Stellarator physics-evaluation studies

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

OSTI ID:6801033

Lyon, J F; Carreras, B A; Harris, J H

A wide range of stellarator/torsatron configurations is evaluated and compared using vacuum field flux surface topology, MHD equilibrium beta limits and guiding center orbit confinement as optimization criteria. The torsatron is found to be a better choice for a near term physics experiment than the modular stellarator or helical configurations studied. The best torsatron geometry has an equilibrium beta limit of <..beta..> = 4 to 5% for a plasma aspect ratio of 7 and 7 to 8% for an aspect ratio of 14. A feasible torsatron modularization scheme which retains the physics properties is shown. A wide variety of flux surface geometries can be produced due to the additional flexibility introduced by toroidally-directed windbacks and compensating coils. The effects of different methods of calculating MHD equilibrium/stability, different pressure profiles, and different vertical fields on the results are discussed. Guiding center orbit containment is a less sensitive indicator of configuration quality than is the equilibrium beta limit. Orbits for thermal and fast ions are calculated in field line (flux) coordinates using actual fields and including electric fields, pitch angle scattering and fast ion slowing down.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6801033
• Report Number(s): IAEA-CN-41/Q-3; CONF-820930-18; ON: DE82022298
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700202* -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Magnet Coils &amp; Fields
BETA RATIO
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
CONFINEMENT
GUIDING-CENTER APPROXIMATION
MAGNETIC FIELD CONFIGURATIONS
MAGNETIC SURFACES
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
STELLARATORS
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
TORSATRON STELLARATOR