Equilibrium and ballooning mode stability of an axisymmetric tensor pressure tokamak

Technical Report · Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5242279· OSTI ID:5242279

Cooper, W. A.; Bateman, G.; Nelson, D. B.; Kammash, T.

A force balance relation, a representation for the poloidal beta (..beta../sub p/), and expressions for the current densities are derived from the MHD equilibrium relations for an axisymmetric tensor pressure tokamak. Perpendicular and parallel beam pressure components are evaluated from a distribution function that models high energy neutral particle injection. A double adiabatic energy principle is derived from that of Kruskal and Oberman, with correction terms added. The energy principle is then applied to an arbitrary cross-section axisymmetric tokamak to examine ballooning instabilities of large toroidal mode number. The resulting Euler equation is remarkably similar to that of ideal MHD. Although the field-bending term is virtually unaltered, the driving term is modified because the pressures are no longer constant on a flux surface. Either a necessary or a sufficient marginal stability criterion for a guiding center plasma can be derived from this equation whenever an additional stabilizing element unique to the double adiabatic theory is either kept or neglected, respectively.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 5242279
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-6880; TRN: 80-015113
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
BALLOONING INSTABILITY
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
TOKAMAK DEVICES
BETA RATIO
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
EQUILIBRIUM
GUIDING-CENTER APPROXIMATION
NEUTRAL ATOM BEAM INJECTION
BEAM INJECTION
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
INSTABILITY
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
700107* - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Instabilities