Particle dynamics, heating, and transport studies in TERP II, a high. beta. , toroidal plasma experiment

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5884219

Antoniades, J A

TERP II, the University of Maryland high ..beta.. tokamak device, produces finite ..beta.. toroidal plasmas, with elongated cross section (approx.2) and aspect ratio of 2. A partially ionized (n/sub e/ approx. 5 x 10/sup 13/cm/sup -3/, T/sub i/ approx. T/sub e/ = 3 - 6eV) plasma is heated rapidly, with the application of a fast rising toroidal magnetic field, much like the toroidal theta pinches. The ions are directly heated by the implosion to temperatures of up to 100 eV. Anomalous resistivity due to ion acoustic turbulence, two stream instabilities and turbulent heating near the magnetic field nulls, is responsible for the rapid penetration of the toroidal magnetic field (tau/sub D/ approx. 5 ..mu..s) and bulk electron heating. Ion rotation, with velocity approx. 10/sup 6/ cm/sec, is observed using the first 10 ..mu..s of the discharge. During the first 5 ..mu..s, the rotation is attributed to gradient B drifts, because of the large magnetic field gradients, associated with the diamagnetic well, and to ion polarization drifts because of the rapid decay of the poloidal electric fields present during the rise of the toroidal magnetic field. For 5 ..mu..s < t < 10 ..mu..s, the ion drift velocities are reduced, and they are presumably due to radial electric fields present in equilibrium high ..beta.. toroidal plasmas. The plasma temperature decreases to 10 eV; due to large power loss from impurity radiation and also due to plasma-wall contact from loss of toroidal force balance in the early stages of the discharge.

• Research Organization: Maryland Univ., College Park (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5884219
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
TOKAMAK DEVICES
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
PLASMA HEATING
ENERGY LOSSES
IMPURITIES
ION TEMPERATURE
PARTICLE KINEMATICS
PLASMA DRIFT
TORI
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
CONFINEMENT
HEATING
LOSSES
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
700101* - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Confinement
Heating
&amp; Production
700103 - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Kinetics