Spherical pinch

Journal Article · Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987 · J. Fusion Energy; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01050795· OSTI ID:5824746

Panarella, E

This is essentially a review article covering several years of work on the spherical pinch (SP) concept of plasma formation and containment. Central to this concept is the creation of a hot plasma in the center of a sphere, plasma which is then compressed by strong imploding shock waves launched from the periphery of the vessel. The experimental program, which started with the classical cylindrical theta-pinch and continued with the inductive spherical pinch, has taken a turn, in recent times, with the discovery of the scaling laws governing spherical pinch experiments, which prescribe that high gas pressures are required for achieving fusion break-even conditions. As a consequence, energy deposition in present spherical pinch devices is done through resistive, rather than inductive, discharges. In a pilot experimental program of modest initial condenser bank energy (approx. 1 KJ), we find that the instantaneous energy deposition in the central plasma can lead to temperatures of the order of 2 KeV, in agreement with the prediction of the Braginskii resistivity for such a plasma, and with the relation to the velocity of the diverging shock wave generated by the sudden deposition of energy into this plasma. Moreover, when the imploding shock waves contain the central plasma, we find the containment time to be as long as 5.4 ..mu..sec and the plasma to be stable. In discharges in deuterium, neutrons are emitted close to 10/sup 7/ per shot. From the experimental parameters of the plasma, one can derive a particle density for the shocked gas equal to 3.21 x 1019 cm/sup -3/, a plasma temperature equal to 730 eV and a product ntau = 1.73 x 1014 cm/sup -3/ sec.

• Research Organization: National Research Council, Ottawa
• OSTI ID: 5824746
• Journal Information: J. Fusion Energy; (United States), Journal Name: J. Fusion Energy; (United States) Vol. 6:3; ISSN JFEND
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700208* -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Inertial Confinement Technology
ABSORPTION
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
COMPRESSION
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CONFIGURATION
CONFINEMENT
CONFINEMENT TIME
DEUTERIUM
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY ABSORPTION
EXPANSION
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
HEATING
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
IMPLOSIONS
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
LUMINOSITY
NONMETALS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PINCH DEVICES
PINCH EFFECT
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA HEATING
PLASMA PRESSURE
RADIOISOTOPES
REVIEWS
SCALING LAWS
SHOCK HEATING
SHOCK WAVES
SIMULATION
SPHERICAL CONFIGURATION
STABLE ISOTOPES
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
TRITIUM
WAVE PROPAGATION
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES