Stability and confinement of spheromaks and field-reversed configurations

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0031-8949/1982/T2B/014· OSTI ID:5153968

Quinn, W E

The formation, confinement and stability of two types of compact toroids, spheromaks and field reversed configurations (FRC), are reviewed. Spheromaks, which contain both toroidal and poloidal magnetic fields, have been formed with magnetized coaxial plasma guns, by a combination of Z- and theta-pinch techniques and by an electrodeless slow induction technique, and trapped in both prolate and oblate flux conservers. As predicted by theory, the prolate configuration is unstable to the tilt mode, but the oblate configuration with a conducting wall is stable. Configuration lifetimes of up to 0.8 ms are observed. The FRC is a high-beta, highly prolate compact toroid formed with field-reversed theta-pinch techniques and having purely poloidal magnetic field. Theory predicts unstable fluting and internal tilting modes, but they are not observed experimentally. Configurations with high densities approx. 10/sup 15/ cm/sup -3/ and with lifetimes of 50 to 120 ..mu..s are terminated by an n=2 rotational mode of instability.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 5153968
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-82-1558; CONF-820618-6; ON: DE82018378
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700202* -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Magnet Coils & Fields
ANNULAR SPACE
ASPECT RATIO
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
CONFIGURATION
CONFINEMENT
HIGH-BETA PLASMA
INSTABILITY
PINCH EFFECT
PLASMA
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
PLASMA INSTABILITY
REVERSE-FIELD PINCH
SPACE
SPHEROMAK DEVICES
STABILITY
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
THETA PINCH
TOKAMAK DEVICES
TOROIDAL CONFIGURATION