Tokamak plasma heating with intense, pulsed ion beams. [Patent application]

Technical Report · Wed Mar 25 04:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:5698778

Manheimer, W M; Winsor, N K

An intense, space-charge-neutralized, pulsed ion beam is used to heat a magnetically-confined plasma, such as a tokamak plasma, by injecting the ion beam into the plasma along a trajectory that is generally tangential to the confining magnetic field. The ion beam inductively generates a plasma return current so that no net current is produced. As the ion beam drifts in the plasma, the confining magnetic field is transformed into one which can trap the ion beam at the center of the plasma. Once the ion beam is trapped, the plasma return current is cancelled by transformer action to produce a net current which is carried by the ion beam alone. The beam transfers its energy to the plasma by classical collisions with the electrons and ions of the plasma. Heating of the plasma can be sufficient to produce a breakeven condition or ignition.

• Research Organization: Environmental Protection Agency, Denver, CO (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5698778
• Report Number(s): AD-D-008442/6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700101* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Confinement
Heating
& Production
BEAM CURRENTS
BEAM INJECTION
BEAM INJECTION HEATING
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
CURRENTS
HEATING
ION BEAM INJECTION
PLASMA HEATING
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
THERMONUCLEAR IGNITION
TOKAMAK DEVICES