US4690793A
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Nuclear fusion reactor
Assignee: Hitachi Ltd
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Filing: 1984-02-17
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Granted: 1987-09-01
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Expires: 2004-02-17
Abstract
Abstract The nuclear fusion reactor of the present invention presents a new vacuum vessel for enclosing plasma particles where a reactor wall exposed to the above plasma particles has a piled structure. A plurality of heat-resisting ceramic tiles are metallurgically bonded to a metal-base body having a cooling means through a brazing material. The ceramic tiles are preferably composed of sintered silicon carbide of high density and containing a little beryllium oxide between the boundaries of crystal grains.
Inventors
- 👤 Hisanori Okamura
- 👤 Kunio Miyazaki
- 👤 Hirosi Akiyama
- 👤 Shinichi Itoh
- 👤 Tomio Yasuda
- 👤 Kousuke Nakamura
- 👤 Yukio Okoshi
- 👤 Mutuo Kamoshita
- 👤 Akio Chiba
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 18:14
CPC Classifications
G; G21; G21B; G21B1/00; G21B1/11; G21B1/13; B; B23; B23K; B23K1/00; B23K1/0008; B23K1/19; B23K1/20; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E30/00; Y02E30/10; Y10; Y10S; Y10S228/00; Y10S228/903; Y10S376/00; Y10S376/90; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/12; Y10T428/12493; Y10T428/125; Y10T428/12507; Y10T428/12535; Y10T428/12576; Y10T428/12611; Y10T428/12736; Y10T428/12764; Y10T428/12771; Y10T428/12861; Y10T428/12903
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
121 words
A nuclear fusion reactor which comprises a vacuum vessel for enclosing plasma particles; coils distributed around the vacuum vessel for generating a magnetic field; and a reactor wall that is exposed to the plasma particles within said vacuum vessel; the reactor wall having a piled structure in which many separate heat-resisting ceramic tiles are bonded to a metal-base body operatively associated with cooling means, gaps being formed between neighboring ceramic tiles and said metal-base body having grooves formed at portions corresponding to at least some of the gaps; said ceramic tiles being formed of compounds of elements having atomic numbers less than 14 and being bonded by a brazing material forming a junction layer between the tiles and the metal-base body.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
121 words
A nuclear fusion reactor which comprises a vacuum vessel for enclosing plasma particles; coils distributed around the vacuum vessel for generating a magnetic field; and a reactor wall that is exposed to the plasma particles within said vacuum vessel; the reactor wall having a piled structure in which many separate heat-resisting ceramic tiles are bonded to a metal-base body operatively associated with cooling means, gaps being formed between neighboring ceramic tiles and said metal-base body having grooves formed at portions corresponding to at least some of the gaps; said ceramic tiles being formed of compounds of elements having atomic numbers less than 14 and being bonded by a brazing material forming a junction layer between the tiles and the metal-base body.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
A nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 1, in which portions of the ends of the neighboring ceramic tiles lap over one another on a surface subjected to irradiation by the plasma particles.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
46 words
A nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 1, in which the above ceramic tiles are bonded to the above metal-base body via an intermediate material composed of a metallic layer having smaller coefficient of thermal expansion that that of the above metal-base body at room temperature.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
A nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 3, in which the intermediate material is a composite material composed of a metal and buried fibers an exhibits a coefficient of thermal expansion less than that of the metal-base body at room temperature.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
A nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 3, in which the modulus of elasticity of the intermediate material is 5-13×10 3 kg/mm 2 at room temperature and coefficient of thermal expansion of the intermediate material is 3-12×10 -6 /°C. at room temperature.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
A nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 5, in which the intermediate material is a composite material containing Cu as the principal ingredient and buried carbon fiber 30-60% in volume.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
A nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 1, in which the thermal conductivity of the ceramic tiles is more than 0.05 cal/cm.sec.°C. at room temperature and the electric resistance is more than 10 -3 Ω·cm at room temperature.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
A nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 1, in which the ceramic tiles are sintered ceramics having a melting point and a decomposition temperature higher than 1900° C.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
A nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 8, in which the ceramic tiles are sintered ceramics of compounds of elements, the atomic numbers of which are 14 or less.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
31 words
A nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 1, in which the ceramic tiles are ceramics containing beryllium or a compound of beryllium and more than 80% in weight of silicon carbide.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
45 words
A nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 1, in which ceramic tiles containing silicon carbide as the principal ingredient are bonded to a metal-base body comprised of non-magnetic austenite-stainless steel, through a brazing layer composed of manganese 22-55% in weight and the rest being copper.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
62 words
A nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 11, in which ceramic tiles are bonded to an intermediate layer by a solder material composed of manganese 25-55% in weight and the rest being copper, wherein the intermediate layer is a composite material containing buried carbon fiber 30-60% in volume in a matrix of copper the intermediate layer being bonded to the metal-base body.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
41 words
A nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 12, in which the composite material is bonded to a metal-base body composed of aluminium by a brazing material composed of an alloy containing Si 8-15% in weight and Al as the principal ingredient.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
46 words
A nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 1, in which ceramic tiles containing silicon carbide as the principal ingredient are bonded to a metal-base body comprised of aluminium through a brazing layer of an alloy containing Si 8-15% in weight and Al has the principal ingredient.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
112 words
A nuclear fusion reactor which comprises a reactor provided with a vacuum vessel for enclosing plasma particles, coils distributed around the vacuum vessel for generating magnetic field, and a reactor wall exposed to the plasma particles in the vacuum vessel, the reactor wall being a piled structure comprising heat-resisting ceramic tiles of a thermal conductivity more than 0.5 cal/cm.sec.°C. at room temperature which are bonded to a metal-base body, the metal-base body being provided with grooves and cooling means; said ceramic tiles being formed of compounds of elements having atomic numbers less than 14 and being bonded by a brazing material forming a junction layer between the tiles and the metal-base body.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
112 words
A nuclear fusion reactor which comprises a reactor provided with a vacuum vessel for enclosing plasma particles, coils distributed around the vacuum vessel for generating magnetic field, and a reactor wall exposed to the plasma particles in the vacuum vessel, the reactor wall being a piled structure comprising heat-resisting ceramic tiles of a thermal conductivity more than 0.5 cal/cm.sec.°C. at room temperature which are bonded to a metal-base body, the metal-base body being provided with grooves and cooling means; said ceramic tiles being formed of compounds of elements having atomic numbers less than 14 and being bonded by a brazing material forming a junction layer between the tiles and the metal-base body.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
28 words
A nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 15, in which the ceramic tiles are composed of sintered non-oxide ceramics containing silicon carbide and beryllium or compounds of beryllium.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
26 words
A nuclear fusion reactor according to claim 16, in which the above non-oxide ceramics contains beryllium oxide and more than 80% by weight of silicon carbide.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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Cited
US3197859A
Cited
US3720257A
Cited
US4019080A
Cited
US3911553A
Cited
US4357299A
Cited
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1990-08-31 | 1991-03-02 | 1991-09-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1994-08-31 | 1995-03-02 | 1995-09-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1998-08-31 | 1999-03-02 | 1999-09-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |