JP2009096441A - Missile having muon-catalyzed fusion reactor as power source - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric power supply method required for an electric propulsion engine having capability of launching into an orbit outperforming a chemical fuel rocket used for carrying a person and goods into the earth satellite orbit. <P>SOLUTION: A muon beam generator is provided on the earth surface and satellite orbit, and a deuterium and tritium muon catalyzed fusion reaction is brought about by utilizing the muon supplied therefrom. A fast neutron generated by the fusion reaction is absorbed with a fusion reaction blanket so as to amplify the quantity of heating. Electric power is generated from the heat generated by fusion and nuclear fission. An injection medium is heated by converting electricity into heat, or heated by radiation, or heated by radiation or being made into plasma, and also accelerated to a high speed and injected by magneto-hydro dynamic acceleration following it so that a missile gets propulsion force. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides a muon beam generator on the earth's surface and satellite orbit, and uses the muon supplied from it to cause muon catalyzed fusion reaction of deuterium and tritium, and fission of fast neutrons generated in the fusion reaction Absorbed by a blanket, heat generation is amplified, power is generated from heat generated by nuclear fusion and fission reactions, heating by electrothermal conversion, heating by discharge, heating by discharge, plasmatization and subsequent acceleration of magnetohydrodynamics It is related with the flying body which obtains a driving force by accelerating and injecting an injection medium at high speed.

Currently, there is a difference between using liquids and solids to transport people and goods to outer space. A rocket is used. Since the chemical reaction is used, the speed of the jetting medium is only about 4 to 5 km / s. Therefore, most of the initial mass of the chemical fuel rocket is occupied by the oxidizer and the reductant, which are fuels, in order to obtain the speed required to reach the satellite orbit, ˜8 km / s. For this reason, the mass of the payload that can be put into the satellite orbit is less than 10% of the initial mass of the chemical fuel rocket.
“Introduction to Space Engineering” by Toshio Saito

The idea of heating the injection medium using heat generated by the fission reaction in order to obtain a high pumping speed has been devised, but it has not been realized due to various problems such as an increase in the mass of the reactor. In addition, a resist jet engine that uses electrothermal conversion to heat the injection medium and reach an exhaust speed of 10 km / s has been devised and created on a trial basis. Is not used.
“Physics of Electric Propulsion” G. Jahn Dover

  Resist jet engine using electrothermal conversion in which the ejection speed of the ejection medium reaches 10 km / s, or an arc jet engine using heating by discharge, or ejection medium by heating by heating, plasmatization and subsequent acceleration of electromagnetic fluid The object of the present invention is to provide a method for supplying electric power sufficient to generate thrust necessary for launching a spacecraft from the ground surface using a magneto-hydraulic acceleration plasma engine that accelerates and injects the air at a high distance.

  Either the atmosphere is taken in from the outside as an ejection medium, or the ejection medium stored inside the flying object is used, or both are utilized as the ejection medium, and the ejection medium is heated by electrothermal conversion or heating by discharge. Or a muon-catalyzed fusion reaction of deuterium and tritium as a heat source for power generation in a flying object that accelerates and injects and propells at high speed by heating, plasmatizing and subsequent magnetohydrodynamic acceleration In addition, the muon catalyzed nuclear fusion reactor absorbs fast neutrons generated by deuterium and tritium fusion reactions and amplifies the energy by fission reaction, so that it is a blanket made of fission material that causes fission by fast neutrons. And a power generator that converts the heat generated by the fusion reaction and fission reaction into electrical energy In addition, it has a magnetic trap that guides the muon beam supplied from the muon beam generator outside the flying object, on the ground surface or satellite orbit to the muon catalytic fusion device inside the flying object, and prevents the flying object from being negatively charged. In order to achieve this, a flying object characterized by including an antistatic device that emits electrons or negative ions is produced.

  In the present invention, the muon used for the muon-catalyzed fusion reaction is supplied from the muon beam generator on the ground surface and satellite orbit. Therefore, the flying object requires facilities such as an accelerator and a target for generating the muon. And not. Therefore, mass other than the payload of the flying object can be greatly reduced. The muon beam can reach 10-20 km from the surface of the earth by appropriately selecting the kinetic energy of the muon. In addition, by providing a muon beam launch point at an altitude of about 5000 m, the atmosphere of 30 km or more can be transmitted if an air density of 1/2 of the ground surface is used. At 20-30 km or more from the ground surface, the air density is sufficiently low, so muons can be supplied by the muon beam generator on the satellite orbit.

In muon catalyzed fusion reactions, about 150 fusion catalyzed reactions per muon have been observed. Using deuterium and tritium as fuel for the fusion reaction, fast neutrons generated by the fusion reaction are absorbed by the fission material, and the exothermic energy is amplified by the fission reaction, and the amplification factor can easily be obtained about 40 times. .
The Forefront of Physics 19 Muon Catalyzed Fusion Published Patent Publication Sho 58-129395

  In the vicinity of the ground surface, the mass of the spray medium that the flying object should store inside can be greatly reduced by taking the atmosphere as the spray medium, heating it by electrothermal conversion, and spraying it.

  When it is sufficiently far from the ground surface, hydrogen, ammonia, hydrazine, etc. are selected as the injection medium and heated to about 3000K by electrothermal conversion, resulting in an exhaust rate of 10km / s, twice the exhaust rate of ordinary chemical fuel rockets. The above values are obtained. As a result, the mass of the ejection medium required for launching the satellite orbit can be greatly reduced. As a result, a payload (including the structural weight) of about 50% of the initial mass can be put into the earth satellite orbit.

