Configurations for a Proof of Principle Stellarator Experiment

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Configurations for a Proof of Principle Stellarator Experiment Configurations for a proof of principle stellarator experiment P. R. Garabedian* New York University, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, 251 Mercer Street, New York, NY 10012 Contributed by P. R. Garabedian, November 15, 1999 One of the serious limitations of tokamaks as reactors is the oc- The conventional stellarators in operation 20 years ago suf- currence of disruptions. Stellarators designed by advanced com- fered from poor stability because of magnetic hills and from putational methods provide an attractive alternative for a major unsatisfactory transport because of conflicting helical and experiment in magnetic fusion research. Configurations with ap- toroidal terms in the magnetic spectrum. Progress was made proximate two-dimensional magnetic symmetry have been found when heliacs were introduced whose shape provided a good with high β limits and good transport. Specifications are given magnetic well, but large terms in the spectrum still suggested for a compact stellarator with three field periods and 18 moder- there would be poor transport and perhaps also unfavorable ately twisted modular coils that has equilibrium with robust flux island formation. The helias configuration discovered 10 years surfaces, a deep magnetic well assuring favorable stability, and ago by Nuehrenberg and Zille using the BETA equilibrium adequate confinement of hot particles at reactor conditions. Fast code was a significant breakthrough because both the well and computer codes with sufficient accuracy to resolve the mathe- the spectrum were satisfactory (6). After that quasihelically matical problems of equilibrium, stability and transport that arise symmetric (QHS) and quasiaxially symmetric (QAS) stellara- in the more complicated geometry of the stellarator have pro- tors were developed that had remarkable physical properties, duced this breakthrough. The mathematical analysis of the meth- but only those with the essential features of the helias seem to ods used is presented. meet all the requirements for a proof of principle experiment (7, 8). This is the theory justifying approval of the very promis- ing Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) proposal in Europe (9). However, 1. The Stellarator Concept a more compact modular helias-like heliac with just two field agnetic fusion is based on the concept of fusing deuterium periods (MHH2) becomes an attractive candidate provided that M ions to form helium and release neutrons in a hot plasma the spectral terms associated with the most dangerous reso- confined by a strong magnetic field. The most common geom- nances are kept small enough to suppress corresponding islands etry of the plasma is a torus laced by nested flux surfaces. The (10). Of more interest to us here will be a quasiaxially sym- tokamak is an axially symmetric configuration using net current metric configuration with three field periods called the QAS3 to achieve equilibrium, but the current may cause disruptions of which depends for satisfactory equilibrium on the existence of the plasma. These instabilities are suppressed in stellarators by substantial bootstrap current to augment the rotational trans- exploiting three-dimensional asymmetry of the magnetic field form. Our computations show that this stellarator has adequate instead of net current to generate the poloidal field required two-dimensional symmetry for transport, robust equilibrium to confine the plasma. New methods of computational physics over a range of assumptions about the bootstrap current, and have been introduced to handle the more complicated geometry safe magnetohydrodynamic stability to both kink and ballooning of stellarator equilibria. modes (11). The complexity of the mathematical theory of stellarators with The NSTAB and TRAN computer codes that we have used to desirable physical properties calls for computational design tech- design the QAS3 stellarator have been validated both by com- niques rather than asymptotic expansion about exact solutions. parison with experimental data and by careful convergence stud- Experience has shown that the partial differential equations of ies (12, 13). We shall discuss in Section 3 results about the sta- ideal magnetohydrodynamics furnish a satisfactory model de- bility of global modes for the Compact Helical System (CHS) spite the fact that the mean free path of charged particles in a experiment in Japan for a case where ample measurements are reactor may go hundreds of circuits around the torus. Fast and available, though the performance was not very good because of accurate numerical algorithms have led to significant progress in the presence of a magnetic hill (14). Similar studies have been recent years. Most of our results come from running the NSTAB made for a variety of tokamaks. Insofar as equilibrium, stabil- equilibrium and stability code and the TRAN neoclassical trans- ity, and transport are concerned, our prediction is that the new port code developed by Octavio Betancourt and Mark Taylor at stellarators represent a significant improvement over previous New York University (1–3). experience. The QAS3 is predicted to have an average β limit A generally accepted technique to design stellarators is to op- of at least 6% because of a strong magnetic well. Because of its timize their physical properties in dependence on the shape of two-dimensional symmetry, it should have confinement permit- the plasma surface during calculations of magnetohydrodynamic ting ignition in a reactor of moderate size. equilibrium (4). Configurations have been found this way that Smooth solutions of the magnetostatic equations in fully have an approximate helical or axial symmetry of the magnetic three-dimensional geometry do not exist, and related diffi- spectrum which leads to good confinement of hot particles. The culties have arisen in the mathematical analysis of stability. precise meaning of this symmetry will be explained below, and Accordingly, all of the computer codes that are in use to de- when it is axial we shall see that the contribution to the rota- sign stellarators have limitations on their convergence, although tional transform from bootstrap current may be large and com- they do seem to provided a plausible simulation of the most pact stellarators are obtained whose aspect ratio is comparable important physics. More progress will require construction of a to that of a tokamak (5). Moreover, it is possible to choose the multiple harmonics defining the plasma geometry so that modu- lar coils with relatively moderate twist can be constructed to gen- *E-mail: [email protected]. erate an external magnetic field matching the optimal equilib- The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This rium. These coils are preferable to the interlocked helical coils article must therefore be hereby marked “advertisement” in accordance with 18 U.S.C. of conventional torsatrons. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. 972–977 | PNAS | February 1, 2000 | vol. 97 | no. 3 Downloaded by guest on September 23, 2021 proof of principle experiment to assess the merits of the new to the generation of magnetic islands. It becomes clear that, configurations that have been proposed. A relatively modest in three dimensions, one cannot expect smooth solutions of the expenditure in this direction could lead to significant progress equilibrium problem to exist with the kind of nested toroidal sur- in magnetic fusion research and provide a desirable alternative faces s D const. required for good confinement because of the to the tokamak. The resulting experimental observations would behavior of the small denominators. In practice, that motivates not only serve to verify the computational theory, but would us to use a numerical method that constructs weak solutions also provide important information about bootstrap current, β of the problem in an appropriate conservation form, avoiding limits, and transport at plasma conditions already achieved in unnecessary differentiations. The Kolmogoroff–Arnold–Moser tokamaks. The QAS3 configuration is our candidate of choice (KAM) theory of dynamical systems describes a corresponding for such a stellarator experiment. phenomenon that occurs in tracking magnetic lines of force (12). The BETA equilibrium code applied a finite element method 2. Two-Dimensional Magnetic Symmetry to the variational principle of magnetohydrodynamics to calcu- Equilibria in plasma physics are solutions of the system of partial late weak solutions of the stellarator problem and gave satis- differential equations factory estimates of the potential energy, but was otherwise in- accurate (4). Resolution was improved in the VMEC code by ∇·B D 0; J 3 B Drp introducing a spectral algorithm to handle dependence on the poloidal and toroidal angles, but the problem of nonexistence for the magnetic field B, the current density J Dr3 B, and of solutions became harder to address and the energy landscape the pressure p, which we take to be a given function of the became more difficult to compute (16). The NSTAB equilib- toroidal flux s. We compute solutions by applying the variational rium and stability code combines these approaches, capturing principle islands and current sheets remarkably well. It is fast and accu- ZZZ rate enough to be an effective tool for the systematic design of 2 B =2 − psdx1dx2dx3 D minimum configurations involving complicated combinations of multiple harmonics in three dimensions. of ideal magnetohydrodynamics, subject to appropriate flux con- In the spectral method, weak solutions of the equilibrium straints.
Recommended publications
  • Magnetohydrodynamics - Overview
    Center for Turbulence Research 361 Proceedings of the Summer Program 2006 Magnetohydrodynamics - overview Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) is the study of the interaction of electrically conduct- ing fluids and electromagnetic forces. MHD problems arise in a wide variety of situations ranging from the explanation of the origin of Earth's magnetic field and the prediction of space weather to the damping of turbulent fluctuations in semiconductor melts dur- ing crystal growth and even the measurement of the flow rates of beverages in the food industry. The description of MHD flows involves both the equations of fluid dynamics - the Navier-Stokes equations - and the equations of electrodynamics - Maxwell's equa- tions - which are mutually coupled through the Lorentz force and Ohm's law for moving electrical conductors. Given the vast range of Reynolds numbers and magnetic Reynolds numbers characterising astrophysical, geophysical, and industrial MHD problems it is not feasible to devise an all-encompassing numerical code for the simulation of all MHD flows. The challenge in MHD is rather to combine a judicious application of analytical tools for the derivation of simplified equations with accurate numerical algorithms for the solution of the resulting mathematical models. The 2006 summer program provided a unique opportunity for scientists and engineers working in different sub-disciplines of MHD to interact with each other and benefit from the numerical capabilities available at the Center for Turbulence Research. In materials processing such as the growth of semiconductor crystals or the continuous casting of steel turbulent flows are often undesirable. The application of steady magnetic fields provides a convenient means for the contactless damping of turbulent fluctuations and for the laminarisation of flows.
    [Show full text]
  • A Mathematical Introduction to Magnetohydrodynamics
    Typeset in LATEX 2" July 26, 2017 A Mathematical Introduction to Magnetohydrodynamics Omar Maj Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, D-85748 Garching, Germany. e-mail: [email protected] 1 Contents Preamble 3 1 Basic elements of fluid dynamics 4 1.1 Kinematics of fluids. .4 1.2 Lagrangian trajectories and flow of a vector field. .5 1.3 Deformation tensor and vorticity. 14 1.4 Advective derivative and Reynolds transport theorem. 17 1.5 Dynamics of fluids. 20 1.6 Relation to kinetic theory and closure. 24 1.7 Incompressible flows . 32 1.8 Equations of state, isentropic flows and vorticity. 34 1.9 Effects of Euler-type nonlinearities. 35 2 Basic elements of classical electrodynamics 39 2.1 Maxwell's equations. 39 2.2 Lorentz force and motion of an electrically charged particle. 52 2.3 Basic mathematical results for electrodynamics. 57 3 From multi-fluid models to magnetohydrodynamics 69 3.1 A model for multiple electrically charged fluids. 69 3.2 Quasi-neutral limit. 74 3.3 From multi-fluid to a single-fluid model. 82 3.4 The Ohm's law for an electron-ion plasma. 86 3.5 The equations of magnetohydrodynamics. 90 4 Conservation laws in magnetohydrodynamics 95 4.1 Global conservation laws in resistive MHD. 95 4.2 Global conservation laws in ideal MHD. 98 4.3 Frozen-in law. 100 4.4 Flux conservation. 105 4.5 Topology of the magnetic field. 109 4.6 Analogy with the vorticity of isentropic flows. 117 5 Basic processes in magnetohydrodynamics 119 5.1 Linear MHD waves.
    [Show full text]
  • Stability Study of the Cylindrical Tokamak--Thomas Scaffidi(2011)
    Ecole´ normale sup erieure´ Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Stage long de recherche, FIP M1 Second semestre 2010-2011 Stability study of the cylindrical tokamak Etude´ de stabilit´edu tokamak cylindrique Author: Supervisor: Thomas Scaffidi Prof. Stephen C. Jardin Abstract Une des instabilit´es les plus probl´ematiques dans les plasmas de tokamak est appel´ee tearing mode . Elle est g´en´er´ee par les gradients de courant et de pression et implique une reconfiguration du champ magn´etique et du champ de vitesse localis´ee dans une fine r´egion autour d’une surface magn´etique r´esonante. Alors que les lignes de champ magn´etique sont `al’´equilibre situ´ees sur des surfaces toriques concentriques, l’instabilit´econduit `ala formation d’ˆıles magn´etiques dans lesquelles les lignes de champ passent d’un tube de flux `al’autre, rendant possible un trans- port thermique radial important et donc cr´eant une perte de confinement. Pour qu’il puisse y avoir une reconfiguration du champ magn´etique, il faut inclure la r´esistivit´edu plasma dans le mod`ele, et nous r´esolvons donc les ´equations de la magn´etohydrodynamique (MHD) r´esistive. On s’int´eresse `ala stabilit´ede configurations d’´equilibre vis-`a-vis de ces instabilit´es dans un syst`eme `ala g´eom´etrie simplifi´ee appel´ele tokamak cylindrique. L’´etude est `ala fois analytique et num´erique. La solution analytique est r´ealis´ee par une m´ethode de type “couche limite” qui tire profit de l’´etroitesse de la zone o`ula reconfiguration a lieu.
    [Show full text]
  • Magnetohydrodynamics 1 19.1Overview
    Contents 19 Magnetohydrodynamics 1 19.1Overview...................................... 1 19.2 BasicEquationsofMHD . 2 19.2.1 Maxwell’s Equations in the MHD Approximation . ..... 4 19.2.2 Momentum and Energy Conservation . .. 8 19.2.3 BoundaryConditions. 10 19.2.4 Magneticfieldandvorticity . .. 12 19.3 MagnetostaticEquilibria . ..... 13 19.3.1 Controlled thermonuclear fusion . ..... 13 19.3.2 Z-Pinch .................................. 15 19.3.3 Θ-Pinch .................................. 17 19.3.4 Tokamak.................................. 17 19.4 HydromagneticFlows. .. 18 19.5 Stability of Hydromagnetic Equilibria . ......... 22 19.5.1 LinearPerturbationTheory . .. 22 19.5.2 Z-Pinch: Sausage and Kink Instabilities . ...... 25 19.5.3 EnergyPrinciple ............................. 28 19.6 Dynamos and Reconnection of Magnetic Field Lines . ......... 29 19.6.1 Cowling’stheorem ............................ 30 19.6.2 Kinematicdynamos............................ 30 19.6.3 MagneticReconnection. 31 19.7 Magnetosonic Waves and the Scattering of Cosmic Rays . ......... 33 19.7.1 CosmicRays ............................... 33 19.7.2 Magnetosonic Dispersion Relation . ..... 34 19.7.3 ScatteringofCosmicRays . 36 0 Chapter 19 Magnetohydrodynamics Version 1219.1.K.pdf, 7 September 2012 Please send comments, suggestions, and errata via email to [email protected] or on paper to Kip Thorne, 350-17 Caltech, Pasadena CA 91125 Box 19.1 Reader’s Guide This chapter relies heavily on Chap. 13 and somewhat on the treatment of vorticity • transport in Sec. 14.2 Part VI, Plasma Physics (Chaps. 20-23) relies heavily on this chapter. • 19.1 Overview In preceding chapters, we have described the consequences of incorporating viscosity and thermal conductivity into the description of a fluid. We now turn to our final embellishment of fluid mechanics, in which the fluid is electrically conducting and moves in a magnetic field.
    [Show full text]
  • Application of High Performance Computing for Fusion Research Shimpei Futatani
    Application of high performance computing for fusion research Shimpei Futatani Department of Physics, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain The study of the alternative energy source is one of the absolutely imperative research topics in the world as our present energy sources such as fossil fuels are limited. This work is dedicated to the nuclear fusion physics research in close collaboration with existing experimental fusion devices and the ITER organization (www.iter.org) which is an huge international nuclear fusion R&D project. The goal of the ITER project is to demonstrate a clean and safe energy production by nuclear fusion which is the reaction that powers the sun. One of the ideas of the nuclear fusion on the earth is that the very high temperature ionized particles, forming a plasma can be controlled by a magnetic field, called magnetically confined plasma. This is essential, because no material can be sustained against such high temperature reached in a fusion reactor. Tokamak is a device which uses a powerful magnetic field to confine a hot plasma in the shape of a torus. It is a demanding task to achieve a sufficiently good confinement in a tokamak for a ‘burning plasma’ due to various kinds of plasma instabilities. One of the critical unsolved problems is MHD (MagnetoHydroDynamics) instabilities in the fusion plasmas. The MHD instabilities at the plasma boundary damages the plasma facing component of the fusion reactor. One of techniques to control the MHD instabilities is injection of pellets (small deuterium ice bodies). The physics of the interaction between pellet ablation and MHD dynamics is very complex, and uncertainties still remain regarding the theoretical physics as well as the numerical modelling point of view.
    [Show full text]
  • Identification of the Sequence of Steps Intrinsic to Spheromak Formation
    Identification of the Sequence of Steps Intrinsic to Spheromak Formation P.M. Bellan, S. You, and G. S. Yun California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 91125, USA Abstract. A planar coaxial electrostatic helicity source is used for studying the relaxation process intrinsic to spheromak formation. Experimental observations reveal that spheromak formation involves: (1) breakdown and creation of a number of distinct, arched, filamentary, plasma-filled flux loops that span from cathode to anode gas nozzles, (2) merging of these loops to form a central column, (3) jet-like expansion of the central column, (4) kink instability of the central column, (5) conversion of toroidal flux to poloidal flux by the kink instability. Steps 1 and 3 indicate that spheromak formation involves an MHD pumping of plasma from the gas nozzles into the magnetic flux tube linking the nozzles. In order to measure this pumping, the gas puffing system has been modified to permit simultaneous injection of different gas species into the two ends of the flux tube linking the wall. Gated CCD cameras with narrow-band optical filters are used to track the pumped flows. Keywords: spheromak, magnetohydrodynamics, kink, jet PACS: 52.55.Ip, 52.35.Py, 52.55.Wq, 52.59.Dk INTRODUCTION which is rich in toroidal field energy (typical poloidal currents are 100 kA) but poor in poloidal field energy. Spheromaks are toroidal MHD equilibria incorporating Spheromak formation involves conversion of toroidal nested poloidal magnetic flux surfaces suitable for magnetic flux into poloidal magnetic flux while confining a fusion plasma. Unlike tokamaks, conserving magnetic helicity (but not conserving spheromaks are a self-organizing, minimum-energy magnetic energy).
    [Show full text]
  • Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, Held in Point of Discussions Back in 1958
    INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY Wagramer Strasse 5, P.O. Box 100 A-1400 Vienna, Austria www.iaea.org CONTENT Guenter Mank, Head, Physics Section Alan Aqrawi, Physics Section Division of Physical and Chemical Sciences Division of Physical and Chemical Sciences Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications CREDITS Photography: UNOG Archives Geneva (page 4,5,6,16,17,20,24,25,26), Nuclear Fusion Institute RRC "Kurchatov Institute" Russia (page 9,18,19), KFA Kernforschungsanlage Juelich Germany (page 10,11,15), ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory USA (page 6), IAEA Archives Vienna (page 8). DESIGN Alan Aqrawi © IAEA, 2008 INDEX FOREWORD Foreword “Celebrating fifty years of fusion… Foreword 2 …entering into the burning plasma era.” Energy in all its forms has always driven been achieved every 1.8 years. New human development. New technologies in developments in science and engineering energy production, starting from the use of fire have led to an optimized magnetic prototype The 2nd Geneva Conference - Introduction 4 itself, have driven economic and social reactor, with corresponding cost savings. development. In the mid-1950s, nuclear Inertial confinement experiments have energy created new hope for an abundant achieved similar progress. The culmination of source of that energy for the world. international collaborative efforts in fusion is the start of construction of the International Declassification 6 To promote this groundbreaking technology, Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), and to host a neutral ground for substantive the biggest scientific endeavour the world has scientific debate, the United Nations in 1955 ever seen involving States with more than half organized the first of a series of conferences of the world’s population.
    [Show full text]
  • Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion Research During Half a Century Bo Lehnert
    SE0100262 TRITA-A Report ISSN 1102-2051 VETENSKAP OCH ISRN KTH/ALF/--01/4--SE IONST KTH Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion Research During Half a Century Bo Lehnert Research and Training programme on CONTROLLED THERMONUCLEAR FUSION AND PLASMA PHYSICS (Association EURATOM/NFR) FUSION PLASMA PHYSICS ALFV N LABORATORY ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SE-100 44 STOCKHOLM SWEDEN PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ALL OF THE MISSING PAGES IN THIS DOCUMENT WERE ORIGINALLY BLANK TRITA-ALF-2001-04 ISRN KTH/ALF/--01/4--SE Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion Research During Half a Century Bo Lehnert VETENSKAP OCH KONST Stockholm, June 2001 The Alfven Laboratory Division of Fusion Plasma Physics Royal Institute of Technology SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden (Association EURATOM/NFR) Printed by Alfven Laboratory Fusion Plasma Physics Division Royal Institute of Technology SE-100 44 Stockholm PLASMA PHYSICS AND CONTROLLED FUSION RESEARCH DURING HALF A CENTURY Bo Lehnert Alfven Laboratory, Royal Institute of Technology S-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden ABSTRACT A review is given on the historical development of research on plasma physics and controlled fusion. The potentialities are outlined for fusion of light atomic nuclei, with respect to the available energy resources and the environmental properties. Various approaches in the research on controlled fusion are further described, as well as the present state of investigation and future perspectives, being based on the use of a hot plasma in a fusion reactor. Special reference is given to the part of this work which has been conducted in Sweden, merely to identify its place within the general historical development. Considerable progress has been made in fusion research during the last decades.
    [Show full text]
  • Simulation Magnéto-Hydro-Dynamiques Des Edge-Localised-Modes Dans Un Tokamak
    Laboratoire de Physique des Interactions Institut de Recherche sur la Fusion par Ioniques et Moléculaires (PIIM) confinement Magnétique (IRFM) Université de Provence CEA Cadarache Thèse de doctorat de l’Université de Provence Simulation Magnéto-Hydro-Dynamiques des Edge-Localised-Modes dans un tokamak Présentée par Stanislas PAMELA Soutenue le 27 Septembre 2010 devant le jury composé de : Pr. Howard WILSON Professeur au Department of Physics Rapporteur University of York, United-Kingdom Dr. Hinrich LUTJENS Docteur d’état, Chargé de Recherche au CNRS Rapporteur CPHT, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau Dr. Xavier LITAUDON Chef-Adjoint du Service de Chauffage et Président du Jury Confinement du Plasma, IRFM, CEA Cadarache Pr. Sadruddin BENKADDA Professeur au Laboratoire PIIM, Directeur de Recherche Directeur de thèse CNRS, Université de Provence, Aix-Marseille I Dr. Guido HUYSMANS Chercheur au Service de Chauffage et Responsable CEA Confinement du Plasma, IRFM, CEA Cadarache Pr. Peter BEYER Professeur au Laboratoire PIIM Invité Université de Provence, Aix-Marseille I Dr. Pierre RAMET Maître de Conférences, LABRI, INRIA Invité Université de Bordeaux I TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 1.1 Nuclear Fusion ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 1.1.1 Fusion Energy ------------------------------------------------------------- 1 1.1.2 Energy Confinement ----------------------------------------------------- 2 1.1.3 Inertial and Magnetic
    [Show full text]
  • Seven Ways to Model Fusion Plasmas
    Seven Ways To Model Fusion Plasmas Introduction A few years ago a man named John Hedditch quit his coding job at Google to follow his dream. He wanted to work in fusion research. This was not a sound financial choice. Fusion is under resourced and it certainly does not pay as well as Google. However, Dr. Hedditch had a vision that most people in this space share: a green energy future for the human race. John is an Austrian, so he went to work at the University of Sydney under Dr. Joe Khachan. The team worked hard - and on August 2nd 2018, Dr. Hedditch submitted a paper laying out some new ideas on how to model plasma [2]. John Hedditch (Left) and his boss Joe Khachan (right). Hedditch wants to use field theory to model plasma equilibrium. This is stealing an idea that is commonly used in the world of quantum physics. Field theory asks how charged particles behave in a field. This is like modeling a spider web. The charges on the particles create a web of electromagnetic forces – that push and pull on one another. The math used, is based on this concept. It is a complex idea that would be tough to code in a computer. However, Hedditch is just using the math to uncover some new insights about plasmas in places where there is no magnetic field. Current Problems: You might think we have already mastered plasma modelling – but that is wrong. There is a body of evidence that our models consistently fall short of reality.
