Method and system for increasing energy output in a Z-pinch plasma confinement system

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for increasing energy output from Z-pinch and other plasma confinement systems. In one embodiment, the system may include a memory storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the system to adjust one or more parameters to compress the fuel gas axially to generate a magnetic field strong enough to induce thermonuclear fusion and increase the fusion energy gain factor above the fusion energy gain factor limit achievable by thermonuclear fusion. In a particular embodiment, adjusting the one or more parameters may include adjusting a duty cycle of a discharge current applied to the fuel gas based at least in part on an amount of thermal impingement between the fusion byproducts and the fuel gas. In a particular embodiment, by adjusting the duty cycle, the magnetic field may be adjusted to induce or increase the thermal impingement.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 344,534, entitled "METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR INCREASING ENERGY OUTPUT IN Z-PINCH PLASMA CONFINEMENT SYSTEM," filed May 20, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

[0002] STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT This invention was made, at least in part, with Government support under Grant Nos. DE-AR001010 and DE-AR001260 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Government has certain rights in this invention.

[0003] Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for plasma confinement for inducing thermonuclear fusion reactions, and more specifically, for increasing energy output by adjusting one or more operating parameters of a Z-pinch plasma confinement system. [Background technology]

[0004] It is widely believed that the "holy grail" of harnessing cheap, efficient, renewable energy is the production-scale generation of self-sustaining, captureable fusion energy, or "fusion ignition." For a given fusion device, approaching fusion ignition can be treated as an optimization problem. For example, this problem can be essentially boiled down to optimizing one or more operating parameters to maximize the fusion energy gain factor Q, which can be defined as: Q=P f / P in In the formula, P f is the power released by the fusion reaction in the fusion device, and Pin is the heating power input to a fusion device under a set of standard operating conditions. However, even for those skilled in the art, significant and undue experimentation may be required to determine which operating parameters should be adjusted, and the extent of such adjustments, to achieve fusion ignition. Moreover, problems with successfully constructing fusion devices capable of implementing such adjustments, and utilizing the resulting energy output, may further hinder the exploration of operating parameter adjustments beyond expected physical limits.

[0005] Various embodiments and techniques are described with reference to the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a plasma confinement system according to at least one embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a method for operating a plasma confinement system for stabilization of a Z-pinch discharge, for example by initiating and driving a shear ion velocity flow therein, according to at least one embodiment. [Figure 3A] 2A-2C show schematic cross-sectional views of a process for initiating and driving shear ion velocity flow in the plasma confinement system of FIG. 1 for stabilization of a Z-pinch discharge according to at least one embodiment. [Figure 3B] 2A-2C show schematic cross-sectional views of a process for initiating and driving shear ion velocity flow in the plasma confinement system of FIG. 1 for stabilization of a Z-pinch discharge according to at least one embodiment. [Figure 3C] 2A-2C show schematic cross-sectional views of a process for initiating and driving shear ion velocity flow in the plasma confinement system of FIG. 1 for stabilization of a Z-pinch discharge according to at least one embodiment. [Figure 3D] 2A-2C show schematic cross-sectional views of a process for initiating and driving shear ion velocity flow in the plasma confinement system of FIG. 1 for stabilization of a Z-pinch discharge according to at least one embodiment. [Figure 3E] 2A-2C show schematic cross-sectional views of a process for initiating and driving shear ion velocity flow in the plasma confinement system of FIG. 1 for stabilization of a Z-pinch discharge according to at least one embodiment. [Figure 3F] 2A-2C show schematic cross-sectional views of a process for initiating and driving shear ion velocity flow in the plasma confinement system of FIG. 1 for stabilization of a Z-pinch discharge according to at least one embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a plasma confinement system according to at least one embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1 illustrates a block diagram of a method for operating a plasma confinement system according to at least one embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates a predicted plot of an example duty cycle for discharging current during operation of a plasma confinement system in accordance with at least one embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates a plot of an example trajectory of an alpha particle confined within a magnetic field generated by a plasma confinement system, in accordance with at least one embodiment. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates a composite plot of the predicted fusion energy gain factor generated by a plasma arc confined in a plasma confinement system as a function of Z-pinch discharge current, as well as the plasma temperature, plasma density, and pinch radius of the confined plasma arc, in accordance with at least one embodiment. [Figure 9] 1 shows a plot of thermal energy recovery and plasma density as a function of Z-pinch discharge current according to at least one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] The technology described and suggested herein includes a system including a non-transitory memory for storing executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the system to adjust one or more operating parameters to axially compress a fuel gas to generate a magnetic field that may be strong enough to induce thermonuclear fusion and increase the fusion energy gain factor above the fusion energy gain factor limit achievable by thermonuclear fusion. The one or more operating parameters may be one or more operating parameters of a plasma confinement system in which the magnetic field may be generated.

[0008] In at least one embodiment, a plasma confinement system may include a plasma confinement chamber and a controller including executable instructions stored in a non-transitory memory that, when executed by one or more processors of the controller, cause the controller to identify a threshold amount of thermal collisions between alpha particles and a fuel gas, and adjust a duty cycle of a discharge current applied to a fuel gas contained within the plasma confinement chamber to achieve the threshold amount of thermal collisions between alpha particles and the fuel gas.

[0009] In at least one embodiment, the method can include adjusting the magnetic field from a first intensity value to axially compress the fuel gas in the plasma confinement chamber to a second intensity value that results in greater thermal collisions between the alpha particles and the fuel gas than the magnetic field at the first intensity value. The plasma confinement chamber can be configured in a plasma confinement system.

[0010] These and other aspects, advantages, and alternatives will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description, taken with, where appropriate, reference to the accompanying drawings. Moreover, it should be understood that the description and figures provided herein are intended to illustrate the invention by way of example only, and as such, numerous variations are possible.

[0011] For example, the following description relates to various embodiments of systems and methods for confining plasma in a fusion device to a sufficient temperature and sufficient density to induce thermonuclear fusion. In some embodiments, the power from thermonuclear fusion may be utilized for energy generation / storage. However, other use cases are envisioned for the disclosed embodiments or variations thereof, such as propulsion (e.g., space vehicles, aircraft, seaplanes, submarines, etc.), research, etc. In extreme environments (e.g., reduced gravity environments on board space vehicles), certain modifications may be made, for example, to maintain performance.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment, plasma confinement may be achieved via a Z-pinch configuration, where a current (also known as a "Z-pinch discharge current" or "pinch current") is discharged through the plasma to generate a magnetic field that compresses or "pinches" the plasma along an axis (e.g., along a linear path through the assembly region of the plasma confinement chamber). In such an embodiment, the fusion energy gain factor Q for the Z-pinch configuration may be expected to "level off" at a predetermined value. For example, given a set of conditions (e.g., pinch current amplitude, pulse duration, duty cycle, etc.), Q may reach an upper limit beyond which further optimization of various operating parameters may be expected to result in diminishing returns. Thus, a particular configuration, such as the Z-pinch configuration described above, may not be configured to utilize more power than that dictated by the expected upper limit of Q. For example, given the estimated upper limit of Q, there may be little or no incentive to build or operate a Z-pinch plasma confinement system to obtain higher power output than expected.

[0013] However, the embodiments described herein are based, at least in part, on an unexpected regime of Z-pinch plasma confinement operation. In at least one embodiment, for example, a Z-pinch plasma confinement system compresses the plasma to produce alpha particles ( 4 He) and deuterium and / or tritium-containing species (e.g., D 2, T 2 etc.), 3 He, 6 Li, 11 The applied magnetic field may be configured to be adjusted (e.g., increased) to induce or increase thermal collisions between the fuel gas species, such as B. The technical effect resulting from such collisions is that the kinetic energy of the fusion by-products may be converted to thermal energy, which may increase the fusion yield and energy output, and therefore the overall Q, of the Z-pinch plasma confinement system.

[0014] Adjusting the magnetic field to increase such thermal impingement can be accomplished in several ways. In some embodiments, thermal impingement can be increased by increasing the amplitude of the Z-pinch discharge current and / or increasing the applied voltage driving the Z-pinch discharge current. Thus, the duty cycle of the Z-pinch discharge current can be adjusted based on a corresponding adjustment of the absolute magnitude of the Z-pinch discharge current and / or the applied voltage. In additional or alternative embodiments, the duty cycle can be adjusted to maintain the energy output while increasing the thermal impingement. For example, the pulse duration of the Z-pinch discharge current can be decreased while the amplitude of the Z-pinch discharge current is simultaneously increased. Thus, a shorter duty cycle can be obtained for the same energy output by adjusting a set of operating parameters (e.g., the amplitude and pulse duration of the Z-pinch discharge current) to obtain a larger portion of the energy output from the thermal impingement. Advantageously, the efficiency of the energy output can be increased with a higher repetition rate or longer period between current pulses (e.g., to "flush" or otherwise remove excess particles). More broadly, an operator of a Z-pinch plasma confinement system may fine-tune the duty cycle to adjust the efficiency of the energy output as desired based on energy storage capabilities, energy generation requirements, and the like.

[0015] In embodiments additional, alternative, or otherwise modified to those described above and those described in detail below with reference to Figures 1-9, one or more components of the plasma confinement system may be added, removed, substituted, modified, or exchanged to adapt the plasma confinement system for a given use case. As an example, plasma may be directly injected into the plasma confinement chamber of the plasma confinement system, for example, in addition to or instead of in-chamber conversion of fuel gas species to plasma. Furthermore, although various embodiments described herein are discussed with reference to Z-pinch plasma confinement, the various embodiments, with or without modifications, may be applicable to other types of thermonuclear fusion energy systems and plasma confinement systems that compress, react, or otherwise use plasma.

[0016] Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic cross-sectional view of a plasma confinement system 300, such as may be included in a thermonuclear fusion energy system, device, reactor, or other such apparatus or system, is shown. The plasma confinement system 300 may generate a plasma arc in an assembly region 326 of a plasma confinement chamber 340, where the plasma arc is confined, compressed, and maintained by an axially symmetric magnetic field. The axially symmetric magnetic field may be stabilized by a shear ion velocity flow driven by an electrical discharge between a pair of electrodes interfacing with the plasma confinement chamber 340. FIGS. 2-3F discuss further operational details of the plasma confinement system 300. One or more aspects of the plasma confinement system 300 may be easily interchangeable with other plasma confinement structures, such as the plasma confinement system 900 detailed below with reference to FIG. 4.

