MUON-CATALYZED CONTROLLED FUSION ELECTRICITY-GENERATING APPARATUS AND METHOD

Abstract

A turbine generator for producing electricity is described for use on planets and moons, or corresponding planetary or lunar orbits, where magnetic fields and atmospheres are sufficient low to obtain an adequate ambient flux of cosmic rays and muons for useful micro-fusion. A source of deuterium-containing micro-fusion particle fuel material is supplied via a flue to a columnar reaction volume, where it is dispersed and interacts with incoming cosmic rays and muons. Nuclear micro-fusion products (energetic alpha particles) drive a set of helium-wind turbines arranged around the reaction volume. Electrical generators coupled to the turbines generate electricity to supply nearby habitats and equipment.

Claims

1. A micro-fusion-driven turbine generator for producing electricity in the presence of ambient flux of cosmic rays and muons, comprising: a source of deuterium-containing micro-fusion particle fuel material; a reaction volume; a flue coupled to the source and reaction volume for dispersing fuel material into the reaction volume; a set of helium-wind turbines arranged around the reaction volume, wherein cosmic rays and muons entering the volume interact with the dispersed fuel material to cause nuclear micro-fusion events, kinetic-energy containing micro-fusion products driving the helium-wind turbines; and a set of electrical generators coupled to the respective helium-wind turbines to convert mechanical motion of the driven turbines into electricity.

2. The generator as in claim 1, wherein the deuterium-containing fuel material comprises Li.sup.6D.

3. The generator as in claim 1, wherein the deuterium-containing fuel material comprises D.sub.2O.

4. The generator as in claim 1, wherein the deuterium-containing fuel material comprises D.sub.2.

5. The generator as in claim 1, wherein the deuterium-containing fuel material is in solid powder form.

6. The generator as in claim 1, wherein the deuterium-containing fuel material is in pellet or chip form.

7. The generator as in claim 1, wherein the deuterium-containing fuel material is in frozen form.

8. The generator as in claim 1, wherein the deuterium-containing fuel material is in liquid droplet form.

9. The generator as in claim 1, wherein the deuterium-containing fuel material also contains up to 20% by weight of added particles of fine sand or dust.

10. The generator as in claim 1, wherein the reaction volume is a cylinder with an opening at one end to receive the cosmic rays and muons.

11. The generator as in claim 10, wherein the turbines are arranged radially around the circumference of the cylinder reaction volume.

12. The generator as in claim 10, wherein turbines are stacked vertically in multiple layers along a length of the cylinder reaction volume.

13. The generator as in claim 1, wherein one or more fans are provided in the reaction volume to maintain the dispersed fuel material in suspension within the reaction volume.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a micro-fusion-driven turbine generator apparatus supplying electricity to planetary or lunar habitats.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a micro-fusion-driven turbine generator apparatus in accord with the present invention, shown operating on the surface of a moon or planet other than Earth.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the reaction volume of the turbine generator apparatus of FIG. 2 showing an arrangement of turbines and generators circumferentially around a reaction volume.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a side plan view of the reaction volume of a turbine generator apparatus as in FIG. 2, but with turbines and generators in a vertically stacked arrangement along a length of the reaction volume.

[0016] FIG. 5 is a graph of cosmic ray flux at the Earth surface versus cosmic ray energy, after very significant cosmic ray absorption by Earth's atmosphere has occurred.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] FIG. 1 shows a turbine electric generator apparatus 11 located outside of an arrangement of habitats 22 and 25 on a planetary or lunar surface, where generators are powered by reaction of ambient cosmic rays and muons with a dispersed cloud of micro-fusion fuel within a reaction volume of the apparatus 11. Electrical power lines 18 lead from the generator apparatus 11 to the various habitats. Some habitats might be underground, as in habitat 22, which might be accessible via a stairwell 23. Electrical power lines 18 could feed electricity to the habitat 22 via conduits along the same access column that supports the stairwell. Other habitats might be above ground, as in habitat 25, powered by electricity supplied via external power lines 18. In accord with the invention, the generator apparatus 11 has turbines driven by fast helium nuclei micro-fusion products generated from dispersed lithium-6 deuteride or other deuterium-containing micro-fusion target material exposed to the cosmic rays and muons.

[0018] With reference to FIG. 2, micro-fusion-driven turbine generators, when in the presence of sufficient ambient flux of cosmic rays and muons, provides electricity to one or more planetary, lunar, or orbital habitats. Specifically, in a generator assembly 11 includes a source 10 of deuterium-containing micro-fusion particle fuel material 12. This material could be blown 13 through a flue 14, e.g. by means of a fan at the source 10 or by other means, depending on the form that the fuel material takes, and dispersed from the flue 14 into a reaction volume 15. The micro-fusion target fuel material 13 is dispersed in proximity to turbines 16 arranged around the reaction volume 15, and then exposed to ambient cosmic rays 19 and muons that enters the volume 15 and interacts with the dispersed fuel material 13 to cause nuclear micro-fusion events. A wind of micro-fusion products made up of energetic helium (alpha products) impinge upon and direct kinetic energy to the turbine blades 16 to turn the turbines and drive the associated generators 17 to produce electricity which can then be supplied via electric cables 18 to the habitats and other equipment. A set of one or more fans 20 in the reaction volume 15 may help keep the fuel material in suspension near the turbines 16.

[0019] As seen in FIG. 3, the turbines 16 may be arranged around the circumference of the reaction volume 15, which can be cylindrical or any other equivalent columnar shape. While typically four in number, there can anywhere from as few as two up to 20 or more such turbines 16 (eight are seen here), depending on the space available, the size of the fusion reaction cloud, and the size and arrangement of the turbines themselves about the chamber 15. Alternatively, or in addition, as seen in FIG. 4, the turbines 16 may be arranged in multiple stacks along the length of the cylindrical reaction volume 15. Turbines are connected, e.g. through gearboxes, to corresponding induction generators 17. The generators 17 may be equal in number to the corresponding turbines 16 (1:1 correspondence), or multiple turbines may drive any given generator (n:1 correspondence).

[0020] On planetary or lunar surfaces, the chamber may be arranged with its cylindrical or columnar axis pointing in a vertical direction, since cosmic rays and generated muons will be arriving from above. Likewise, in an orbit the planet or moon below will shield in-coming cosmic rays and there may be some shielding from the orbiting platform itself, such that the chamber will should be located and pointed in a direction that will maximize receipt of cosmic rays onto the cloud of fusion target material within the chamber.

[0021] The deuterium fuel may be supplied in the form of clouds of solid lithium-6 deuteride powder, pellets or chips, or even frozen heavy water (D.sub.2O) or liquid droplets of. D.sub.2, to a reaction chamber 15, where it is exposed to incoming cosmic rays 19 and muons . One technique for creating the cloud of fusion target material is to shoot fuel packages as a series of projectiles into the reaction chamber, which can then disperse the fusion material as a localized cloud, much like fireworks or artillery. For this purpose, one or more gun tubes may be located below the chamber and loaded with the packages for introduction into the chamber. Alternatively, packages may be dropped into the chamber from near the top via a slide dispenser. The fuel within the projectile packages can be solid Li.sup.6D in powder form, D-D or D-T inertial-confinement-fusion-type pellets, or D.sub.2O ice crystals. Packages will be shielded, at least within the casing of the projectiles themselves, to reduce or eliminate premature fusion events until delivered and dispersed as a cloud in the reaction chamber. Soon after the projectile has reached the desired dispersal location within the chamber, the package releases its target material. For example, a chemical explosion can be used to locally disperse the fusion material. For a typical cloud of Li.sup.6D in powder form it may be desired to disperse the material near the top of the chamber to allow maximum usage of the material while it settles toward the bottom of the chamber. It might be advantageous to provide one or more fans 20 at the bottom of the chamber 15 to keep the cloud of target material suspended in the chamber as long as possible.

