WO2001039203A2

WO2001039203A2 - Cavitation nuclear reactor

Info

Publication number: WO2001039203A2
Application number: PCT/US2000/031848
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ross Tessien
Original assignee: Impulse Devices, Inc.
Priority date: 1999-11-24
Filing date: 2000-11-20
Publication date: 2001-05-31
Also published as: WO2001039203A3; AU3435001A

Abstract

A new and improved system for facilitating heat removal from a cavitation nuclear reactor. Cavitation nuclear reactors generally have a reaction chamber within which the cavitation nuclear reactions take place. Cavitation nuclear reactions are driven by acoustic energy. In order to generate the necessary acoustic energy, drivers are connected to the reaction chamber. This new and improved system utilizes two independant circuits to increase the efficiency of the cavitation nuclear reactors. One circuit serves to remove the energy from the interior of the reaction chamber at as high a temperature as possible. The other circuit acts to cool down the drivers so as to allow the drivers to operate within the optimal operating temperature range. Additional fins or extensions are added to protrude from the outer surface of the chamber, or alternatively, the outer surface of the chamber is corrugated to increase the amount of heat flow from the interior of the chamber.

Description

A NEW AND IMPROVED SYSTEM FOR FACILITATING HEAT REMOVAL FROM A CAVITATION NUCLEAR REACTOR

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to removing energy from nuclear reactors. More particularly, the present invention relates to a new and improved system for facilitating heat removal from a cavitation nuclear reactor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Cavitation is a process in which very high energy densities are caused to occur through the rapid expansion and collapse of bubbles in a liquid. During the contraction phase of the cycle, the appropπately driven collapsing bubble causes a shock wave to be formed ahead of the collapsing bubble wall, resulting in a rapid increase in the temperature and the pressure within the bubble. It has been observed that when certain liquids are subjected to alternating pressures of an appropriate magnitude and frequency, pre-existing bubbles of gas and vapor in such liquids periodically expand and collapse violently resulting in the emission of radiation, the spectrum of which is dependent upon the bubble temperature as well as the gas within the bubble. This phenomenon of producing light in this manner is generally known as sonoluminescence. It has been experimentally measured that such emitted radiation could reach at least as high as the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum. The presence of ultraviolet light indicates that high energy density and high temperature are generated during the process. In general, ultraviolet light corresponds to a photon energy of about six electron volts, which in turn, translates into a temperature of roughly 72,000 Kelvin. Further details regarding the various plausible explanations of cavitation and sonoluminescence may be found in articles such as Inferno in a Bubble, Jocelyn Kaiser, Science News, Vol. 147; Sonoluminescence: Sound Into Light, Seth J. Putterman, Scientific America, February 1995; and Hydrodynamic Simulations of Bubble Collapse and Picosecond Sonoluminescnce, William C. Moss et al., Phys. Fluids, Vol. 6, No. 9, Septermber 1994.

While the exact physical explanation of cavitation and sonoluminescence remain a topic of frequent discussion amongst physicists and the like, the fact that high temperatures are generated as a result of the intense cavitational collapse process is generally accepted. Estimates place temperatures generated by the cavitation process between 10,000 and 1 ,000,000 degrees Kelvin.

By increasing the peak plasma temperatures from about 100,000°C, as are produced in sonoluminiscense devices, to 10,000₃000°C and above, it will be possible to drive fusion reactions such as deuterium (DD) fusion. DD fusion and other nuclear reactions are exothermic due to the conversion of mass into energy based on the famous Einstein's equation E=mc². Hence, such reactions are useful as sources of energy.

For example, U.S. Patent No. 4,333,796 by Flynn discloses a method of generating energy via acoustically induced cavitation fusion. While the Flynn patent discloses a method for generating energy by way of cavitation, relatively little attention has been focused on how to efficiently capture and convert such energy into other useful forms such as electricity. Therefore, there remains a need to provide a system which efficiently converts such energy into a usable form.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved system which is capable of facilitating heat removal from a cavitation nuclear reactor in a more efficient manner.