  In order to reach beyond the moon orbit from the satellite orbit, an arc jet or electromagnetic fluid acceleration type plasma engine can be used. These are used in consideration of the necessary thrust and the mass of the injection medium. The electrical output of a muon catalyzed fusion reactor with a fission blanket can be greatly increased, so that acceleration can be completed in a short time.

  Either the atmosphere is taken in from the outside as an ejection medium, or the ejection medium stored inside the flying object is used, or both are utilized as the ejection medium, and the ejection medium is heated by electrothermal conversion or heating by discharge. Or a muon-catalyzed fusion reaction of deuterium and tritium as a heat source for power generation in a flying object that accelerates and injects and propells at high speed by heating, plasmatizing and subsequent magnetohydrodynamic acceleration In addition, the muon catalyzed nuclear fusion reactor absorbs fast neutrons generated by deuterium and tritium fusion reactions and amplifies the energy by fission reaction, so that it is a blanket made of fission material that causes fission by fast neutrons. And a power generator that converts the heat generated by the fusion reaction and fission reaction into electrical energy In addition, it has a magnetic trap that guides the muon beam supplied from the muon beam generator outside the flying object, on the ground surface or satellite orbit to the muon catalytic fusion device inside the flying object, and prevents the flying object from being negatively charged. In order to achieve this, a flying object characterized by including an antistatic device that emits electrons or negative ions is produced.

  Muon beam generators are provided on the ground and in satellite orbit. The muon beam generator accelerates protons from several hundred MeV to GeV class, irradiates a target made of light elements such as deuterium and carbon, and obtains negative muons by decay of the generated negative pions. The obtained negative muon is collimated by a magnetic lens or the like, and the kinetic energy of the muon is adjusted according to the position of the flying object. Normally, the kinetic energy of negative muons is adjusted between 100 MeV and several GeV.

  Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. The flying object is provided with a high-pressure vessel 11 serving as a core of a muon catalytic fusion reactor filled with a mixture having the same molar fraction of deuterium and tritium at high pressure. Around the high-pressure vessel 11, a fission blanket 12 having uranium 238 as a main component and uranium 235 or plutonium 239 added thereto and having a heating energy amplification factor of about 40 times by fast neutrons is installed. The fission blanket 12 is cooled with helium. The high-temperature helium that has exited the fission blanket is converted into electric power by the power generation device 13, and the cooled helium is used to cool the fission blanket 12. The helium circulates between the power generation device 13 and the fission blanket. A cooling device 14 is connected to the power generation device 13. An arrow between the fission blanket 12 and the power generation device 13 indicates helium circulation, and an arrow between the power generation device 13 and the cooling device 14 indicates coolant circulation. As the power generation device 13, a Stirling engine type, a gas turbine type, or the like is used.

  A mirror type magnetic trap 15 made of a superconducting magnet cooled by liquid helium is installed. By this magnetic trap, the external muon beam 21 is guided to the high-pressure vessel 11 serving as the core of the muon catalytic fusion reactor.

  In an area where the atmospheric density is high near the ground surface, the atmosphere is taken in from the air inlet 32 using the compressor 31 and sent to a resist jet engine 33 equipped with an electrothermal converter, and thrust is obtained using the atmosphere as an injection medium. As a result, the flying object is accelerated to a speed of about 1 km / s. A line between the power generation device 13 and the resist jet engine 33 means supply of electric power.

  When the external air density becomes thin and a sufficient amount of the injection medium cannot be obtained, ammonia stored in the storage container 34 inside the flying object is sent to the resist jet engine 33 as an injection medium using the pump 35. By heating to about 3000 K, the exhaust speed of ammonia and ammonia decomposition products can be 10 to 10 km / s. This accelerates to a speed of ~ 8 km / s.

    At this time, the final mass after completion of the injection is about 50% of the initial mass including the structural weight. Satellite orbital inputs far exceeding the currently used chemical fuel rockets can be obtained.

  Since the negative muon decays and converts to electrons and neutrinos, an antistatic device 41 is installed to prevent the flying object from being charged, and the charge neutrality of the flying object is maintained by emitting electrons or negative ions. . The arrow between the high-pressure vessel 11 and the antistatic device 41 represents the flow of electrons, and the arrow exiting from the antistatic device 41 represents the emission of electrons or negative ions.

  It is a conceptual diagram of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 High pressure vessel used as the core of muon catalyzed fusion 12 Nuclear fission blanket 13 Power generation device 14 Cooling device 15 Mirror type magnetic trap 21 Muon beam 31 Compressor 32 Inlet port 33 Resist jet engine 34 Ammonia storage vessel 35 Pump 41 Antistatic device

Claims (1)

  Either the atmosphere is taken in from the outside as an ejection medium, or the ejection medium stored inside the flying object is used, or both are utilized as the ejection medium, and the ejection medium is heated by electrothermal conversion or heating by discharge. Or a muon-catalyzed fusion reaction of deuterium and tritium as a heat source for power generation in a flying object that accelerates and injects and propells at high speed by heating, plasmatizing and subsequent magnetohydrodynamic acceleration In addition, the muon catalyzed nuclear fusion reactor absorbs fast neutrons generated by deuterium and tritium fusion reactions and amplifies the energy by fission reaction, so that it is a blanket made of fission material that causes fission by fast neutrons. And a power generator that converts the heat generated by the fusion reaction and fission reaction into electrical energy In addition, it has a magnetic trap that guides the muon beam supplied from the muon beam generator outside the flying object, on the ground surface or satellite orbit to the muon catalytic fusion device inside the flying object, and prevents the flying object from being negatively charged. A flying object comprising an antistatic device that emits electrons or negative ions in order to achieve this.

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