Energy confinement and magnetic field generation in the SSPX spheromak Metadata

Title

• Main Title Energy confinement and magnetic field generation in the SSPX spheromak

Creator

• Author: Hudson, B.
  Creator Type: Personal
• Author: McLean, H. S.
  Creator Type: Personal
• Author: Wood, R. D.
  Creator Type: Personal
• Author: Hooper, E. B.
  Creator Type: Personal
• Author: Hill, D. N.
  Creator Type: Personal
• Author: Jayakumar, J.
  Creator Type: Personal
• Author: Moller, J.
  Creator Type: Personal
• Author: Romero-Talamas, C.
  Creator Type: Personal
• Author: Casper, T. A.
  Creator Type: Personal
• Author: LoDestro, L. L.
  Creator Type: Personal
• Author: Pearlstein, L. D.
  Creator Type: Personal
• Author: Johnson, J. A., III
  Creator Type: Personal
• Author: Mezonlin, E.
  Creator Type: Personal

Contributor

• Sponsor: United States. Department of Energy.
  Contributor Type: Organization

Publisher

• Name: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
  Place of Publication: Livermore, California
  Additional Info: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA

Date

• Creation: 2008-02-11

Language

• English

Description

• Content Description: 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 (T{sub e}) recorded for a spheromak with T{sub e} > 500 eV, toroidal magnetic field {approx}1 T and toroidal current ({approx}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 {Psi}{sub pol}/{Psi}{sub gun}. 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 T{sub e}(r) associated with q {approx} 1/2.
• Physical Description: PDF-file: 31 pages; size: 2.2 Mbytes

Subject

• Keyword: Amplification
• Keyword: Heating
• Keyword: Charge Exchange
• Keyword: Decay
• Keyword: Magnetic Fields
• Keyword: Neutral Particles
• STI Subject Categories: 70 Plasma Physics And Fusion
• Keyword: Efficiency
• Keyword: Physics
• Keyword: Confinement
• Keyword: Electron Temperature
• Keyword: Buildup
• Keyword: Fluctuations
• Keyword: Nimrod

Source

• Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas, vol. 15, N/A, March 28, 2008, pp. 056112; Journal Volume: 15

Collection

• Name: Office of Scientific & Technical Information Technical Reports
  Code: OSTI

Institution

• Name: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
  Code: UNTGD

Resource Type

• Article

Format

• Text

Identifier

• Report No.: LLNL-JRNL-401290
• Grant Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• Office of Scientific & Technical Information Report Number: 944329
• Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metadc897283