Nonlinear evolution of the internal kink mode in toroidal geometry for shaped tokamak plasmas

Technical Report · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5611622· OSTI ID:5611622

Holmes, J. A.; Carreras, B. A.; Charlton, L. A.; Lynch, V. E.; Hastie, R. J.; Hender, T. C.

The nonlinear evolution of the internal kink mode is studied in toroidal geometry for noncircular cross section tokamak plasmas. The study is focused on very low shear and hollow q profiles with q(rho) greater than or equal to 1 for which the internal kink is unstable, in the latter case even at ..beta.. - 0. The nonlinear evolution is dominated by ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), and the instability saturates, giving a quasi-helical shift to the magnetic axis. The nonlinear saturation is caused by increased field line bending. Time scales of 10/sup 3/ tau/sub Hp/ and axis shifts of 20% are reached when changes in q on the order of 3 x 10/sup -3/ from the marginal profile are produced. 25 refs., 27 figs.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 5611622
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-10585; ON: DE88003655
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700107* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Instabilities
ANNULAR SPACE
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
CONFIGURATION
DATA
EQUILIBRIUM PLASMA
INFORMATION
INSTABILITY
INSTABILITY GROWTH RATES
KINK INSTABILITY
MAGNETIC FIELD CONFIGURATIONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC SURFACES
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
NUMERICAL DATA
PLASMA
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
SPACE
THEORETICAL DATA
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
TOKAMAK DEVICES
TOROIDAL CONFIGURATION