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Results for “PLASMA STABILITY”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

MAS: A versatile Landau-fluid eigenvalue code for plasma stability analysis in general geometry

We have developed a new global eigenvalue code, Multiscale Analysis for plasma Stabilities (MAS), for studying plasma problems with wave toroidal mode number (n) and frequency (ω) in a broad range of interest in general tokamak geometry, based on a five-field Landau-fluid description of thermal plasmas. Beyond keeping the necessary plasma fluid response, we further retain the important kinetic effects including diamagnetic drift, ion finite Larmor radius, finite parallel electric field (E||), ion and electron Landau resonances in a self-consistent and non-perturbative manner without sacrificing the attractive efficiency in computation. The physical capabilities of the code are evaluated and examined in the aspects of both theory and simulation. In theory, the comprehensive Landau-fluid model implemented in MAS can be reduced to the well-known ideal MHD model, electrostatic ion-fluid model, and drift-kinetic model in various limits, which clearly delineates the physics validity regime. In simulation, MAS has been well benchmarked with theory and other gyrokinetic and kinetic-MHD hybrid codes in a manner of adopting the unified physical and numerical framework, which covers the kinetic Alfv\'en wave (KAW), ion sound wave (ISW), low-n kink, high-n ion temperature gradient mode (ITG) and kinetic ballooning mode (KBM). Moreover, MAS is successfully applied to model the Alfv\'en eigenmode (AE) activities in DIII-D discharge #159243, which faithfully captures the frequency sweeping of reversed shear Alfv\'en eigenmode (RSAE), the tunneling damping of toroidal Alfv\'en eigenmode (TAE), as well as the polarization characteristics of kinetic beta-induced Alfv\'en eigenmode (KBAE) and beta-induced Alfv\'en-acoustic eigenmode (BAAE) being consistent with former gyrokinetic theory and simulation. With respect to the key progress contributed to the community, MAS has the advantage of combining rich physics ingredients, realistic global geometry and high computation efficiency together for plasma stability analysis in linear regime.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Barium Titanate Dielectrics Sprayed by a High Feed-Rate Water-Stabilized Plasma Torch

Barium titanate coatings were first time sprayed by a high feed-rate plasma torch with water stabilization. Two power levels of the torch were applied. Two substrate materials were used—stainless steel and carbon steel. Various substrate preheating levels from 125 to 450 °C were applied to change the cooling conditions. Microstructure, phase composition including crystallinity quantification, surface roughness and microhardness were evaluated. Dielectric measurements proved that coatings with medium-level relative permittivity and with stable loss factor course versus frequency of the AC electric field were fabricated by spraying. The cold substrates provided coatings with low reflectivity and visibly darker surface compare to the hot substrates. The coatings exhibited good dielectric properties—on the top of an expectable range for plasma-sprayed BaTiO{sub 3}. This study is targeted to coatings prospective for electrical industry, namely via optimization of conditions at the high feed-rate spraying.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Modeling of the ECCD injection effect on the Heliotron J and LHD plasma stability

The aim of the study is to analyze the stability of the energetic particle modes (EPM) and Alfven Eigenmodes (AE) in Helitron J and LHD plasma if the electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) is applied. Additionally, the analysis is performed using the code FAR3d that solves the reduced MHD equations describing the linear evolution of the poloidal flux and the toroidal component of the vorticity in a full 3D system, coupled with equations of density and parallel velocity moments for the energetic particle (EP) species, including the effect of the acoustic modes. The Landau damping and resonant destabilization effects are added via the closure relation. The simulation results show that the n = 1 EPM and n = 2 global AE (GAE) in Heliotron J plasma can be stabilized if the magnetic shear is enhanced at the plasma periphery by an increase (co-ECCD injection) or decrease (ctr-ECCD injection) of the rotational transform at the magnetic axis ($\rlap{-} \iota_{0}$). In the ctr-ECCD simulations, the EPM/AE growth rate decreases only below a given $\rlap{-} \iota_{0}$, similar to the ECCD intensity threshold observed in the experiments. In addition, ctr-ECCD simulations show an enhancement of the continuum damping. The simulations of the LHD discharges with ctr-ECCD injection indicate the stabilization of the n = 1 EPM, n = 2 toroidal AE (TAE) and n = 3 TAE, caused by an enhancement of the continuum damping in the inner plasma leading to a higher EP β threshold with respect to the co- and no-ECCD simulations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Low- n stability and plasma response to RMP in various STEP scenarios

