Pneumatic hydrogen pellet injection system for the ISX tokamak

Technical Report · Wed Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6381145· OSTI ID:6381145

Milora, S. L.; Foster, C. A.

The design and operation of the solid hydrogen pellet injection system used in plasma refueling experiments on the ISX tokamak are described. The gun-type injector operates on the principle of gas dynamic acceleration of cryogenic pellets confined laterally in a tube. The device is cooled by flowing liquid helium refrigerant, and pellets are formed in situ. Room temperature helium gas at moderate pressure is used as the propellant. The prototype device injected single hydrogen pellets into the tokamak discharge at a nominal 330 m/s. The tokamak plasma fuel content was observed to increase by 0.5 to 1.2 x 10/sup 19/ particles subsequent to pellet injection. A simple modification to the existing design has extended the performance to 1000 m/s. At higher propellant operating pressures (28 bar), the muzzle velocity is 20% less than predicted by an idealized constant area expansion process.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6381145
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-6598
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700205* -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Fuel
Heating
& Injection Systems
BEAM INJECTION
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
CRYOGENICS
DESIGN
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
FUEL INJECTION SYSTEMS
FUEL PELLETS
FUEL SYSTEMS
HYDROGEN
ISX TOKAMAK
NONMETALS
OPERATION
PELLETS
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
TOKAMAK TYPE REACTORS
VELOCITY