The present invention provides a cavitation nuclear reactor having a reaction chamber. The reaction chamber contains a reactor liquid which is necessary for caviation nuclear reactions. At least one driver is connected to the reaction chamber. The driver is used to generate the necessary acoustic energy to drive the desired cavitation nuclear reactions. The acoustic energy causes a plurality of cavitation bubbles to expand and collapse cyclically within the reactor liquid. Such expansion and collapse cycles, in turn, drive a plurality of nuclear reactions which result in the generation of energy in the form of heat. A heat transfer circuit is thermally connected to the reaction chamber for transferring the energy, i.e. heat, out of the interior of the reaction chamber. The heat transfer circuit is operated at as high a temperature as possible to maximize the amount of energy transfer. A driver refrigeration circuit is thermally connected to the driver for maintaining the driver at an optimal operating temperature. The operating temperature of the heat transfer circuit is substantially higher than the operating temperature of the driver. Additional fins or extensions are added to protrude from the outer surface of the chamber, or alternatively, the outer surface of the chamber is corrugated to increase the amount of heat flow from the interior of the chamber.

Reference to the remaining portions of the specification, including the drawing and claims, will realize other features and advantages of the present invention. Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with respect to accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a schematic sectional view of one embodiment of a prior art invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS Fig. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing one embodiment of a prior art invention as disclosed by the Flynn patent. The cavitation nuclear reactor (CNR) or chamber 100, where the cavitation reaction takes place, is surrounded by a housing 120. The cavitation reactions that take place with the CNR may be driven using a liquid metal. The space 140 between the housing 120 and the chamber 100 is filled with helium. A number of acoustic horns 160 are fixated to the housing 120 and protrude into the interior of the chamber 100. A transducer 180 is attached to the outer end of each horn 160 to supply the necessary mechanical energy for operation of the horn 160. These acoustic homs 160 serve two primary functions, namely, to supply the acoustic energy needed for the cavitation reaction and to remove the resulting heat from the chamber 100.

In order to achieve the latter function of removing heat from the chamber 100, the outer end of each hom 160 and its attached transducer 180 act as conductors conducting heat from the interior of the chamber 100. The outer end of each horn 160 and its attached transducer 180 are enclosed in a heat exchanger housing 200. Heat exchange fluid is then circulated into and out of the heat exchanger housing 200 thereby allowing heat to be transferred from the interior of the chamber 100 into the heat exchange fluid. It is also suggested that additional heat transfer may be provided by circulating the helium from the space 140 between the housing 120 and the chamber 100 through a heat exchanger.

There are certain inherent shortcomings in the prior art design shown in the Flynn patent. First, by using the horn 160 and its associated transducer 180 as the primary heat conductor to remove heat from the interior of the chamber 100, the heat generation and transfer process is not efficiently maximized. This is due to the fact that the efficiency of the transducer 180 is adversely affected by high temperature, whereas any thermodynamic cycle improves in efficiency with increasing temperature. Therefore, it is desirable to operate the associated transducers 180 at a temperature which is lower than the temperature at which the heat is removed from the chamber 100 in order to efficiently drive the thermodynamic energy conversion cycle.

In another prior art example, U.S. Patent No. 5,968,323 by Pless discloses a method and apparatus for generating high pressure and temperature thereby potentially driving fusion reactions in liquids. It is disclosed therein that the transducers are attached to the sides of the liquid container. Again, the drivers are in contact with material at a temperature significantly equal to the reactor liquid temperature. Due to the relatively limited temperature range of the drivers, this arrangement restricts the operating temperature of the reactor. As previously mentioned, the transducer 180 supplies the necessary mechanical energy for the hom 160 to operate. Transducers generally operate at their optimal efficiency within a relatively low temperature range, which is typically lower than 200°C. Operating the transducers beyond the desired temperature range will result in significant degraded performance and will eventually cause the transducers to break down. This particular characteristic fundamentally conflicts with the purported function of the hom 160 as a heat conductor. In order to maximize the efficiency of the heat exchanger (not shown), the horn 160 needs to be at as high a temperature as possible to more fully utilize the heat capacity of the heat exchange fluid. A higher temperature at the hom 160 means more heat is generated and transferred into the heat exchange fluid which, in turn, means more heat for the heat exchanger (not shown) to extract. The heat exchanger (not shown) can be a turbine which preferably operates at a thermodynamic cycle temperature of over 500°C. Since the hom 160 and the transducer 180 are physically connected to each other, the transducer 180 is directly affected by the temperature of the hom 160. Therefore, with the hom 160 maintained at a high temperature, the performance of the transducer 180 is correspondingly degraded, which, in turn, affects the ability of the hom 160 to efficiently generate the requisite acoustic energy within the chamber 100.

