Chaotic scattering and self-organization in spheromak sustainment

Flux core spheromak sustainment by electrostatic helicity injection is studied in resistive MHD. The geometry has magnetized electrodes at the ends held at a potential difference V. For V>V(c) the central current column is kink unstable. The nonlinear state with V just above V(c) has a large volume of flux surfaces, with rotational transform provided by the helical kinking of the column. As V increases the kink becomes stronger, the tori are destroyed, and the field lines exhibit chaotic scattering. The distribution of field line lengths L, related to confinement and parallel current density, is studied. At larger V or larger Lundquist number S, a limit cycle appears.     

New mode of operating a magnetized coaxial plasma gun for injecting magnetic helicity into a spheromak

By operating a magnetized coaxial plasma gun continuously with just sufficient current to enable plasma ejection, large gun-voltage spikes (approximately 1 kV) are produced, giving the highest sustained voltage approximately 500 V and highest sustained helicity injection rate observed in the Sustained Spheromak Physics Experiment. The spheromak magnetic field increases monotonically with time, exhibiting the lowest fluctuation levels observed during formation of any spheromak (B/B>/=2%). The results suggest an important mechanism for field generation by helicity injection, namely, the merging of helicity-carrying filaments.     

Self-reversal phenomena of toroidal current by reversing the external toroidal field in helicity-driven toroidal plasmas

In order to understand self-organization in helicity-driven systems, we have investigated the dynamics of low-aspect-ratio toroidal plasmas by decreasing the external toroidal field and reversing its sign in time. Consequently, we have discovered that the helicity-driven toroidal plasma relaxes towards the flipped state. Surprisingly, it has been observed that not only toroidal flux but also poloidal flux reverses sign spontaneously during the relaxation process. The self-reversal of the magnetic fields is attributed to the nonlinear growth of the n=1 kink instability of the central open flux.     

Evidence for separatrix formation and sustainment with steady inductive helicity injection

The first sustainment of toroidal plasma current of 50 kA at up to 3 times the injected currents, added in quadrature, using steady inductive helicity injection is described. Separatrix currents-currents not linking the helicity injectors-are sustained up to 40 kA. Decreases in the n=1 toroidal mode of the poloidal magnetic field at higher current amplifications indicate more quiescent, direct toroidal current drive. Results are achieved in HIT-SI (with a spheromak of major radius 0.3 m) during deuterium operations immediately after helium operation. These results represent a breakthrough in the development of this new current drive method for magnetic confinement fusion.     

Determination of Plasma Position Using Poloidal Flux Loops and Comparison With Magnetic Probe Measurement in IR-T1 Tokamak

In this paper, we present two magnetic techniques for the measurement of plasma position in IR-T1 tokamak: a poloidal flux loop and a magnetic probe method. In the first method, two flux loops were designed and installed toroidally on the outer surface of the IR-T1 tokamak, and then, displacement of the plasma column was measured from them. In addition, to compare the plasma position obtained using the flux loops, an array of four magnetic probes was designed, constructed, and installed on the outer surface of the IR-T1 tokamak, and plasma position was measured from them. Results were compared and found to be in good agreement with each other.      

Experimental Studies on the Sustainment of Splieromak Plasmas by an Inductive Drive of the Toroidal Current

Sustainment of spheromak plasmas produced in an external equilibrium field has been demonstrated with a center current transformer (ohmic heating (OH) coil) which is used to inductively drive the toroidal current of the plasma. The OH coil is covered by a cylindrical metal liner. It provides the stability against the tilt and shift motions of spheromaks at the expense of the simple connection of its geometry. Since the spheromak is characterized by the elimination of external toroidal fields in association with nonconservation of a toroidal flux during magnetic relaxation, the metal liner was made electrically disconnected from the main vacuum vessel (spheromak mode). In the experiments, existense of the dynamo effect, meaning automatic generation of toroidal flux similar to that of a reversed field pinch (RFP), is observed. Measured MHD activity consists of multihelicity helical modes with toroidal mode numbers N = 1-3. In order to investigate the difference between spheromaks and RFP's in the MHD activity during sustainment, experiments have also been made with the metal liner of the OH coil connected with the vessel (RFP mode). The dynamics of the MHD activities observed are compared with those obtained from the three-dimensional MHD simulations by Katayama and Katsurai [18], and their implication in the dynamo effect is discussed.     

Increasing the magnetic helicity content of a plasma by pulsing a magnetized source

By operating a magnetized coaxial gun in a pulsed mode it is possible to produce large voltage pulses of duration approximately 500 mus while reaching a few kV, giving a discrete input of helicity into a spheromak. In the sustained spheromak physics experiment (SSPX), it is observed that pulsing serves to nearly double the stored magnetic energy and double the temperature. We discuss these results by comparison with 3D MHD simulations of the same phenomenon.     

The heavy ion beam diagnostic for the tokamak ISTTOK

In this paper we describe the heavy ion beam diagnostic for the tokamak ISTTOK, which has been designed to determine the temporal evolution of the plasma density, poloidal magnetic field and plasma potential profiles. This diagnostic makes use of a new type of high density caesium plasma source, a multiple cell detector and a fast data acquisition system. We describe the numerical code for trajectory and beam attenuation simulations, a method for the experimental determination of the poloidal field profile, the ion gun and the detection, control and data acquisition systems. Calibration tests and the first experimental results are presented     

Suppression of MHD fluctuations leading to improved confinement in a gun-driven spheromak

Magnetic fluctuations have been reduced to approximately 1% during discharges on the Sustained Spheromak Physics Experiment by shaping the spatial distribution of the bias magnetic flux in the device. In the resulting quiescent regime, the safety factor profile is nearly flat in the plasma and the dominant ideal and resistive MHD modes are greatly reduced. During this period, the temperature profile is peaked at the magnetic axis and maps onto magnetic flux contours. Energy confinement time is improved over previous reports in a driven spheromak.     

HL-2M 装置磁测量系统设计及初始放电实验结果

介绍了 HL-2M 装置上满足等离子体放电的磁测量系统的物理设计,主要包括磁探针、磁通环以及 电流测量系统的设计。通过 HL-2M 装置典型的放电位形参数对磁探针的极向布局、有效面积,磁通环的极向布 局以及测量等离子体电流的罗氏圈互感值进行了初步设计。目前,HL-2M 装置已经完成初始等离子体放电。各个 子系统均能达到其测量目标。      

高能俘获粒子对内扭曲模的稳定效应

用Greene,Johnson和Weimer的方法重新推导了各向异性托卡马克等离子体中的Grad-Shafranov平衡方程。从广义能量原理分析了各向异性高能粒子分量对托卡马克等离子体内扭曲模的稳定作用,并以能量慢化分布和压力随方位角变化基本呈方形的两种高能粒子分布为例仔细计算了此作用,找出了迴转点在强场一侧的高能俘获粒子对托卡马克等离子体内扭曲模的稳定窗口,并深入讨论了它与各物理参数的依赖关系。 关键词：     

Ramp-Up-Phase Current-Profile Control of Tokamak Plasmas via Nonlinear Programming

The achievement of suitable toroidal-current-density profiles in tokamak plasmas plays an important role in enabling high fusion gain and noninductive sustainment of the plasma current for steady-state operation with improved magnetohydrodynamic stability. The evolution in time of the current profile is related to the evolution of the poloidal magnetic flux, which is modeled in normalized cylindrical coordinates using a partial differential equation (PDE) usually referred to as the magnetic flux diffusion equation. The dynamics of the plasma current density profile can be modified by the total plasma current and the power of the noninductive current drive. These two actuators, which are constrained not only in value and rate but also in their initial and final values, are used to drive the current profile as close as possible to a desired target profile at a specific final time. To solve this constrained finite-time open-loop PDE optimal control problem, model reduction based on proper orthogonal decomposition is combined with sequential quadratic programming in an iterative fashion. The use of a low-dimensional dynamical model dramatically reduces the computational effort and, therefore, the time required to solve the optimization problem, which is critical for a potential implementation of a real-time receding-horizon control strategy.      

Internal kink instability during off-axis electron cyclotron current drive in the DIII-D tokamak

Experimental evidence is reported of an internal kink instability driven by a new mechanism: barely trapped suprathermal electrons produced by off-axis electron cyclotron heating on the DIII-D tokamak. It occurs in plasmas with an evolving safety factor profile q(r) when q(min) approaches 1. This instability is most active when ECCD is applied on the high field side of the flux surface. It has a bursting behavior with poloidal/toroidal mode number = m/n = 1/1. In positive magnetic shear plasmas, this mode becomes the fishbone instability. This observation can be qualitatively explained by the drift reversal of the barely trapped suprathermal electrons.     

