Kinetic simulations of sheared flow stabilization in high-temperature Z-pinch plasmas

Tummel, K.; Higginson, D. P.; Link, A. J.; Schmidt, A. E.  W.; Offermann, D. T.; Welch, D. R.; Clark, R. E.; Shumlak, U.; Nelson, B. A.; Golingo, R. P.; McLean, H. S.

doi:10.1063/1.5092241

Title: Kinetic simulations of sheared flow stabilization in high-temperature Z-pinch plasmas

Journal Article · 12 June 2019 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5092241 · OSTI ID:1544963

Tummel, K. ^[1];

^[1]; Link, A. J. ^[1]; Schmidt, A. E. W. ^[1];

^[2]; Welch, D. R. ^[2]; Clark, R. E. ^[2];

^[3]; Nelson, B. A. ^[3]; Golingo, R. P. ^[3];

^[1]

Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Voss Scientific, LLC, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)

We present that the first fully kinetic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of sheared flow stabilized Z-pinch plasmas show the suppression of the sausage instability by shear, ∂_rv_z ≠ 0, with flow Mach numbers ≲1, consistent with experimental observations. Experimental investigations of sheared-flow stabilized Z-pinches demonstrated stability for 10 s of microseconds, over 1000 Alfvén radial transit times, in quasi steady-state plasmas that are an intermediate between conventional inertial and magnetic confinement systems. The observed stability coincides with the presence of radial shear in axial flow profiles with peak speeds less than Mach 1, and experiments are underway to validate scaling this design to fusion conditions. The experimentally observed stability agrees with models of m = 1 kink mode suppression by sheared flows, but existing models of the m = 0 sausage mode underestimate the efficacy of sheared flow stabilization. These models rely on fluid approximations and find that stabilization requires flows ranging from Mach 1.7 to 4.3, and in some cases, stabilization is not reproduced in the models. This is faster than the measured flows in long-lived plasmas and would necessitate substantial energy convection out of the Z-pinch and the need to drive and sustain supersonic flows in future devices. The MHD models typically used in the literature are invalid in the high-temperature, high-current environments desirable for many Z-pinch applications, and they ignore large Larmor radius effects and viscous dissipation which are known to impact Z-pinch stability. PIC simulations can capture all these effects as well as kinetic instabilities that could influence the performance of high-temperature sheared flow stabilized Z-pinch plasmas. The PIC simulations presented here show the suppression and damping of m = 0 modes by sheared flows ∂_rv_z = 0.75v_A/r₀ with flow Mach numbers ≲1. Lastlyl, equivalent stability occurs under plasma conditions ranging from the limits of present-day experimental capabilities to the projected conditions of a sheared flow stabilized Z-pinch reactor.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344; AR0000571

OSTI ID:: 1544963

Report Number(s):: LLNL-JRNL--767536; 957144

Journal Information:: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 26; ISSN 1070-664X

Publisher:: American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited By (3)

Retrospective of the ARPA-E ALPHA Fusion Program Nehl, C. L.; Umstattd, R. J.; Regan, W. R. Journal of Fusion Energy, Vol. 38, Issue 5-6 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10894-019-00226-4	journal	October 2019
Gyrokinetic simulations of m = 0 mode in sheared flow Z-pinch plasmas Geyko, V. I.; Dorf, M.; Angus, J. R. Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 26, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5100542	journal	June 2019
Retrospective of the ARPA-E ALPHA fusion program Nehl, C. L.; Umstattd, R. J.; Regan, W. R. arXiv https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.1907.09921	text	January 2019

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