[0022] The present invention achieves nuclear micro-fusion using deuterium-containing target material, and the ambient flux of cosmic rays and generated muons that are already naturally present. The dispersed cloud of target material will be exposed to both cosmic rays and to their generated muons. As cosmic rays collide with fusion targets and dust, they form muons that are captured by the deuterium and that catalyze fusion. Likewise, the cosmic ray collisions themselves can directly trigger particle-target fusion.

[0023] Besides D-D fusion reactions, other types of fusion reactions may also occur (e.g. D-T, using tritium generated by cosmic rays impacting the lithium; as well as Li.sup.6-D reactions from direct cosmic ray collisions). In order to assist muon formation, especially when D.sub.2O is used, the target package may contain up to 20% by weight of added particles of fine sand or dust. (This is particularly important if one desires to create a similar fusion reaction on the Moon, which has no atmosphere.) Muonic deuterium, tritium or lithium-6 can come much closer to the nucleus of a similar neighboring atom with a probability of fusing deuterium nuclei, releasing energy. Once a muonic molecule is formed, fusion proceeds extremely rapidly (on the order of 10.sup.10 sec). One cosmic ray particle can generate hundreds of muons, and each muon can typically catalyze about 100 fusion reactions before it decays (the exact number depending on the muon sticking cross-section to any helium fusion products). For example, a particularly desired reaction is Li.sup.6+D.fwdarw.2He.sup.4+22.4 MeV, where much of the useful excess energy is carried as kinetic energy of the two helium nuclei (alpha particles). The alpha particles then provide a motive force to turbine blades for the generation of electricity. Other fusion reactions also create energetic fusion products that can drive the turbines.

[0024] Additionally, any remaining cosmic rays can themselves directly stimulate a fusion event by particle-target fusion, wherein the high energy cosmic ray particles (mostly protons, but also helium nuclei) bombard the cloud of target material. When bombarded directly with cosmic rays, the lithium may be transmuted into tritium which could form the basis for some D-T fusion reactions. Although D-D fusion reactions occur at a rate only 1% of D-T fusion, and produce only 20% of the energy by comparison, the freely available flux of cosmic rays and their generated muons should be sufficient to yield sufficient fusion energy output for practical use.

[0025] The optimum concentration of the cloud of target material for the particle-target and muon-catalyzed fusion may be determined experimentally based on the particular abundance of cosmic rays with a view to maintaining a chain reaction of fusion events for producing adequate thrust against the turbine blades, while avoiding any possibility of runaway fusion.

[0026] The present invention achieves muon-catalyzed nuclear fusion using deuterium-containing target material, and muons that are naturally created from ambient cosmic rays. Most cosmic rays are energetic enough to create multiple muons (often several hundred) by successive collisions with atmospheric dust or with the atoms in a target. In fact, most cosmic rays have GeV energies, although some extremely energetic ones can exceed 10.sup.18 eV and therefore potentially generate millions of muons. The optimum concentration of the target material for the muon-catalyzed fusion may be determined experimentally based on the particular abundance of cosmic rays with a view to maintaining a chain reaction of fusion events for driving the electrical generating turbines.

[0027] Because both particle-target fusion and muon-catalyzed fusion, while recognized scientifically, are still experimentally immature technologies (since measurements have only been conducted to date on Earth using artificially accelerated particles and generated muons from particle accelerators), various embodiments of the present invention can have research utility to demonstrate feasibility in environments beyond Earth's protective atmosphere and/or geomagnetic field. First, a satellite platform in Earth orbit (for example, on the International Space Station) and then later a lander on the surface of the Moon are both conveniently close to Earth to place experimental modules in order to determine optimum parameters (e.g. dimensions of the chamber, and cloud density for different fuel types) in order to adequately drive the turbines.