Unified Ideal Stability Limits for Advanced Tokamak and Spherical Torus Plasmas

Technical Report · Thu Feb 06 00:00:00 EST 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/811962· OSTI ID:811962

Menard, J E; Bell, M G; Bell, R E; Gates, D A; Kaye, S M; LeBlanc, B P; Sabbagh, S A; Fredrickson, E D; Jardin, S C; Maingi, R; Manickam, J; Mueller, D; Ono, M; Paoletti, F; Peng, Y -K.M.; Soukhanovskii, V; Stutman, D; Synakowski, E J

Ideal magnetohydrodynamic stability limits of shaped tokamak plasmas with high bootstrap fraction are systematically determined as a function of plasma aspect ratio. For plasmas with and without wall stabilization of external kink modes, the computed limits are well described by distinct and nearly invariant values of a normalized beta parameter utilizing the total magnetic field energy density inside the plasma. Stability limit data from the low aspect ratio National Spherical Torus Experiment is compared to these theoretical limits and indicates that ideal nonrotating plasma no-wall beta limits have been exceeded in regimes with sufficiently high cylindrical safety factor. These results could impact the choice of aspect ratio in future fusion power plants.

• Research Organization: Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC) (US)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH03073
• OSTI ID: 811962
• Report Number(s): PPPL-3779; TRN: US0303287
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: 6 Feb 2003
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ASPECT RATIO
ENERGY DENSITY
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
PLASMA
POWER PLANTS
SAFETY
STABILITY
STABILIZATION