학술논문

Computational investigation of plasma-wall interaction issues in magnetized target fusion
Document Type
Conference
Source
Digest of Technical Papers. 12th IEEE International Pulsed Power Conference. (Cat. No.99CH36358) Pulsed power conference Pulsed Power Conference, 1999. Digest of Technical Papers. 12th IEEE International. 2:888-891 vol.2 1999
Subject
Power, Energy and Industry Applications
Heating
Plasma materials processing
Magnetohydrodynamics
Magnetic fields
Magnetic losses
Electrons
Thermal conductivity
Fuels
Plasma density
Contacts
Language
Abstract
In the concept known as magnetized target fusion (MTF) in the United States and magnitnoye obzhatiye (MAGO) in Russia, a preheated and magnetized target plasma is hydrodynamically compressed to fusion conditions. Because the magnetic field suppresses losses by electron thermal conduction in the fuel during the target implosion heating process, the implosion velocity may be much smaller than in traditional inertial fusion. Hence "liner-on-plasma" magnetically driven using relatively inexpensive electrical pulsed power, may be practical. The relatively dense, hot target plasma, with starting conditions O(10/sup 18/ cm/sup -3/, 100 eV, 100 kG), may spend 10 or more microseconds in contact with a metal wall during formation and compression. Influx of a significant amount of high-Z wall material during this time could lead to excessive cooling by dilution and radiation that would prevent the desired near-adiabatic compression heating of the plasma to fusion conditions. Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) calculations including detailed effects of radiation, heat conduction, and resistive field diffusion are being done, using several different computer codes, to investigate such plasma-wall interaction issues in ongoing MTF target plasma experiments and in proposed liner-on-plasma MTF experiments.