Magnetic flux compression with a gas puff z pinch

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6939110

Ruden, E L

The dynamics of a hollow gas puff z pinch imploding with a trapped, initially uniform, axial magnetic field is studied on the 0.45 MA, 1.2 {mu}s rise-time U.C. Irvine z pinch. The primary purpose is to ascertain the feasibility of producing short pulsed ultra high magnetic fields with this geometry. Data is taken primarily for Ne and Kr plasmas with a pulsed (7 ns) interferometer, twin pinhole cameras, x-ray diodes, and axial and azimuthal magnetic probes. The spatiotemporal behavior of the plasma is mapped by numerically processed interference patterns. Significant differences between Kr and Ne are recorded with this diagnostic. Kr implodes as a thinner shell which appears more disrupted by spatial nonuniformities of scale-length order 1 mm. Kr, though, achieves a much higher state of compression than Ne. Kr implosions with an initial axial magnetic field of 0.5 T are inferred to produce a field of 150 T at maximum compression assuming the axial magnetic flux interior to the plasma column is conserved during the implosion. This is an order of magnitude higher than can be similarly inferred for Ne implosions. The assumption of flux conservation is reasonably justified for Ne by correlation with on-axis magnetic probe measurements, although the field for Kr rises too quickly for the probe to respond. To help explain these results, the significance of such effects as Rayleigh-Taylor and MHD instabilities, radiation cooling, resistive flux diffusion, and plasma end-loss on flux compression performance are inferred from the data and studied with the help of simple theoretical models.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Irvine, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6939110
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640430 -- Fluid Physics-- Magnetohydrodynamics
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700100* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CALCULATION METHODS
COMPRESSION
DATA
DATA ANALYSIS
ELEMENTS
EQUILIBRIUM
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLUIDS
GASES
IMPLOSIONS
INFORMATION
INSTABILITY
KRYPTON
LINEAR PINCH DEVICES
LINEAR Z PINCH DEVICES
MAGNETIC FLUX
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MEASURING METHODS
MHD EQUILIBRIUM
NEON
NONMETALS
NUMERICAL DATA
OPEN PLASMA DEVICES
PINCH DEVICES
PLASMA
RARE GASES
RAYLEIGH-TAYLOR INSTABILITY
THEORETICAL DATA
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES