DE2352451A1 - IMPROVED PULSING NUCLEAR FUSION REACTOR - Google Patents

Description

Albert Georg Pischer

46 DortTCund - '., Ellinghofen

Preinstr. 132

- October 17, 1973

Improved Pulsing Nuclear Fusion Reactor

The present invention is an addendum to my patent application Ser. No. 23 29 409.9 and, like this one, refers to a nuclear fusion power plant for the generation of electrical energy through the combustion of the almost inexhaustible supply of deuterium to helium. Short In summary, the content of the invention is as follows (see Figure 1): A concentric plate capacitor charged to about 100,000 volts 1 with a diameter of about 25 m and a distance of 1 cm between the plates, discharges within a microsecond or shorter through a putty point of the dome-shaped capacitor arranged there Mass of molten, thin-bodied lithium deuterotritide

LiD-, T (0 <x <C.9), 3, which fills the central electrode space. This normally poorly conductive liquid was shortly before an alternating current surge between the electrodes 5 and 7 has been locally overheated, and because of the tempere door exponentially increasing ionic conductivity a conductive channel 9 between the electrodes 5 and 7 had formed. Of the Capacitor discharge current flows through this pre-formed channel

The LiD ₁ T in the channel is caused by the extremely high current flow, the χ — χ χ Q

is in the order of 10 A, ohmically heated, explosively broken down into the elements and converted into an even more conductive plasma. Lateral evasion is prevented by the surrounding liquid 3. The pressure in the sewer increases suddenly to huge values, e.g. B. 10 atm., So that the period of time during which the DI fusion temperature must be maintained needs to be very short. DT, D-Dt and TT fusions occur in the discharge channel 9, partly due to thermal nuclear fusion, partly due to the collision of collectively accelerated suprathermal ion packets, as has already been observed to a lesser extent in wire exploration (see e.g. BF C, Young et al (IEEE Trans. Nuclear Science NS-20, page 439, February 1973i DY Cl-eng, Nuclear Fusion 13, ₅ 129, January 1973). Chain reactions between neutrons, Li , ^ He, T t B are also possible.

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The neutrons that fly radially outward and originate from fusion reactions are, as stated in my application 23-9 403.9, _{moderated in the surrounding LiD 1} D and by the Li fars

ti- ^y with cleavage to T and ^T He with further. Converted energy gain.

The energetic nucleons are slowed down and grounded in the liquid converts their energy into heat. The T is chemically bonded, the heat of reaction is distributed over the liquid and becomes by means of Heat conduction through the thin, elastic titanium or non-woven wall-11 transferred to the surrounding jacket of liquid lithium, 13, from where it via the tubes 15 to the heat exchanger (not shown) to generate steam to operate the! turbo generator (not shown) is used. After the micro-explosion becomes the discharge channel 9 erased by the "surrounding fluid, created Bubbles rise to the top. A new work cycle can take place after a few seconds. During the micro-explosion, the primary neutrons flying away from the discharge channel in the surrounding area

LiD -, _ T suprathermal "■ -. Start chain reactions. Use of beryllium electrodes increases" the neutron yield, but the reaction chains die quickly: from _y so that there is no risk of the LiD ₁ T mass becoming supercritical. .

Unlike the previous application 23 29 409.9, the / TSl _r ii el; is before compression of the pl ??. for «p. in an externally generated or thermally decomposed tenjifS-T-Gashlare is no longer required here. The plasma is now heated

■ ': by current flow in a thermally preformed, narrow Discharge channel. The structural arrangement of the reactor is / eclocl the same.

This is followed by a more detailed exercise that goes into detail Description of the invention;

To solve the world energy crisis, the solution of the PrcVlema the · technical nuclear fusion, whereby the almost unerrc Reserve of deuterium (every 7000th hydrogen atom is De can be made available for combustion to helium by of utmost importance, especially because the file is not radioactive Waste is created. One liter of natural water contains f Energy like 300 liters of gasoline. .

