JPH0487552A - Liquid metal magnetohydrodynamics generator using anti-particle reactor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a small large-power generator by using proton-antiproton extinction reaction and using liquid metal as working fluid. CONSTITUTION:The required voltage is applied from a controller 17 to a proton source 15 and an antiproton source 16 in an anti-particle reactor 1 and protons and antiprotons are led to a reactor core 11 by its electric field and collided head-on gently therein. Then proton-antiproton extinction reaction is caused and gamma quanta are emitted, absorbed in a metallic body 12 and a blanket 13, and converted into thermal energy. The quantity of generated heat is controlled by the voltage applied from the controller 17. Liquid sodium (hereinafter referred to as 'liquid metal') is sent by pressure to the blanket 13, heated to be converted into high-pressure hot vapor, and separated into vapor and liquid through a working fluid accelerator 2. The liquid metal generates electricity with an MHD generator 3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention is directed to an antiparticle reactor that directly converts enormous thermal energy generated during the annihilation reaction between protons and antiprotons into electrical energy by liquid metal MHD power generation. metal MHD
Regarding power generation equipment.

(Prior Art) As is well known, hydroelectric power generation, thermal power generation, nuclear power generation, etc. have been put into practical use as power generation devices that generate large electric power of several hundred thousand kW to several million kW. Furthermore, a power generation method using nuclear fusion reactions as a future power generation device is still in the process of research and development, but has not been successfully put into practical use.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, all conventional large-power power generation devices convert kinetic energy from hydraulic power, thermal energy from thermal power or nuclear power into mechanical energy, and then extract electricity by rotating a generator. Therefore, the device becomes huge, and a vast site is required to obtain a large power of several hundred thousand kW or more, making it difficult to downsize the device. Furthermore, although the generated energy is originally low, since it is converted into -degree mechanical energy, the overall efficiency decreases, and it is difficult to improve this.

By the way, space development has progressed in recent years, and the construction of space stations, moon bases, etc. is being considered, but these
It is said that power generation equipment of about 0kW to 500kW is required. In addition, miniaturization is an essential condition when considering use in spacecraft.

In short, it is desired to develop a small-sized, high-power generator that can be used not only on the ground but also in special places such as outer space. Miniaturization can be achieved by adopting a high energy generation source and a power generation method with high conversion efficiency, and when considered from this perspective, the following results can be obtained.

First, consider extracting nuclear energy as a high energy generation source. Methods for extracting the energy contained in atomic nuclei as a result of nuclear reactions include nuclear fission reactions, nuclear fusion reactions, and antiparticle reactions (antimatter reactions).

The nuclear fission reaction is a method of obtaining nuclear binding energy released during the process of decomposing a heavy atomic nucleus such as uranium into a plurality of light nucleons, and has already been put into practical use as a nuclear reactor.

Fusion reaction is a method to obtain the nuclear binding energy released during the process of combining light atomic nuclei such as hydrogen and deuterium and converting them into heavier atomic nuclei (helium), and as mentioned above, is currently being researched. stage, and it has not been successfully put into practical use.

Antiparticle reactions are an idea that utilizes the release of energy caused by the annihilation reaction between antimatter and matter, but no research has been done on it yet, and even the idea remains in the realm of fantasy. The current situation is that this has not been done.

In the three above, the source of nuclear energy is mass,
It is calculated using the mass/energy conversion formula E=mc, and in nuclear fission and fusion, a part of the binding energy between protons and neutrons inside the nucleus is extracted in the form of a mass defect in the nucleus that occurs as a result of a nuclear reaction. That is, in both nuclear fission and fusion, only a portion of the energy in the nucleus can be extracted, whereas in mutual annihilation reactions due to the combination of nucleons and antinucleons, all of the mass is converted into energy.

In other words, the efficiency of obtaining energy from matter through annihilation reactions is, in principle, 100%, and no other energy source, such as nuclear power or nuclear fusion, can generate energy more efficiently than annihilation reactions. A simple comparison of production energies is shown below.

☆Nuclear fission reaction of 1g of uranium 2359□U + 2X1
0'kWh (17.2 billion calories) ☆1g hydrogen nuclear fusion reaction: 16X10'
kWh (1.4 trillion calories) ☆Extinction reaction of 1g of substance: 2500xlO'
kWh (215 trillion calories) ☆Combustion reaction of 1g of oil: 0.01
2 kWh (10,000 calories) Therefore, antiparticle reactions should be actively utilized, but the question is how to configure an antiparticle reactor.

Furthermore, as a power generation method with high conversion efficiency, a direct power generation method is considered in which power is generated through a route that omits mechanical-electrical energy conversion. Direct power generation methods include thermoelectric power generation that uses the Seebeck effect, thermionic power generation that uses thermal radiation electron flow, and MHD (Magnet) that uses the electromagnetic induction effect of magnetic fluid.
o Hydro Dynamics (Magneto-hydrodynamics) Power generation 0 From the perspective of generated electricity, thermoelectric power generation, thermionic power generation, and other heat sources that use heat sources are small in scale, while hydroelectric power generation, thermal power generation, nuclear power generation, etc. kW~several 10
MHD power generation is capable of large-scale power generation of 00,000 kW in principle.

Although a plasma flow is generally used as a working fluid in MHD power generation, the validity of using a plasma flow as a working fluid that is small and can draw a large current as a power source for a spacecraft is particularly problematic.

The present invention was made in view of these problems, and its purpose is to enable large-scale power generation of several 100,000 kW to several 10,000 kW not only on the ground but also in special places such as outer space. The object of the present invention is to provide a liquid metal MHD power generation device using an antiparticle reactor, which is a power generation device that can be miniaturized to the extent that it can be mounted on a spacecraft.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, a liquid metal MHD power generation device using an antiparticle reactor of the present invention has the following configuration.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the liquid metal MHD power generation device using the antiproton reactor of the present invention causes an annihilation reaction between protons and antiprotons, and uses the generated heat to heat the liquid metal input from the outside. An antipotent reactor 1 that converts into high-temperature, high-pressure steam and sends it to the outside; A liquid metal is mixed with the vapor sent out from the antipotent reactor to form a high-speed gas-liquid two-phase flow, and the vapor-liquid two-phase flow is a working fluid accelerator 2 that separates liquid metal from the liquid metal and sends it to the antiion reactor for circulation; the high-speed flow of the liquid metal that returns to the antiion reaction reactor generates an electromotive force by flowing in a strong magnetic field; It is characterized by being equipped with an MHD generator 3;

(Function) Next, the function of the liquid metal MHD power generation device based on the antiparticle reactor of the present invention constructed as described above will be explained.

In FIG. 1, the working fluid of the MHD generator 3 is liquid metal. This liquid metal is heated in the antiion reactor 1, accelerated in the working fluid accelerator 2, passes through the MHD generator 3 at high speed, and returns to the antiion reactor 1. By repeating this, an electrical output is obtained from the MHD generator 3.

The working fluid accelerator 2 mixes liquid metal with vapor sent from the antipotent reactor to form a high-speed gas-liquid two-phase flow, and separates the liquid metal from the gas-liquid two-phase flow to perform the antipotent reaction. It is repeatedly sent to the furnace for reflux, and its structure can be easily guessed. Below, the antitope reactor 1 and MH
The D generator 3 will be explained.

J. In the antiproton reactor 1, the annihilation reaction between protons and antiprotons is performed to extract thermal energy.We will explain the characteristics of antiprotons and the annihilation reaction in general, and in the process, the antiproton reactor 1
Explain how it is constructed.

Protons (p), neutrons (n), and electrons (e
It has already been demonstrated that antiprotons (p), gray neutrons (n), and positrons (e) exist as antiprotons (charged conjugate particles) for -). Also, other elementary particles ( Muons, neutrinos, etc.) are also all supported by antipoles.

Particles and antitrons have the same mass and lifetime, and their charges have opposite signs.These particles rapidly recombine with their own particles and undergo an annihilation reaction.0The mass before the reaction is all converted into energy, It has been observed that new elementary particles and fields are generated according to conservation laws. This annihilation phenomenon is the most distinctive feature of antiparticles; even if the antiparticle itself annihilates, a huge amount of energy remains.

A common method for producing these antipotions is to use collisional reactions of high-energy particles, and today many antipotions are produced on Earth using accelerators. When the generated antiparticle encounters ordinary matter, it instantly disappears, so
An extremely high vacuum (10-'pa) is required to preserve antiparticles in this world of ordinary matter.

That is, the particles and antitopes are each stored in high-vacuum containers and serve as exchangeable fuel sources. The product will be manufactured on the ground, but the container will be small enough to be used in space. It can be easily manufactured today with advanced vacuum technology.

