Experimental studies on the sustainment of spheromak plasmas by an inductive drive of the toroidal current

Journal Article · Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987 · IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS.1987.4316725· OSTI ID:5880081

Ono, Y; Yumoto, A; Katsurai, M

Sustainment of spheromak plasmas produced in an external equilibrium field has been demonstrated with a center current transformer (ohmic heating (OH) coil) which is used to inductively drive the toroidal current of the plasma. The OH coil is covered by a cylindrical metal liner. It provides the stability against the tilt and shift motions of spheromaks at the expense of the simple connection of its geometry. Since the spheromak is characterized by the elimination of external toroidal fields in association with nonconservation of a toroidal flux during magnetic relaxation, the metal liner was made electrically disconnected from the main vacuum vessel (spheromak mode). In the experiments, existence of the dynamo effect, meaning automatic generation of toroidal flux similar to that of a reversed field pinch (RFP), is observed. Measured MHD activity consists of multihelicity helical modes with toroidal mode numbers N = 1-3. In order to investigate the difference between spheromaks and RFP's in the MHD activity during sustainment, experiments have also been made with the metal liner of the OH coil connected with the vessel (RFP mode). The dynamics of the MHD activities observed are compared with those obtained from the three-dimensional MHD simulations and their implication in the dynamo effect is discussed.

• Research Organization: Dept. of Electronic Engineering, Univ. of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113
• OSTI ID: 5880081
• Journal Information: IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.; (United States), Vol. PS-15:4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
CURRENT-DRIVE HEATING
SPHEROMAK DEVICES
FIELD-REVERSED THETA PINCH DEVICES
GEOMETRY
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA PRODUCTION
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
COMPACT TORUS
ELECTRIC HEATING
FLUID MECHANICS
HEATING
HYDRODYNAMICS
INSTABILITY
JOULE HEATING
MATHEMATICS
MECHANICS
PINCH DEVICES
PLASMA HEATING
RESISTANCE HEATING
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
TOKAMAK DEVICES
TORI
700101* - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Confinement
Heating
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