Plasma Exhaust in a Sheared-Flow-Stabilized Z Pinch
Abstract
The FuZE device produces a 0.3 cm radius by 50 cm-long Z pinch between the end of the inner electrode of a coaxial plasma gun and an end wall 50 cm away. The plasma column is stabilized for thousands of instability growth times by an embedded radially-sheared axial plasma flow. To investigate the effect of end wall design on Z-pinch plasma behavior, the solid end wall with a central exhaust port is replaced with a spoked end wall with a solid hub. While the Z-pinch plasma behavior was largely unaffected, the plasma exhausted from the Z-pinch provides an experimental platform to study magnetic confinement and detachment. Current and density signals are compared between two cases: a low energy and a high energy case. Plasma is found to be frozen-in flux in the Z-pinch assembly region. The exhaust of plasma from the flux conserving region is found to be dependent on the ratio of plasma ram and thermal pressures to the local magnetic pressure, calculated from an equilibrium model at the end wall. Plasma exhaust is observed to increase with the spoked end wall only for the high energy conditions as its ratio of ram and thermal pressures to the magneticmore »
- Authors:
-
[1];
[1];
[1];
[1];
[2];
[3]
- Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
- Zap Energy, Inc., Seattle, WA (United States)
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1704072
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1665917; OSTI ID: 1818153
- Report Number(s):
- LLNL-JRNL-816271
Journal ID: ISSN 1070-664X; 1025791; TRN: US2204599
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC52-07NA27344; AR0000571; NA0001860; AR-0000571
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Physics of Plasmas
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 27; Journal ID: ISSN 1070-664X
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
Citation Formats
Claveau, E. L., Shumlak, U., Nelson, B. A., Forbes, E. G., Stepanov, A. D., Weber, T. R., Zhang, Y., and McLean, H. S. Plasma Exhaust in a Sheared-Flow-Stabilized Z Pinch. United States: N. p., 2020.
Web. doi:10.1063/5.0018429.
Claveau, E. L., Shumlak, U., Nelson, B. A., Forbes, E. G., Stepanov, A. D., Weber, T. R., Zhang, Y., & McLean, H. S. Plasma Exhaust in a Sheared-Flow-Stabilized Z Pinch. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0018429
Claveau, E. L., Shumlak, U., Nelson, B. A., Forbes, E. G., Stepanov, A. D., Weber, T. R., Zhang, Y., and McLean, H. S. Fri .
"Plasma Exhaust in a Sheared-Flow-Stabilized Z Pinch". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0018429. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1704072.
@article{osti_1704072,
title = {Plasma Exhaust in a Sheared-Flow-Stabilized Z Pinch},
author = {Claveau, E. L. and Shumlak, U. and Nelson, B. A. and Forbes, E. G. and Stepanov, A. D. and Weber, T. R. and Zhang, Y. and McLean, H. S.},
abstractNote = {The FuZE device produces a 0.3 cm radius by 50 cm-long Z pinch between the end of the inner electrode of a coaxial plasma gun and an end wall 50 cm away. The plasma column is stabilized for thousands of instability growth times by an embedded radially-sheared axial plasma flow. To investigate the effect of end wall design on Z-pinch plasma behavior, the solid end wall with a central exhaust port is replaced with a spoked end wall with a solid hub. While the Z-pinch plasma behavior was largely unaffected, the plasma exhausted from the Z-pinch provides an experimental platform to study magnetic confinement and detachment. Current and density signals are compared between two cases: a low energy and a high energy case. Plasma is found to be frozen-in flux in the Z-pinch assembly region. The exhaust of plasma from the flux conserving region is found to be dependent on the ratio of plasma ram and thermal pressures to the local magnetic pressure, calculated from an equilibrium model at the end wall. Plasma exhaust is observed to increase with the spoked end wall only for the high energy conditions as its ratio of ram and thermal pressures to the magnetic pressure increases.},
doi = {10.1063/5.0018429},
journal = {Physics of Plasmas},
number = ,
volume = 27,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Sep 25 00:00:00 EDT 2020},
month = {Fri Sep 25 00:00:00 EDT 2020}
}
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