Plasma Exhaust in a Sheared-Flow-Stabilized Z Pinch

Claveau, E. L.; Shumlak, U.; Nelson, B. A.; Forbes, E. G.; Stepanov, A. D.; Weber, T. R.; Zhang, Y.; McLean, H. S.

doi:10.1063/5.0018429

Plasma Exhaust in a Sheared-Flow-Stabilized Z Pinch

Journal Article · Fri Sep 25 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0018429· OSTI ID:1704072

^[1]; ^[1]; Nelson, B. A. ^[2]; ^[1]; ^[1]; Weber, T. R. ^[1]; ^[2]; ^[3]

Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
Zap Energy, Inc., Seattle, WA (United States)
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

The fusion Z-pinch experiment device produces a 0.3 cm radius by 50 cm-long Z pinch between the end of the inner electrode of a coaxial plasma gun and an end wall 50 cm away. The plasma column is stabilized for thousands of instability growth times by an embedded radially sheared axial plasma flow. To investigate the effect of end wall design on Z-pinch plasma behavior, the solid end wall with a central exhaust port is replaced with a spoked end wall with a solid hub. While the Z-pinch plasma behavior was largely unaffected, the plasma exhausted from the Z-pinch provides an experimental platform to study magnetic confinement and detachment. Here, current and density signals are compared between two cases: a low energy and a high energy case. Plasma is found to be frozen-in flux in the Z-pinch assembly region. The exhaust of plasma from the flux conserving region is found to be dependent on the ratio of plasma ram and thermal pressures to the local magnetic pressure, calculated from an equilibrium model at the end wall. Plasma exhaust is observed to increase with the spoked end wall only for the high energy conditions as its ratio of ram and thermal pressures to the magnetic pressure increases.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344; AR0000571; NA0001860

OSTI ID:: 1704072

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1818153
OSTI ID: 1665917

Report Number(s):: LLNL-JRNL--816271; 1025791

Journal Information:: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Vol. 27; ISSN 1070-664X

Publisher:: American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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