Experimental investigation of solid hydrogen pellet ablation in high-temperature plasmas using holographic interferometry and other diagnostics

Technical Report · Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1981

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6593858· OSTI ID:6593858

Thomas, Jr., C. E.

The technology currently most favored for the refueling of fusion reactors is the high-velocity injection of solid hydrogen pellets. Design details are presented for a holographic interferometer/shadowgraph used to study the microscopic characteristics of a solid hydrogen pellet ablating in an approx. 1-keV plasma. Experimental data are presented for two sets of experiments in which the interferometer/shadowgraph was used to study approx. 1-mm-diam solid hydrogen pellets injected into the Impurity Study Experiment (ISX-B) tokamak at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) at velocities of 1000 m/s. In addition to the use of the holographic interferometer, the pellet ablation process is diagnosed by studying the emission of Balmer-alpha photons and by using the available tokamak diagnostics (Thomson scattering, microwave/far-infrared interferometer, pyroelectric radiometer, hard x-ray detector).

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6593858
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-7486; TRN: 81-006484
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ISX TOKAMAK
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
REACTOR FUELING
HOLOGRAPHY
INTERFEROMETRY
ABLATION
EMISSION SPECTRA
FUEL PELLETS
HYDROGEN
INJECTION
IONIZATION
X-RAY SPECTROMETERS
ELEMENTS
INTAKE
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NONMETALS
PELLETS
SPECTRA
SPECTROMETERS
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
TOKAMAK TYPE REACTORS
700102* - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Diagnostics
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Heating
& Injection Systems