An inertial electrostatic confinement fusion system based on graphite

Abstract

Inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) devices use concentric electrodes to accelerate ions to sufficient energies to produce nuclear fusion. In a previous publication, we have indicated that, when operating at low power, fusion events largely occur when high energy ions impact neutral molecules that are adsorbed on the cathode surface. The selection of the cathode material therefore plays an important role in determining the absolute fusion output of an IEC machine. A study is presented in which a pair of matching IEC cathodes were constructed from 316 stainless steel and graphite and the fusion characteristics of the grids examined as a function of system pressure and discharge power. Graphite is shown to be an excellent cathode material, producing fusion rates 2.2–4 times that of stainless steel. Due to the excellent deuterium trapping properties of graphite, it is likely this enhancement factor will continue to grow as operating power is further increased.