[0017] In at least one embodiment, one or more operating parameters of a plasma confinement system, such as plasma confinement system 300, may be adjusted to control the amount of fusion by-products (e.g., 4 He) and fuel gas (e.g., D 2 , T 2The plasma confinement system may be adjusted to account for thermal impingement between the plasma source and the discharge gas (e.g., the discharge current source and the discharge current collector). Exemplary methods for operating the plasma confinement system to induce or increase such thermal impingement are discussed in detail below with reference to Figure 5. Such adjustments may include adjusting the duty cycle of the discharge current applied to the fuel gas, with an exemplary duty cycle being provided in Figure 6.

[0018] Certain plasma confinement structures, such as Z-pinch plasma confinement structures, may retain a relatively high percentage of fusion byproducts during the plasma arc generation phase (regardless of the initial velocity of a given fusion byproduct, as illustrated in FIG. 7). Thus, sufficient Z-pinch discharge current may be provided to access a regime of temperature heating in which the fusion byproducts collide with fuel gas particles and convert the kinetic energy of the collisions into thermal energy. As shown in FIG. 8, such additional thermal energy may simultaneously increase the fusion energy gain factor. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, greater thermal energy may be accessed with a corresponding increase in Z-pinch discharge current and plasma density in the plasma confinement chamber.

[0019] A set of Cartesian coordinate axes 152 are shown in FIG. 1 to contextualize the positions of the various components of the plasma confinement system 300 and to compare the various views of FIG. 1 and FIG. 3A-3F. Specifically, mutually perpendicular x-, y-, and z-axes are provided, with the x- and y-axes defining the plane of the schematic cross-section shown in FIG. 1 and the z-axis being perpendicular thereto. In some embodiments, the direction of gravity may be parallel to and coincident with any direction in the plane of the schematic cross-section of FIG. 1. For example, the direction of gravity may be parallel to and coincident with the positive direction of the x-axis. In additional or alternative embodiments, the direction of gravity may be in the plane defined by the y- and z-axes (e.g., parallel to and coincident with the negative direction of the y-axis).

[0020] In an exemplary embodiment, the plasma confinement system 300 may include an inner electrode 302 and an outer electrode 304 that substantially surrounds the inner electrode 302 (as the term "substantially" is used herein, the recited characteristic, parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, but deviations and variations therein, including, for example, tolerances, measurement errors, limitations in measurement accuracy, and other factors known to those skilled in the art, may occur in an amount that does not interfere with the effect the characteristic is intended to provide). For example, the inner electrode 302 may be at least partially circumferentially surrounded by the outer electrode 304, such that one end (e.g., first end 318) of the inner electrode 302 may be partially or completely surrounded by the outer electrode 304. In some embodiments, the inner electrode 302 may have a length (e.g., parallel to the y-axis and between the first end 318 and the opposing second end 320) in the range of 25 cm to 1 m or more, and a radius (e.g., parallel to the x-axis) in the range of 2 cm to 1 m, and the outer electrode 304 may have a length (e.g., parallel to the y-axis and between the first end 322 and the opposing second end 324) in the range of 50 cm to 6 m, a radius (e.g., parallel to the x-axis) in the range of 6 cm to 2 m or more, and an annular thickness (e.g., along the x-axis) in the range of 6 mm to 12 mm.

[0021] In certain embodiments, and as shown in FIG. 1, the plasma confinement system 300 may further include an intermediate electrode 303 facing the inner electrode 302. In other embodiments, the intermediate electrode 303 may substantially surround the inner electrode 302, and the outer electrode 304 may substantially surround the intermediate electrode 303, as described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 4. For example, the inner electrode 302 may be at least partially circumferentially surrounded by the intermediate electrode 303, and the intermediate electrode 303 may be at least partially circumferentially surrounded by the outer electrode 304, such that one end (e.g., first end 318) of the inner electrode 302 may be partially or completely surrounded by the intermediate electrode 303, and one end of the intermediate electrode 303 may be partially or completely surrounded by the outer electrode 304.

[0022] In some embodiments, the plasma confinement chamber 340 may be a physical structure that includes a volume bounded by one or more electrodes, insulators, and internal components of the plasma confinement system 300. Thus, in certain embodiments, the plasma confinement chamber 340 may include one or more electrodes, insulators, and internal components of the plasma confinement system 300 that define the volume of the plasma confinement chamber 340.

[0023] In an exemplary embodiment, the outer electrode 304 may define a radially outer boundary of the plasma confinement chamber 340. In one example, the radially outer boundary may be cylindrical and may be formed as a circular cross section propagating along the x-axis, the circular cross section being parallel to a plane formed by the y-axis and the z-axis. The plasma confinement chamber 340 may be divided (e.g., without a physical division) into an acceleration region 310 between the inner electrode 302 and the outer electrode 304, and an assembly region 326 between a first end 318 of the inner electrode 302 and the intermediate electrode 303. Alternatively, in an embodiment in which the intermediate electrode 303 at least partially surrounds the inner electrode 302, the acceleration region 310 may be between the inner electrode 302 and the intermediate electrode 303, and the assembly region 326 may be between the first end 318 of the inner electrode 302 and the opposing end of the outer electrode 304. In either case, the plasma confinement system 300 may include a plurality of electrodes (e.g., an inner electrode 302, an intermediate electrode 303, and an outer electrode 304), with each electrode of the plurality of electrodes disposed coaxially with respect to the assembly region 326 (e.g., parallel to the x-axis) and positioned so as to be exposed to the assembly region 326 (e.g., each given electrode of the plurality of electrodes may interface with the volume of the assembly region 326 without any intervening components or volumes, such that current can pass directly from the confined plasma to the given electrode). More specifically, the outer electrode 304 may be positioned to define at least a portion of an outer boundary of the assembly region 326, the inner electrode 302 may be positioned at one end of the assembly region 326 (e.g., coincident with the first end 318 of the inner electrode 302), and the middle electrode 303, when included, may be positioned at the same end of the assembly region 326 relative to the inner electrode 302 or at an opposite end of the assembly region 326 relative to the inner electrode 302. The plasma confinement system 300 may be configured to maintain a Z-pinch plasma (e.g., a plasma arc) within the assembly region 326, as described below.In some embodiments, the acceleration region 310 may have a length (e.g., parallel to the y-axis and between the second end 324 of the outer electrode 304 and the first end 318 of the inner electrode 302) in the range of 25 cm to 1.5 m and annular thickness in the range of 2 cm to 10 cm, and the assembly region 326 may have a length (e.g., parallel to the y-axis and between the first end 318 of the inner electrode 302 and the first end 322 of the outer electrode 304) in the range of 25 cm to 3 m.

[0024] The plasma confinement system 300 may include one or more first valves 306 configured to direct gas from within the inner electrode 302 to the acceleration region 310 and one or more second valves 312 configured to direct gas from outside the outer electrode 304 to the acceleration region 310. The gas may be a fuel gas, which may be utilized to form a plasma arc upon release of the gas into the plasma confinement chamber 340 and application of a discharge current. As used herein, "fuel gas" may refer to any species utilized to form a plasma arc. Thus, the fuel gas may be dihydrogen [e.g., hydrogen (H 2 ), deuterium (D 2 ), and / or tritium (T 2 )], 3 He, 6 Li, 11 The gas may include neutral gas species such as B, and / or pre-ionized gas species (e.g., introduced via a “direct plasma injection” or “plasma injection” configuration).

[0025] The plasma confinement system 300 may include a first power supply 314 configured to apply a voltage (e.g., in some embodiments, in the range of 2 kV to 50 kV, or in other embodiments, in the range of 1 kV to 40 kV) between the inner electrode 302 and the outer electrode 304. In some embodiments, the plasma confinement system 300 may further include a second power supply 315 configured to apply a voltage (e.g., in some embodiments, in the range of 2 kV to 50 kV, or in other embodiments, in the range of 1 kV to 40 kV) between the inner electrode 302 and the intermediate electrode 303. In certain embodiments, the plasma confinement system 300 may operate with only one of the first power supply 314 and the second power supply 315. In other embodiments, the plasma confinement system 300 may operate with at least both the first power supply 314 and the second power supply 315. In some embodiments, one or both of the first power source 314 and the second power source 315 may include a switching pulsed direct current (switching pulsed DC) power source including an energy source (e.g., a capacitor bank), a switch (e.g., a spark gap, ignitron, or semiconductor switch), and a pulse shaping network (e.g., including inductors, resistors, diodes, etc.). In some embodiments, one or both of the first power source 314 and the second power source 315 may be voltage controlled. In other embodiments, one or both of the first power source 314 and the second power source 315 may be current controlled. In some embodiments, other suitable types of power sources may be used as one or both of the first power source 314 and the second power source 315, including DC and alternating current (AC) power sources (e.g., DC grids, voltage source converters, homopolar generators, etc.).

[0026] The inner electrode 302 may include a conductive (e.g., stainless steel) shell having a modified cylindrical body 316 (e.g., substantially cylindrical with a tapered rounded base at a first end 318). Specifically, the inner electrode 302 may include a first end 318 (e.g., tapered rounded base) and an opposing second end 320 (e.g., substantially flat circular base). For example, the inner electrode 302 may include a nose cone 344 positioned at the first end 318, the nose cone 344 exposed to the assembly region 326 to intersect with an axis of the confined plasma arc that is coaxial with each electrode of the plurality of electrodes (e.g., parallel to the x-axis). The inner electrode 302 may further include one or more conduits or channels 342 for routing gas (e.g., fuel gas) from the one or more first valves 306 to the acceleration region 310 during operation of the plasma confinement system 300 to generate thermonuclear fusion, for example.

[0027] The outer electrode 304 may include a conductive (e.g., stainless steel) shell having a substantially cylindrical body 328. Specifically, the outer electrode 304 may include a first end 322 (e.g., a substantially flat circular base) and an opposing second end 324 (e.g., a substantially flat circular base). The outer electrode 304 may surround most (e.g., a majority) of the inner electrode 302. In an exemplary embodiment, the inner electrode 302 and the outer electrode 304 may be concentric and have radial symmetry with respect to the x-axis. The first end 318 of the inner electrode 302 may be between the first end 322 of the outer electrode 304 and the second end 324 of the outer electrode 304. The outer electrode 304 may further include one or more conduits or channels (not shown in FIG. 1 ) for routing gas (e.g., fuel gas) from the one or more second valves 312 to the acceleration region 310, for example, during operation of the plasma confinement system 300 to generate thermonuclear fusion.

[0028] The intermediate electrode 303 may include a conductive material (e.g., stainless steel). In some embodiments, the intermediate electrode 303 may be substantially disk-shaped. In other embodiments, the intermediate electrode may have a substantially cylindrical body that is concentric with each of the inner electrode 302 and the outer electrode 304 and has radial symmetry about the x-axis.

[0029] The one or more first valves 306 may take the form of a so-called "puff valve" (e.g., operable to provide a fuel gas for the formation of a plasma or to increase the density of a generated plasma arc via a gas puff) or a plasma injector. In additional or alternative embodiments, the one or more first valves 306 may include at least one electrically actuated valve, such as a solenoid driven valve. However, the one or more first valves 306 are not limited to such configurations and may be any suitable valve that can be used to supply a gas (e.g., H 2 , D 2 , and / or T 2 3. The valve 302 may include any type of valve configured to direct the ion beam 320 from within the inner electrode 302 to the acceleration region 310.

[0030] In some embodiments, the one or more first valves 306 may be mounted in a regular array along the inner electrode 302 (e.g., regularly distributed around the central axis of the acceleration region 310) and may include at least one gas puff valve (e.g., for providing neutral gas to the acceleration region 310) and / or at least one plasma injector (e.g., for providing pre-ionized gas to the acceleration region 310). As shown in FIG. 1, the one or more first valves 306 may be positioned (e.g., axially positioned) between the first end 318 of the inner electrode 302 and the second end 320 of the inner electrode 302. Alternatively, the one or more first valves 306 may be positioned (e.g., directly adjacent) to the first end 318 of the inner electrode 302 or the second end 320 of the inner electrode 302. 1, each of the one or more first valves 306 is disposed within the inner electrode 302 (e.g., positioned on an inner and internal surface), although other implementations are possible (e.g., positioned on an outer and external surface of the inner electrode 302). The one or more first valves 306 may be electrically actuable in that the one or more first valves 306 may be operated by providing a control voltage to the one or more first valves 306, as described below.

[0031] In an exemplary embodiment, the acceleration region 310 may have a substantially annular cross-section defined by the shapes of the inner electrode 302 and the outer electrode 304. Specifically, the inner electrode 302 may define a radially inner boundary of the acceleration region 310, and the outer electrode 304 may define a radially outer boundary of the acceleration region 310. In one example, each of the radially inner and outer boundaries may be cylindrical and formed as a circular cross-section propagating along the x-axis, the circular cross-section being parallel to a plane formed by the y-axis and the z-axis. In other embodiments, the substantially annular cross-section of the acceleration region 310 may be defined by the shapes of the inner electrode 302 and the intermediate electrode 303 (e.g., the inner electrode 302 may define a radially inner boundary, and the intermediate electrode 303 may define a radially outer boundary).

[0032] In the same manner as the one or more first valves 306, the one or more second valves 312 may take the form of a puff valve or a plasma injector. In additional or alternative embodiments, the one or more second valves 312 may include at least one electrically actuated valve, such as a solenoid actuated valve. However, the one or more second valves 312 are not limited to such configurations and may be configured to supply gas (e.g., H 2 , D 2 , and / or T 2 304 (or intermediate electrode 303 ) to the acceleration region 310 .

[0033] In some embodiments, the one or more second valves 312 may be installed in a regular array along the outer electrode 304 (e.g., regularly distributed around the acceleration region 310) and may include at least one gas puff valve (e.g., for providing neutral gas to the acceleration region 310) and / or at least one plasma injector (e.g., for providing pre-ionized gas to the acceleration region 310). As shown in FIG. 1, the one or more second valves 312 may be positioned (e.g., axially positioned) between the first end 322 of the outer electrode 304 and the second end 324 of the outer electrode 304. Alternatively, the one or more second valves 312 may be positioned (e.g., directly adjacent) to the first end 322 of the outer electrode 304 or the second end 324 of the outer electrode 304. 1, each of the one or more second valves 312 is disposed around the outer electrode 304 (e.g., positioned on an outer and outer surface), although other implementations are possible (e.g., positioned within the plasma confinement chamber 340, such as on an inner surface of the outer electrode 304 or on an inner surface of the intermediate electrode 303). Additionally, in FIG. 1, each of the one or more first valves 306 is axially aligned with each of the one or more second valves 312, although other implementations are possible. The one or more second valves 312 may be electrically actuable in that the one or more second valves 312 may be operated by providing a control voltage to the one or more second valves 312, as described below.

[0034] In some embodiments, the gas puff valves and / or plasma injectors included in one or more of the first valves 306 and / or one or more of the second valves 312 may be electronically triggered to independently deliver "puffs" of a fill of neutral and / or ionized gas for durations lasting up to hundreds of μs (e.g., up to 1 millisecond). The amount of fill gas (also referred to herein as "fuel gas") delivered (e.g., in a "puff") may also be controlled by adjustment of the fill gas pressure supplied to the gas puff valves and / or plasma injectors (e.g., to each or all of the gas puff valves and / or plasma injectors or a subset thereof). Additionally, different gas puff valves and / or plasma injectors (or different combinations of multiple gas puff valves and / or plasma injectors) may be used to deliver, for example, fill gases of different elemental ratios and / or different isotopic ratios (e.g., adjustable D 2 / T 2 The acceleration region 310 may be supplied by different fill gas mixtures having different molecular ratios. In some embodiments, the gas puff valves and / or plasma injectors may be uniform (e.g., all of the same type / size with substantially the same operational settings). In other embodiments, different gas puff valves and / or plasma injectors may be used for different locations. In additional or alternative embodiments, the gas puff valves and / or plasma injectors may control the flow of gas into the acceleration region 310 through a manifold that includes multiple ports that provide passage into the acceleration region 310. In such embodiments, the ports of the manifold may be uniform or may vary in configuration (e.g., to deliver different amounts of gas to different locations of the acceleration region 310 when each gas puff valve or plasma injector is open).

[0035] Similar to neutral gas injection via gas puff valves, (pre)ionized gas or plasma may be injected using a combination or manifold of plasma injectors at various positions fluidly connected to the respective plasma generators or guns that generate the plasma prior to injection into the acceleration region 310. In some embodiments, the plasma may be supplied from a gas injection washer plasma gun and / or a plasma thruster (e.g., Hall effect thruster or magnetohydrodynamic thruster), or, if the plasma is magnetized, from a high-power helicon plasma source, a radio frequency plasma source, a plasma torch, and / or a laser-based plasma source. Plasmas formed from gas mixtures may also be generated and injected in a manner similar to neutral gas injection. Plasma injection may provide finer control of the final axial plasma distribution, as well as its shear flow profile, which may allow for higher fidelity control of plasma stability and lifetime. Further control of plasma injection may be provided because the plasma particles are charged particles that may be accelerated by an electric field generated by a variable electrical bias (or voltage) on the injection electrode. Thus, the velocity of the injected plasma may be finely controlled to allow fine tuning and optimization of the destruction of any neutral gas present (e.g., in the acceleration region 310). Furthermore, the injected plasma may move at a faster velocity than the injected neutral gas, which may move in a nearly static manner (compared to the injected plasma) during the Z-pinch discharge pulse. Thus, relative to neutral gas injection, plasma injection may provide pre-ionized fuel "on demand (e.g., more immediately)," for example, to replenish fuel gas during the Z-pinch discharge pulse.

[0036] In some embodiments, the pre-ionized gas may be generated as a non-magnetized plasma, e.g., to avoid interactions between the magnetic field of the pre-ionized gas and the magnetic field of the acceleration region 310. In other embodiments, the pre-ionized gas may be generated as a magnetized plasma, e.g., to align the magnetic field of the pre-ionized gas parallel to the magnetic field of the acceleration region 310 and / or be adjustable to provide a desired magnetic flux profile at the injection point of the pre-ionized gas.

[0037] In some embodiments, the plasma injected into the acceleration region 310 may be generated by pre-ionizing a neutral gas with a spark plug or via inductive ionization. More broadly, the gas puff valve and / or plasma injector may include one or more electrode plasma injectors and / or one or more electrodeless plasma injectors. In examples including one or more electrode plasma injectors, the plasma injected into the acceleration region 310 may be generated, at least in part, by an electrode discharge. In additional or alternative examples including one or more electrodeless plasma injectors, the plasma injected into the acceleration region 310 may be generated, at least in part, by an inductive discharge generated by an external coil window (e.g., a radio frequency antenna operating at 400 kHz, 13.56 MHz, 2.45 GHz, and / or other frequencies permitted for use in a given local jurisdiction, e.g., within the frequency range permitted by the Federal Communications Commission). In some embodiments, the neutral gas for pre-ionization may be limited by the conductance of the neutral gas to a neutral gas reservoir (eg, gas source 330) and / or a selected plasma injector configuration.

[0038] In some embodiments, axial distribution of the injected plasma may be ensured via an axisymmetric plasma injector configuration. In at least one embodiment, eight plasma injectors may be positioned at eight equally spaced ports of the manifold, respectively. Each of the eight ports may be configured at an oblique angle (e.g., 5° to 90° relative to the central axis of the acceleration region 310) relative to the housing of the acceleration region 310 (e.g., the surrounding outer electrode 304). In one example, the oblique angle may be 45° relative to the central axis of the acceleration region 310. In some embodiments, the eight ports may be configured at a single axial location along the central axis of the acceleration region 310 (i.e., the eight ports may be evenly spaced around the circumference or other periphery of the acceleration region 310 at axial locations). In other embodiments, the ports may include multiple sets of eight ports, with each set of eight ports evenly spaced around a different axial location along the central axis of the acceleration region 310. In an exemplary embodiment, the sets of eight ports may be configured as pairs of interleaved sets, with a first set of eight ports positioned at a first axial location and a second set of eight ports positioned at a second different axial location and rotated relative to the first set such that each port of the second set is positioned between a pair of ports of the first set relative to the circumference of the acceleration region 310. Specifically, in such an embodiment, each port of the first set of eight ports may be spaced apart around the circumference of the acceleration region 310 by 45° and each port of the second set of eight ports may be spaced apart by 22.5° around the circumference of the acceleration region 310 by 45° offset (rotation) from the ports of the first set, such that one port of the first set and one port of the second set are provided around the circumference of the acceleration region 310 by 22.5°. In additional or alternative embodiments, plasma injection may be performed azimuthally, for example along a chord perpendicular to the central axis of the acceleration region 310, to generate an azimuthal flow within the acceleration region 310.In some embodiments, additional gas puff valves and / or plasma injectors may be included to allow for injection of more fuel gas (e.g., for a longer sustained pinch discharge) and control of the axial pressure distribution of the fuel gas within the acceleration region 310 (e.g., for further enhancement of the duration of the shear ion velocity flow). In additional or alternative embodiments, the valves may be configured differently (e.g., asymmetrically azimuthally distributed and / or have a different angular distribution) with other deformations to achieve a substantially equivalent profile by compensating for the effects of the deformations.

[0039] In some embodiments, injecting the acceleration region 310 with the pre-ionized gas may result in a plasma with a plasma temperature in the range of 1-10 eV. The plasma temperature may be decreased (e.g., by reducing the amount of energy input into the process gas used to generate the pre-ionized gas) to increase the electrical resistivity of the pre-ionized gas and the resulting plasma. Specifically, increasing the electrical resistivity may reduce the tendency of the pre-ionized gas to oppose changes in magnetic flux, thereby reducing the tendency of the pre-ionized gas to oppose movement in the magnetic field present in the acceleration region 310.

[0040] As mentioned above, the injection velocity of the pre-ionized gas may be significantly greater than the injection velocity of the neutral gas, so that the velocity of the plasma in the acceleration region 310 can be up to 50×10 3 m / s. In some embodiments, the injection of pre-ionized gas may provide flexibility in the amount of particles injected. Specifically, in an exemplary embodiment, a volume of pre-ionized gas particles may be injected in 1 / 50 of the time utilized to inject the same volume of neutral gas particles. For example, the time utilized to inject 10 Torr-L of neutral gas particles (1 Torr-L is 2.5×10 at 273 K) may be 1 / 50 of the time utilized to inject 10 Torr-L of neutral gas particles (1 Torr-L is 2.5×10 at 273 K). 19The time (proportional to the numerator) may be the same amount of time utilized to inject 500 Torr-L of pre-ionized gas particles. Similarly, in some embodiments, the injection rate (or mass flow rate) of the pre-ionized gas may be varied depending on the power supply current and voltage (i.e., the waveform of the injection pulse). As one example, increasing the power supply voltage (e.g., 100V to 500V) may simultaneously increase the injection rate. As another example, increasing the power supply current (e.g., 1A to 500A) may simultaneously increase the injection rate. In some embodiments, the power supply voltage may be increased from 750V to 5kV.

[0041] As discussed above, the gas puff valves and / or plasma injectors may be activated individually or as groups. An initial gas load inside the acceleration region 310 having a desired axial and azimuthal profile may be achieved by timing individual valves and / or groups of valves. Such valves (or groups of them) may be timed in a manner to match the arrival of neutral gas and / or pre-ionized gas and / or mixtures thereof to a desired initial profile. Power supplies (e.g., power supplies 314 and 315 or a separate dedicated power supply) may be timed to achieve ionization at a desired axial location and utilize the initial gas load to create and maintain the shear flow. In some embodiments, the power supplies may include a capacitor bank and a switch. In other embodiments, other suitable types of power supplies may be used, including flywheel power supplies.

[0042] Various combinations of the (neutral gas) gas puff valve with the plasma injector may be activated to achieve the desired level of power output. Furthermore, the plasma may be injected into the acceleration region 310 significantly (e.g., about 100 times) faster than the puffed neutral gas. Such combinations of different injection rates allowed by the acceleration of plasma injection with neutral gas injection provide an even larger parameter space for optimization. Additionally, the plasma injector may serve to inject mass and precisely control the location of neutral gas ionization.

[0043] In an exemplary embodiment, first power source 314 and second power source 315 may take the form of respective capacitor banks each capable of storing up to 10 MJ (e.g., 0.1-10 MJ). In one such embodiment, first power source 314 and second power source 315 may take the form of respective capacitor banks capable of storing up to 100-200 kJ and 3-4 MJ, respectively.

[0044] The plasma confinement system 300 may include a gas source 330 (e.g., a pressurized storage tank) and one or more first controllers 332 each configured to control gas flow from the gas source 330 through one or more first valves 306. For clarity, the respective connections (e.g., piping) between the one or more first controllers 332 and the one or more first valves 306 are omitted in FIG.

[0045] Similarly, the plasma confinement system 300 may include one or more second regulators 334 each configured to control gas flow from the gas source 330 through the one or more second valves 312. For clarity, the respective connections (e.g., piping) between the one or more second regulators 334 and the one or more second valves 312 are omitted in FIG.

[0046] In some embodiments, the plasma confinement system 300 may include a first insulator 336 (e.g., having an annular cross-section) between the inner electrode 302 and the outer electrode 304 to maintain electrical insulation between the inner electrode 302 and the outer electrode 304. In other embodiments, such as when the inner electrode 302 is at least partially surrounded by the intermediate electrode 303, the first insulator 336 may be positioned between the inner electrode 302 and the intermediate electrode 303 to maintain electrical insulation between the inner electrode 302 and the intermediate electrode 303. In an exemplary embodiment, the first insulator 336 may be formed from an electrically insulating material, such as a glass, ceramic, or glass-ceramic material. In some embodiments, one or more valves (e.g., gas puff valves and / or plasma injectors) may extend through the first insulator 336 or be provided in place of the first insulator 336 to inject neutral gas and / or pre-ionized gas into an end of the acceleration region 310 opposite the first end 318 of the inner electrode 302.

[0047] Similarly, the plasma confinement system 300 may include a second insulator 337 (e.g., having an annular cross-section) between the intermediate electrode 303 and the outer electrode 304 to maintain electrical insulation between the intermediate electrode 303 and the outer electrode 304. In an exemplary embodiment, the second insulator 337 may be formed from an electrically insulating material, such as a glass, ceramic, or glass-ceramic material.

[0048] The plasma confinement system 300 may include a vacuum chamber 338 that at least partially surrounds the inner electrode 302, the intermediate electrode 303, and / or the outer electrode 304. In the exemplary embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the vacuum chamber 338 completely surrounds each of the inner electrode 302, the intermediate electrode 303, and the outer electrode 304 (and thereby the plasma confinement chamber 340). In the exemplary embodiment, the vacuum chamber 338 may be formed as a stainless steel pressure vessel. In some embodiments, the pressure within the vacuum chamber 338 may be greater than 10 -9 Torr~20 Torr (e.g., 10 -9 Torr~10 -3 Torr).

[0049] The plasma confinement system 300 may include a controller or other computing device 348, which may include a non-transitory memory in which executable instructions may be stored. The executable instructions may be executed by one or more processors of the controller 348 to perform various functions of the plasma confinement system 300. Thus, the executable instructions may include various routines for operation, maintenance, and testing of the plasma confinement system 300. The controller 348 may further include a user interface through which an operator of the plasma confinement system 300 may enter commands or otherwise modify the operation of the plasma confinement system 300. The user interface may include various components for facilitating operator use of the plasma confinement system 300 and for receiving operator input (e.g., a request to generate a plasma arc for thermonuclear fusion), such as one or more displays, input devices (e.g., keyboards, touch screens, computer mice, depressible buttons, mechanical switches, other mechanical actuators, etc.), lights, etc. A controller 348 may be communicatively coupled to various components (e.g., valves, power supplies, etc.) of the plasma confinement system 300 to command their operation and use (for clarity, wired and / or wireless communication paths between the controller 348 and the various components are omitted in FIG. 1 ).

[0050] 2-3F, aspects of operation of a plasma confinement system, such as the plasma confinement system 300 described in detail above with reference to FIG. 1, are illustrated. Specifically, in FIG. 2, a block diagram of a method 200 for operating a plasma confinement system is shown, and in FIG. 3A-3F, a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion 350 of the plasma confinement system 300 of FIG. 1 and its functionality, respectively, are shown. Thus, when viewed together, FIG. 1 and FIG. 3A-3F illustrate at least some aspects of the method 200 described below. In an exemplary embodiment, operation of a plasma confinement system (e.g., the plasma confinement system 300) may include initiating and driving a shear ion velocity flow therein for stabilization of a Z-pinch discharge.

[0051] In some embodiments, method 200, or portions thereof, may be implemented as executable instructions stored in a non-transitory memory of a computing device, such as a controller communicatively coupled to the plasma confinement system. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, additional or alternative sequences of steps may be implemented as executable instructions on such a computing device, and individual steps discussed with reference to method 200 may be added, removed, substituted, modified, or replaced.

[0052] At block 902, the method 200 may include directing gas from within the inner electrode to an acceleration region of the plasma confinement chamber via one or more first valves. In an exemplary embodiment, the acceleration region may be located between the inner electrode and an outer electrode that substantially surrounds the inner electrode. In other embodiments, the acceleration region may be disposed between the inner electrode and an intermediate electrode that substantially surrounds the inner electrode, with the outer electrode substantially surrounding the intermediate electrode.

[0053] 3A and 3B, one or more first valves 306 can direct gas 912 from within the inner electrode 302 to an acceleration region 310 between the inner electrode 302 and an outer electrode 304 that substantially surrounds the inner electrode 302. Specifically, FIG. 3A illustrates an initial amount of gas 912 entering the acceleration region 310, and FIG. 3B illustrates an additional amount of gas 912 entering the acceleration region 310. As shown in FIG. 3A, region 310 may be contained within a plasma confinement chamber 340 along with an assembly region 326.

[0054] In some embodiments, directing the gas 912 through the one or more first valves 306 may include providing a first valve voltage to the one or more first valves 306 (e.g., via a power source such as a capacitor bank not shown in FIGS. 3A-3F) (e.g., to control terminals of the one or more first valves 306), followed by providing a second valve voltage (e.g., via a DC power source) to the one or more first valves 306. In an exemplary embodiment, the first valve voltage may be greater than the second valve voltage, and the second valve voltage may be provided immediately (e.g., substantially immediately) after providing the first valve voltage.

[0055] At block 904, the method 200 may include directing gas from outside the outer electrode to the acceleration region via one or more second valves.

[0056] For example, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, one or more second valves 312 can direct a portion of the gas 912 to the acceleration region 310.

[0057] In some embodiments, directing the gas 912 through one or more second valves 312 (e.g., via a power source such as a capacitor bank, not shown) may include providing a third valve voltage to one or more second valves 312 (e.g., to control terminals of one or more second valves 312), followed by providing a fourth valve voltage (e.g., via a DC power source) to the one or more second valves 312. In an exemplary embodiment, the third valve voltage may be greater than the fourth valve voltage, and the fourth valve voltage may be provided immediately (e.g., substantially immediately) after providing the third valve voltage.

[0058] After operation of the one or more first valves 306 and the one or more second valves 312, e.g., immediately adjacent (when released) or within (e.g., within a plenum, if present) each of the one or more first valves 306 and the one or more second valves 312, may be up to 5800 Torr, such as in the range of 1000-5800 Torr (e.g., 5450-5550 Torr), prior to applying a voltage between the inner electrode 302 and the outer electrode 304 via the first power supply 314. Accordingly, after operation of the one or more first valves 306 and the one or more second valves 312, the gas pressure in the acceleration region 310 may be up to 5800 Torr, such as in the range of 1000-5800 Torr (e.g., 5450-5550 Torr), prior to applying a voltage between the inner electrode 302 and the outer electrode 304 via the first power supply 314. In an exemplary embodiment, the gas pressure within the acceleration region 310 may decrease with increasing distance from the gas insertion point and with time after gas is no longer introduced into the acceleration region 310.

[0059] In block 906, the method 200 may include applying a voltage between the inner electrode and the outer electrode via a first power supply to convert at least a portion of the directed gas into a plasma having a substantially annular cross-section, the plasma flowing axially within the acceleration region toward the first end of the inner electrode and the first end of the outer electrode.

[0060] For example, as shown in Figures 3C and 3D, the first power supply 314 may apply a voltage between the inner electrode 302 and the outer electrode 304 to convert at least a portion of the gas 912 into a plasma 916 having a substantially annular cross-section. The voltage applied by the first power supply 314 between the inner electrode 302 and the outer electrode 304 may result in a radial electric field in the acceleration region 310 of up to 500 kV / m (e.g., in a range of 30 kV / m to 500 kV / m). Due to a magnetic field generated by a current moving through the plasma 916, the plasma 916 may flow axially in the acceleration region 310 toward a first end 318 of the inner electrode 302 and a first end 322 of the outer electrode 304 (as shown in Figures 3C and 3D).

[0061] At block 908, the method 200 may include applying a voltage between the inner electrode and the intermediate electrode via the second power supply to establish a plasma arc (e.g., a Z-pinch plasma) flowing between the intermediate electrode and a first end of the inner electrode. In an exemplary embodiment, the intermediate electrode may be positioned at a first end of the outer electrode. In other embodiments, and as discussed above, the intermediate electrode may substantially surround the inner electrode and the outer electrode may substantially surround the intermediate electrode.

[0062] For example, with reference to Figures 3E and 3F, a second power source (e.g., the second power source 315 described in detail above with reference to Figure 1, omitted in Figures 3A-3F for clarity) may apply a voltage between the inner electrode 302 and the intermediate electrode 303 to confine the plasma 916 and establish a plasma arc 918 (also referred to herein as a Z-pinch plasma 918) that flows between the intermediate electrode 303 and a first end 318 of the inner electrode 302. As shown, the plasma arc 918 may be established as the plasma 916 travels beyond the acceleration region 310. Specifically, the plasma arc 918 may flow into the assembly region 326 between the first end 318 of the inner electrode 302 and the intermediate electrode 303. In some embodiments, for example, when the inner electrode 302 functions as a cathode and the intermediate electrode 303 functions as an anode, the discharge current forming the plasma arc 918 and the shear axial (ion velocity) flow stabilizing the discharge current may each flow from the first end 318 of the inner electrode 302 to the intermediate electrode 303. In other embodiments, such as when the inner electrode 302 functions as an anode and the intermediate electrode 303 functions as a cathode, the discharge current may flow from the intermediate electrode 303 to the first end 318 of the inner electrode 302 and the shear axial flow may flow from the first end 318 of the inner electrode 302 to the intermediate electrode 303. In some embodiments, injection of pre-ionized gas using a plasma injector, plasma gun, or ion source may also be employed in conjunction to enhance the shear flow profile created by the neutral gas injection. Thus, in such an embodiment, plasma injection may occur quickly, on the same scale as blocks 902 and 904, and may be used to control the formation / initialization and dynamics of the plasma arc 918.

[0063] In an exemplary embodiment, the plasma arc 918 may exhibit a sheared axial flow, a radius of up to 5 mm (e.g., 0.05-5 mm), an ion temperature of up to 100,000 eV, e.g., 900-30,000 eV (e.g., 900-2,000 eV), an electron temperature of over 500 eV, and an electron temperature of over 1×10 23 ions / m 3Ion number density exceeding 1×10 23 electron / m 3 and / or a magnetic field of more than 8 T, and / or stable for at least 1 μs, e.g., 5-10 μs or up to 1 ms. It should be noted that such ranges are exemplary and may be modified based on the mode of operation of the plasma confinement system 300 or based on modifications to the size, functionality, configuration, etc. of the plasma confinement system 300. For example, if the size of the plasma confinement system 300 is increased, such ranges may scale proportionately (e.g., linearly, exponentially, etc.).

[0064] It should be noted that blocks 906 and 908 may be implemented by other means of controlling (a) the voltage between the inner electrode 302 and the outer electrode 304, and (b) the voltage between the inner electrode 302 and the intermediate electrode 303, as one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize. For example, a power source may provide a voltage between the intermediate electrode 303 and the outer electrode 304 instead of between the inner electrode 302 and the intermediate electrode 303.

[0065] 4, there is shown a schematic cross-sectional view of a plasma confinement system 900, such as may be included in a thermonuclear fusion energy system, device, reactor, or other such apparatus or system. The plasma confinement system 900 may generate a plasma arc in an assembly region 630 of a plasma confinement chamber 610, where the plasma arc is confined, compressed, and maintained by an axially symmetric magnetic field. The axially symmetric magnetic field may be stabilized by a shear ion velocity flow driven by an electrical discharge between a pair of electrodes interfacing with the plasma confinement chamber 610.

[0066] The plasma confinement system 900 may be assembled and configured similarly to the plasma confinement system 300, and may in fact operate in a substantially similar manner. The primary differences between the plasma confinement system 300 depicted in FIG. 1 and the plasma confinement system 900 depicted in FIG. 4 include the relative positioning and spatial configuration of the intermediate electrode 303 (FIG. 1) and the relative positioning and spatial configuration of the intermediate electrode 920 (FIG. 4), which will be discussed in more detail below. Except for certain assembly and operational aspects that may result from such differences, the description provided above with reference to FIGS. 1-3F may additionally be applied to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 4. In certain embodiments, additional subsystems and / or functions may also be included in the plasma confinement system 900 that are not described in detail above with reference to FIGS. 1-3F, and may additionally be applied to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1-3F.

[0067] To contextualize the positions of the various components of the plasma confinement system 900, a set of Cartesian coordinate axes 452 are shown in FIG. 4. Specifically, mutually perpendicular x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis are provided, with the x-axis and y-axis defining a plane of the schematic cross-section shown in FIG. 4 and the z-axis perpendicular thereto. In some embodiments, the direction of gravity may be parallel to and coincident with any direction in the plane of the schematic cross-section of FIG. 4. For example, the direction of gravity may be parallel to and coincident with the positive direction of the x-axis. In additional or alternative embodiments, the direction of gravity may be in the plane defined by the y-axis and z-axis (e.g., parallel to and coincident with the negative direction of the y-axis).

[0068] In an exemplary embodiment, the plasma confinement system 900 may include an outer electrode 650 that is physically and functionally separated from an external vacuum boundary 910 that, together with a portion of the inner electrode 660, forms the vacuum vessel 640 as a low pressure vessel that includes the plasma confinement chamber 610. The intermediate electrode 920 may be positioned to have a radius between a radius of the inner electrode 660 and a radius of the outer electrode 650. Specifically, the intermediate electrode 920 may substantially surround the inner electrode 660, and the outer electrode 650 may substantially surround the intermediate electrode 920. For example, the inner electrode 660 may include one end 665 at least partially surrounded by the intermediate electrode 920, and the intermediate electrode 920 may include one end 965 at least partially surrounded by the outer electrode 650.

[0069] The plasma confinement system 900 includes at least two functionally separate power sources, e.g., a Z-pinch (discharge) current 950 (I pinch ) and at least one additional power source 940 primarily arranged and controlled to drive residual current 867. In some embodiments, the at least one primary power source 930 may be a separate power device from the at least one additional power source 940. In other embodiments, the at least one primary power source 930 and the at least one additional power source 940 may be components of the same power device.

[0070] For example, in at least one embodiment, a single power supply device may have multiple outputs that individually provide amounts of power to enable performance of respective functions (e.g., driving Z-pinch current 950, driving residual current 867, etc.). Such an arrangement may be based on at least two power sources (e.g., one primary power source 930 and one additional power source 940) and may allow additional control of Z-pinch current 950 and its shear flow stabilization. In principle, the at least two power sources may be scaled, charged, and controlled such that Z-pinch current 950 and its stabilization may be maintained for a reasonable period of time before any of the at least two power sources prematurely runs out or exhausts its stored energy.

