternating current or single phase alternating current within the chamber.

Assignments (10)

Continuity (1)