Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
376102000 | Inertial confinement (e.g., nuclear explosive) | 19 |
20080226010 | Reactor For Producing Controlled Nuclear Fusion - Method and apparatus for producing controlled steady state nuclear fusion with isotopes of low atomic numbers being the most useful reactants, such as Deuterium, Tritium and Helium3. The apparatus consists of a high voltage power supply and a high voltage spherical capacitor, constructed in such a way, that the outer shell is the anode and contained centrally within it, a hollow cathode, into which positive ions of the reactant gases can be injected through dielectric tubes and confined electrostatically within the cathode, until such high temperatures are reached, as to allow nuclear fusion to take place. The interior chamber of the cathode forms part of a hermetically sealed fuel circuit running through the capacitor, a turbo molecular pump is also connected in line with the fuel circuit, to drive the reactant gas through the reaction chamber The fusion product, which is mainly high energy Neutrons, Protons and alpha particles, is consequently converted to heat in the dielectric medium contained within the space between the anode and the cathode, this heat can easily be extracted and converted into useful energy using known methods. | 09-18-2008 |
20100254500 | Acoustic inertial confinement nuclear fusion device - An acoustic inertial confinement nuclear fusion device is disclosed. The device includes an enclosure that holds a fluid with dissolved alpha emitters. A generator is coupled to the enclosure, and the generator is configured to harmonically drive the fluid in the enclosure to induce an acoustic standing wave in the fluid. The dissolved alpha emitters nucleate bubble clusters in the fluid as the fluid is driven by the generator. Neutrons, tritium and/or gamma rays, are emitted from the fluid, without or with an external source of neutrons. | 10-07-2010 |
20110075783 | Economical Method to Ignite a Nuclear Fusion Reaction and Generate Energy - This invention relates to the generation of a sufficiently high temperature and pressure to ignite a nuclear fusion reaction making fusion economically viable for energy generation. A method to achieve ignition of a nuclear fusion reaction is disclosed. The method uses collision of high-velocity fuel pellets/projectiles that contain nuclear fuel and have tailpieces of high atomic weight. Fusible gas in the pellet is preheated and rapidly compressed by collision impact to heat it to fusion ignition temperature. A major portion of the projectile's kinetic energy is converted during collision impact into thermal energy heating the fusion gas to ignite a fusion reaction. The energy released from the nuclear fusion reaction exceeds the input energy. The excess energy can be harvested for generation of electric power. | 03-31-2011 |
20110142184 | Process and technical arrangement to study nuclear fission by using single atomic layers of nuclear materials with a single crystal structure grown onto undamaged, miniature single crystal hollow body surfaces, which serve as a seeding platform - A new process and arrangement (as shown in | 06-16-2011 |
20120002773 | High-yield ICF containment chambers and power reactors - Cylindrical inertial confinement fusion reaction chambers are disclosed according to some embodiments of the invention. These chambers can include neutron moderating/absorbing material, radiation absorbing material, and debris collection material. These chambers can also include various injection ports, nozzles, beam ports, sacrificial layers, absorbers, coolant systems, etc. These chambers can be used with directional and/or omni-directional targets. | 01-05-2012 |
20120288047 | ENERGY FOCUSSING - A method of producing a localized concentration of energy includes providing a series of projectiles and firing the projectiles at a target. An apparatus for producing localized concentration of energy includes: a mechanism to provide a series of projectiles and a mechanism to fire the projectiles at a target. The target is configured such that upon striking the target, a projectile traps and compresses a volume of gas between the projectile and the target. The target and the projectile are also configured such that impact of the projectile onto the target gives rise to a converging shockwave inside the trapped volume of gas. | 11-15-2012 |
376103000 | Photon beam (e.g., laser) irradiation | 11 |
