Limiters Or Liners Patents (Class 376/136)
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Patent number: 11820239Abstract: A system for at least partially preventing passage an intrusive electromagnetic field into an internal volume of a structure is provided. The system includes a plurality of shielding modules positionable adjacent one another on an exterior surface of the structure for covering at least a portion of the exterior surface. Each of the shielding modules including a sensor and a shielding coil positioned around the sensor. The sensor is configured to measure the intrusive electromagnetic field and generate a signal based on the measured field. The system further includes a control unit in communication with each of the shielding modules, the control unit controls supply of response currents to the coil based on the signal such that the coil radiates a counteracting electromagnetic field that at least partially prevents passage of the intrusive field into the internal volume of the structure.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2022Date of Patent: November 21, 2023Inventor: Jan Morava
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Patent number: 11450441Abstract: A method of removing, from a fusion power reactor, a tile that comprises a tile-support tube, which is attached to a back portion of the tile and which comprises a coolant channel that is configured in a horizontal orientation, comprises rotating the tile, which is installed in a locked orientation in a manifold channel of a first wall of the fusion power reactor, until the tile is in an install/remove orientation. The method further comprises grasping, with a removal tool, the tile-support tube. The method additionally comprises lifting the tile away from the first wall of the fusion power reactor with the removal tool such that the tile is completely removed from the manifold channel of the first wall of the fusion power reactor.Type: GrantFiled: December 26, 2019Date of Patent: September 20, 2022Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventor: Thomas Lyman Weaver
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Patent number: 8249210Abstract: A cooling device component of monobloc design has a heat shield made from tungsten, a tungsten alloy, a graphitic material or a carbidic material provided with a through-hole. A cooling pipe for carrying coolant is joined in the through-hole. The heat shield is in turn joined or metallurgically joined to a structural part made from a material with a tensile strength at room temperature of >300 MPa and an electrical resistivity of >0.04 Ohm mm2m?1.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2007Date of Patent: August 21, 2012Assignees: Plansee SE, The European Atomic Energy Community, Represented by the European CommissionInventors: Bertram Schedler, Dietmar Schedle, Karlheinz Scheiber, Thomas Huber, Thomas Friedrich, Anton Zabernig, Hans-Dieter Friedle
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Patent number: 8130893Abstract: A magnetohydrodynamic simulator that includes a plasma container. The magnetohydrodynamic simulator also includes an first ionizable gas substantially contained within the plasma container. In addition, the magnetohydrodynamic simulator also includes a first loop positioned adjacent to the plasma container, wherein the first loop includes a gap, a first electrical connection on a first side of the gap, a second electrical connection of a second side of the gap, and a first material having at least one of low magnetic susceptibility and high conductivity. The first loop can be made up from an assembly of one or a plethora or wire loop coils. In such cases, electrical connection is made through the ends of the coil wires. The magnetohydrodynamic simulator further includes an electrically conductive first coil wound about the plasma container and through the first loop.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 2010Date of Patent: March 6, 2012Inventor: Nassim Haramein
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Patent number: 8073094Abstract: A magnetohydrodynamic simulator that includes a plasma container. The magnetohydrodynamic simulator also includes an first ionizable gas substantially contained within the plasma container. In addition, the magnetohydrodynamic simulator also includes a first loop positioned adjacent to the plasma container, wherein the first loop includes a gap, a first electrical connection on a first side of the gap, a second electrical connection of a second side of the gap, and a first material having at least one of low magnetic susceptibility and high conductivity. The first loop can be made up from an assembly of one or a plethora or wire loop coils. In such cases, electrical connection is made through the ends of the coil wires. The magnetohydrodynamic simulator further includes an electrically conductive first coil wound about the plasma container and through the first loop.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2007Date of Patent: December 6, 2011Inventor: Nassim Haramein
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Patent number: 8064563Abstract: A first-wall component for a fusion reactor contains at least one heat shield having a first region inclined toward the plasma and a second region lying opposite the first region and formed of a graphitic material. The heat shield has one or more slots that end in the first or second regions and are oriented generally in the direction of an axis of the cooling tube. The components suitably cope with the mechanical stresses resulting both from production and from thermal cycling.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2007Date of Patent: November 22, 2011Assignee: The European Atomic Energy Community, represented by the European CommissionInventors: Thomas Friedrich, Arno Plankensteiner, Bertram Schedler, Karlheinz Scheiber, Hans-Dieter Friedle, Thomas Huber, Dietmar Schedle, Anton Zabernig
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Patent number: 7940880Abstract: The invention relates to a first-wall component of a fusion reactor, which comprises at least one heat shield of a graphitic material and a cooling tube of copper or a copper alloy. Arranged between the heat shield and the cooling tube is a tube segment, which is connected at least in certain regions to the heat shield and to the cooling tube via copper-containing layers.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2006Date of Patent: May 10, 2011Assignee: Plansee SEInventors: Bertram Schedler, Thomas Huber, Anton Zabernig, Karlheinz Scheiber, Dietmar Schedle, Thomas Friedrich, Hans-Dieter Friedle, Sandra Mair, Nadine Wörle
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Patent number: 7340025Abstract: A plasma antenna generator includes a ceramic portion including an ionizable material, an explosive charge adapted to project at least part of the ceramic portion upon detonation at a velocity sufficient to ionize the ionizable material, and a detonator coupled with the explosive charge. A plasma antenna generator includes a housing defining a plurality of openings therein and a plurality of shaped charge devices or a plurality of explosively formed projectile devices received in the openings. Each of the devices includes an explosive charge, a detonator coupled with the explosive charge, and a ceramic liner, the ceramic liner comprising an ionizing material. A method includes providing an explosive device and a ceramic portion comprising an ionizable material disposed proximate the explosive device, detonating the explosive device to propel the ceramic portion, and ionizing the ionizable material to form at least one plasma trail.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2005Date of Patent: March 4, 2008Assignee: Lockheed Martin CorporationInventors: Roger W. Melin, Joseph M. Wright
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Patent number: 6610375Abstract: In a plasma facing member exposed to a plasma beam of nuclear fusion reactors or the like, such as an electron beam, a tungsten layer is formed by the use of a CVD method and has a thickness of 500 micron meters or more. The tungsten layer may be overlaid on a substrate of molybdenum or tungsten and comprises included gases reduced to 2 ppm or less and impurities reduced to 2 ppm or less. The tungsten layer is specified by either a fine equi-axed grain structure or a columnar grain structure. Alternatively, the material of the substrate may be, for example, Cu alloy, stainless steel, Nb alloy, or V alloy.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2001Date of Patent: August 26, 2003Assignees: Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Tokyo Tungsten Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masato Akiba, Kazuyuki Nakamura, Akira Ichida, Takehiko Hayashi
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Patent number: 6411666Abstract: A system for forming a thick flowing liquid metal, in this case lithium, layer on the inside wall of a toroid containing the plasma of a deuterium-tritium fusion reactor. The presence of the liquid metal layer or first wall serves to prevent neutron damage to the walls of the toroid. A poloidal current in the liquid metal layer is oriented so that it flows in the same direction as the current in a series of external magnets used to confine the plasma. This current alignment results in the liquid metal being forced against the wall of the toroid. After the liquid metal exits the toroid it is pumped to a heat extraction and power conversion device prior to being reentering the toroid.Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 1998Date of Patent: June 25, 2002Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of EnergyInventor: Robert D. Woolley
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Patent number: 6394026Abstract: A plasma processing chamber having a chamber liner and a liner support, the liner support including a flexible wall configured to surround an external surface of the chamber liner, the flexible wall being spaced apart from the wall of the chamber liner. The apparatus can include a heater thermally connected to the liner support so as to thermally conduct heat from the liner support to the chamber liner. The liner support can be made from flexible aluminum material and the chamber liner comprises a ceramic material. The flexible wall can include slots which divide the liner support into a plurality of fingers which enable the flexible wall to absorb thermal stresses.Type: GrantFiled: January 19, 2000Date of Patent: May 28, 2002Assignee: LAM Research CorporationInventors: Thomas E. Wicker, Robert A. Maraschin, William S. Kennedy
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Patent number: 6261648Abstract: In a plasma facing member exposed to a plasma beam of nuclear fusion reactors or the like, such as an electron beam, a tungsten layer is formed by the use of a CVD method and has a thickness of 500 micron meters or more. The tungsten layer may be overlaid on a substrate of molybdenum or tungsten and comprises included gases reduced to 2 ppm or less and impurities reduced to 2 ppm or less. The tungsten layer is specified by either a fine equi-axed grain structure or a columnar grain structure. Alternatively, the material of the substrate may be, for example, Cu alloy, stainless steel, Nb alloy, or V alloy.Type: GrantFiled: February 15, 1995Date of Patent: July 17, 2001Assignees: Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Tokyo Tungsten Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masato Akiba, Kazuyuki Nakamura, Akira Ichida, Takehiko Hayashi