[0071] In certain embodiments, the plasma confinement system 900 may incorporate a "tapered electrode" configuration characterized by widening the gap between the inner electrode 660 and the intermediate electrode 920 by tapering the end 965 of the intermediate electrode 920 outwardly along the x-axis to increase the volume of at least a portion of the acceleration region 620 in the direction of the (unsupported) ends 665 and 965. In one example, the taper may be 0-15 degrees from the central axis of the plasma confinement system 900 (e.g., parallel to the x-axis). Such an arrangement may facilitate the transfer of momentum from the plasma heated by the residual current 867 to the neutral gas, e.g., along the positive direction of the x-axis, thereby creating and maintaining shear flow stabilization. The momentum transfer may be described and modeled using methodologies applicable to the design / optimization of "Laval nozzles," as known in the jet propulsion arts.

[0072] Although the techniques described herein are discussed in connection with the exploitation of thermonuclear fusion and, for example, energy generation therefrom, the techniques described herein can be used for other purposes, such as heat generation (e.g., manufacturing utilizing relatively high temperatures) and propulsion. For example, the plasma confinement system 300 of FIG. 1 or the plasma confinement system 900 of FIG. 4 may be modified by removing at least the vacuum chamber 338 or the outer vacuum boundary 910, respectively, and introducing an opening at one end of the outer electrode 650 to allow the fusion products to escape (e.g., parallel to the x-axis). In a particular embodiment, a magnetic nozzle (not shown in FIG. 4) may be positioned downstream of the outer electrode 650, for example, to the right of the outer electrode 650 with respect to the x-axis, to collimate the plasma and reduce the divergence of any exhaust plume.

[0073] The plasma confinement system 900 may include a controller or other computing device 948, which may include a non-transitory memory in which executable instructions may be stored. The executable instructions may be executed by one or more processors of the controller 948 to perform various functions of the plasma confinement system 900. Thus, the executable instructions may include various routines for operation, maintenance, and testing of the plasma confinement system 900. The controller 948 may further include a user interface through which an operator of the plasma confinement system 900 may enter commands or otherwise modify the operation of the plasma confinement system 900. The user interface may include various components for facilitating operator use of the plasma confinement system 900 and for receiving operator input (e.g., a request to generate a plasma arc for thermonuclear fusion), such as one or more displays, input devices (e.g., keyboard, touch screen, computer mouse, depressible button, mechanical switch, or other mechanical actuator, etc.), lights, etc. A controller 948 may be communicatively coupled to various components (e.g., valves, power supplies, etc.) of the plasma confinement system 900 to command their operation and use (for clarity, wired and / or wireless communication paths between the controller 948 and the various components are omitted in FIG. 4 ).

[0074] 5, there is shown a block diagram of a method 500 for operating a plasma confinement system, such as any of the plasma confinement systems described in detail above with reference to Figures 1-4, by adjusting one or more operating parameters to account for collisions between the fusion by-products and a fuel gas. In an exemplary embodiment, the fusion by-products include: 4 He, and the fuel gas may include (D 2 and / or T 2 deuterium and / or tritium containing species, 3 He, 6 Li, 11B, etc. In these and certain other embodiments described herein, the additional thermal energy resulting from the collisions may be referred to as "alpha energy," "alpha particle energy," or "alpha particle heating." Alpha particle heating, when induced or increased by adjustment of one or more operating parameters, may increase the energy output of the plasma confinement system, thereby increasing the fusion energy gain factor.

[0075] In some embodiments, method 500, or portions thereof, may be implemented as executable instructions stored in a non-transitory memory of a computing device, such as a controller communicatively coupled to the plasma confinement system. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, additional or alternative sequences of steps may be implemented as executable instructions on such a computing device, and individual steps discussed with reference to method 500 may be added, removed, substituted, modified, or replaced.

[0076] At block 502, the method 500 may include generating a request to initialize the plasma confinement system, according to which an initialization phase of the plasma confinement system may be initiated. In an exemplary embodiment, the request may be generated in response to receiving a user input from an operator of the plasma confinement system, for example. For example, the initialization of the plasma confinement system may be triggered or otherwise initiated via an operator interacting with a user interface, for example, a push button switch, toggle switch, or other mechanical actuator, keyboard, touch screen, cursor input, etc.

[0077] At block 504, the method 500 may include initiating a plasma arc generation phase of the plasma confinement system, e.g., after an initialization phase. Specifically, in an exemplary embodiment, the plasma arc generation phase may be initiated by powering at least the plasma confinement system (e.g., one or more power sources may provide power to various components utilized during the plasma arc generation phase) and providing a fuel gas for forming a plasma in the plasma confinement chamber by increasing one or more valve openings.

[0078] At block 506, the method 500 may include generating a plasma arc in the plasma confinement chamber, e.g., during the plasma arc generation phase, by adjusting the duty cycle of a discharge current applied to the fuel gas to induce thermonuclear fusion and alpha particle heating. Specifically, by adjusting the duty cycle, a magnetic field applied to compress the fuel gas in the plasma confinement chamber may be adjusted to induce or increase thermal impingement (e.g., above a threshold amount, such as an amount commanded by an operator of the plasma confinement system). In an exemplary embodiment, the duty cycle (and the magnetic field applied thereby) may be adjusted to increase alpha particle heating relative to energy generated via thermonuclear fusion, thereby increasing the efficiency of the energy output of the plasma confinement system. As an example, the amplitude of the discharge current may be increased while the pulse duration of the discharge current is decreased to increase the proportion of the energy output that can be attributed to alpha particle heating while maintaining the energy output (e.g., see plots 601-603 of FIG. 6, as described in more detail below). As another example, the amplitude of the discharge current can be increased while maintaining or increasing the pulse duration of the discharge current to increase the energy output and thereby increase the fusion energy gain factor (e.g., see plots 601-602 of FIG. 6, as described in more detail below). In some embodiments, the fusion energy gain factor can be increased by at least 10% by adjusting the duty cycle to capture thermal energy from increased thermal collisions between the fusion byproducts and the fuel gas (e.g., alpha particle heating), as discussed in more detail below with reference to FIG. 2In addition, as the strength of the magnetic field is increased from a first intensity value to a second intensity value (e.g., by increasing the amplitude of the discharge current), compression of the generated plasma arc may result in a concomitant increase in plasma density. As discussed in detail below with reference to FIG. 9, greater thermal energy from increased thermal collisions (e.g., alpha particle heating) between the fusion by-products and the fuel gas may result from the increased plasma density. Thus, when the magnetic field is adjusted from a first intensity value to a second intensity value (e.g., applied to axially compress the fuel gas to generate the plasma arc), greater thermal collisions between the fusion by-products and the fuel gas may result than when the magnetic field is at the first intensity value.

[0079] To access an operating regime in which alpha particle heating occurs, the duty cycle may be adjusted by adjusting one or more of the amplitude of the discharge current, the applied voltage inducing the discharge current, and the pulse duration of the discharge current. Specifically, at dashed block 508, adjusting the duty cycle may include adjusting (e.g., increasing) or maintaining the amplitude of the discharge current above 1.5 MA. For example, the amplitude of the discharge current may be adjusted (e.g., increasing) or maintained between 1.5 MA and 2.0 MA. Additionally or alternatively, at dashed block 510, adjusting the duty cycle may include adjusting (e.g., increasing) or maintaining the applied voltage above 15 kV. For example, the applied voltage may be adjusted (e.g., increasing) or maintained between 15 kV and 75 kV. Additionally or alternatively, at dashed block 512, adjusting the duty cycle may include adjusting (e.g., decreasing) or maintaining the pulse duration of the discharge current below 300 μs. For example, the pulse duration of the discharge current may be adjusted (eg, decreased) or maintained between 15 μs and 300 μs.

[0080] It should be noted that the dashed lines at dashed blocks 508, 510, and 512 indicate that in certain embodiments, the corresponding method steps (or portions of such method steps) may be optional in method 500. For example, in certain embodiments, the pulse duration of the discharge current may be maintained at greater than 300 μs throughout operation of the plasma confinement system.

[0081] At block 514, the method 500 may include determining whether to stop the plasma arc generation, for example, according to a request generated by the plasma confinement system. If the plasma arc generation is not commanded to stop, the method 500 may return to block 506 and continue to generate the plasma arc in the plasma confinement chamber.

[0082] If it is indicated to stop the plasma arc generation, the method 500 may proceed to block 516, where the method 500 may include stopping the plasma arc generation (e.g., terminating the plasma arc generation phase). In particular, the discharge current may cease to be applied to the plasma, and one or more valve openings may be reduced or completely closed to reduce or stop the supply of fuel gas to the plasma confinement chamber such that the plasma arc may become unsustainable and be stopped.

[0083] In at least one embodiment, the plasma confinement system may be a Z-pinch plasma confinement system. In a Z-pinch plasma confinement, an applied magnetic field may compress the fuel gas along an axis (e.g., a linear axis designated z, hence the "Z" pinch) to confine, stabilize and maintain the plasma arc. In additional or alternative embodiments, the magnetic field may be stabilized throughout the plasma arc generation phase (and thus, for example, through adjustment of the magnetic field to induce or increase thermal collisions between the fusion by-products and the fuel gas) by a shear ion velocity flow driven by a discharge current (also referred to herein as a "Z-pinch discharge current" when considered in the context of Z-pinch plasma confinement). As a result of the relatively high stability and strength of the magnetic field, and as will be discussed in detail below with reference to FIG. 7, alpha particles may be retained by the magnetic field with little or no dependence on the initial velocity of the alpha particles. Thus, more alpha particles may be retained for subsequent thermal collisions in a Z-pinch plasma confinement structure (especially when the discharge current is relatively high, e.g., greater than 1.5 MA) relative to certain other plasma confinement structures.

[0084] 6, there are shown plots 601, 602, and 603 of exemplary duty cycles for discharging a current I during operation of a plasma confinement system, such as any of the plasma confinement systems described in detail above with reference to FIGS. 1-4. In each of the plots 601, 602, and 603, the abscissa indicates time t (in arbitrary units) and the ordinate indicates the current I (in arbitrary units). Each of the exemplary duty cycles has an amplitude I ref and pulse duration t ref of the current pulse, and the fusion energy gain coefficient Q of the plasma confinement system. ref Specifically, ref and t ref characterize the amplitude and pulse duration, respectively, of the exemplary duty cycle depicted in plot 601, and Q refcharacterizes the fusion energy gain factor resulting from application of the exemplary duty cycle depicted in plot 601.