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! • 'ujt el or to of billions, of control fields have been carried out since 1956 for the purpose of solving the problem. However, the Gr o;? Experiments carried out were unsuccessful. Even if nuclear fusions of usable intensity had been obtained, practical exploitation would have failed because these machines were caused by the strong I; Eutr on discharge in a very short period of time would be unusable, and that the heat of reaction could not have been usefully removed. An overview of the work carried out can be found in the following publications: "Prospects of Fusion Power", by RF Post, Physics Today, April 1973 page 31, "The Prospects of Fusion Porar", by IV. C. Gough and P. J. Sastlund, Scientific American £ _24? February 1973 page 50, "The Promise of 'Controlled Fusion", from RG Kills, IEBE Spectrum, November 1971 page 24, "Outlook for Controlled Fusion Power ¹¹ , from RL Tuck, Nature 233-29 October 1971, page 593 , "Controlled Nuclear Fusion: Status and Outlook", by DJ Rose, Science 172, Kai 1972 page 797, "Fusion by Laser", by KJ Lubin and AP Fraas, Scientific American 224 , June 1971 page 21, and " Controlled Therraonuclear Reaction s ", by S. Glass tone and R-F. Lovberg, Van liostrand Reinhold Co, '1960. ·

As already stated in my German patent 1 022 711 from 1956, neutron damage in the vessel walls of the nuclear fusion reactor can be avoided by covering the solid, load-bearing walls with a thick layer of a neutron-absorbing liquid, whereby the Neutrons can no longer reach the solid walls, the shock waves from the explosion are dampened, and the reaction heat can be bound and fed to the connected heat engine. At that time it was planned to use molten metals as liquids. In my previous patent application 23 29 4C9.9 of June 1973, it was proposed for the first time that the liquid was not molten metal but the poorly conductive, molten salt Litbium-Deuterid-Tritid LiD ₁ , T (C <x <0. ^< 3) ( beginnings only

JL-X X

LiD which enriches itself with tritium when the reactor is operated *), as it ideally meets many requirements; Its melting point is about 7CO ⁰ C. It does not become dangerously radioactive by neutrons. It changes! Neutrons by means of nuclear

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cleavage of Li into tritium, with energy gain. (Tritium does not occur naturally and is extremely desirable, since the fusion reaction DT has a much higher capture cross-section than the reaction DD (this has been known since 1938 °) and has a significantly lower ignition temperature for nuclear fusion Te: n ^! 'Ti-- t (6.10 ⁰ C).) In nuclear fusion plasma, the presence of the triply charged lithium nucleus is preferable to the presence of any other metal nucleus with a higher charge, since the cooling of the fusion plasma by bremsstrahlung increases with the square of the atomic number and is very undesirable. Furthermore, the property of the LiD bezv /. LiD, T, a non-conductor or a weak] onenconductor, the local heating by strong currents, v / as would not be possible with metallic liquids.

Around the stoichiometric or even anion-rich Zusarrmensetzimg the melt, and dG.mit, ährleinten their low conductivity to ge ^, a deuterium atmosphere must be maintained above the melt v / ground. The property of each ion conductor that its conductivity increases exponentially with the temperature is used in the reactor according to the invention to prepare the conductivity channel 9 between the electrodes 5 and 7. For this purpose, high-frequency alternating current is coupled to the electrodes 5 and 7 via the coupling capacitors 53 and the supply lines 55. Due to the well-known constrictor effect, the flow of current is concentrated in a filament, which is heated by a stnrk. The main discharge follows this pre-formed path - sideways evasion is not possible as the surrounding fluid exerts corrective pressure.

After each discharge, the overheated discharge kaiiol disappears without a trace in the surrounding liquid and can be reshaped before the next work cycle. This can be infinitely often zoret-runr-sfrej happen and forms the basis of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, is the reaction chamber 3 filled with liquid LiD, T in the center of a? large concentric plate capacitor 1. A concentric Plattcnkondens'-tor was -fe-.v & keeps because it the lowest-möglicho Indu: ^TIVIT: '' i * owns and can be discharged in the shortest time thus, making the recoverable noraentane current at The maximum diameter of the capacitor for a desired development

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1 microsecond is about 25 m because of the chip mine wave traveling at the speed of light. Plei-lanthanum-zirconate-titanate (abbreviated to PLZT), which is known from Blektro-Cptik and has a static dielectric constant of 5000 in a well-known Kcirrpositionsbereich, was chosen as the dielectric. Its dynamic dielectric constant, which is important for the rapid discharge process of the capacitor, is only 10. The thickness of the dielectric was assumed to be 1 cm so that it can withstand the load of 100 OCO volts breakdown free. Folded PLZI panels 19 that fit together like shingles can be made by hot pressing and sintering. They are metallized on both sides and conductively connected to one another at the joints by soldered-on metal strips 21. The joints are filled with a high DK ceramic cement. With these plates it is easier to build a concentric capacitor instead of a circular plate capacitor, with strips of the same width running in a star shape towards the center large-area contacts: · 27 connected he also looks on it. Figure. 2). - - ■. To avoid short circuits, the outer reaction chamber 3.3 and the inner chamber wall 11 are separated from the electrodes "5" and through Kerainik molded pieces 35 (e.g. made of hot-pressed BeO because of its resistance to "lithium corrosion" and its neutron multiplication). electrically insulated, with suitably shaped flanges ensuring that the liquids cannot escape through joints «