20110170646 | Nuclear Energy Converter - One or more beam channels through which laser beams are directed, via one or more lasers, onto material of a sample in a sample chamber, are placed in a sample body. The laser beams generate a plasma in the material of the sample and directly or indirectly trigger reactions in the atomic nucleus or the electron shell. These reactions lead to a nuclear fission or fusion or to the generation of gamma rays or neutrons. Furthermore, gamma rays or neutrons can be conveyed to the sample body or to the beam channels, in order to trigger the same reactions. Discs can prevent or delay thermal energy or plasma from escaping in the beam channels. A positive or negative voltage U can be applied to the sample body or to electrodes situated within it, in order to suck up or convey electrons and favour the desired reactions. The sample body may be wholly or partially transparent, in order to adjust the focal points of the laser beams onto the material of the sample. The laser beams may be conveyed to the beam channels via optical wave guides. | 07-14-2011 |
20120014491 | Nuclear fusion power plant having a liquid reactor core of molten glass that is made laseractive and functions as a tritium breeding blanket which is capable of acousticly compressing/confining fuel so that it radiates and triggers outgoing laser cascades that will reflect from the blast chamber's spherical inside wall and return like photonic Tsunamis, crushing, heating, and causing thermonuclear ignition of the fuel so that heat engines and piezoelectric harvesters can convert the released energy into electricity - A nuclear fusion power plant having a spherical blast-chamber filled with a liquid coolant that breeds tritium, absorbs neutrons, and functions as both an acoustical and laser medium. Fuel bubbles up through the sphere's base and is positioned using computer guided piezoelectric transducers that are located outside the blast-chamber. These generate phase-shifted standing-waves that tractor the bubble to the center. Once there, powerful acoustic compression waves are launched. Shortly before these reach the fuel, an intense burst of light is pumped into the sphere, making the liquid laser-active. When the shockwaves arrive, the fuel temperature skyrockets and it radiates brightly. This, photon-burst, seeds outgoing laser cascades that return, greatly amplified, from the sphere's polished innards. Trapped within a reflecting sphere, squeezed on all sides by high-density matter, the fuel cannot cool or disassemble before thorough combustion. The blast's kinetic energy is absorbed piezoelectrically. | 01-19-2012 |
20120057665 | Three Wavelength Coupling for Fusion Capsule Hohlraums - Using three tunable wavelengths on different cones of laser beams the energy transfer between beams can be tuned to redistribute the energy within the cones of beams most prone to backscatter instabilities. Using a third wavelength provides a greater level of control of the laser energy distribution and coupling in the hohlraum, to significantly reduce stimulated Raman scattering losses and increase the hohlraum radiation drive, yet maintain implosion symmetry. | 03-08-2012 |
20120307950 | NUCLEAR FUSION TARGET, NUCLEAR FUSION DEVICE, AND NUCLEAR FUSION METHOD - An object is to be capable of inducing a nuclear fusion reaction at a relatively high efficiency and downsize a device. A nuclear fusion device | 12-06-2012 |
20140044226 | Flexible Driver Laser for Inertial Fusion Energy - Embodiments of a laser system having an extremely large number of small pulsed lasers for irradiating small targets in inertial confinement fusion experiments, high energy density physics experiments, and inertial fusion power plants is more flexible than existing laser systems. Embodiments facilitate finer control of critical features of laser pulses for inertial fusion, as well as significant reduction in development costs and expansion of the community involved in the research relative to existing laser systems. Embodiments produce smooth intensity profiles at the target, large bandwidth that is over two orders of magnitude greater than existing laser systems, and fine control over laser wavelengths, focal properties, temporal pulse shape, and illumination geometry. Properties of each of the small pulsed lasers are individually selectable. | 02-13-2014 |
20140286471 | INTERTIAL CONFINEMENT FUSION POWER PLANT WHICH DECOUPLES LIFE-LIMITED COMPONENT FROM PLANT AVAILABILITY - An architecture for a fusion power plant is disclosed. The plant includes a fusion chamber for producing neutrons from a fusion reaction, and a laser system in which lasers are arranged about a vacuum chamber to provide energy to the fusion chamber to initiate the fusion reaction. The beam paths between the lasers and the fusion chamber are configured to prevent neutrons from the fusion chamber from reaching the laser system at a level that would preclude human access to the laser system. | 09-25-2014 |
20140334585 | HYBRID INDIRECT-DRIVE/DIRECT-DRIVE TARGET FOR INERTIAL CONFINEMENT FUSION - A hybrid indirect-drive/direct drive for inertial confinement fusion utilizing laser beams from a first direction and laser beams from a second direction including a central fusion fuel component; a first portion of a shell surrounding said central fusion fuel component, said first portion of a shell having a first thickness; a second portion of a shell surrounding said fusion fuel component, said second portion of a shell having a second thickness that is greater than said thickness of said first portion of a shell; and a hohlraum containing at least a portion of said fusion fuel component and at least a portion of said first portion of a shell; wherein said hohlraum is in a position relative to said first laser beam and to receive said first laser beam and produce X-rays that are directed to said first portion of a shell and said fusion fuel component; and wherein said fusion fuel component and said second portion of a shell are in a position relative to said second laser beam such that said second portion of a shell and said fusion fuel component receive said second laser beam. | 11-13-2014 |
20140348283 | APPLICATION OF COMPRESSED MAGNETIC FIELDS TO THE IGNITION AND THERMONUCLEAR BURN OF INERTIAL CONFINEMENT FUSION TARGETS - Application of axial seed magnetic fields in the range 20-100 T that compress to greater than 10,000 T (100 MG) under typical NIF implosion conditions may significantly relax the conditions required for ignition and propagating burn in NIF ignition targets that are degraded by hydrodynamic instabilities. Such magnetic fields can: (a) permit the recovery of ignition, or at least significant alpha particle heating, in submarginal NIF targets that would otherwise fail because of adverse hydrodynamic instability growth, (b) permit the attainment of ignition in conventional cryogenic layered solid-DT targets redesigned to operate under reduced drive conditions, (c) permit the attainment of volumetric ignition in simpler, room-temperature single-shell DT gas capsules, and (d) ameliorate adverse hohlraum plasma conditions during laser drive and capsule compression. In general, an applied magnetic field should always improve the ignition condition for any NIF ignition target design. | 11-27-2014 |
20150294744 | DEVICE FOR QUANTUM BEAM GENERATION, METHOD FOR QUANTUM BEAM GENERATION, AND DEVICE FOR LASER FUSION - The device has a target supply unit | 10-15-2015 |
20160104547 | METHOD OF DETERMINING NUCLEAR FUSION IRRADIATION COORDINATES, DEVICE FOR DETERMINING NUCLEAR FUSION IRRADIATION COORDINATES, AND NUCLEAR FUSION DEVICE - An object of the present invention is to efficiently improve uniformity of energy lines to be irradiated. A method of determining nuclear fusion irradiation coordinates according to the present invention is a method of calculating irradiation coordinates when energy lines are irradiated onto a nuclear fusion target, and comprises an initial arrangement step S | 04-14-2016 |
376104000 | Optics | 1 |
20100046686 | METHOD FOR DOWNHOLE, NON-ISOTOPIC GENERATION OF NEUTRONS AND AN APPARATUS FOR USE WHEN PRACTISING THE METHOD - A method for downhole generation of non-radioactive neutron radiation arranged so as to be able to generate reverberation, particularly gamma radiation, from the surroundings of a borehole, the method comprising the steps of: | 02-25-2010 |
376105000 | Particle beam irradiation (excluding photons) | 2 |
20110182392 | STAGED Z-PINCH FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HIGH-FLUX NEUTRONS AND NET ENERGY - A fusible target is embedded in a high Z liner, ohmically heated and then shock wave heated by implosion of an enveloping high Z liner. The target is adiabatically heated by compression, fusibly ignited and charged-particle heated as it is being ignited. A shock front forms as the liner implodes which shock front detaches from the more slowly moving liner, collides with the outer surface of the target, accelerates inward, rapidly heating the target, adiabatically compressing the target and liner and amplifying the current to converge the liner mass toward a central axis thereby compressing the target to a fusion condition when it begins to ignite and produce charged particles. The charged particles are trapped in a large magnetic field surrounding the target. The energy of the charged particles is deposited into the target to further heat the target to produce an energy gain. | 07-28-2011 |
20160064104 | Relativistic Vacuum Diode for Shock Compression of a Substance - A relativistic vacuum diode (RVD) for shock compression of a substance to a superdense state is provided. The RVD may include an axisymmetric current-conducting vacuum chamber equipped with a demountable hatch for access into its cavity; an axisymmetric electrode assembly fixed in operative position in the central zone of the vacuum chamber; it has a plasma cathode composed of a thin central current-conducting rod and wide dielectric end element, and anode-enhancer shaped as a rod, one butt-end of which is spheroidal and serves as a target for an electron beam, at that the target cross-section area is smaller as the emitting area of said cathode's wide dielectric end element; and a such short-circuiter of reverse current in an earthed circuit of the anode-enhancer that surrounds concentrically with radial clearance said electrode assembly. | 03-03-2016 |