[0085] A comparison between the exemplary duty cycle depicted in plot 601 and the exemplary duty cycles depicted in plots 602 and 603, respectively, illustrates the flexibility that may be achieved by accessing the regime of alpha particle heating. As one example of such flexibility, and as shown by comparing the exemplary duty cycles of plots 601 and 602, the amplitude of the current pulse can be varied to induce or increase alpha particle heating, thereby increasing Q ref To increase I ref As another example of such flexibility, and as shown by comparing the example duty cycles of plots 601 and 603, the amplitude of the current pulses can be increased to I ref while the pulse duration of the current pulse can be increased to greater than Q ref t so as to induce or increase alpha particle heating while maintaining ref Each of the example duty cycles in plots 601 and 603 have the same fusion energy gain factor (Q ref ), but the example duty cycle of plot 603 may access more thermal energy from increased thermal collisions between the fusion byproducts and the fuel gas (e.g., alpha particle heating) and therefore may be more efficient in terms of energy output (e.g., a greater percentage of the energy output of the plasma confinement system may be attributable to alpha particle heating when the example duty cycle of plot 603 is required as compared to when the example duty cycle of plot 601 is required). That is, the example duty cycle shown in plot 603 may result in a reduction in Q refPlasma confinement systems that may not be able to utilize energy output for a fusion energy gain factor greater than 100 kcal / s (e.g., the fusion energy gain factor generated via the example duty cycle of plot 602) may be able to leverage alpha particle heating to increase the efficiency of operation.

[0086] Therefore, as the duty cycle is adjusted, Q ref Q may change (or not change) in response to how the area under the duty cycle time curve changes (or does not change). As an example, if the area under the duty cycle time curve increases, Q ref may increase (see, e.g., plots 601 and 602). As another example, if the area under the duty cycle time curve decreases, Q ref As yet another example, if the area under the duty cycle time curve is maintained, Q ref can be maintained (see, for example, plots 601 and 603).

[0087] 7, plots 701, 702, and 703 are shown of example trajectories of alpha particles confined axially (e.g., along the z-axis) in a magnetic field generated by a plasma confinement system. Specifically, the plasma confinement systems corresponding to plots 701, 702, and 703 are Z-pinch plasma confinement systems, such as any of the plasma confinement systems described in detail above with reference to Figures 1-4. In each of plots 701, 702, and 703, the abscissa indicates distance (in arbitrary units) along the z-axis and the ordinate indicates distance (in arbitrary units) along the y-axis, with each of the y-axis and z-axis being perpendicular to one another and scaled by a scaling factor a. As shown by comparing the initial velocities 711, 712, and 713 of the example trajectories depicted in plots 701, 702, and 703, respectively, in a Z-pinch plasma confinement system, alpha particles may be confined axially by a sufficiently strong magnetic field (e.g., induced by a sufficiently strong discharge current) substantially independent of (e.g., independent of) the direction of the initial velocity and / or the magnitude of the initial velocity (e.g., the magnitude of the component of the initial velocity along a given axis). Thus, for a Z-pinch plasma confinement structure, the fraction of thermal energy generated by collisions of alpha particles with the fuel gas may be expected to be greater than for certain other plasma confinement structures.

[0088] Referring now to FIG. 8, the expected fusion energy gain factor Q generated by a plasma arc confined in a plasma confinement system, such as any of the plasma confinement systems described in detail above with reference to FIGS. 1-4, as a function of pinch current. fus (Curve 802) and Q fus,heat 8, a composite plot 800 is shown of the plasma current (curve 801), plasma temperature (curve 803), plasma density (curve 804, also referred to herein as "number density" or "ion number density"), and pinch radius of the confined plasma arc (curve 805). In the composite plot 800, the abscissa represents the pinch current (in kA) and the left ordinate represents the fusion energy gain factor Q fusand Q fus,heat (unitless quantity), and from left to right, the first right ordinate indicates the plasma temperature (in keV) and the second right ordinate indicates the plasma density (in 10 20 cm -3 The third right ordinate indicates the pinch radius (in mm). In the illustrated embodiment, the fusion energy gain factor Q fus is determined without considering alpha particle heating in the plasma confinement system, and the fusion energy gain coefficient Q fus,heat is determined by considering alpha particle heating. As shown in composite plot 800, the fusion energy gain factor Q fus reaches an upper limit 806 of about 20-30 (e.g., may be achievable by thermonuclear fusion alone). Furthermore, the fusion energy gain factor Q fus Based on this, in such a pinch current regime, the fusion energy gain factor Q fus There may be little to no incentive to increase the pinch current beyond 1500 kA, since there is little to no expected increase in fus can be considered to be "saturated" at about 1200-1500 kA, where an upper limit of 806 is reached). However, the fusion energy gain factor Q fus,heat If is expected, the fusion energy gain factor Q fus,heat is at least 10 depending on the amplitude of the commanded pinch current. 2 , and even up to 10 3 (or even higher), there may be an incentive to access higher pinch current regimes (e.g., above 1500 kA). More specifically, adjusting the pinch current above 1500 kA is at least 10 2 Alpha particle heating may be taken into account by correspondingly adjusting the applied magnetic field that confines the plasma arc to induce sufficient thermal collisions between the fusion by-products (e.g., alpha particles) and the fuel gas so that a fusion energy gain factor of 0.1 can be realized.

[0089] 9, a plot 850 of the fraction of thermal energy recovered and plasma density generated during operation of a plasma confinement system (e.g., any of the plasma confinement systems described in detail above with reference to FIGS. 1-4) is shown as a function of pinch current. In plot 850, the abscissa indicates pinch current (I, MA) and the ordinate indicates the fraction of thermal energy generated via alpha particle heating that is recovered by the plasma confinement system. Legend 855 indicates the plasma density for each plasma for which results are plotted at a relatively low pinch current of 0.3 MA. Specifically, curve 811 indicates a plasma density of 4.25×10 at a pinch current of 0.3 MA. 23 m -3 811 shows the percentage of alpha energy recovered for a plasma having a pinch current of 0.3 mA and a plasma density of 2.1×10 24 m -3 Curve 812 shows the percentage of alpha energy recovered for a plasma having a pinch current of 0.3 mA and a plasma density of 4.25×10 24 m -3 8.5×10 alpha energy fraction recovered for a plasma having a pinch current of 0.3 mA and a plasma density of 8.5×10 24 m -3 For each of curves 811, 812, 813, and 814, the plasma density can be increased according to adiabatic scaling. For example, at a pinch current of 0.3 MA, the plasma density is 8.5×10 24 m -3 (e.g., curve 814) has a plasma density of 3.9×10 at a pinch current of 0.5 MA (e.g., point 851). 25 m -3 Above, at a pinch current of 1.0 MA (for example, point 852), the 26 m -3 Above, at a pinch current of 1.5 MA (for example, point 853), the 27 m -3 or more, and with a pinch current of 2.0 mA (e.g., point 854), the 27 m -3In certain embodiments, alpha particle heating can contribute a larger proportion of the recovered alpha energy, especially at higher plasma densities than would otherwise be expected. For example, at a pinch current of 0.3 MA, the alpha particle heating can contribute 8.5×10 24 m -3 A plasma having a plasma density of (e.g., curve 814) may have an energy recovery of about 10% (e.g., within 8-12%) for currents of 0.3-1.0 MA (e.g., at points 851 and 852), which may increase to about 20 percent (e.g., within 18-22%) at 1.5 MA (e.g., point 853), and may increase to more than 30 percent at a pinch current of 2.0 MA (e.g., point 854).

[0090] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be described in view of the following points: 1. A system comprising: a non-transitory memory for storing executable instructions, the executable instructions, when executed by one or more processors, causing the system to: Axial compression of fuel gas to induce thermonuclear fusion; and A system having one or more operating parameters adjusted to generate a magnetic field strong enough to increase a fusion energy gain factor above a fusion energy gain factor limit achievable by thermonuclear fusion. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more operating parameters include one or more of the amplitude of the discharge current applied to the fuel gas, the applied voltage driving the discharge current, or the pulse duration of the discharge current. 3. Executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the system to adjust one or more operating parameters; The system of claim 2, including instructions to perform one or more of the following: adjusting the amplitude of the discharge current to greater than 1.5 MA, adjusting the applied voltage driving the discharge current to greater than 15 kV, or adjusting the pulse duration of the discharge current to less than 300 μs. 4. Executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the system to adjust one or more operating parameters; The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising instructions for adjusting the duty cycle of a discharge current applied to the fuel gas. 5. A system described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 4, wherein the magnetic field increases the fusion energy gain factor above the fusion energy gain factor limit by inducing thermal collisions between thermonuclear fusion by-products and fuel gas. 6. A system described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 5, wherein the fusion energy gain factor is greater than 100 and the fusion energy gain factor limit is less than 100. 7. The system of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the fuel gas includes one or both of a neutral gas or an ionized gas. 8. The system of any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a Z-pinch plasma confinement system in which the magnetic field is generated. 9. A plasma confinement system comprising: a plasma confinement chamber; a controller including executable instructions stored in a non-transitory memory, the executable instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the controller, causing the controller to: Identifying a threshold amount of thermal collisions between alpha particles and a fuel gas; and adjusting a duty cycle of a discharge current applied to a fuel gas contained within a plasma confinement chamber to achieve a threshold amount of thermal collisions between alpha particles and the fuel gas. 10. The executable instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the controller to: Item 10. The plasma confinement system of item 9, wherein the duty cycle is adjusted by one or more of increasing the amplitude of the discharge current to greater than 1.5 MA, increasing the applied voltage driving the discharge current to greater than 15 kV, or decreasing the pulse duration of the discharge current to less than 300 μs. 11. The executable instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the controller to: Item 11. The plasma confinement system according to item 9 or 10, wherein the duty cycle is adjusted by one or more of adjusting the amplitude of the discharge current to 1.5 MA to 2.0 MA or adjusting the applied voltage driving the discharge current to 15 kV to 75 kV. 12. The executable instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the controller to: 12. The plasma confinement system according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the duty cycle is adjusted by adjusting the pulse duration of the discharge current to between 50 μs and 300 μs. 13. The executable instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the controller to: 13. The plasma confinement system of any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the duty cycle is adjusted by increasing the area under the duty cycle time curve. 14. The executable instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the controller to: 13. The plasma confinement system of any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the duty cycle is adjusted by maintaining an area under the duty cycle time curve. 15. The plasma confinement system according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the plasma confinement system is a Z-pinch plasma confinement system. 16. A method comprising: The method includes adjusting a magnetic field from a first intensity value to axially compress a fuel gas in a plasma confinement chamber to a second intensity value that results in greater thermal collisions between alpha particles and the fuel gas than the magnetic field at the first intensity value. 17. The magnetic field is Item 17. The method according to item 16, wherein the amplitude of the discharge current is adjusted to 1.5 MA to 2.0 MA, the applied voltage driving the discharge current is increased to 15 kV to 75 kV, or the pulse duration of the discharge current is decreased to 50 μs to 300 μs. 18. The method of claim 16 or 17, wherein the plasma confinement chamber is configured in a Z-pinch plasma confinement system. 19. The method of any one of paragraphs 16 to 18, wherein the magnetic field is stabilized through regulation by a shear ion velocity flow driven by a discharge current. 20. The magnetic field is at least 10 2 20. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein the method is adjusted to induce sufficient thermal collisions between the alpha particles and the fuel gas such that a fusion energy gain coefficient of 1.0 or more is realized.

