Theory of the MHD stability of tokamaks with anisotropic plasmas
A theory is derived for the flute instability of a tokamak with an anisotropic plasma, which is pertinent to the injection of fast beams of neutral atoms into tokamaks and to rf heating. The calculations are carried out in a coordinate system with straightened magnetic lines of force; this coordinate system has previously proved useful for analyzing the stability of a tokamak with an isotropic plasma. Equilibrium equations are derived for an axisymmetric tokamak with an anisotropic plasma in this coordinate system. For a tokamak with a large aspect ratio these equations, with slight modifications, reduce to the equilibrium equations of a tokamak with an isotropic plasma. The Kruskal--Oberman potential-energy integral is written in the coordinate system with straightened lines of force. The small-oscillation equations which follow from this integral are simplified for a tokamak with a large aspect ratio. In this case the anisotropy enters the small-oscillation equations in an additive way. Without specifying the type of perturbation it is concluded that the anisotropy degrades the MHD stability of tokamaks with a large aspect ratio during longitudinal injection of fast neutrals and degrades this stability in the case of transverse injection. The effect of the anisotropy is of the same order of magnitude as the vacuum magnetic well and is therefore unimportant at a high plasma pressure. The role played by this effect in the flute and ballooning modes is analyzed.
- Research Organization:
- I. V. Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy, Moscow
- OSTI ID:
- 5575414
- Journal Information:
- Sov. J. Plasma Phys. (Engl. Transl.); (United States), Vol. 8:4
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Equilibrium and ballooning mode stability of an axisymmetric tensor pressure tokamak
Flute instability of an anisotropic plasma in toroidal devices with a three-dimensional magnetic axis
Related Subjects
TOKAMAK DEVICES
BALLOONING INSTABILITY
FLUTE INSTABILITY
HIGH-FREQUENCY HEATING
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
NEUTRAL ATOM BEAM INJECTION
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
BEAM INJECTION
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
FLUID MECHANICS
HEATING
HYDRODYNAMICS
INSTABILITY
MECHANICS
PLASMA HEATING
PLASMA INSTABILITY
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
700107* - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Instabilities