Plasma confinement device with helical current and fluid flow
View Patent ↗A device and method for generating plasma conditions for deuterium-tritium and advanced fuel thermonuclear fusion consisting of an inner helicity-containing plasma such as a spheromak compact toroid bounded by a plurality of outer cusped magnetic fields. Helicity driven by steady-inductive helicity injectors energizes the plasmoid with helicity. The device further includes means for driving fluid rotation about the device axis, about the device magnetic axis, and means for a hot electron sheath. Means are also provided for reducing particle losses out through the open cusp field lines through helicity injector rectification.
1. A plasma confinement device comprising:
a chamber having a device axis;
a plasma internal to the chamber;
a magnetic helicity injector disposed on the chamber and configured to inject magnetic helicity into the chamber to the internal plasma creating an internal magnetic plasmoid having magnetic helicity;
a plurality of cusped magnetic fields surrounding the internal magnetic plasmoid in a spatially periodic manner;
a plurality of electrodes disposed in the chamber in a spatially periodic manner biased to drive plasma fluid rotation by driving a plurality of currents across a plurality of cusped magnetic fields;
at least one closed internal magnetic field line within the internal plasma; and
a rotating magnetic plasmoid bounded by the plurality of cusped magnetic fields comprising a confinement volume.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the confinement volume is topologically simply connected having a geometric central device axis.
3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the confinement volume is cylindrical, spherical, prolate, oblate, or otherwise varies in radius along its axial length.
4. The device of claim 2 , wherein the confinement volume is bow tie shaped.
5. The device of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of cusped magnetic fields is arranged to generate the magnetic mirror effect along the device axis.
6. The device of claim 2 , wherein the plasma fluid flow is helical, being a sum of toroidal and poloidal fluid flows.
7. The device of claim 2 , wherein a magnetic helicity injector is unrectified, rectified with half-wave, full-wave, or an intermediate amount of rectification.
8. The device of claim 2 , wherein an antenna is disposed at the chamber wall for heating or driving current in the rotating magnetic plasmoid by microwaves, radio-frequency waves, acoustic waves, or other frequency waves.
9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the confinement volume is topologically doubly connected toroidal having both a geometric central device major axis and a minor axis.
10. The device of claim 9 , wherein a plurality of poloidal magnetic field coils carrying toroidal currents generates a plurality of cusped poloidal magnetic fields.
11. The device of claim 9 , wherein a plurality of toroidal magnetic field coils carrying poloidal currents generates a plurality of cusped toroidal magnetic fields.
12. The device of claim 9 , wherein electrodes are disposed about the device minor axis to induce toroidal plasma fluid rotation about the device major axis.
13. The device of claim 9 , wherein electrodes are disposed about the device major axis to induce poloidal plasma fluid rotation about the device minor axis.
14. The device of claim 9 , wherein the torus aspect ratio is less than, greater than, or equal to 1.
15. A method for confining plasma comprising:
providing one of a topologically singly connected chamber having a device axis or a topologically doubly connected chamber having a major axis and a minor axis;
providing a plasma internal to the chamber;
providing a magnetic helicity injector disposed on the chamber and configured to inject magnetic helicity into the chamber to the internal plasma creating an internal plasmoid having magnetic helicity;
providing a plurality of cusped magnetic fields surrounding the internal plasmoid in a spatially periodic manner;
providing a plurality of electrodes disposed in the chamber in a spatially periodic manner biased to induce plasma fluid rotation by driving a plurality of currents across a plurality of cusped magnetic fields;
providing at least one closed internal magnetic field line within the plasma; and
providing a rotating plasmoid bounded by the plurality of cusped magnetic fields comprising a confinement volume.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein magnetic helicity is provided unrectified, with half-wave, full-wave, or an intermediate amount of rectification.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein currents driven across magnetic fields by electrode bias provides magnetic plasmoid rotation about a device axis, minor axis, or both.
18. The method of claim 15 , wherein microwaves, radio-frequency waves, acoustic waves, or other frequency waves are provided to heat or drive current in the rotating magnetic plasmoid.