[0091] The specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, however it will be apparent that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

[0092] Other variations are within the spirit of the disclosure. Thus, while the disclosed technology is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and have been described above in detail. It is to be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the particular forms or configurations disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[0093] The use of terms such as "a," "an," and "the," and similar referents in the context of describing the disclosed embodiments (particularly in the context of the claims that follow) should be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Similarly, the use of the term "or" should be construed to mean "and / or," unless expressly stated or otherwise contradicted by context. Terms such as "comprising," "having," "including," and "containing" should be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to"). When referring to an unmodified physical connection, the term "connected" should be construed as partially or completely contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening. The recitation of ranges of values ​​herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each individual value falling within the range, and each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were set forth individually herein, unless otherwise indicated herein. Unless otherwise indicated or contradicted by the context, use of the term "set" (e.g., "set of items") or "subset" should be construed as a non-empty set containing one or more members. Further, unless otherwise indicated or contradicted by the context, the term "subset" of a corresponding set does not necessarily indicate a proper subset of the corresponding set, and the subset and the corresponding set may be equivalent. Unless otherwise indicated by the context, use of the phrase "based on" means "based at least in part on" and is not limited to "based solely on".

[0094] Conjunctions such as phrases of the form "at least one of A, B, and C" or "at least one of A, B and C" (i.e., the same phrase with or without the Oxford comma) are understood to be generally used in context to indicate an item, term, etc., either A or B or C, any non-empty subset of the set A and B and C, or any set that contains at least one A, at least one B, or at least one C and that is not contradicted or otherwise excluded by the context, unless expressly stated otherwise or clearly contradicted by the context. For example, in the illustrative example of a set having three members, the conjunctions "at least one of A, B, and C" and "at least one of A, B, and C" refer to any of the following sets: {A}, {B}, {C}, {A, B}, {A, C}, {B, C}, {A, B, C}, and, unless expressly or contextually contradictory, any set having {A}, {B}, and / or {C} as a subset (e.g., a set having multiple "A"s). Thus, such conjunctions are generally not intended to imply that a particular embodiment requires that at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C are each present. Similarly, phrases such as "at least one of A, B, or C" and "at least one of A, B, or C" refer to the same thing as "at least one of A, B, and C," where "at least one of A, B, and C" refers to any one of the following sets: {A}, {B}, {C}, {A, B}, {A, C}, {B, C}, {A, B, C}, unless a different meaning is expressly stated or clear from the context. In addition, unless the context indicates otherwise or is contradictory, the term "plurality" refers to a plurality (e.g., "a plurality of items" refers to a plurality of items). The number of items in a plurality is at least two, but may be more if indicated explicitly or by context.

[0095] The operations of the processes described herein may be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. In one embodiment, processes such as the processes described herein (or variations and / or combinations thereof) are performed under the control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions, implemented by hardware or a combination thereof as code (e.g., executable instructions, one or more computer programs, or one or more applications) that collectively execute on one or more processors. In one embodiment, the code is stored on a computer-readable storage medium, for example in the form of a computer program that includes a plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors. In one embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that excludes transitory signals (e.g., propagating transient electrical or electromagnetic transmissions), but includes non-transitory data storage circuitry (e.g., buffers, caches, and queues) within a transceiver of the transitory signals. In one embodiment, code (e.g., executable code or source code) is stored on a set of one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media that, when executed (i.e., as a result of being executed) by one or more processors of a computer system, store executable instructions that cause the computer system to perform the operations described herein. In one embodiment, the set of non-transitory computer readable storage media includes a plurality of non-transitory computer readable storage media, where one or more of the individual non-transitory storage media of the plurality of non-transitory computer readable storage media are absent all of the code, while the plurality of non-transitory computer readable storage media collectively store all of the code. In one embodiment, the executable instructions are executed such that different instructions are executed by different processors - for example, in one embodiment, the non-transitory computer readable storage media store instructions and the main CPU executes some of the instructions while the graphics processing unit executes other instructions. In another embodiment, different components of the computer system have separate processors, where the different processors execute different subsets of the instructions.

[0096] Thus, in one embodiment, a computer system is configured to implement one or more services that singly or collectively perform the operations of the processes described herein, such computer systems being configured with applicable hardware and / or software that enable the execution of the operations. Further, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the computer system is a single device, and in another embodiment, a distributed computer system comprising multiple devices operating differently such that a distributed computer system performs the operations described herein, and such that no single device performs all operations.

[0097] The use of any and all examples or exemplary language (e.g., "etc.") provided herein is intended merely to better describe embodiments of the invention and does not impose limitations on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.

[0098] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect those skilled in the art to adopt such variations as necessary, and the inventors intend for the embodiments of the present disclosure to be carried out in ways other than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the scope of the present disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context.

[0099] All references cited in this specification, including publications, patent applications, and patents, are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference was individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and was set forth in its entirety herein.

Claims

1. 1. A system comprising: a non-transitory memory for storing executable instructions, the executable instructions, when executed by one or more processors, providing the system with: Axial compression of fuel gas to induce thermonuclear fusion; and 1. A system comprising: a system for adjusting one or more operating parameters to generate a magnetic field strong enough to increase a fusion energy gain factor beyond a fusion energy gain factor limit achievable by said thermonuclear fusion.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more operating parameters include one or more of an amplitude of a discharge current applied to the fuel gas, an applied voltage driving the discharge current, or a pulse duration of the discharge current.

3. The executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to adjust the one or more operating parameters. When executed by the one or more processors, the executable instructions cause the system to 3. The system of claim 2, comprising instructions to one or more of: adjusting the amplitude of the discharge current to greater than 1.5 MA; adjusting the applied voltage driving the discharge current to greater than 15 kV; or adjusting the pulse duration of the discharge current to less than 300 μs.

4. The executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to adjust the one or more operating parameters. When executed by the one or more processors, the executable instructions cause the system to 10. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising instructions for adjusting the duty cycle of the discharge current applied to the fuel gas.

5. 10. The system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the magnetic field increases the fusion energy gain factor beyond the fusion energy gain factor limit by inducing thermal collisions between the thermonuclear fusion by-products and the fuel gas.

6. 2. The system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fusion energy gain factor is greater than 100 and the fusion energy gain factor limit is less than 100.

7. 2. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fuel gas comprises one or both of a neutral gas or an ionizable gas.

8. 10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a Z-pinch plasma confinement system in which the magnetic field is generated.

9. 1. A plasma confinement system comprising: a plasma confinement chamber; a controller including executable instructions stored in a non-transitory memory, the executable instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the controller, causing the controller to: Identifying a threshold amount of thermal collisions between alpha particles and a fuel gas; and adjusting a duty cycle of a discharge current applied to the fuel gas contained within the plasma confinement chamber to achieve the threshold amount of thermal collisions between the alpha particles and the fuel gas.

10. The executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to:

10. The plasma confinement system of claim 9, wherein the duty cycle is adjusted by one or more of increasing the amplitude of the discharge current to greater than 1.5 MA, increasing the applied voltage driving the discharge current to greater than 15 kV, or decreasing a pulse duration of the discharge current to less than 300 μs.

11. The executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to:

11. The plasma confinement system of claim 9 or 10, wherein the duty cycle is adjusted by one or more of: adjusting the amplitude of the discharge current from 1.5 MA to 2.0 MA; or adjusting the applied voltage driving the discharge current from 15 kV to 75 kV.

12. The executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to: The plasma confinement system of any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the duty cycle is adjusted by adjusting the pulse duration of the discharge current between 50μs and 300μs.

13. The executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to: The plasma confinement system of any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the duty cycle is adjusted by increasing the area under the duty cycle time curve.

14. The executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to: The plasma confinement system of any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the duty cycle is adjusted by maintaining an area under the duty cycle time curve.

15. The plasma confinement system of any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the plasma confinement system is a Z-pinch plasma confinement system.

16. 1. A method comprising:

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: adjusting a magnetic field from a first intensity value to axially compress a fuel gas in a plasma confinement chamber to a second intensity value that results in thermal collisions between alpha particles and the fuel gas that are greater than the magnetic field at the first intensity value.

17. The magnetic field is 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the discharge current is adjusted by one or more of increasing the amplitude of the discharge current from 1.5 MA to 2.0 MA, increasing the applied voltage driving the discharge current from 15 kV to 75 kV, or decreasing the pulse duration of the discharge current from 50 μs to 300 μs.

18. 18. The method of claim 16 or 17, wherein the plasma confinement chamber is configured in a Z-pinch plasma confinement system.

19. A method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the magnetic field is stabilized through regulation by a shear ion velocity flow driven by the discharge current.

20. The magnetic field is at least 10 ２ 20. The method of claim 16, wherein the alpha particles and the fuel gas are adjusted to induce sufficient thermal collisions between the alpha particles and the fuel gas such that a fusion energy gain factor of

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