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Patent number: 5209896Abstract: The heat shield according to the invention makes it possible to protect a structure from a very high thermal flux. It is mainly constituted by tiles (2) fixed to a support structure (4) by means of a spring (8) fixed in translation with respect to a tile (2) and on which bears a locking arm (10). The latter can be fixed to the support structure (4) by means of locking screws (30), which are accessible from the outside through locking orifices (12) in the tile (2). The compression of the spring (8) allows locking to take place and also a satisfactory heat exchange from the tile (2) to the support structure (4), which can be cooled by cooling medium flow ducts (14).Type: GrantFiled: March 25, 1991Date of Patent: May 11, 1993Assignee: Commissariat a l'Energie AtomiqueInventors: Manfred Lipa, Claude Deck, Pierre Deschamps
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Patent number: 5182075Abstract: A structure of a nuclear fusion reactor having a vacuum vessel in which hydrogen isotope plasma is enclosed and a confining magnetic field generating coil for confining said plasma at a predetermined position in said vacuum vessel. It comprises a low tritium-permeable layer having lower tritium-permeability than that of a cooling metal base for forming a refrigerant passage for cooling the vacuum vessel on at least the surface adjacent to said plasma enclosed and a heat resistant and insulating fire member of the level higher than that of said cooling metal base for thermally shielding said low tritium-permeable layer from said plasma or corpuscular rays is formed on the low tritium-permeable layer. The similar processings are applied to the cooling metal base for forming the refrigerant passage for cooling a divertor disposed in the vacuum vessel and for neutralizing ionized corpuscles so as to exhaust them.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 1990Date of Patent: January 26, 1993Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Yoshitaka Gotoh, Shigeru Kikuchi, Tetsuo Nakazawa, Tadahiko Miyoshi, Tetsuo Oyama, Yoshihiro Ozawa, Shin-ichi Itoh
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Patent number: 5023043Abstract: An actively cooled device, such as a heat shield for a fusion reactor, includes elements (10) of a heat-resistant material, particularly graphite, each being provided with at least one recess having a circular cross section, particularly a groove (14), into which a cooling pipe (16) conducting a coolant is brazed directly and with surface contact. This produces an effective dissipation of heat from the elements and a more durable connection of the elements with the cooling pipe or pipes.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 1988Date of Patent: June 11, 1991Assignees: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Wissenschaften e.V., Schwarzkopf Development CorporationInventors: Heinz E. Kotzlowski, Gunter Kneringer
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Patent number: 5012860Abstract: In a heat protective shield with solid protective element bodies (16), wh consist of highly heat-resistant material such as graphite, each containing a groove-like recess (20), and comprising cooling pipes (12) arranged in the recess (20), the wall portion forming the recess (20) surrounds the respective cooling pipe (12) in tongs-like manner and the protective element bodies (16) are connected to the associated cooling pipe solely in radially form-locking and axially force-locking manner.Type: GrantFiled: August 7, 1989Date of Patent: May 7, 1991Assignee: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Wissenschaften e.V.Inventor: Samar B. Mukherjee
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Patent number: 4921661Abstract: A large toroidal vacuum chamber for plasma generation and confinement is lined with a toroidal blanket for shielding using modules segmented in the toroidal direction. To provide passive stabilization in the same manner as a conductive vacuum chamber wall, saddle-shaped conductor loops are provided on blanket modules centered on a midplane of the toroidal chamber with horizontal conductive bars above and below the midplane, and vertical conductive legs on opposite sides of each module to provide return current paths between the upper and lower horizontal conductive bars. The close proximity of the vertical legs provided on adjacent modules without making physical contact cancel the electromagnetic field of adjacent vertical legs. The conductive bars spaced equally above and below the midplane simulate toroidal conductive loops or hoops that are continuous, for vertical stabilization of the plasma even though they are actually segmented.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 1989Date of Patent: May 1, 1990Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of EnergyInventor: James A. Leuer
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Patent number: 4816205Abstract: U-shaped limiter tiles placed end-to-end over a pair of parallel runners secured to a wall have two rods which engage L-shaped slots in the runners. The short receiving legs of the L-shaped slots are perpendicular to the wall and open away from the wall, while long retaining legs are parallel to and adjacent the wall. A sliding bar between the runners has grooves with clips to retain the rods pressed into receiving legs of the L-shaped slots in the runners. Sliding the bar in the direction of retaining legs of the L-shaped slots latches the tiles in place over the runners. Resilient contact strips between the parallel arms of the U-shaped tiles and the wall assure thermal and electrical contact with the wall.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 1987Date of Patent: March 28, 1989Assignee: The United States Department of EnergyInventor: Gallix, Remy
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Patent number: 4696781Abstract: A first wall structure for use in a fusion device surrounds the plasma region and includes a base wall which is substantially continuous. The base wall has an inner surface which faces the plasma region and an outer surface which faces the first wall coolant. The inner surface has a plurality of recesses. The wall structure also includes a number of inserts corresponding in number to the recesses with each insert being received in a respective recess and extending inwardly beyond the inner base wall surface. The inserts are made of material having a substantially greater heat flux capability than the material from which the base wall is formed. A method of forming a composite first wall structure for use in a fusion device, is also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 1984Date of Patent: September 29, 1987Assignee: GA Technologies Inc.Inventor: Robert F. Bourque
