Magnetic Design Calculation and FRC Formation Modeling for the Field Reversed Experiment - Liner
Author: Leonid A. Dorf
Requested Type: Poster Only
Submitted: 2006-12-18 18:47:30
Co-authors: T. P. Intrator, R. M. Renneke, S. C. Hsu, G. A. Wurden (LANL, Los Alamos, NM), T. J. Awe, R. E. Siemon (UNR, Reno, NV), V. E. Semenov (IAP, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia)
Contact Info:
Los Alamos National Laboratory
PO Box 1663
Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
USA
Abstract Text:
The Field Reversed Experiment - Liner (FRX-L) is creating high pressure FRC-s as target plasmas for magnetized target fusion (MTF), in which magnetically confined plasma will be constricted by converging aluminum flux compressor to achieve fusion conditions. Magnetic design is critical to ensure success for formation, translation, and implosion of the FRC. In this work, we used an eddy current code that computes the mutual inductances between driven magnetic coils and passive magnetic shields (flux excluder plates) to calculate the self-consistent axi-symmetric magnetic fields in all three stages. The plasma in the formation stage was modeled as a passive solid cylinder with adjustable resistivity. The modeling resulted in the following conclusions: (1) The calculated profile of the axial (dominant) component of the magnetic field, Bz(z), predicts gradients of the magnetic pressure, sufficient for translating the FRC-s out of the formation region, (2) the magnetic shields successfully protect the slow guide coils from the fast varying magnetic fields created in the formation region, while maintaining a desired Bz(z) profile; (3) by including solely resistive diffusion of magnetic field into the plasma, FRC formation and compression are predicted for proper theta coil current arrangement and timing; and (4) FRC formation time is only weakly dependent on plasma resistivity, whereas FRC lifetime improves with decreasing resistivity; decrease of resistivity, which is typical during FRC formation, slows down field penetration and hence limits FRC compression. This work is supported by the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, and DOE/LANL contract DE-AC52-06NA25396.
Characterization: C
Comments:
