In this design a high voltage charges a 100 pF capacitor.  When charged the trigger voltage is applied to the triac and the capacitor discharges through a two turn coil wound on a glass tube torus filled with hydrogen gas under low pressure.  After the initial discharge radio frequency oscillations take place in the tank circuit thus made.

If the discharge is sufficiently powerful the hydrogen gas will be heated and compressed enough to begin thermonuclear fusion reactions.  If sufficient power is developed oscillations will be maintained and electrical power may be extracted by a second pickup coil around the torus (not shown).

The small size of the torus means that the available power is concentrated in a small volume so the energy density is high.

I have not attempted any calculations as to the value of the inductance, nor any estimate as to the current or power levels that this device will attain and I have no idea if ignition would occur with this configuration.

Another suggestion is that the capacitor and toroidal inductor tuned circuit be excited by a powerful Radio Frequency oscillator instead of using the method above.

I have witnessed, in an unauthorised undocumented experiment and at the Rutherford-Appleton laboratory, the development of an apparently stable line of plasma in a solenoid connected to a 100KW power radio frequency oscillator.  The solenoid, in this case was about 2 cm long and 1 cm in diameter.  The gas was air.   The plasma was clearly separated from the wall of the inside of the inductor which was wound on a glass tube.  The apparatus was normally used for RF heating in a vacuum for vapour phase deposition.

See Inductance See Diagram see also Tokomak and experiment 1, experiment 2, proposed experiment

Chris

29/02/2004