Patents by Inventor Daniel Prater

Daniel Prater has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240062920
    Abstract: A device and method for the generation of thermonuclear fusion through the resonant excitation of plasma. A resonant “bounce” effect is observed in shock-heated plasmas driven by a single current pulse with fast current rise-time. The present invention discloses means for resonant excitation of plasma at frequency derivatives of the bounce frequency including harmonics and subharmonics of the fundamental bounce frequency. The resonant excitation power circuit may employ a closed loop feedback circuit with an operational amplifier or be open loop employing a frequency reference and may include any configuration of inductors and capacitors. The reactor may be of any geometry and or configuration including linear pinch, theta pinch, toroidal pinch such as field-reversed configuration, magnetically stabilized pinches such as the tokamak, or may be steady state reactors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2023
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Inventors: Daniel Prater, Mark William Chang
  • Publication number: 20230107844
    Abstract: Described are toroidal devices to produce steady state, helical, Taylor-Couette-like magnetohydrodynamic singular structure flows in plasma or other conductive fluids with full magnetohydrodynamic helicity. Linking of two or more such toroidal devices can be used to generate a laminar kinematic dynamo. Only one is required to confine plasma at the pressures and for times required to produce nuclear fusion. Such high-temperature plasma can also be used for centrifugal ionic separation, nuclear transmutations at production quantity, and in the near term as a study tool in the development of materials to withstand high temperature and neutron flux. Plasma is a high-energy state of matter capable of relativistic velocity en masse, and as such, relativistic plasma or other conductive fluid devices are a means to generate gravity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2022
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Inventor: Daniel Prater
  • Patent number: 11107592
    Abstract: A device and method for generating plasma conditions for deuterium-tritium and advanced fuel thermonuclear fusion consisting of an inner helicity-containing plasma such as a spheromak compact toroid bounded by a plurality of outer cusped magnetic fields. Helicity driven by steady-inductive helicity injectors energizes the plasmoid with helicity. The device further includes means for driving fluid rotation about the device axis, about the device magnetic axis, and means for a hot electron sheath. Means are also provided for reducing particle losses out through the open cusp field lines through helicity injector rectification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Inventor: Daniel Prater
  • Publication number: 20200234832
    Abstract: A device and method for generating plasma conditions for deuterium-tritium and advanced fuel thermonuclear fusion consisting of an inner helicity-containing plasma such as a spheromak compact toroid bounded by a plurality of outer cusped magnetic fields. Helicity driven by steady-inductive helicity injectors energizes the plasmoid with helicity. The device further includes means for driving fluid rotation about the device axis, about the device magnetic axis, and means for a hot electron sheath. Means are also provided for reducing particle losses out through the open cusp field lines through helicity injector rectification.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2020
    Publication date: July 23, 2020
    Inventor: Daniel Prater
  • Patent number: 10582604
    Abstract: A device and method for the heating of plasma by resonance using Halbach transformers for magnetic field modulation. Forming the Halbach transformers of heating to the primary magnetic field coils of confinement in a typical ring cusp confinement device configuration may reduce high-voltage breakdown along coil supports. By heating the plasma transverse to the confinement field a greater number of particle species may be retained. The primary confinement field coil support is placed outboard of the plasma cusp region by extending lobed flanges from the plates of Bitter-type primary electromagnetic field coils into the outboard region and placing the holes for the coil supports through these flanges. This arrangement of coil and flange moves plasma bombardment from the cusp region to the outboard region thus moving impurity generation by coil support bombardment from the cusp region to an outer radius where impurity effects are less detrimental.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Inventor: Daniel Prater
  • Publication number: 20180063936
    Abstract: A device and method for the heating of plasma by resonance using Halbach transformers for magnetic field modulation. Forming the Halbach transformers of heating to the primary magnetic field coils of confinement in a typical ring cusp confinement device configuration may reduce high-voltage breakdown along coil supports. By heating the plasma transverse to the confinement field a greater number of particle species may be retained. The primary confinement field coil support is placed outboard of the plasma cusp region by extending lobed flanges from the plates of Bitter-type primary electromagnetic field coils into the outboard region and placing the holes for the coil supports through these flanges. This arrangement of coil and flange moves plasma bombardment from the cusp region to the outboard region thus moving impurity generation by coil support bombardment from the cusp region to an outer radius where impurity effects are less detrimental.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2017
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Inventor: Daniel Prater
  • Patent number: 9462669
    Abstract: A device and method for the magnetic confinement of plasma is formed by a cylindrically stacked column of current-carrying magnetic field coils with electrodes interior to each magnetic field coil so as to induce plasma fluid rotation about an annular confinement region formed of cusped-geometry magnetic fields. Electrodes are formed such that the electric fields produced are tangential to the magnetic fields, and so as to maintain consistent azimuthal direction of plasma rotation, electric field electrodes alternate accordingly in polarity along the axial length of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Inventor: Daniel Prater
  • Publication number: 20160037617
    Abstract: A device and method for the magnetic confinement of plasma is formed by a cylindrically stacked column of current-carrying magnetic field coils with electrodes interior to each magnetic field coil so as to induce plasma fluid rotation about an annular confinement region formed of cusped-geometry magnetic fields. Electrodes are formed such that the electric fields produced are tangential to the magnetic fields, and so as to maintain consistent azimuthal direction of plasma rotation, electric field electrodes alternate accordingly in polarity along the axial length of the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Publication date: February 4, 2016
    Inventor: Daniel Prater
  • Publication number: 20150097487
    Abstract: A device and method for magnetic field confinement of plasma is formed by a cylindrically stacked column of direct current-carrying magnetic field coils with electrodes adjacently interior to each magnetic field coils so as to induce plasma rotation about an annular confinement region. Each field coil produces a magnetic field alternating in direction relative to adjacent coils and, so as to maintain consistent overall azimuthal direction of plasma rotation, electric field electrodes alternate accordingly in polarity along the axial length of the device. The device may be used for inducing nuclear fusion, for the ionic or isotopic separation of elements, creation of thrust by ejecting mass along the axial direction of the device, for creating a gravitational acceleration field, and for creating a state change beyond plasma.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2014
    Publication date: April 9, 2015
    Inventor: Daniel Prater
  • Publication number: 20080025956
    Abstract: Methods and compositions to form fully functional blood vessels in vivo using endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs) are disclosed. Culturing ECFCs in a support material results in association of ECFCs in vitro and formation of blood vessels in vivo upon implantation. Direct administration of cultured ECFCs form blood vessels in vivo. Formation of blood vessels is useful in treating a variety of medical conditions including ischemia and hypoxia.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2007
    Publication date: January 31, 2008
    Applicant: Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Mervin Yoder, David Ingram, Daniel Prater
  • Publication number: 20040072044
    Abstract: A direct hydrogen peroxide/proton-donating-fuel fuel cell for production of electric current by reduction of hydrogen peroxide coupled with oxidation of fuel by means of ion transfer across an ion-conducting polymer electrolyte is provided. In addition, a hydrogen peroxide concentration meter is provided, which may be utilized, for example, for measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in solutions that may contain strong electrolytes or in automated systems such as those to be used with the present fuel cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2002
    Publication date: April 15, 2004
    Inventors: John Rusek, Daniel Prater