电子回旋波驱动的托卡马克芯部等离子体极向旋转

提出了一个驱动托卡马克芯部等离子体极向旋转的新途径：用电子回旋波产生芯部等离子体极向旋转.物理机制如下：在高功率的电子回旋波加热的托卡马克等离子体中，共振局域化现象将产生极向电场从而形成极向外高内低的离子密度分布；这个极向离子的积累可以克服来自磁泵的阻尼而使等离子体极向旋转退稳定.从流体力学方程和漂移动力学方程中，得到了等离子体旋转退稳的判别式.结果表明现有的电子回旋波加热功率水平可以驱动芯部等离子体的极向旋转. 关键词：     

Computational Study of MHD Equilibrium of Noncircular Tokamak Reactor Plasmas

The MHD equilibrium and stability of noncircular tokamak plasmas limited by a separatrix is studied for reactor size systems. A typical example with a plasma current of 15.8 MA and major radius of 8.1 is presented. The required vertical field is generated by a set of discrete external coils and no conducting shell is included. The detailed equilibrium shape is calculated numerically for a vertical elongated plasma with two stagnation points symmetrically located above and below the midplane as would be required for a system with a poloidal divertor. The plasma height to width ratio is 2, the plasma shape factor is 1.6 and poloidal ? is 2.2. The plasma is locally stable. The general stability criteria with respect to quasi-rigid motions (special kink modes) are calculated numerically and found to be satisfied. Size scaling and the engineering constraints are discussed.     

Spheromak formation by steady inductive helicity injection

A spheromak is formed for the first time using a new steady state inductive helicity injection method. Using two inductive injectors with odd symmetry and oscillating at 5.8 kHz, a steady state spheromak with even symmetry is formed and sustained through nonlinear relaxation. A spheromak with about 13 kA of toroidal current is formed and sustained using about 3 MW of power. This is a much lower power threshold for spheromak production than required for electrode-based helicity injection. Internal magnetic probe data, including oscillations driven by the injectors, agree with the plasma being in the Taylor state. The agreement is remarkable considering the only fitting parameter is the amplitude of the spheromak component of the state.     

RCD Large Aspect-Ratio Tokamak Equilibrium with Magnetic Islands:a Perturbed Approach

Solutions of Grad-Shafranov(GS) equation with Reversed Current Density(RCD) profiles present magnetic islands when the magnetic flux is explicitly dependent on the poloidal angle.In this work it is shown that a typical cylindrical(large aspect-ratio) RCD equilibrium configuration perturbed by the magnetic field of a circular loop(simulating a divertor) is capable of generate magnetic islands,due to the poloidal symmetry break of the GS equilibrium solution.     

Force-free magnetic relaxation in driven plasmas

Taylor relaxation in a driven plasma with normal magnetic field intercepting the boundary is described by the Jensen-Chu theory, which predicts infinite energy and helicity barriers that constrain the accessible relaxed states to system scale. For a partially relaxed force-free (j=kB) plasma where k is a field line constant, nonlinearity regularizes the Jensen-Chu singularities and new branches of relaxed state become accessible, such as the flipped spheromak and other high k states.     

Internal magnetic field measurement in tokamak plasmas using a Zeeman polarimeter

In a tokamak plasma, the poloidal magnetic field profile closely depends on the current density profile. We can deduce the internal magnetic field from the analysis of circular polarization of the spectral lines emitted by the plasma. The theory of the measurement and a detailed design of the Zeeman polarimeter constructed to measure the poloidal field profile in the ADITYA tokamak are presented. The Fabry-Perot which we have employed in our design, with photodiode arrays followed by lock-in detection of the polarization signal, allows the measurement of the fractional circular polarization. In this system He-II line with wavelength 4686 Å is adopted as the monitoring spectral line. The line emission used in the present measurement is not well localized in the plasma, necessiating the use of a spatial inversion procedure to obtain the local values of the field.     

环流器等离子体高n气球模的第二稳定区

本文讨论了圆截面高比压等离子体关于高n气球模的稳定性,在高比压情况下,相应的极向磁场对气球模有相当强的驱动作用,从而严重影响了第二稳定区的结构,我们详细计算了不同剪切、不同压强梯度及不同极向场参数对气球模本征函数和本征频率的影响,这些结果比较完善地反映了圆截面环流器中理想磁流体气球模理论所预示的主要结论。 关键词：