Steady-state inductive spheromak operation

Patent · Tue Aug 18 04:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:6080725

Janos, A C; Jardin, S C; Yamada, M

A steady-state method is described of maintaining an inductively formed spheromak plasma comprising the steps of: (a) inductively producing a spheromak plasma by: evacuating a vacuum vessel and filling the vessel with a neutral species; producing a first poloidal magnetic field within the vacuum vessel; producing a second poloidal magnetic field within the vacuum vessel by pulsing a current I/sub pf/ in a first direction through a poloidal field generating coil, the poloidal field generating coil being located in a toroidally shaped flux core within the vacuum vessel, such that the first and second poloidal magnetic fields are superimposed to form a composite poloidal magnetic field PSI within the vacuum vessel having regions of stronger and weaker strength; producing a toroidal magnetic field PHI in the vacuum vessel by passing a current I/sub TF/ through a toroidal field generating coil which is located in the flux core, thereby initiating a plasma discharge and causing toroidal flux to appear outside of the flux core; expanding the plasma in the direction of the region of weaker poloidal magnetic field strength; (b) forming a linked toroidal spheromak plasma from the expanded plasma in which some flux surfaces of the spheromak plasma and the core; and (c) oscillating the poloidal and toroidal magnetic fields PSI and PHI, while the plasma flux surfaces are linked to both the plasma and the core, such that PSI and PHI have different phases.

• Assignee: Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC
• Patent Number(s): US 4687617
• OSTI ID: 6080725
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700101* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Confinement
Heating
& Production
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
CONFINEMENT
ELECTRIC COILS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
MAGNET COILS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
OPERATION
OSCILLATIONS
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
PLASMA PRODUCTION
PULSE TECHNIQUES
SPHEROMAK DEVICES
STEADY-STATE CONDITIONS
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
TOKAMAK DEVICES
VACUUM SYSTEMS