Status of the ZT-40M RFP experimental program

Conference · Mon Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985 · Fusion Technol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5876504

Massey, R S; Baker, D A; Buchenauer, C J; Burkhardt, L C; Cayton, T; Di Marco, J N; Downing, J N; Erickson, R; Watt, R G; Weber, P G

The present status of research on the ZT-40M Reversed-Field Pinch (RFP) will be described. RFP discharges have been sustained for times (27 ms) >> the classical resistive diffusion time, implying the existence of a flux-sustainment mechanism (''dynamo''). This mechanism opens the possibility for a steady-state RFP reactor utilizing a unique form of non-inductive current drive. T /sub e/ > 500 eV has been obtained for 400 kA discharges with /sup -/n /sub e/ about 4 x 10/sup 19/ m/sup -3/. Total energy confinement time /tau/ /sub E/ has reached 0.7 ms with a Lawson parameter of 5 x 10/sup 16/ m/sup -3/s for discharges with /sup -/n /sub e/ = 8 x 10/sup 19/ m/sup -3/ and T /sub e/ = 330 eV at a plasma current of 330 kA and 0.33 T total confining field at the wall. Reactor-like ..beta..theta about 10-20% is routinely obtained for plasma currents from 60-400 kA (..beta.. about ..beta..theta/2). Scaling of /sup -/n /sub e/ /tau/ /sub E/ about I /sup 2.2+or-0.4/ is found, more than adequate for a compact RFP reactor.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
• OSTI ID: 5876504
• Report Number(s): CONF-850310-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Fusion Technol.; (United States) Journal Volume: 8:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700202* -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Magnet Coils & Fields
BEAM CURRENTS
BETA RATIO
CONFINEMENT
CONFINEMENT TIME
CURRENT-DRIVE HEATING
CURRENTS
ELECTRIC HEATING
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
HEATING
HIGH-BETA PLASMA
JOULE HEATING
KILO AMP BEAM CURRENTS
LAWSON CRITERION
PINCH EFFECT
PLASMA
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
PLASMA HEATING
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
RESISTANCE HEATING
REVERSE-FIELD PINCH
STEADY-STATE FUSION REACTORS
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
ZT-40 DEVICES