Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

2D radiation-magnetohydrodynamic simulations of SATURN imploding Z-pinches

Conference ·
OSTI ID:192472

Z-pinch implosions driven by the SATURN device at Sandia National Laboratory are modeled with a 2D radiation magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code, showing strong growth of magneto-Rayleigh Taylor (MRT) instability. Modeling of the linear and nonlinear development of MRT modes predicts growth of bubble-spike structures that increase the time span of stagnation and the resulting x-ray pulse width. Radiation is important in the pinch dynamics keeping the sheath relatively cool during the run-in and releasing most of the stagnation energy. The calculations give x-ray pulse widths and magnitudes in reasonable agreement with experiments, but predict a radiating region that is too dense and radially localized at stagnation. We also consider peaked initial density profiles with constant imploding sheath velocity that should reduce MRT instability and improve performance. 2D krypton simulations show an output x-ray power > 80 TW for the peaked profile.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
192472
Report Number(s):
UCRL-JC--122340; CONF-951182--7; ON: DE96005395
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Two-dimensional radiation-magnetohydrodynamic simulations of SATURN imploding Z pinches
Journal Article · Wed May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1996 · Physics of Plasmas · OSTI ID:282908

Experimental results and modeling of a dynamic hohlraum on SATURN
Technical Report · Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1998 · OSTI ID:672091

Theory of Wire Number Scaling in Wire-Array Z Pinches
Conference · Tue Oct 13 00:00:00 EDT 1998 · OSTI ID:1071