Among the elementary particles, stable particles that do not decay are protons, electrons, 221 trinos, and their antiprotons, positrons, antineutrinos, and photons, but from the viewpoint of ease of production and amount of energy generated. Therefore, in the present invention, an annihilation reaction between protons and antiprotons is performed.

Proton beams are easily created because the protons are stripped of their electrons by a discharge of hydrogen gas. In addition, antiprotons are generated using a device such as Bepatron, which converts protons into 7 billion electron volts (7G
The current common method is to accelerate the nuclear energy to about 1000 volts (eV) and collide it with a nuclear target. The reaction formula at this time is p+p'' p+p+p+p.

The antiprotons and protons generated in this way and stored in a high-vacuum container are guided into the reactor core, and an electric field is applied from the outside to cause them to collide quietly head-on. Then, a proton-antiproton annihilation reaction occurs, and the generated thermal energy can be extracted.

The generated thermal energy is controlled by changing the amount of protons and antiprotons that cause the annihilation reaction by changing the strength of the external electric field. This proton-antiproton annihilation reaction, the subsequent decay process, and the energy produced will be briefly explained.

For simplicity, we ignore the motion of the proton and antiproton and assume that they annihilate in a stationary state, and their mass is 900 MeV (strictly speaking, the rest mass of the proton is 1.67
38 MeV). Also, in the process of decay, energy is assumed to be equally distributed among the particles of decay light.

The annihilation of protons and antiprotons releases their rest mass of 1800 MeV. The total energy in the initial state is 1800M
It is eV.

The proton-antiproton annihilation reaction and decay process are as follows: P+P→ π0→ π → π → μ → μ → π +π +π γ+γ μ“+νμ μ−+shiμ e++ν.+νμ e−+shie+shiμ e” +e−→ γ10γ, and the final reaction is P+p→ 4γ+ν. +shi8+2shi1+2v1
(9) becomes.

The energy of 1800 M e V is divided into three pions, π0 (neutral pion) and π- (charged pion), each with an energy of 600 MeV (
Formula (2I).

The lifetime of π0 is 8.3 x 10''S, and it immediately decays into two γ quanta (γ rays), and one γ quantum has an energy of 300 MeV (Formula (3)).

On the other hand, the lifetime of π1 decays slowly at 2.6X 1O-8S, and μm (mu minus particle) and the antiparticle μ
'' (mu plus particle), decays into ν1 (muon neutrino) and ν1 (muon antineutrino), each with an energy of 300 MeV (Equation (4), same +5
)).

Since the γ quantum and the 221 Torino are stable, but the muon is unstable, as shown in equation (6), 300
μm of M e V is e ” (100 MeV), electron neutrino (IooMeV), v u (10
0MeV).

The same goes for μ.

Positron e” (100MeV) and electron e-(100MeV)
V) annihilate together and change into two γ quanta (Equation 8), ν
. Although there is a possibility that pair annihilation occurs between ν8 and ν1 and ν1, the reaction probability is extremely small compared to nucleon-nucleon annihilation and electron-positron annihilation, so it can be ignored. In addition, since 221 Torino has no electric charge and has no interaction with matter, it cannot be controlled for annihilation and simply scatters far away with its energy.

Therefore, the energy of 1800 MeV in the initial state is finally 800 MeV in total of six neutrinos, 100,100 O, two γ quanta of 600 M e V, and two γ quanta of 200 M e V due to electron-positron annihilation.
distributed to.

In other words, from the annihilation reaction of one proton and one antiproton, 80
A γ quantum of 0 MeV is emitted. The value of this generation energy (800 MeV) is far greater than that of nuclear fission reactions (235 MeV) and nuclear fusion reactions (17.6 MeV).

Therefore, the reactor core is covered with a thick layer of dense material, which absorbs the gamma quanta released as described above and extracts them as thermal energy, which heats the metal fluid. The thermal energy generated can thus be used for the generation of electrical energy.

As a simple calculation, in the standard state, there are 2.7× 10 hydrogen molecules in 1 m' of hydrogen phase, that is, 5.4×
Contains 10 protons. Now, proton and antiproton are 1
Assuming that there are the same number of inside, 1eV
=1.6x10-19J, 1kWh=3.6x106J
Therefore, due to these annihilation reactions, 5.4X10 X800X10X1.6XlO=6.9
X10 Jam =1.9XlOkWb/m=5jX1
It can be seen that electric power equivalent to 0'kW/m3, or 530,000 kilowatts, can be obtained.