    [Show full text]
  • Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy
    This page intentionally left blank PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION ENERGY There has been an increase in worldwide interest in fusion research over the last decade due to the recognition that a large number of new, environmentally attractive, sustainable energy sources will be needed during the next century to meet the ever increasing demand for electrical energy. This has led to an international agreement to build a large, $4 billion, reactor-scale device known as the “International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor” (ITER). Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy is based on a series of lecture notes from graduate courses in plasma physics and fusion energy at MIT. It begins with an overview of world energy needs, current methods of energy generation, and the potential role that fusion may play in the future. It covers energy issues such as fusion power production, power balance, and the design of a simple fusion reactor before discussing the basic plasma physics issues facing the development of fusion power – macroscopic equilibrium and stability, transport, and heating. This book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in the field of applied physics and nuclear engineering. A large number of problems accumulated over two decades of teaching are included to aid understanding. Jeffrey P. Freidberg is a Professor and previous Head of the Nuclear Science and Engineering Department at MIT. He is also an Associate Director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, which is the main fusion research laboratory at MIT. PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION ENERGY Jeffrey P. Freidberg Massachusetts Institute of Technology CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521851077 © J.
    [Show full text]
  • LECTURE NOTES on IDEAL MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS By
    ASSOCIATIE EURATOM-FOM FOM-INSTITUUT VOOR PLASMAFYSICA RIJNHUIZEN - NIEUWEGEIN - NEDERLAND LECTURE NOTES ON IDEAL MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS by J.P. GoedbJoed Rijnhuizen Report 83-145 ASSCOCIATIE EURATOM-FOM Maart 1983 FOM-INSTITUUT VOOR PLASMAFYSICA RIJNHUIZEN - NIEUWEGEIN - NEDERLAND LECTURE NOTES ON IDEAL MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS by J.P. Goedbloed Rijnhuizen Report 83-145 Corrected version of the notes of March 1979, originally printed as internal report at Instituto de Ffsica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil This work was supported by the "Stichting voor Fundamentaal Onderzoek der Materie" (FOM), the "Nederlandse Organisatie voor Zuiw-WetenschappelijK Onderzoek" (ZWO), EURATOM, the "Fundacio de Amparo i Pesquiw do Ettado de Sao Paulo" (FAPÉSP), and the "Conaelho Nacione) de PesquisM" (CNPQ, Brazil). "Then I saw that all toil and skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbour. This also is vanity and a striving after wind." Ecclessiastes 4:4 "Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made." Romans I:20 "Remember then to sing the praises of his work, as men have always sung them." Job 36:24 PREFACE These notes were prepared for a course of lectures for staff and students of the Instituto de Flsica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil. The course consisted of two-hour lectures twice a week during a period of 9 weeks in the months June-August 1978. It has been my intention to make the subject- matter as much as possible self-contained, so that all needed physical and mathematical techniques and derivations were pre­ sented in detail.
    [Show full text]