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Patent number: 4690793Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 1984Date of Patent: September 1, 1987Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Hisanori Okamura, Kunio Miyazaki, Hirosi Akiyama, Shinichi Itoh, Tomio Yasuda, Kousuke Nakamura, Yukio Okoshi, Mutuo Kamoshita, Akio Chiba
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Patent number: 4663108Abstract: A vacuum liner for containing plasma in a plasma device. The liner includes a vacuum tight liner wall formed by sections with each section having a closed peripheral wall defining an interior with open ends. Adjacent interiors of the adjacent section form a plasma path. Some of the sections are bellows-shaped having a plurality of corrugations extending transversely to the axis of the plasma path. The liner also includes means for keeping the plasma from the liner wall. The limiter means includes a ring formed by beads nested in the interior grooves formed by each of the corrugations, with at least some of the beads extending from their grooves past the interior ridges flanking them. The material from which the beads are formed has a higher melting temperature than that of the material in which the sections are formed.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 1984Date of Patent: May 5, 1987Assignee: GA Technologies, Inc.Inventor: Thomas N. Carlstrom
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Patent number: 4654182Abstract: Apparatus for containing plasma in a high energy plasma device includes a vacuum tight liner wall made up, at least in part, by a series of sections each having a closed peripheral wall defining an interior with open ends. Adjacent sections form a plasma path with each section having an inside surface and an outside surface with the interior of the section being generally circular in cross section. A magnet system is provided which includes first conductors positioned outside the section for generating a magnetic field extending inside the section. An armature ring is positioned inside the section with the ring having rollers for engaging the inside surface of the section. The ring also includes current carrying armature conductors extending at an angle to the lines of force of the magnetic field.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 1985Date of Patent: March 31, 1987Assignee: GA Technologies Inc.Inventor: James R. D'Aoust
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Patent number: 4626399Abstract: A limiter with a specially contoured front face accommodates the various power scrape-off distances .lambda..sub.p, which depend on the parallel velocity, V.sub..parallel., of the impacting particles. The front face of the limiter (the plasma-side face) is flat with a central indentation. In addition, the limiter shape is cylindrically symmetric so that the limiter can be rotated for greater heat distribution.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 1984Date of Patent: December 2, 1986Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of EnergyInventors: Samuel A. Cohen, Joel C. Hosea, John R. Timberlake
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Patent number: 4619807Abstract: A heat shield for high thermal loading and particularly pulse heat loading n fusion reactors e.g. as first wall, plasma physics installations, particle accelerators, etc. contains a cooled support plate carrying a large number of shielding or limiter members on its side facing a heat source, e.g. a hot plasma. The shielding or limiter members are detachably connected to the support plate by a good thermally conducting seat, e.g. a bevel, ball or flat seat. By suitably shaping and arranging the limiter members, it is possible to substantially cover the surfaces of practically any desired shape such as, e.g., the inner wall of a toroidal vacuum vessel. As a result of their limited size, the limiter members can be adapted in a optimum manner to locally differing requirements. The size and shape of the support member can be adapted to widely differing boundary conditions.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 1984Date of Patent: October 28, 1986Assignee: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung der Wisenschaften E.V.Inventor: Heinz E. Kotzlowski
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Patent number: 4584160Abstract: Plasma apparatus comprises a vacuum vessel, a device for creating an open-ended magnetic field containing a plasma, a plurality of electrostatic plugs disposed at the open-ended portions of the magnetic field.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 1982Date of Patent: April 22, 1986Assignee: Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Katsuhiro Kageyama
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Patent number: 4578236Abstract: A torus type nuclear fusion apparatus including a main limiter for contacting plasma generated in a space enclosed by a first wall of a blanket and maintaining the shape of plasma stable, and a sub-limiter arranged between the first wall and the outer circumference of plasma to neutralize helium ion, a product of fusion reaction.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 1982Date of Patent: March 25, 1986Assignee: Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Yoshio Gomei
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Patent number: 4532101Abstract: A limiter blade for a large tokomak fusion reactor includes three articulated blade sections for enabling the limiter blade to be adjusted for plasmas of different sizes. Each blade section is formed of a rigid backing plate carrying graphite tiles coated with titanium carbide, and the limiter blade forms a generally elliptic contour in both the poloidal and toroidal directions to uniformly distribute the heat flow to the blade. The limiter blade includes a central blade section movable along the major radius of the vacuum vessel, and upper and lower pivotal blade sections which may be pivoted by linear actuators having rollers held to the back surface of the pivotal blade sections.Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 1982Date of Patent: July 30, 1985Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of EnergyInventor: David W. Doll
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Patent number: 4414176Abstract: For a plasma device, a surface of a first wall or limiter with reduced loss of metal by erosion is provided by forming a monolayer of an alkali or alkaline earth metal on a substrate of a more negative metal. The surface exhibits a reduced loss of metal by erosion and particularly by sputtering and an increased secondary ion/neutral ratio resulting in a greater return of atoms escaping from the surface. In another aspect of the invention, the substrate includes a portion of the second metal and serves to replenish the surface layer with atoms of the second metal. In one process associated with self-generating desired surface, the metals as an alloy are selected to provide a first layer having a high concentration of the second metal in contrast to a very low concentration in the second layer and bulk to result in a surface with a monolayer of the second metal.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 1981Date of Patent: November 8, 1983Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of EnergyInventors: Alan R. Krauss, Dieter M. Gruen
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Patent number: H24Abstract: For use in a tokamak fusion reactor having a midplane magnetic coil on the inner wall of an evacuated toriodal chamber within which a neutral beam heated, fusing plasma is magnetically confined, a neutral beam armor shield and plasma limiter is provided on the inner wall of the toroidal chamber to shield the midplane coil from neutral beam shine-thru and plasma deposition. The armor shield/plasma limiter forms a semicircular enclosure around the midplane coil with the outer surface of the armor shield/plasma limiter shaped to match, as closely as practical, the inner limiting magnetic flux surface of the toroidally confined, indented, bean-shaped plasma. The armor shield/plasma limiter includes a plurality of semicircular graphite plates each having a pair of coupled upper and lower sections with each plate positioned in intimate contact with an adjacent plate on each side thereof so as to form a closed, planar structure around the entire outer periphery of the circular midplane coil.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 1985Date of Patent: February 4, 1986Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of EnergyInventors: Henry W. Kugel, Samuel W. Hand, Jr, Haig Ksayian
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Patent number: H326Abstract: Manganese-iron base and manganese-chromium-iron base austenitic alloys designed to have resistance to neutron irradiation induced swelling and low activation have the following compositions (in weight percent): 20 to 40 Mn; up to about 15 Cr; about 0.4 to about 3.0 Si; an austenite stabilizing element selected from C and N, alone or in combination with each other, and in an amount effective to substantially stabilize the austenite phase, but less than about 0.7 C, and less than about 0.3 N; up to about 2.5 V; up to about 0.1 P; up to about 0.01 B; up to about 3.0 Al; up to about 0.5 Ni; up to about 2.0 W; up to about 1.0 Ti; up to about 1.0 Ta; and with the remainder of the alloy being essentially iron.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 1986Date of Patent: September 1, 1987Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of EnergyInventors: Howard R. Brager, Francis A. Garner
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Patent number: H598Abstract: A first wall construction for a tokamak reactor is disclosed, comprising a series of hollow lobes, each having a pair of side wall portions with a curved end wall portion extending therebetween. Each lobe is adapted to withstand substantial pressure on the concave side of the curved end wall portion while withstanding substantial heat flux on the convex side. The curved end wall portion has a shape which is approximately cylindrical in curvature but differs from being circular in curvature by a substantial deviation, in that such curved end wall portion is flatter in curvature than a truly circular curvature by the amount of such deviation, such that the thermal stresses generated in the curved end wall portion by such heat flux are at least approximately balance or neutralized by the bending stresses generated in such curved end wall portion by such pressure. The curvature may correspond generally in shape to the flatter half of an ellipse.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 1984Date of Patent: March 7, 1989Assignee: The United States of America as represented by United States Department of EnergyInventors: Richard L. Creedon, Howard E. Levine, Clement Wong, James Battaglia
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Patent number: H984Abstract: Apparatus for removing the helium ash from a fusion reactor having a D-T plasma comprises a helium trapping site within the reactor plasma confinement device, said trapping site being formed of a trapping material having negligible helium solubility and relatively high hydrogen solubility; and means for depositing said trapping material on said site at a rate sufficient to prevent saturation of helium trapping.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 1989Date of Patent: November 5, 1991Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of EnergyInventors: Jeffrey N. Brooks, Richard F. Mattas