Localized Ballooning Modes in Compact Quasiaxially Symmetric Stellarators
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Understanding of ballooning mode stability boundaries may lead to performance improvement of toroidal devices through control of plasma disruptions. Toroidally localized ballooning modes have been found as precursors to high-beta plasma disruptions on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) arising in conditions of n=1 kink mode asymmetry. Recent optimization has shown that magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability as well as good particle confinement are likely to be achievable in the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX), a compact, quasiaxially symmetric stellarator (QAS) for values of the plasma near beta = 4%. The configuration, with a major radius of 1.42 m, an aspect ratio of 4.4, a toroidal magnetic field 1.2-1.7 T and 6 MW of neutral-beam heating, is stable to MHD instabilities, and is expected to be limited by high-n kink and ballooning modes. This paper describes the ballooning eigenvalue isosurfaces for NCSX, the first step in an examination of the kinetic stabilization of the ballooning beta limit using a hybrid WKB approach.
- Research Organization:
- Princeton Plasma Physics Lab., NJ (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Research (ER) (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH03073
- OSTI ID:
- 786576
- Report Number(s):
- PPPL-3578
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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