In addition, by using helium in the space between the housing 120 and the chamber 100, the heat transfer efficiency is not optimized. The heat conductivity for a gas is typically much lower than that of either a liquid or a solid. For example, solid aluminum has a heat conductivity value of 95 - 100, liquid water has a value of 0.4, and helium and air have a value of 0.08 and 0.03 respectively.

A new and improved system for transferring heat from a cavitation nuclear reactor embodying the principles and concepts Of the present invention is shown generally in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Certain general features are incorporated from prior art designs including the chamber 240 being surrounded by a housing 260, a number of acoustic drivers 220 being fixated to the housing 260. The present invention, however, further includes the following features and configuration. In a preferred embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, the acoustic drivers 220 may be connected to the exterior of the chamber 240 without extending into the interior of the chamber 240. This particular configuration reduces potential problems with leaks from the interior of the chamber 240. Any of a variety of acoustic drivers, as is commonly known in the art, may be used to generate the requisite acoustic energy. It is understood that the present invention can use either a single driver or multiple drivers. Furthermore, if multiple drivers are used, they can be of either the same or different type and of either the same or different frequency.

The acoustic driver 220 is typically coupled to a frequency source (not shown). The desired operating frequency depends on various factors including the type of nuclear reaction being driven inside the chamber 240. For example, the acoustic driver 220 may be coupled to a frequency source that utilizes a pair of piezo-electric crystals arranged in such a way that the adjacent surfaces of the two piezo-electric crystals are of the same polarity. This configuration minimizes potential grounding problems associated with the acoustic drivers 220. In using piezo-electric crystals, the driver 220 preferably may operate in the range of 1kHz to 10MHz. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 2, the driver 220 and frequency source are preferably situated at the midpoint along the entire length of the acoustic driver 220 and the length of the acoustic driver 220 is preferably a multiple of the corresponding wavelength of the operating frequency. Moreover, in one preferred embodiment, the chamber 240 is thermally connected to a heat transfer circuit. The heat transfer circuit includes a coolant which is used to fill the space 280 between the housing 260 and the chamber 240. The coolant may be a fluid which, in turn, may be either a liquid, such as water, or a gas, such as freon. The coolant is then circulated into and out of the housing 260 to remove the heat from the outer surface of the CNR or chamber 240. The coolant is fed through a heat exchanger 300 to extract the heat generated by the nuclear reaction occurring within the chamber 240. The heat exchanger 300 may include a turbine, a condenser and a pump. The functionality and construction of these components of the heat exchanger 300 are well known in the industry and can be implemented by someone skilled in the art.

In another preferred embodiment, the liquid metal within the CNR or chamber 240 may be used as an alternative coolant. Similarly, the liquid metal may be circulated out of the CNR or chamber 240 into the heat exchanger 300 to have the heat removed from the liquid metal and then directed back into the CNR or chamber 240. In addition, a driver refrigeration circuit is thermally connected to the driver 220 to keep the driver 220 operating at a relatively constant low temperature, generally in the range of below 200°C. The driver refrigeration circuit may include a housing 320 having an inlet 340 and an outlet 360. The housing 320, which is preferably made of sheet metal, only surrounds the frequency source and not the body of the driver 220. Similarly, a coolant, such as freon, is circulated into and out of the housing 260 to keep the driver 220 operating at its optimal temperature, and the coolant is fed through a heat sink 380 to remove the heat contained therein thereby cooling the driver 220. Likewise, the coolant may be a fluid which, in turn, may be either a liquid, such as water, or a gas, such as freon. The advantages and benefits of the present invention over the prior designs will now be explained.

The present invention overcomes the aforementioned shortcomings of the prior art design. First, as shown in Fig. 2, the focus of the primary heat transfer is now shifted from the driver 220 to the heat transfer circuit. Under the present invention, the heat exchanger 300 can be driven to operate at a much higher temperature which typically exceeds at least approximately 500°C. From a thermodynamic efficiency perspective, the higher the operating temperature, the more efficient a heat exchanger becomes. Therefore, by operating the heat exchanger 300 at such a higher temperature, more heat can be extracted from the CNR or chamber 240. Furthermore, the outer surface 420 of the chamber 240 provides a greater surface area thereby permitting more heat to be transferred. This is due to the simple physical explanation that the amount of heat transferred is directly proportional to the amount of available surface area. In one preferred embodiment, additional fins 400 or extensions may be added to protrude from the outer surface of the chamber 240 to increase the amount of heat flow from the interior of the chamber 240. In an alternative embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, the outer surface 420 of the CNR or chamber 240 may be corrugated to provide an expanded surface area to transfer more heat from the interior of the chamber 240 to the coolant. Moreover, the use of a liquid coolant such as water renders the heat transfer process more efficient. This is because a liquid coolant is a superior heat exchange fluid than a gas such as helium. In general, gases have a much lower heat capacity than liquids. A lower heat capacity indicates that given the same volume, the amount of heat which can be absorbed is necessarily less. In addition, the driver 220 is now independently cooled by a separate driver refrigeration circuit. This feature is quite significant because it permits the driver 220 to operate at optimal efficiency while maintaining the heat transfer at an efficient level. Without relying on the driver 220 as the primary heat conductor, the driver 220 can be kept at its optimal operating temperature, which is generally less than 200°C, thus, in turn, permitting the driver 220 to operate efficiently as well.

It is understood that the examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changes in light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and are to be included within the spirit and purview of this application and scope of the appended claims. All publications, patents, and patent applications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes in their entirety.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A cavitation nuclear reactor, comprising: a reaction chamber having an outer surface and a reactor liquid contained therein, wherein a plurality of cavitation bubbles are caused to expand and collapse cyclically within said reactor liquid, and wherein a plurality of nuclear reactions are caused by said expansion and collapse cycles; at least one driver, wherein said expansion and collapse cycles are caused by acoustic energy supplied by said at least one driver; a heat transfer circuit thermally connected to said reactor for communicating energy therebetween at a first temperature; a driver refrigeration circuit thermally connected to said at least one driver for maintaining said at least one driver at a second temperature; a plurality of extensions protruding from said outer surface for facilitating the removal of energy generated by said plurality of nuclear reactions; and wherein said second temperature is independent from said first temperature at which energy is communicated from said reactor to said heat transfer circuit.

2. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of extensions is a plurality of fins.

3. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 1 , wherein said plurality of extensions is a plurality of spikes.

4. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 1, wherein said heat transfer circuit further comprises a first coolant in thermal communication with said reactor and a heat exchanger.

5. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 4, wherein said first coolant is a fluid.

6. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 4, wherein said fluid is a first liquid.

7. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 6, wherein said first liquid is water.

8. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 6, wherein said first liquid is a first liquid metal.

9. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 8, wherein said reactor liquid is a second liquid metal.

10. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 8, wherein said first liquid metal is the same as said second liquid metal.

11. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 8, wherein said first liquid metal is in fluid communication with said second liquid metal.

12. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 9, wherein said second liquid metal is circulated through said reactor and said heat exchanger.

13. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 4, wherein said fluid is a gas.

14. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 13, wherein said gas is freon.

15. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 1, wherein said driver refrigeration circuit further comprises a second coolant in thermal communication with said driver and a heat sink.

16. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 15, wherein said second coolant is a fluid.

17. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 16, wherein said fluid is a first liquid.

18. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 17, wherein said first liquid is water.

19. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 16, wherein said fluid is a gas.

20. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 19, wherein said gas is freon.

21. A cavitation nuclear reactor, comprising: a reaction chamber having a reactor liquid contained therein and an outer surface, wherein a plurality of cavitation bubbles are caused to expand and collapse cyclically within said reactor liquid, and wherein a plurality of nuclear reactions are caused by said expansion and collapse cycles; at least one driver, wherein said expansion and collapse cycles are caused by acoustic energy supplied by said at least one driver; a heat transfer circuit thermally connected to said reactor for communicating energy therebetween at a first temperature; a driver refrigeration circuit thermally connected to said at least one driver for maintaining said at least one driver at a second temperature; wherein said outer surface is corrugated for facilitating the removal of energy generated by said plurality of nuclear reactions; and wherein said second temperature is independent from said first temperature at which energy is communicated from said reactor to said heat transfer circuit.

22. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 21, wherein said reactor further comprises: a reaction chamber within which said plurality of nuclear reactions occur; a housing surrounding said reaction chamber in spaced relation thereto, wherein said space between said housing and said reaction chamber is filled with a first coolant; and wherein said heat transfer circuit circulates said first coolant into and out of said space between said housing and said reaction chamber; and wherein said driver refrigeration circuit circulates a second coolant around said driver to maintain said driver at said first temperature.

23. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 22, wherein said first coolant is a fluid.

24. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim23, wherein said fluid is a first liquid.

25. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim23, wherein said first liquid is water.

26. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 22, wherein said second coolant is a fluid.

27. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 26, wherein said fluid is a gas.

28. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 27, wherein said gas is freon.

29. A cavitation nuclear reactor according to claim 22, wherein said heat transfer circuit further comprises: a turbine for receiving said first coolant coming out of said housing and removing heat therefrom; a condenser for receiving said first coolant from said turbine; and a pump for receiving said first coolant from said condenser and injecting said first coolant into said housing.

30. A system for cooling a cavitation nuclear reactor having a reaction chamber and at least one acoustic device acoustically connected to said reaction chamber, comprising: a housing surrounding said reaction chamber in spaced relation thereto, wherein said space between said housing and said reaction chamber is filled with a coolant; a heat transfer circuit connected to said housing for circulating said coolant into and out of said space between said housing and said reaction chamber; a driver refrigeration circuit connected to said at least one acoustic driver for cooling said at least one acoustic driver; wherein said reaction chamber further having a corrugated outer surface for facilitating the removal of energy generated therein; wherein said heat transfer circuit is operated at a first temperature; wherein said driver refrigeration circuit maintains said at least one acoustic driver at a second temperature; and wherein said second temperature is lower than said first temperature.

31. A system according to claim 30, wherein said at least one acoustic device comprises at least a piezo-electric crystal.

32. A system according to claim 30, wherein said coolant is water.

33. A system according to claim 30, wherein said heat transfer circuit comprises: a turbine for receiving said coolant coming out of said housing and removing heat therefrom; a condenser for receiving said coolant from said turbine; and a pump for receiving said coolant from said condenser and injecting said coolant into said housing.

34. A system according to claim 30, wherein said driver refrigeration circuit comprises: a cooling housing surrounding said at least one acoustic device in spaced relation thereto, wherein said space between said cooling housing and said at least one acoustic device is filled with a second coolant; and a means for circulating said second coolant into and out of said space between said cooling housing and said at least one acoustic device.

35. A system according to claim 34, wherein said second coolant is a fluid.

36. A system according to claim 35, wherein said fluid is a liquid.

37. A system according to claim 36, wherein said liquid is water.

38 . A system according to claim 36, wherein said liquid is freon.

39. A system according to claim 35, wherein said fluid is a gas.

40. A system according to claim 39, wherein said gas is freon.

41 . A system according to claim 39, wherein said gas is nitrogen.