Next, the principle of MHD power generation is that by applying a magnetic field B to the working fluid flow path and causing the conductive fluid to flow at a speed U, an induced electric field uXB is generated by Fleming's right hand side in the direction perpendicular to U and B. In other words, a Lorentz electromotive force is generated, which is extracted as electric power.

This type is called the Faraday type based on Faraday's electromagnetic induction. On the other hand, electromotive force due to the Hall effect is also generated in the direction of movement of the working fluid.

To extract current as a load from a power generation flow path in a magnetic field,
Depending on whether Faraday current or Hall current is taken out and the electrode structure, they are classified into continuous electrode structure Faraday type, split electrode structure Faraday type, and split electrode structure Hall type.

Here, as a basic principle, we will explain a relatively simple operating type Faraday power generation flow path with a split electrode structure that does not take the Hall effect into account.

-Ohm's law at the northernmost point is J=σ・(uXB+E)−(he/B)・JXB −
111 (II). Note that J is the current density, σ is the conductivity of the working fluid, U is the fluid velocity, B is the magnetic field, E is the internal electric field, and he is the Hall coefficient.

Then, the output characteristics of the TM are as follows. The total current density is J = σ (uB - E), but as a load parameter (voltage utilization factor) = E
/uB, J = (1-K)σuB (^/112), and the power density supplied to the load is P o -
J E = K (I K )σu2B2(W/13
) ----(15) The zero generated power is proportional to the electrical conductivity of the working fluid, and proportional to the fluid velocity and the square of the magnetic field.

On the other hand, the effect exerted on the fluid is F=JB=(1-K)auB2 (1
6), the work done by the fluid per unit time is
Pp =Fu= (I K)cju2B2
(Given by 17>.

As a result, the electrical efficiency η. From equations (15) and (17), η, =po/Pp =K, and the generated voltage is V=Ed=KuBd (V), where the distance between the electrodes is d.
It is given by (19). In other words, it can be seen that the generated voltage of MHD power generation is proportional to uB, the generated current is proportional to σuB, and the generated power is proportional to σu2 B2.

From the above, it can be seen that the working fluid should have a large electrical conductivity σ. Then, the fluid velocity,
Because the strength of the magnetic field can be reduced and large current can be extracted,
It is possible to downsize the device with respect to the desired power. Since the conductivity of liquid metal is 6 to 7 orders of magnitude higher than that of plasma flow, a sufficiently large effect can be expected.

Hereinafter, the difference between a plasma flow and a liquid metal flow will be illustrated with a simple calculation example. Here, as the liquid metal, sodium Na, which can also be used as a heat conductive material in a nuclear reactor, will be considered. The reasons for this are that liquid sodium has high thermal conductivity and is an excellent heat carrier for efficiently transporting heat from the reactor core, has a large heat capacity, has a large ability to store heat, and has a high specific gravity. This is because it is light and easy to drive with a value of 0.928, requiring less pump power, and it has already been used successfully as a heat conductive material, that is, a coolant, in nuclear reactors.

Furthermore, it is a magnetic fluid with high conductivity, melting point 97
．． -8°C1 Boiling point is relatively low at 878°C, liquid metal M
This is because it is optimal for HD power generation.

Now, the conductivity of Na is σ = 2 x 10 i+ho/m
, u=40m/s, B=ITesla, K
=0.5, E=0.5X40x 1 =20 (
V/m) J=(1-0,5)X2X10'X40 mowing・4
Hari 08(^/II2>=400M(A/+!2)P=0
．． 5X (1-0,5) X 2X 10' X402
X 1 "4 X109 (W/m') = 8,00
0,000 (kW/m'), whereas in the case of MHD power generation using plasma fluid, typically u = 800
mis and B == 4 Te5la.

6 = 10 mho/m, K = 0.5, E
=0.5x800x4=1,600 (V/m)J=(
1-0,5) X10X800 X4=16.000(
A/m2) P=0.5 X(1-0,5) X10X8
0 (12X42=25,600,000 (W/m')
・25,600 (k stomach/m3), a remarkable difference is recognized.

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, a small-sized high power generation device can be realized. Here, as for the specific size, according to trial calculations, this device can generate from several hundred thousand kW to several tens of thousands of kilowatts, depending on the amount of antiprotons and protons as a fuel source.
When generating approximately 10,000 kW of power, the external dimension is 2 m.
It can have a volume of approximately (W)Xl, 5m (H)X3m (D).

Both the antitope reactor and the liquid metal MHD generator are extensions of current technology, and compared to the difficulty of developing a fusion reactor, it is expected that they will be more feasible.