The low-n (n is the toroidal mode number) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability and plasma response are numerically investigated for various scenarios designed for STEP, that are relevant for the H-mode pedestal analysis. Control of the edge-localized modes (ELMs) with externally applied resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) is considered. Optimization of the ELM control coil current configuration, based on the computed plasma MHD response and well-established figures of merit validated on present-day experiments, finds reasonable robustness of a fixed coil phasing (for a given n-number) to control ELMs in all five STEP plasmas considered. Based on certain semi-empirical criteria, the required coil current to achieve ELM suppression is estimated to be about 10–20 kAt with the n = 1 or 2 RMP configuration and about 100–200 kAt for the n = 4 RMP. Systematic linear stability calculations are used to map out stability windows for the low-n kink-peeling modes, in terms of the ideal-wall location and variation of the edge safety factor q 95 with respect to the target design. The kink-peeling stability boundary is found to be generally sensitive to the q 95 variation, which has implications for achieving the quiescent H-mode regime in STEP. Full toroidal quasilinear initial-value simulations for these STEP plasmas find that generation of the edge-harmonic oscillations (EHOs) depends sensitively on the plasma scenario, the initial linear stability of the kink-peeling modes, the initial plasma toroidal flow and q 95 . In general, it is easier (more robust) to access the EHO-regime for two of the cases considered with smaller plasma volume and higher on-axis safety factor. Finally, quasilinear simulations find robust density pumpout due to applied RMPs in these STEP plasmas, but the effect on the plasma toroidal flow varies among different cases.

EHO↗
DOE OSTI2015

Calcium titanate (CaTiO{sub 3}) dielectrics prepared by plasma spray and post-deposition thermal treatment

Highlights: • Calcium titanate was sprayed by two different plasma spray systems. • Significant improvement of dielectric properties after annealing was observed. • Calcium titanate self-supporting parts can be fabricated by plasma spraying. - Abstract: This paper studies calcium titanate (CaTiO{sub 3}) dielectrics prepared by plasma spray technology. A water stabilized plasma gun (WSP) as well as a widely used gas stabilized plasma gun (GSP) were employed in this study to deposit three sample sets at different spray conditions. Prepared specimens were annealed in air at atmospheric pressure for 2 h at various temperatures from 530 to 1170 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and porosity measurements were used for sample characterization. Dielectric spectroscopy was applied to obtain relative permittivity, conductivity and loss factor frequency dependence. Band gap energy was estimated from reflectance measurements. The work is focused on the explanation of changes in microstructure and properties of a plasma sprayed deposit after thermal annealing. Obtained results show significant improvement of dielectric properties after thermal annealing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Improved laser-plasma accelerator stability via high-bandwidth longitudinal focal position stabilization of a 100 TW-class laser system

Laser-plasma accelerators (LPAs) offer an attractive alternative to conventional accelerators for the development of compact electron sources and next-generation light sources. Due to orders-of-magnitude larger accelerating gradients, LPAs enable the acceleration of high-brightness electron beams to ultrarelativistic energies in millimeter- to centimeter-scale distances. However, LPA stability is limited by shot-to-shot fluctuations of the driving laser system. Specifically, fluctuations in the final-focus longitudinal position result in correlated instability in LPA electron beam qualities, including total beam charge, average beam energy, and energy spread. We demonstrate active stabilization of the longitudinal focal position for a 100 TW-class laser system. This repetition-rate scalable stabilization system leverages noninvasive wave front monitoring of a copropagating, unamplified kHz pulse train to guide corrective adjustments to the focal position of a 1 Hz amplified drive laser via an upstream telescope on millisecond timescales. In this demonstration, the approach limits standard deviation fluctuations of the amplified drive beam’s longitudinal focal position to ±0.22⁢ mm (representing at least a 53% reduction), achieved with a correction bandwidth that reaches the Nyquist frequency limit. Consequently, we observe marked improvements in both long-term and shot-to-shot LPA stability in terms of charge and spectrum.

