Controlled fusion devices

Claim 1

NUCLEAR FUSION APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) MEANS FOR GENERATING A GAS PLASMA FROM A MASS OF IONIZABLE LIGHT NUCLEI GAS AND INJECTING THE PLASMA ONTO A PREDETERMINED AXIS ALONG WHICH IS MAINTAINED AN AXIAL ELECTRIC DISCHARGE AND A FIRST MAGNETIC FIELD WITH SUFFICIENTLY STRONG RADIAL COMPONENTS SO THAT INTERACTION BETWEEN THE AXIAL CURRENT AND THE RADIAL COMPONENTS OF SAID FIRST MAGNETIC FIELD PRODUCES TANGENTIAL HALL CURRENTS WHICH AXIALLY ACCELERATE SAID PLASMA, CONFINE IT ALONG SAID PREDETERMINED AXIS AND OHMICALLY HEAT THE PLASMA TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO INITIATE A FUSION REACTION, SAID MEANS MAINTAINING THE RATIO OF THE PLASMA MASS FLOW RATE PARAMETER TO ELECTRIC CURRENT LESS THAN UNITY; (B) INJECTION MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A PREDETERMINED MASS OF AT LEAST PARTIALLY IONIZABLE FLUID INTO THE GAS STREAM AT A PREDETERMINED POINT DOWNSTREAM OF THE REGION IN WHICH SAID FUSION REACTION OCCURS, SAID PREDETERMINED MASS BEING SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE THE RATIO OF THE MASS FLOW RATE PARAMETER OF IONIZED GAS TO ELECTRIC CURRENT TO BECOME GREATER THAN UNITY; (C) LINEAR TUBULAR CASING MEANS HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY OPEN ENDS AND DEFINING AN INLET AT ONE OF ITS ENDS AND AN OUTLET AT ITS OTHER END, SAID TUBULAR CASING MEANS BEING CONCENTRICALLY DISPOSED ALONG SAID PREDETERMINED AXIS WITH SAID INLET AT SAID PREDETERMINED POINT; (D) MEANS FOR EXTENDING SAID AXIAL ELECTRIC DISCHARGE ALONG SAID PREDETERMINED AXIS THROUGH SAID TUBULAR CASING MEANS; (E) ELECTROMAGNETIC MEANS FOR MAINTAINING A SECOND MAGNETIC FIELD WITHIN SAID TUBULAR CASING AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THERETHROUGH, THE TOTAL RADIAL COMPONENTS OF THE MAGNETIC LINES OF FORCE OF SAID SECOND MAGNETIC FIELD WITHIN SAID TUBULAR CASING PREDOMINATING SUFFICIENTLY OVER THE AXIAL COMPONENTS SO THAT THE TANGENTIAL HALL CURRENTS PRODUCED BY THE INTERACTION OF THE RADIAL MAGNETIC FIELD COMPONENTS WITH THE AXIAL ELECTRICAL CURRENT WILL MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICALLY DECELERATE THE GAS IN SAID TUBULAR CASING TO DIRECTLY CONVERT THE NUCLEAR ENERGY OF THE FUSION REACTION PRODUCTS OF SAID GAS INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; (F) MEANS FOR EXPANDING THE GAS FROM THE OUTLET OF SAID TUBULAR CASING TO THE AMBIENT; AND, (G) ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT MEANS FOR EXTRACTING ELECTRICAL ENERGY FROM THE GAS AS IT PASSES THROUGH SAID TUBULAR CASING.