(Implementation example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows the M
HD power generation system! In FIG. 2, which shows the antiion reactor 1
In this case, a core II made of a spherical container is placed in the center, and its outer periphery is covered with a high-density metal body 12, a blanket 13, and a shielding body 14 in this order.

The blanket 13 is a container for storing liquid sodium Na, which is a liquid metal, and is connected to the working fluid accelerator 2 and the pump 4 through pipe lines, respectively. A proton source 15 and an antiproton source 16 are arranged symmetrically outside the shield 14, for example. The proton source 15 and antiproton source 16 are exchangeably connected to the reactor core 11 via humid tubes of appropriate lengths. The protons and antiprotons generated as described above are stored in these, but in order to avoid collision with residual gas, they are kept under high vacuum (10 pa) so that they can be stored for long periods of time. Further, a required voltage is applied from the control section 17 to the proton source 15 and the antiproton source 6.

That is, a required voltage is applied from the control unit 17 to the proton source 15 and the antiproton source 16, and the electric field causes protons and antiprotons to be transferred to the reactor core 1.
1 and have a quiet head-on collision here. Then, a proton-antiproton annihilation reaction occurs in the process described above, and γ quanta are released, which are caused by the metal body 12 and the blanket 1.
3 and converted into thermal energy. Note that the amount of heat generated is determined by controlling the flow rate from the proton source 15 and antiproton source 16.
It can be controlled by the applied voltage from 7.

Blanket I3 is supplied with liquid sodium Na from pump 4.
(hereinafter simply referred to as "liquid metal") is pumped in, which is heated in the blanket 13 as described above,
It becomes high-temperature, high-pressure steam and enters the mixing chamber 21 of the working fluid accelerator 2.
is pumped to.

The working fluid accelerator 2 includes a mixing chamber 21. Steam from the zero antiparticle reactor 1, which includes a nozzle 22, a gas-liquid separation chamber 23, a heat exchanger 24, a condenser 25, a pump 26, and a heat exchanger 27, is mixed with liquid metal from the heat exchanger 27 in a mixing chamber 21. is injected, resulting in a gas-liquid two-phase flow. This is blown out from the nozzle 22 into the gas-liquid separation chamber 23 as a high-speed jet. The gas-liquid separation chamber 23 separates the metal into vapor and liquid, and only the liquid metal is passed through the power generation channel 31 of the MHD generator 3 and used for power generation. MHD generator 3
The liquid metal that has passed through is sent again to the blanket 13 of the high temperature heat source (reactor) via the pump 4, and the previous operation is repeated.

On the other hand, the steam taken out in the gas-liquid separation chamber 23 is transferred to the heat exchanger 2
Heat is removed through the condenser 25 and becomes liquid metal.

This liquid metal is sent to the heat exchanger 27 by the pump 26,
The high temperature liquid metal is injected into the mixing chamber 21 and the previous operations are repeated.

Note that since the MHD generator 3 has been described above, its explanation will be omitted.

<Effects of the Invention> As explained above, according to the liquid metal MHD power generation device using the antiion reactor of the present invention, the proton-antiproton annihilation reaction is utilized and the liquid metal is used as the working fluid for MHD power generation. This makes it extremely compact (e.g. 2 m x
1.5 m x 3 m) and high power (several 1
It is possible to realize a power generation device of 100,000 kW to several million kW), and it has the effect of being able to be used as a power source for mounting on a spacecraft or as power generation equipment for a lunar base, etc.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a liquid metal MHD power generation device using an antiparticle reactor according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1... Antiparticle reactor, 2... Working fluid accelerator, 3... MHD generator, 4...
··pump. Agent Yoshihiro Hachiman, patent attorney, struggles to block Omei Minochi Alpha Bridge

Claims (1)

[Claims] An antiparticle reactor that performs an annihilation reaction between protons and antiprotons, heats liquid metal input from the outside with the generated heat, and turns it into high-temperature, high-pressure steam and sends it out to the outside; Steam sent out from the antiparticle reactor a working fluid accelerator that mixes liquid metal to form a high-speed gas-liquid two-phase flow, separates the liquid metal from the gas-liquid two-phase flow, and sends the liquid metal to be refluxed to the antiparticle reactor; A liquid metal MHD power generation device using an antiparticle reactor, comprising: an MHD generator that generates an electromotive force when a high-speed flow of liquid metal flowing back into the reactor flows in a strong magnetic field;