Provided are apparatuses and methods for providing power to a fission-type nuclear power plant by a reactor with a confining wall at least partially enclosing a confinement region within which charged particles and neutrals can rotate. A plurality of electrodes is adjacent or proximate to the confinement region. A control system having a voltage source applies an electric potential between the plurality of electrodes to generate an electric field within the confinement region to induce rotational movement of the charged particles and the neutrals therein. A reactant is disposed in the confinement region. Repeated collisions between the neutrals and the reactant produce energy and a product having a nuclear mass that is different from a nuclear mass of the nuclei of the neutrals and the reactant. The energy dissipates from the reactor to provide power to the fission-type nuclear power plant.

Provided are apparatuses and methods for providing power to a fission-type nuclear power plant by a reactor with a confining wall at least partially enclosing a confinement region within which charged particles and neutrals can rotate. A plurality of electrodes is adjacent or proximate to the confinement region. A control system having a voltage source applies an electric potential between the plurality of electrodes to generate an electric field within the confinement region to induce rotational movement of the charged particles and the neutrals therein. A reactant is disposed in the confinement region. Repeated collisions between the neutrals and the reactant produce energy and a product having a nuclear mass that is different from a nuclear mass of the nuclei of the neutrals and the reactant. The energy dissipates from the reactor to provide power to the fission-type nuclear power plant.

A device comprising a high temperature superconductor, HTS, circuit; wherein the HTS circuit comprises: a quenchable section comprising HTS material and connected in series to other elements of the HTS circuit, the HTS material comprising a stack of HTS takes comprising at least one HTS tape; the device further comprising: a quenching system configured to quench the HTS material in the quenchable section; a quench protection system configured to detect temperature rises in the HTS circuit and, in response to detection of a temperature rise, cause the quenching system to quench the superconducting material in the quenchable section in order to dump stored magnetic energy from the HTS circuit into the quenchable section; wherein the HTS circuit is configured such that, when in use, the magnetic field on the or each HTS tape is substantially parallel to a a-b plane of the HTS tape, and the quenching system is configured to quench the HTS material by producing an additional magnetic field along the length of the or each HTS tape within the quenchable section, such that the additional magnetic field has a component perpendicular to the a-b plane of the HTS tape.

A tokamak fusion reactor. The tokamak fusion reactor comprises a toroidal plasma chamber and a plasma confinement system arranged to generate a magnetic field for confining a plasma in the plasma chamber. The plasma confinement system comprises toroidal field magnets, which generate a magnetic field, B.sub.T0, in the centre of the plasma. The toroidal field magnets are configured such that, in use, the magnetic field, on conductor of the toroidal field magnets is at least 20 Tesla. The plasma confinement system is configured such that, in use, the plasma has: an aspect ratio, A, of 2 or less; an elongation, K, of at least 2; a major radius R.sub.0 of 3.5 meters or less; a normalised beta of at least 3; an engineering safety factor, q.sub.eng, of at least 2.0; wherein the engineering safety factor q.sub.eng is defined as: g.sub.eng=5 B.sub.T0R.sub.0K/A.sup.2I.sub.P where I.sub.p is the plasma current; a ratio of the fusion gain, Q.sub.fus to the fusion power, P.sub.fus, greater than 0.03 MW.sup.−1 at fusion power, P.sub.fus, less than 500 MW.

Systems, devices, and methods for generating an orbital confinement fusion reaction are described. An orbital confinement fusion device can include a cathodic inner electrode defining a longitudinal axis of the device. The inner electrode can include an emitter material. The orbital confinement fusion device can include an anodic outer electrode, concentric with the longitudinal axis and defining a chamber between the inner electrode and the outer electrode. The orbital confinement fusion device can also include a plurality of magnetic field generators disposed in a coaxial arrangement relative to the longitudinal axis. The plurality of magnetic field generators can be configured to form a magnetic field parallel to the longitudinal axis in the chamber.

Systems, devices, and methods for generating an orbital confinement fusion reaction are described. An orbital confinement fusion device can include a cathodic inner electrode defining a longitudinal axis of the device. The inner electrode can include an emitter material. The orbital confinement fusion device can include an anodic outer electrode, concentric with the longitudinal axis and defining a chamber between the inner electrode and the outer electrode. The orbital confinement fusion device can also include a plurality of magnetic field generators disposed in a coaxial arrangement relative to the longitudinal axis. The plurality of magnetic field generators can be configured to form a magnetic field parallel to the longitudinal axis in the chamber.

A superconducting magnet for producing part of a substantially toroidal field in a device is described. The magnet comprises: a set of conductors comprising one or more first conductors (31f) and one or more second conductors (32f), and a set of joints (33). Each of the joints (33) connects a region of a first conductor (31f) with a region of a second conductor (32f) to form a series of alternating first and second conductors corresponding to at least part of a winding of the magnet. Each of the joints (33) is positioned away from a midplane of the toroidal field. The joints (33) are positioned on alternating sides of the midplane. Each first conductor (3 If) passes through the midplane at a smaller distance from an axis of rotation of the toroidal field than does each second conductor (32f). Each of the regions is elongate and extends in a direction at least partly away from the midplane.

A method of controlling a plasma in a nuclear fusion reactor. The nuclear fusion reactor comprises sensors and plasma control inputs. An initial control model is provided, relating readings of at least a subset of the sensors to control of the plasma control inputs. A control loop is performed, comprising: operating the plasma control inputs in dependence upon the sensors according to the control model; determining correlations between readings of each of the sensors, and/or between readings of the sensors and states of the plasma control inputs; and adjusting the control model based on the determined correlations.

Methods, apparatuses, devices, and systems for producing and controlling and fusion activities of nuclei. Hydrogen atoms or other neutral species (neutrals) are induced to rotational motion in a confinement region as a result of ion-neutral coupling, in which ions are driven by electric fields. The controlled fusion activities cover a spectrum of reactions including aneutronic reactions such as proton-boron-11 fusion reactions.

Methods, apparatuses, devices, and systems for producing and controlling and fusion activities of nuclei. Hydrogen atoms or other neutral species (neutrals) are induced to rotational motion in a confinement region as a result of ion-neutral coupling, in which ions are driven by electric fields. The controlled fusion activities cover a spectrum of reactions including aneutronic reactions such as proton-boron-11 fusion reactions.