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Title: Adiabatic model and design of a translating field reversed configuration

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2907165· OSTI ID:21120253
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Los Alamos National Laboratory, M.S. E526, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)
  2. Department of Physics, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557 (United States)
  3. Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)

We apply an adiabatic evolution model to predict the behavior of a field reversed configuration (FRC) during decompression and translation, as well as during boundary compression. Semi-empirical scaling laws, which were developed and benchmarked primarily for collisionless FRCs, are expected to remain valid even for the collisional regime of FRX-L experiment. We use this approach to outline the design implications for FRX-L, the high density translated FRC experiment at Los Alamos National Laboratory. A conical theta coil is used to accelerate the FRC to the largest practical velocity so it can enter a mirror bounded compression region, where it must be a suitable target for a magnetized target fusion (MTF) implosion. FRX-L provides the physics basis for the integrated MTF plasma compression experiment at the Shiva-Star pulsed power facility at Kirtland Air Force Research Laboratory, where the FRC will be compressed inside a flux conserving cylindrical shell.

OSTI ID:
21120253
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 15, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2907165; (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English