Magnetic flux compression with a gas puff z pinch
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
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
MAGNETIC FLUX
COMPRESSION
CALCULATION METHODS
DATA ANALYSIS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
IMPLOSIONS
KRYPTON
LINEAR Z PINCH DEVICES
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MEASURING METHODS
MHD EQUILIBRIUM
NEON
PLASMA
RAYLEIGH-TAYLOR INSTABILITY
THEORETICAL DATA
DATA
ELEMENTS
EQUILIBRIUM
FLUIDS
GASES
INFORMATION
INSTABILITY
LINEAR PINCH DEVICES
NONMETALS
NUMERICAL DATA
OPEN PLASMA DEVICES
PINCH DEVICES
RARE GASES
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
700100* - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research
640430 - Fluid Physics- Magnetohydrodynamics