A fusion reactor has a vacuum chamber maintaining a deep vacuum. A first ion beam and a second ion beam are directed within an active space along a first path and a second path, respectively. Each ion beam has essentially uniform energies of ions within each ion beam, and essentially uniform velocity vectors of ions within each beam at points within each path of each respective ion beam. The first and the second ion beams are caused to collide substantially head-on with each other within a reaction zone in the active space, where the ratio of the energy of the ions of the first beam to the energy of the ions of the second beam equals the inverse ratio of the respective ion masses. Energy of the scattered ions of the first ion beam and the second ion beam is recovered, and cold ions are evacuated from the active space.

A device for creating an environment in which fusion can occur is provided. In its most basic embodiment, the present invention comprises two opposing cathodes separated from each other by a gap. An anode is positioned outside of the gap on a horizontal plane from the vertically positioned cathodes. This cathode and anode structure is positioned within a chamber with a vacuum drawn. Into the chamber, a quantity of fuel such as hydrogen, deuterium, and/or tritium fuel may be introduced. Upon application of a current to the system, ions will be retained in orbit about the cathodes, creating a plasma.

The present invention relates to a system for a system for generating energetic particles including a device for generating an ion beam comprising a first group of atomic nuclei, and a condensed matter medium comprising a second group of atomic nuclei. The ion beam is configured to interact with the condensed matter medium so that some atomic nuclei of the first group of atomic nuclei are implanted into the condensed matter medium and undergo a first nuclear reaction thereby releasing a first energy. The ion beam is further configured to generate high-frequency phonons in the condensed matter medium. The high-frequency phonons are configured to interact with the second group of atomic nuclei and affect nuclear states of the second group of atomic nuclei by transferring the first energy of the first group of atomic nuclei to the second group of atomic nuclei and causing the second group of atomic nuclei to undergo a second nuclear reaction and emit energetic particles.

An apparatus and method for sourcing nuclear fusion products uses an electrochemical loading process to load low-kinetic-energy (low-k) light element particles into a target electrode, which comprises a light-element-absorbing material (e.g., Palladium). An electrolyte solution containing the low-k light element particles is maintained in contact with a backside surface of the target electrode while a bias voltage is applied between the target electrode and an electrochemical anode, thereby causing low-k light element particles to diffuse from the backside surface to an opposing frontside surface of the target electrode. High-kinetic-energy (high-k) light element particles are directed against the frontside, thereby causing fusion reactions each time a high-k light element particle operably collides with a low-k light element particle disposed on the frontside surface. Fusion reaction rates are controlled by adjusting the bias voltage.

Systems and methods utilizing successive, axially symmetric acceleration and adiabatic compression stages to heat and accelerate two compact tori towards each other and ultimately collide and compress the compact tori within a central chamber. Alternatively, systems and methods utilizing successive, axially asymmetric acceleration and adiabatic compression stages to heat and accelerate a first compact toroid towards and position within a central chamber and to heat and accelerate a second compact toroid towards the central chamber and ultimately collide and merge the first and second compact toroids and compress the compact merge tori within the central chamber.

The present disclosure is directed to a device and method which generate heat and electrical power by controlling the density, focus, and speed of an ion beam from a low-power plasma in a plasma chamber from which the ion beam is extracted into a reaction chamber. This optionally enriches a target into a target hydride to initiate and sustain heat and optionally a cold fusion reaction in said target, recovering heat energy from said reaction to provide heating, and/or to generate electrical power. This optionally replenishes the target with additional ionic fuel and/or deposits additional target material when additional heat is not required, whilst during heating and optional enrichment/deposition and cold fusion cycles extracting excess fuel from the chambers to recombine if necessary with any fuel byproduct from the source fuel to then reuse as source fuel.

A nuclear fusion system includes: a muon generation unit for generating negative muons; a gas supply unit for circulating and supplying gaseous deuterium or gaseous deuterium-tritium mixture as raw material gas for a nuclear fusion reaction; and a Laval nozzle for accelerating the raw material gas to supersonic velocity including a flow regulation portion in which the muons are decelerated and a reaction portion in which the nuclear fusion reaction occurs, wherein an oblique shockwave, which is generated as a result of collision of a shock wave generator arranged inside the reaction portion and the raw material gas accelerated to supersonic velocity, converges on a center axis of the Laval nozzle, and thereby a high-density gas target is retained in a gas phase, and wherein the muons are introduced into the high-density gas target, and thereby the nuclear fusion reaction is caused to occur.

A controlled fusion process is provided that can produce a sustained series of fusion reactions: a process that (i) uses a substantially higher reactant density of the deuterium and tritium gases by converging cationic reactants into the higher reaction density at a target cathode rather than relying on random collisions, the converging producing a substantially higher rate of fusion and energy production; (ii) uses a substantially lower input of energy to initiate the fusion; (iii) can be cycled at a substantially higher cycle frequency; (iv) has a practical heat exchange method; (v) is substantially less costly to manufacture, operate, and maintain; and, (vi) has a substantially improved reaction efficiency as a result of not mixing reactants with products.

A controlled fusion process is provided that can produce a sustained series of fusion reactions: a process that (i) uses a substantially higher reactant density of the deuterium and tritium gases by converging cationic reactants into the higher reaction density at a target cathode rather than relying on random collisions, the converging producing a substantially higher rate of fusion and energy production; (ii) uses a substantially lower input of energy to initiate the fusion; (iii) can be cycled at a substantially higher cycle frequency; (iv) has a practical heat exchange method; (v) is substantially less costly to manufacture, operate, and maintain; and, (vi) has a substantially improved reaction efficiency as a result of not mixing reactants with products.

A portable neutron generating system for SNM inspection that includes charge storage device configured to store a high voltage electrical charge and a controller to selectively electrically connect the charge to a plasma generator. The plasma generator is configured to generate a plasma, which in turn generates neutrons, in response to the electrical charge being provided to the plasma generator. A high voltage switch is located between the charge storage device and the plasma generator and is configured to electrically discharge the high voltage charge on the charge storage device to the plasma generator. The plasma generator is removably attachable to the portable neutron generating system such that it may be easily removed from the portable neutron generating system when the gas inside the plasma generator is at end of life and a refreshed plasma generator easily connected to the portable neutron generating system.