Current results from the Los Alamos CTX spheromak

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6553742

Barnes, C W; Henins, I; Hoida, H W; Jarboe, T R; Knox, S O; Linford, R K; Platts, D A; Sherwood, A R

Continued discharge cleaning, improved vacuum practices, and optimized plasma formation operation have resulted in the CTX experiment achieving 1-ms plasma lifetimes with average temperatures of 20 to 40 eV. The major advance in operation has been the use of 5 to 20 mTorr H/sub 2/ gas fill. A multipoint Thomson scattering diagnostic with 12 radial positions yields radial profiles of temperature and densities, an example of which is shown. Local ..beta..'s can be determined from the measured pressure profile, and average values are typically 15 to 20%. In clean, long-lived discharges the density decreases at a more rapid rate than the magnetic field, until it reaches a value around 2 to 4 x 10/sup 13/ cm/sup -3/ where it remains constant. This is in contrast to the colder, radiation-dominated behavior, and is taken as evidence that the plasma ..beta.. is a limit to current operation in CTX.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6553742
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-82-3290; CONF-821124-8; ON: DE83003569
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700104* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Plasma Kinetics-Experimental-- (-1987)
BETA RATIO
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
DEGASSING
IMPURITIES
INELASTIC SCATTERING
OPERATION
PINCH EFFECT
PLASMA
PLASMA DENSITY
REVERSE-FIELD PINCH
SCATTERING
SPHEROMAK DEVICES
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
THOMSON SCATTERING
TOKAMAK DEVICES