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U.S. Department of Energy
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Dense plasma focus for D-{sup 3}He burning

Book ·
OSTI ID:464997
; ;  [1]
  1. Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States). School of Nuclear Engineering
Studies have been performed to determine the feasibility of D-{sup 3}He burning in dense plasma focus (DPF) device as a possible propulsion system for space. A large potential difference between the DPF electrodes ionizes the gaseous fusion fuel and forms on annular plasma sheath. The run-down phase and the subsequent stability are analyzed by solving the momentum equation using the snowplow model and the cylindrical m=0 mode. It is found that the results of the pinch equilibrium profiles agree with the assumed current-squared scaling of energy density, and that the total fusion power released from the pinch scales as plasma current, I{sub p}{sup 5.4}. This is found to correlate well with the reaction rate parameter data for the utilized fuel of D-{sup 3}He.
OSTI ID:
464997
Report Number(s):
CONF-950905--; ISBN 0-7803-2969-4
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English