GAS INSULATION OF A HOT PLASMA: THEORY AND EXPERIMENT
The possibility is discussed of insulating plasma from walls by means of gas at high pressure in a strong magnetic field. The power lost from a plasma column by heat ferent models. In the first one, heat is assumed to be produced, e.g., by thermonuclear reactions, within a central core of thc column. In the second model, ohmic heating is assumed to take place by a constant homogeneous electric field applied parallel to the column. With reasonable values of the magnetic field the losses by heat conduction are small. A toroidal high-current discharge at initial gas pressures up to 600 torr is studied experimentally. It is shown that it is possible to create an electrodeless circular arc discharge, which starts in a narrow channel and is surrounded by cool gas. Streak photographs indicate an increasing stability of the plasma ring with increasing gas pressure. Spectra taken from this high-pressure discharge are compared with those taken from the same apparatus under low-pressure conditions, when an ordinary fast pinch discharge takes place. The observations give clear evidence that the plasma is much more free from wall impurities in the high-pressure discharge than in the lowpressure case. Estimates of temperature, ion densities, and energy input are made. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Royal Inst. of Tech., Stockholm
- NSA Number:
- NSA-16-023214
- OSTI ID:
- 4832038
- Journal Information:
- Nuclear Fusion, Suppl., Journal Name: Nuclear Fusion, Suppl.
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- English
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CYLINDERS
DENSITY
ELECTRIC ARCS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ENERGY
GASES
HEATING
IMPURITIES
IONS
LOSSES
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MEASURED VALUES
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHYSICS
PINCH
PLASMA
PRESSURE
RESISTORS
SCHLIEREN
SPECTRA
STABILITY
SURFACES
TEMPERATURE
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
THERMAL INSULATION
THERMONUCLEAR REACTIONS
TORUS
VARIATIONS
VESSELS