Energy confinement and magnetic field generation in the SSPX spheromak Page: 3 of 31
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Energy confinement and magnetic field generation in the SSPX spheromak
B. Hudson,') H.S. McLean, R. D. Wood, E.B. Hooper, D.N. Hill, J. Jayakumar, J. Moller, C.
Romero-Talamis ,T.A. Casper, L.L. LoDestro, L.D. Pearlstein
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA
J.A. Johnson III and E. Mezonlin
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL
a) Invited speaker. Present address: General Atomics, San Diego, CA, 92121
Abstract
The Sustained Spheromak Physics Experiment (SSPX) [E.B. Hooper, et. al., Nuclear Fusion,
Vol. 39, No. 7] explores the physics of efficient magnetic field buildup and energy confinement,
both essential parts of advancing the spheromak concept. Extending the spheromak formation
phase increases the efficiency of magnetic field generation with the maximum edge magnetic
field for a given injector current (B/I) from 0.65 T/MA previously to 0.9 T/MA. We have
achieved the highest electron temperatures (Te) recorded for a spheromak with Te > 500 eV,
toroidal magnetic field -1 T and toroidal current (-1 MA) [R.D. Wood, D.N. Hill, H.S. McLean,
E.B. Hooper, B.F. Hudson, J.M. Moller, "Improved magnetic field generation efficiency and
higher temperature spheromak plasmas," submitted to Physical Review Letters]. Extending the
sustainment phase to > 8 ms extends the period of low magnetic fluctuations (< 1 %) by 50%.
The NIMROD 3-D resistive MHD code [C.R. Sovinec, T.A. Gianakon, E.D. Held, S.E. Kruger
and D.D. Schnack, The NIMROD Team, Phys. Plasmas 10, 1727 (2003)] reproduces the
observed flux amplification Vpoi / Vg,,. Successive gun pulses are demonstrated to maintain the
magnetic field in a quasi-steady state against resistive decay. Initial measurements of neutral
particle flux in multi-pulse operation show charge-exchange power loss < 1% of gun input power
and dominantly collisional majority ion heating. The evolution of electron temperature shows a
distinct and robust feature of spheromak formation: a hollow-to-peaked Te(r) associated with
q - 1/2.1 of29
v.1I1
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Hudson, B.; McLean, H. S.; Wood, R. D.; Hooper, E. B.; Hill, D. N.; Jayakumar, J. et al. Energy confinement and magnetic field generation in the SSPX spheromak, article, February 11, 2008; Livermore, California. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc897283/m1/3/?rotate=270: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.