Engineering topics

Deng, B H

Publications and source records attributed to Deng, B H.

7 records

DOE OSTI2012

A new high performance field reversed configuration operating regime in the C-2 device

Large field reversed configurations (FRCs) are produced in the C-2 device by combining dynamic formation and merging processes. The good confinement of these FRCs must be further improved to achieve sustainment with neutral beam (NB) injection and pellet fuelling. A plasma gun is installed at one end of the C-2 device to attempt electric field control of the FRC edge layer. The gun inward radial electric field counters the usual FRC spin-up and mitigates the n = 2 rotational instability without applying quadrupole magnetic fields. Better plasma centering is also obtained, presumably from line-tying to the gun electrodes. The combined effects of the plasma gun and of neutral beam injection lead to the high performance FRC operating regime, with FRC lifetimes up to 3 ms and with FRC confinement times improved by factors 2 to 4.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2011

Formation of a long-lived hot field reversed configuration by dynamically merging two colliding high-{beta} compact toroids

A high temperature field reversed configuration (FRC) has been produced in the newly built, world's largest compact toroid (CT) facility, C-2, by colliding and merging two high-{beta} CTs produced using the advanced field-reversed {theta}-pinch technology. This long-lived, stable merged state exhibits the following key properties: (1) apparent increase in the poloidal flux from the first pass to the final merged state, (2) significantly improved confinement compared to conventional {theta}-pinch FRCs with flux decay rates approaching classical values in some cases, (3) strong conversion from kinetic energy into thermal energy with total temperature (T{sub e} + T{sub i}) exceeding 0.5 keV, predominantly into the ion channel. Detailed modeling using a new 2-D resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code, LamyRidge, has demonstrated, for the first time, the formation, translation, and merging/reconnection dynamics of such extremely high-{beta} plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2010

Development of a nine spatial point, multipulse Thomson scattering diagnostic

A Thomson scattering diagnostic has been developed for the C-2 field-reversed configuration device. Based on a multipulse ruby laser, the system measures the electron temperature at nine spatial points. These points are chosen from 22 selectable positions covering r{approx_equal}1-41 cm. Twin collection lenses couple the scattered photons to nine optical fiber pairs. Extra fiber lengths delay the signals from different spatial points relative to each other, allowing up to three points to be analyzed by a single polychromator. The polychromator, using compact photomultipliers as detectors, has six spectral channels covering the range of 685-725 nm and is able to estimate electron temperatures of {approx_equal}10-200 eV. The photomultiplier output signals are recorded by digital storage oscilloscopes integrated with the main MDSplus database, with temperature and error estimates generated automatically at the conclusion of each plasma discharge.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2010

Two-chord interferometry using 3.39 {mu}m He-Ne laser on a flux-coil-generated FRC

A two-chord {lambda}{sub IR}{approx}3.39 {mu}m He-Ne laser interferometer system was developed for a flux-coil-generated field-reversed configuration to estimate the electron density and the total temperature of the field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasma. This two-chord heterodyne interferometer system consists of a single {approx}2 mW infrared He-Ne laser, a visible ({lambda}{sub vis}{approx}632.8 nm) He-Ne laser for the alignment, a 40 MHz acousto-optic modulator, photodetectors, and quadrature phase detectors. Initial measurement was performed and the measured average electron densities were 2-10x10{sup 19} m{sup -3} at two different radial positions in the midplane. A time shift in density was observed as the FRC expands radially. The time evolution of the line-averaged density agrees with the density estimated from the in situ internal magnetic probes, based on a rigid-rotor profile model.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2010

Two-color CO{sub 2}/HeNe laser interferometer for C-2 experiment

A six-channel two-color interferometer has been developed for plasma electron density measurements in the C-2 field reversed configuration experiment. A CO{sub 2} laser is utilized as the main probe beams, while copropagating visible HeNe laser beams are mainly sensitive to vibration. Density measurements in C-2 plasmas have shown that this is a reliable turn-key system. The maximum residual phase noise after vibration compensation is less than {+-}5 deg., corresponding to a line integral density of 3x10{sup 18} m{sup -2}. The time resolution for routine operation is 2 {mu}s.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2010

Doppler spectroscopy and D-alpha emission diagnostics for the C-2 FRC plasma

Two Doppler spectroscopy diagnostics with complementary capabilities are developed to measure the ion temperatures and velocities of FRC plasmas in the C-2 device. First, the multichord ion doppler diagnostic can simultaneously measure 15 chords of the plasma using an image intensified camera. Second, a single-chord fast-response ion Doppler diagnostic provides much higher faster time response by using a 16-channel photo-multiplier tube array. To study the neutral density of deuterium under different wall and plasma conditions, a highly sensitive eight-channel D-alpha diagnostic has been developed and calibrated for absolute radiance measurements. These spectroscopic diagnostics capabilities, combined with other plasma diagnostics, are helping to understand and improve the field reversed configuration plasmas in the C-2 device.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2010

Equilibrium evolution in oscillating-field current-drive experiments

Oscillating-field current drive (OFCD) is a proposed method of steady-state toroidal plasma sustainment in which ac poloidal and toroidal loop voltages are applied to produce a dc plasma current. OFCD is added to standard, inductively sustained reversed-field pinch plasmas in the Madison Symmetric Torus [R. N. Dexter et al., Fusion Technol. 19, 131 (1991)]. Equilibrium profiles and fluctuations during a single cycle are measured and analyzed for different relative phases between the two OFCD voltages and for OFCD off. For OFCD phases leading to the most added plasma current, the measured energy confinement is slightly better than that for OFCD off. By contrast, the phase of the maximum OFCD helicity-injection rate also has the maximum decay rate, which is ascribed to transport losses during discrete magnetic-fluctuation events induced by OFCD. Resistive-magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the experiments reproduce the observed phase dependence of the added current.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