Beam control↗
DOE OSTI2024

H - Ion Source RF Plasma Testing with 13 MHz and 27 MHz at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS)

The baseline RF-driven H⁻ ion source configuration at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) facility uses a continuous wave (CW) 600 W 13 MHz RF system to ignite and maintain a low-density plasma inside the ion source vacuum chamber. After the continuous low-density 13 MHz plasma has been established, a pulsed (typical 1 ms pulse width and 60 Hz pulse repetition rate) 80 kW 2 MHz RF system is used to increase the plasma density to produce the pulsed H⁻ ion beam. Incremental upgrades and improvements to the SNS ion source systems have resulted in the ability to reliably operate an H⁻ ion source for SNS neutron production run cycles that can last up to four months. Conditions inside the SNS H⁻ ion source evolve throughout a four-month run cycle due to changes in impurity levels, sputtering, and erosion. As the internal ion source conditions change during the run cycle, there can also be changes in plasma stability and the 13 MHz RF power level required to ignite the plasma. This paper presents the preliminary results of testing performed on the SNS Ion Source Test Stand (ISTS) system where we looked at plasma ignition and plasma stability using 27 MHz RF in place of the baseline 13 MHz RF system.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Neoclassical toroidal viscosity torque prediction via deep learning

GPECnet is a densely connected neural network that has been trained on GPEC data, to predict the plasma stability, neoclassical toroidal viscosity (NTV) torque, and optimized 3D coil current distributions for desired NTV torque profiles. Using NTV torque, driven by non-axisymmetric field perturbations in a tokamak, can be vital in optimizing pedestal performance by controlling the rotation profile in both the core, to ensure tearing stability, and the edge, to avoid edge localized modes (ELMs). The generalized perturbed equilibrium code (GPEC) software package can be used to calculate the plasma stability to 3D perturbations and the NTV torque profile generated by applied 3D magnetic fields. These calculations, however, involve complex integrations over space and energy distributions, which takes time to compute. Initially, GPECnet has been trained solely on data representative of the quiescent H-mode (QH) scenario, in which neutral beams are often balanced and toroidal rotation is low across the plasma profile. Lastly, this work provides the foundation for active control of the rotation shear using a combination of beams and 3D fields for robust and high performance QH mode operation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Gravitomagnetic vorticity generation in black hole accretion discs: a potential spatial constraint on plasma flow stability

We calculate the vorticity generation rate in the accretion disc near a slowly rotating black hole in the low-velocity, weak-field limit of general relativity. Specifically, we find that the frame-dragging effect due to the black hole’s rotation – manifested through the gravitomagnetic field – can generate vorticity in a moving plasma in the accretion disc. The mechanism remains operational as long as the accretion disc has non-negligible vertical height and is independent of the exact thermodynamical profile of the disc. The enstrophy density generation rate, as a measure of turbulence and dissipation, is presented, which indicates that the frame-dragging effect can disrupt the stability of the disc away from the z = 0 plane.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Design and installation of a ferromagnetic wall in tokamak geometry

Low-activation ferritic steels are leading material candidates for use in next-generation fusion development experiments such as a prospective component test facility and DEMO power reactor. Understanding the interaction of plasmas with a ferromagnetic wall will provide crucial physics for these facilities. In order to study ferromagnetic effects in toroidal geometry, a ferritic wall upgrade was designed and installed in the High Beta Tokamak–Extended Pulse (HBT-EP). Several material options were investigated based on conductivity, magnetic permeability, vacuum compatibility, and other criteria, and the material of choice (high-cobalt steel) is characterized. Installation was accomplished quickly, with minimal impact on existing diagnostics and overall machine performance, and initial results demonstrate the effects of the ferritic wall on plasma stability.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

Thermonuclear dynamo inside ultracentrifuge with supersonic plasma flow stabilization

Einstein's general theory of relativity implies the existence of virtual negative masses in the rotational reference frame of an ultracentrifuge with the negative mass density of the same order of magnitude as the positive mass density of a neutron star. In an ultracentrifuge, the repulsive gravitational field of this negative mass can simulate the attractive positive mass of a mini-neutron star, and for this reason can radially confine a dense thermonuclear plasma placed inside the centrifuge, very much as the positive mass of a star confines its plasma by its own attractive gravitational field. If the centrifuge is placed in an externally magnetic field to act as the seed field of a magnetohydrodynamic generator, the configuration resembles a magnetar driven by the release of energy through nuclear fusion, accelerating the plasma to supersonic velocities, with the magnetic field produced by the thermomagnetic Nernst effect insulating the hot plasma from the cold wall of the centrifuge. Because of the supersonic flow and the high plasma density the configuration is stable.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Study of Alfven eigenmodes stability in plasma with multiple NBI driven energetic particle species

The aim of this study is to analyze the destabilization of Alfven Eigenmodes (AEs) by multiple energetic particle (EP) species in DIII-D and LHD discharges. In this work, we use the reduced MHD equations to describe the linear evolution of the poloidal flux and the toroidal component of the vorticity in a full 3D system, coupled with equations of density and parallel velocity moments for the energetic particle species, including the effect of the acoustic modes, diamagnetic currents, and helical couplings. Furthermore, we add the Landau damping and resonant destabilization effects using a closure relation. The simulations with multiple neutral beam injector (NBI) lines show three different regimes: the nondamped regime where the multibeam AE growth rate is larger compared to the growth rate of the AEs destabilized by the individual NBI lines, the interaction regime where the multibeam AE growth rate is smaller than the single NBI AEs, and the damped regime where the AEs are suppressed. Operations in the damped regime require EP species with different density profile flatness or gradient locations. In addition, the AE growth rate in the interaction regime is further reduced if the combined NBI lines have similar beam temperatures and the β of the NBI line with a flatter EP density profile increases. Additionally, optimization trends are identified in DIII-D high poloidal β and LHD low density/magnetic field discharges with multiple NBI lines as well as the configuration requirements to operate in the damped and interaction regimes. DIII-D simulations show a decrease in the n = 2 to 6 AE growth rate and n = 1 AE are stabilized in the LHD case. The helical coupling effects in LHD simulations lead to a transition from the interaction to the damped regime of the n = 2, –8, 12 helical family.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Low cycle fatigue performance of Ni-based superalloy coated with complex thermal barrier coating

Highlights: • Novel thermal barrier coating (TBC) with YSZ and ZrO{sub 2} + SiO{sub 2} + Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} eutectic ceramic top coat • TBC deposited via atmospheric plasma spraying and a hybrid water stabilized plasma torch spraying • Effect of eutectic ceramic TBC on LCF behaviour at 900 °C • Damage mechanisms in cyclic loading of cast nickel-based superalloy coated with TBC • The dislocation structures of a Ni-base superalloy were observed. - Abstract: Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are widely applied to protect high-temperature components against high temperatures in harsh environments. Nineteen cylindrical specimens of Inconel 713LC were manufactured using the investment castings technique, and 10 specimens were subsequently coated with a novel complex thermal barrier coating (TBC) system. The TBC system comprises a metallic CoNiCrAlY bond coat (BC) and a complex ceramic top coat (TC). The TC is a mixture of a near eutectic nanocrystalline ceramic made of zirconia (ZrO{sub 2}), alumina (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}), silica (SiO{sub 2}) and conventional yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) ceramic in the ratio of 50/50 in wt%. Low cycle fatigue (LCF) tests were carried out in a symmetrical push-pull cycle under strain control at 900 °C. Cyclic hardening/softening curves, cyclic stress-strain curves and fatigue life curves of the TBC-coated and uncoated material were assessed. Fatigue life curves in total strain representation showed transient behaviour. Fracture surfaces and polished sections parallel to the loading axis of the TBC-coated and uncoated specimens prior and after cyclic loading were observed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to study the degradation mechanisms during high-temperature LCF. TBC delamination was observed at the TC/BC interface, and rafting of precipitates occurred after high-temperature exposure. The microstructural investigations further the discussion of the differences in the stress-strain response and the fatigue life of the TBC-coated and uncoated superalloy.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Impurity radiation seeding of neoclassical tearing mode growth

Abstract The physics of neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) is of great concern to tokamak plasma stability and performance, especially in the burning plasma regime. Whereas in many situations the seed events can be clearly identified, such as sawteeth and edge localized modes, the potential seeding mechanism of NTMs due to the resistive tearing instability driven by the impurity radiation cooling still needs more study. Recent NIMROD simulations have demonstrated that local impurity radiation cooling can drive the seed island growth and trigger the subsequent onset of NTM instability. The seed island is mainly driven by the local helical perturbation of the diamagnetic current induced by the perturbed pressure gradient as a result of the impurity radiative cooling on the rational surface. A heuristic closure for the neoclassical viscosity is adopted, and the seed island is further driven by the perturbed bootstrap current induced from the neoclassical electron viscous stress in the extended Ohm’s law. The growth rate of the NTM in simulations is found proportional to the electron neoclassical viscosity, and a theoretical neoclassical driving term is adopted to account for the nonlinear neoclassical island growth in the simulations.

Zeng, Shiyong (ORCID:000000017098818X)↗