The connection 11 of the inner _{chamber 3, which is filled with LiD 1} T ', is made of thin sheet metal, in which grooves and folds are pressed as far as possible so that this vessel can withstand the explosion waves that occur during a spring working cycle and are connected to the outer lithium Kantel 13 can pass. Note that the explosive force of any micro-explosion is equivalent to that of one kilogram of TNT. Ti, Zr, V, Ta, W withstand chemical attack from hot liquid LiD of all Xietalles coming in Frii-e (see, see B., Report ANL-8001 "A Reyjev / of the Gheirdcal, Physical ψ $ αψ? ψ? ηηξψ *** ¹⁶ * ' ^{Ot τ ±} ^ ^{ΛνΜΊ11ι & 1ί Are}

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Related to Its Use in Fusion Reactors ", by V. A. Maroni et al, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois, Karch 1973)

and have high stability against neutron damage. (Neutrons destroy the lattice order of crystals). The outer lathium lantern 3 3 catches the remaining neutrons, which were not absorbed in the inner vessel 3 and is the last barrier against the explosion waves. He is therefore from surrounded by the solid wall 33, which is made of stainless steel. the The heating above the melting point of the LiD, which is necessary before the reactor is started up, takes place by means of the heating device 37.

The discharge electrodes 5 and 7 are made to the thick retailst "ben of Mo or Nb, but also from Be. You can" inside displaceable thinner bars 39 i also "containing from other material, in particular of .Beryllium. Be is a Neutronenvervielfacher. Yieiw . be. is hit by a neutron, creates two neutrons, and the loading is divided into two helium nuclei. ■ Thus, the inevitable cooling of the plasma to the cold electrodes-in "is converted to an advantage.

MeNaIIy finds that a fusion reactor based on jDiD is subcritical because the chain reactions die out after a few stages (UcNally, Jr., Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, Conference Paper 730302-2: "Nuclear Fusion Chain Reaction Applications in Physics and Astrophysics ", 1972). An amplification by BeNeutrons is therefore possible without going into the supercritical area to guess.

The discharge switch 41, which initiates the capacitor discharge, can consist of an Ignitron or a Spark-Gap, such as B. by E. L. Kemp in IEEE Trans. Nuclear Science NS-20, page 446, Depicted February 1973. However, as already described in my DRP 1 022 711 from 1956, it can also go through from one compressed helium 43 moving Ketallsternpel 45 exist, the quickly driven into a vessel 49 filled with liquid gallium 47 "v / ird as illustrated in FIG.

The uppermost space of the reaction vessel 3 contains a Deuterium bubble 51, as a result of which the melt is prevented from becoming excess lithium and thus electronically semiconducting.

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The formation of the initial conductivity channel 9 in the LiD- ^ T ^ -liquid 3 between the electrodes 5 and 7 occurs through local overheating by means of combined high-frequency inductors and ohmic heating. Before each work cycle, high-frequency is generated by a high-frequency generator (e.g. 5 KV, 10 Hz, not / always shown in the figures) is applied to the electrodes 5 and 7 via the coupling capacitors 53 and leads 55. The time required for local heating is much longer than that required for capacitor discharge, on the order of a tenth of a second. First, a bulging volume between the electrodes is heated by high frequency, then the energy flow contracts to the hotter and conductive cylindrical core until finally , a very conductive / straight thread from electrode to electrode has emerged. The liquid in this thread is about 150 ° C. hotter than the surrounding liquid, which is kept only slightly above the melting point of the LiD ₁ T. During the capacitor discharge, more than one megajoule of electrical energy is released, and about ten times as much Fusion energy .. the volume of the liquid-filled reaction chamber must therefore be at least 1 m be so that an overall temperature increase of only a few hundred degrees appears after each cycle at temperatures above 1000 ⁰ C, the liquid LiD begins to foam and to boil, which must be avoided. . Maximum temperatures are only permissible near the discharge channel, not in the total volume. By means of turbulent convection and heat conduction, the liquid is cooled through the surrounding lithium jacket to the starting temperature before each new work cycle. For this purpose, the liquid lithium 13 must be cooled by means of motor pumps, cannot be circulated through the heat exchanger by natural convection.

During the main discharge, the flow of current is concentrated in a narrow channel partly due to external pressure from the expanding liquid, partly due to self-constriction due to its own magnetic field. The harmful Z-pinch, which interferes with gas discharges, cannot occur here because of the guidance through the liquid walls. ' Because of the enormously high pressure and the consequent high particle density (estimated at 10 7 cm) the free ^v ; erV ' ^: nc.e is small, so that cooling by contact with the cold electrodes is not possible

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It should also be noted that the fusion reactor according to the invention automatically the electrical energy required for its operation recovers, at least with the efficiency of the connected turbo generator system (about 30 ^).

The only difference between the present application and the pure previous application 23-29409.9 is that the heating of the plasma in a round gas bubble, which was either injected from the outside or formed by thermal decomposition , is replaced by current heating in a channel. Furthermore, it is now mentioned for the first time that an increased heat generation can be achieved by additional suprathermal chain fusing reactions in the surrounding LiD ₁ T, since the neutrons produced in the discharge channel can act as heads of reaction chains between Li, D and T, as "already by Ulrich : .Jet.ter 1950 has been recognized ("The so-called Superbombe", by Ulrich'Jetter, Physikalische Blätter £, 199 (1950), see page 203 'r fcestä-tigi; by MeNaIIy in the article "Nuclear Fusion"., Enzyclopediä of Chemistry , - Tan-Nostrg. and Co, 1973).

However, since the der.-amplification factor is less than 1, a LiD, T fusion reactor cannot explode.

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Claims (9)

Claims: '' · 1) \ Pulsating nuclear fusion reactor for the production of usable electrical energy by converting deuterium and lithium to helium, in which the fusion conditions by a short, strong capacitor discharge current can be generated, which from electrode to electrode along a preformed Conductivity path in molten lithium deuterotritide LiD-J ^ _x I _x ((Xx-CO.9) flows, and in which the neutrons generated in the high temperature high pressure plasma are captured by the surrounding liquid wall with the generation of tritium and short DT-Li chain reactions without being destroyed. ef4 ίκ., u- ^ ct dte explosion shock wave dampened and the reaction heat bound and dissipated by convection and heat conduction to the heat engine., 2) nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 1, characterized in - that that the current path in the. LiD, T liquid for each subsequent Micro-explosion is re-formed by a "deiL" main discharge previous alternating current surge between the electrodes, whereby a conductivity channel develops through local heating and constriction which the main stream follows. 3) Nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the LiD ₁ T liquid in the discharge channel is ohmically heated by current flow, electrothermally decomposed, ionized, converted into a plasma and further heated and thereby. »Becomes more and more conductive that the current channel contracted by its own magnetic field, and that the kinking (kink effect), which is disturbing during gas discharges, is prevented here by the surrounding liquid-gaseous wall. 4) Nuclear fusion reactor according to one or more of claims 1-3, characterized in that the walls of the Entladun ^ skanalte consist of the same chemical elements as the Entladungsplssma, namely ⁶ LiD ₁ T, so that the gases escaping from the wall are not heavy Contain foreign atoms that could cool the plasma down. 509818 / 008S 5) nuclear fusion reactor according to one or more of claims 1 out 4, characterized in that the discharge channel in which the micro-explosion takes place is chemically dissolved and thermally homogenized _{by the surrounding LiD 1 T liquid after each work cycle.} 6) nuclear fusion reactor according to one or more of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the neutrons produced in the discharge channel in the surrounding% ± Ώ _Ί T liquid are used with high efficiency to breed new tritium, which can then take part in the next work cycle, and daP. the neutrons can trigger short DT-Li chain reactions that generate further heat. 7) nuclear fusion reactor according to one or more of claims 1-6, characterized in that the electrode rods contain beryllium, either as an additional alloy or as a replacement. Core ^ so that impacting neutrons on the electrodes are multiplied, with no harmful radioactive waste products develop. 8) nuclear fusion reactor according to one or more of claims 1-7, characterized in that the concentric plate capacitor, in the center of which the discharges take place, does not turn off consists of circular plates, but of plates with radially converging tracks towards the center. 9) nuclear fuBions reactor according to one or more of claims 1-8, characterized in that the dielectric of the plate capacitor consists of interlocking ceramic individual plates 'Material of very high DK, such as Pb-La-zirconate-titanate. 509818/0086 BAD ORiCHMAl