Patent Number: H00009369
Section: claims

1. In a stellarator fusion reactor having a fusion plasma in thermal balance disposed therein and external toroidal magnetic field coils and helical stabilizing coils said fusion plasma including alpha-particles and occupying a volume V.sub.0 and said magnetic field coils producing a toroidal confining magnetic field, a method of generating electricity in said external toroidal magnetic fields coil from the energy of said alpha particles, (a) compressing said plasma adiabatically to a volume V.sub.1 ;  (b) maintaining the volume of said compressed plasma at said volume V.sub.1 for a time substantially equal to a thermal relaxation time, such that the temperature of said plasma is driven up by thermonuclear alpha-particle heating thereby providing a heated plasma; and  (c) expanding said heated plasma to said volume V.sub.0 and simultaneously generating, electrical energy in said external toroidal field coils by a back-voltage produced by said expanding plasma.  (a) compressing said plasma adiabatically to a volume V.sub.1 ;  (b) expanding said compressed plasma, at constant pressure, to a volume V.sub.2 at which .beta.=.beta..sub.c, said volume V.sub.2 being greater than V.sub.1 and less than V.sub.0, such that temperature of said plasma is driven up by thermonuclear alpha-particle heating thereby providing a heated plasma; and  (c) expanding said heated plasma from said volume V.sub.2 to said volume V.sub.0, said .beta. remaining at a value equal to .beta..sub.c ;  whereby electrical energy is simultaneously generated in said external toroidal magnetic field coils by a back-voltage produced by said expanding plasma.  (a) compressing the plasma in said first reactor adiabatically to a volume V.sub.1 ;  (b) maintaining the volume of said compressed plasma in said first reactor at said volume V.sub.1 for a time substantially equal to a thermal relaxation time, such that the temperature of said plasma is driven up by thermonuclear alpha-particle heating thereby providing a heated plasma;  (c) expanding said heated plasma in said first reactor to said volume V.sub.0 and simultaneously generating electrical energy in said external toroidal magnetic field coils of said first reactor by a back-voltage produced by said expanding plasma;  (d) transferring a portion of said generated electrical energy to said second stellarator reactor in an amount sufficient to compress the plasma in said second reactor to a volume V.sub.1 ;  (e) compressing the plasma in said second reactor adiabatically to a volume V.sub.1 ;  (f) maintaining the volume of said plasma in said second reactor at said volume V.sub.1, for a time substantially equal to a thermal relaxation time, such that the temperature of said plasma is driven up by thermonuclear alpha-particle heating thereby providing a heated plasma, while maintaining the volume of said plasma in said first reactor at said volume V.sub.0 ; and  (g) expanding said heated plasma in said second reactor to said volume V.sub.0 and simultaneously generating electrical energy in said external toroidal magnetic field coils of said second reactor by a back-voltage produced by said expanding plasma.  transferring a portion of the electrical energy generated in said second reactor external toroidal magnetic field coils to said first reactor in an amount sufficient to compress the plasma in said first reaction to a volume V.sub.1.  (a) toroidal vacuum vessel having a fusion plasma disposed therein, said plasma including alpha-particles;  (b) helical magnetic stabilizing coils disposed about said vacuum vessel;  (c) external toroidal magnetic confining field coils disposed about said vacuum vessel;  (d) means for generating a current through said toroidal coils;  (e) means for compressing said plasma;  (f) means for maintaining the volume of said compressed plasma constant, said means operable to maintain said compressed volume for a time substantially equal to a thermal relaxation time;  (g) means for expanding said plasma; and  (h) means for transmitting current from said toroidal coils generated by said plasma.  (a) a first toroidal vacuum vessel, said vacuum vessel having a fusion plasma disposed therein, said fusion plasma including alpha-particles;  (b) A first set of helical magnetic stabilizing coils disposed about said first toroidal vacuum vessel;  (c) a first set of external toroidal magnetic coils disposed about said first toroidal vacuum vessel, said first set of toroidal coils operable to generate a magnetic field, to confine and compress said plasma, when an electric current is passed therethrough;  (d) means for generating a current through said first set of toroidal coils;  (e) means for transmitting electrical current, generated by said plasma, from said first set of toroidal coils;  (f) a second toroidal vacuum vessel, said vacuum vessel having a fusion plasma disposed therein, said fusion plasma including alpha-particles;  (g) a second set of helical magnetic stabilizing coils disposed about said second toroidal vacuum vessel;  (h) a second set of external toroidal magnetic coils disposed about said second toroidal vacuum vessel, said second set of toroidal coils operable to generate a magnetic field, to confine and compress said plasma, when an electric current is passed therethrough;  (i) means for transmitting electric current, generated by said plasma, from said second set of toroidal coils;  (j) means for transferring electrical current from said first set of toroidal coils to said second set of toroidal coils.  (k) means for transferring electric current from said second set of toroidals coils to said first set of toroidal coils. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of compressing said plasma is performed by increasing the toroidal confining magnetic field produced by said toroidal magnetic field coils. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of maintaining the volume of said compressed plasma is performed by further increasing the toroidal confining magnetic field produced by said toroidal magnetic field coils. 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of expanding said compressed plasma is performed by reducing the toroidal confining magnetic field produced by said toroidal magnetic field coils. 5. The method of claim 4 wherein said method is repeated cyclically. 6. In a stellarator fusion reactor having a fusion plasma in thermal balance disposed therein and external magnetic field coils and helical stabilizing coils said fusion plasma including alpha-particles and occupying a volume V.sub.0 and said external toroidal magnetic field coils producing as toroidal confining magnetic field, a method of generating electricity in said external toroidal magnetic field coils from the energy of said alpha particles, said method comprising the steps of: 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of compressing said plasma is performed by increasing the toroidal confining magnetic field produced by said toroidal magnetic field coils. 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of expanding said compressed plasma at constant pressure is performed by reducing the toroidal confining magnetic field produced by said toroidal magnetic field coils at a rate sufficient to maintain said plasma at a constant pressure. 9. In a stellarator fusion reactor system having a first and a second stellarator reactor, each of said first and second stellarator reactors having a fusion plasma disposed therein and external toroidal magnetic field coils and stabilizing helical coils, said fusion plasma including alpha-particles and occupying a volume V.sub.0 and said toroidal magnetic field coils producing a toroidal confining magnetic field, a method of generating electricity in said external toroidal magnetic field coils from the energy of said alpha-particles, said method comprising: 10. The method of claim 9 further including the steps of: 11. The method of claim 10 wherein said method is repeated cyclically. 12. The method of claim 11 wherein steps (a) and (e) are performed by increasing the toroidal confining magnetic field produced by said first and said second reactor toroidal magnetic field coils. 13. The method of claim 12 wherein steps (b) and (f) are performed by further increasing the toroidal confining magnetic field produced by said first and said second reactor toroidal magnetic field coils. 14. The method of claim 13 wherein steps (c) and (g) are performed by reducing the toroidal confining magnetic field produced by said first and said second reactor toroidal magnetic field coils. 15. A magnetic confinement fusion reactor for generating electricity comprising: 16. The reactor of claim 15 wherein said means for compressing said plasma comprises means for increasing the current through said toroidal coils. 17. The reactor of claim 16 wherein said means for maintaining the volume of said compressed plasma comprises means for further increasing the current through said toroidal coils. 18. The reactor of claim 17 wherein the means for expanding said plasma comprising means for reducing the current through said toroidal coils. 19. An electric current generating system comprising: