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Experiments on rotamak plasma equilibrium and shape control

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3290802· OSTI ID:21344661
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Prairie View A and M University, Prairie View, Texas 77446 (United States)
A set of magnetic shaping coils and copper rings is installed in cylindrical chamber rotamak to allow for an active equilibrium control in 40 ms plasma discharges. The coils, which are powered by programmable current source, are used to control both the plasma shape and the boundary poloidal magnetic flux. Without the active equilibrium control, the boundary flux drops from its vacuum value of 0.3 mWb to zero after the plasma current is generated. If the coils are activated, the boundary magnetic flux can be sustained within the 0.2-0.3 mWb range, thus keeping the separatrix away from chamber wall during whole period of the shot. The passive copper rings help in eliminating the fast variations of the boundary magnetic flux. The response of rotamak plasma to the active equilibrium control is drastically different in regimes with or without external toroidal field. A model is presented that describes the change in plasma shape, plasma current, and pressure under the effect of active equilibrium coils.
OSTI ID:
21344661
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 17; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English