Particle Confinement and Fueling Effects on the Maryland Spheromak [Dissertation]
- Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)
The spheromak plasma confinement concept provides the opportunity to study the evolution of a nearly force-free magnetic field configuration. The plasma currents and magnetic fields are produced self-consistently, making this type of device attractive as a possible fusion reactor. At present, spheromaks are observed to have poorer particle and magnetic confinement than expected from simple theory. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of plasma density in the decay of spheromaks produced in the Maryland Spheromak experiment. Density measurements are made with an interferometer and Langmuir probe, and results are correlated with those of other plasma diagnostics to understand the sources of plasma, the spheromak formation effects on the density, and the magnitude of particle loss during the spheromak decay. A power and particle balance computer model is constructed and applied to the spheromaks studied in order to assess the impact of high density and particle loss rate on the spheromak decay. The observations and model indicate that the decay of the spheromaks is at present dominated by impurity radiation loss. The model also predicts that high density and short particle confinement time play a critical role in the spheromak power balance when the impurity levels are reduced.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG05-86ER53241
- OSTI ID:
- 5838809
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ER/53241--T1; ON: DE91012396
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
700101* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Confinement
Heating
& Production
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
CONFINEMENT
ELECTRIC PROBES
FUELS
IMPURITIES
INTERFEROMETERS
LANGMUIR PROBE
MAGNETIC FIELD CONFIGURATIONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
PLASMA IMPURITIES
PROBES
REACTOR FUELING
SCALING LAWS
SPHEROMAK DEVICES
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
THERMONUCLEAR FUELS
TOKAMAK DEVICES