The Reversed Field Pinch
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REVIEW The reversed field pinch To cite this article: L. Marrelli et al 2021 Nucl. Fusion 61 023001 View the article online for updates and enhancements. This content was downloaded from IP address 128.104.46.206 on 02/02/2021 at 18:06 International Atomic Energy Agency Nuclear Fusion Nucl. Fusion 61 (2021) 023001 (75pp) https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/abc06c Review The reversed field pinch L. Marrelli1,2,∗ ,P.Martin1,3 ,M.E.Puiatti1,2 ,J.S.Sarff4 , B.E. Chapman4 ,J.R.Drake5,D.F.Escande6 and S. Masamune7,8 1 Consorzio RFX, Corso Stati Uniti 4, 35127 Padova, Italy 2 CNR-ISTP, Corso Stati Uniti 4, 35127 Padova, Italy 3 Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Universit`a degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy 4 Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States of America 5 Royal Institute of Technology KTH, SE-10044 Stockholm, Sweden 6 Aix-Marseille Universit´e, CNRS, PIIM, UMR 7345, Marseille, France 7 Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan 8 Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai, Aichi 487-8501, Japan E-mail: [email protected] Received 28 February 2020, revised 30 September 2020 Accepted for publication 8 October 2020 Published 28 January 2021 Abstract This paper reviews the research on the reversed field pinch (RFP) in the last three decades. Substantial experimental and theoretical progress and transformational changes have been achieved since the last review (Bodin 1990 Nucl. Fusion 30 1717–37). The experiments have been performed in devices with different sizes and capabilities. The largest are RFX-mod in Padova (Italy) and MST in Madison (USA). The experimental community includes also EXTRAP-T2R in Sweden, RELAX in Japan and KTX in China. Impressive improvements in the performance are the result of exploration of two lines: the high current operation (up to 2 MA) with the spontaneous occurrence of helical equilibria with good magnetic flux surfaces and the active control of the current profile. A crucial ingredient for the advancements obtained in the experiments has been the development of state-of-art active feedback control systems allowing the control of MHD instabilities in presence of a thin shell. The balance between achievements and still open issues leads us to the conclusion that the RFP can be a valuable and diverse contributor in the quest for fusion electricity. Keywords: magnetic confinement, reversed field pinch, MHD (Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal) 1. Introduction comprehensive theory and modelling. Significant advances have accrued over the past several decades, and the perspec- This paper reviews progress in understanding and improving tive on the RFP is now very different. This review summarizes the performance of the reversed field pinch (RFP) toroidal these advances with selected emphasis on those that have been magnetic configuration as a fusion energy concept, covering most impactful in guiding future research directions on the several decades of research since the last reviews [1, 2]. The RFP. development of the RFP has progressed in parallel with other The advances in fusion research over the last few decades magnetic configurations, and in many respects, it is the third- have been tremendous, and the grand challenge to achieve most developed toroidal configuration next to the tokamak and a burning plasma in ITER dominates the world’s magnetic stellarator, benefiting fromell-diagnosed w experiments and fusion effort. Carbon-free energy sources are essential to limit global warming and avert climate change, while at the same ∗ Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed. time it is necessary to increase the abundance of affordable 1741-4326/21/023001+75$33.00 1 © 2021 IAEA, Vienna Printed in the UK Nucl. Fusion 61 (2021) 023001 Review energy for the benefit of all people in all nations. Nuclear helicity regime, MH), causing the magnetic field to become fusion can and should play a central role in achieving a stochastic, the historic challenge for energy confinement in future based on clean, sustainable energy. While the toka- RFP plasmas. Two approaches show that stochastic transport mak configuration is most developed and provides the basis can be circumvented, one through self-organization towards for ITER, fusion energy is simply too important to be nar- a single helicity (SH) regime that has a narrow mode spec- rowly constrained to one possible approach. Research on mul- trum, and one through control of the inductive electric field tiple approaches not only increases the possibility for fusion and the plasma current profile, which directly targets the free energy to become a reality but also exposes the underlying energy for instability. Energy confinement as good as for toka- science more completely and stimulates innovation. The mod- mak plasmas of comparable size, magnetic field strength, and els governing fusion plasmas are largely agnostic to mag- heating power has now been demonstrated in RFP plasmas. netic configuration. Experiments, theory, and modelling that The scaling of confinement has been better established from cover a broad range of configurations allow the development work on the largest RFP experiments, RFX-mod and MST; of robust, predictive fusion science. In the end, any specific microturbulence from drift waves takes over when stochastic approach to fusion must have a tractable path forward, and at transport is reduced, likely to be the ultimate limit for thermal this point in time there are no known showstoppers exposed particle and energy confinement as it is for tokamak and stel- for the RFP. Some challenges that might have seemed insur- larator plasmas. The scaling of energy confinement for larger, mountable 30–40 years ago now have solutions, while others hotter, higher current plasmas remains an open question that are much better understood and must be resolved with new can only be resolved with new experiments. The magnetic experiments and advanced modelling. Only few key routes field strength in present-day RFP experiments is still five-times remain mostly unexplored for the RFP, in particular control smaller than required for a reactor, bearing in mind B ∼ Ip/a, of the plasma boundary at the material interface and power where Ip is the toroidal plasma current, and a is the minor exhaust. radius. It has long been appreciated that the RFP offers a high beta, The RFP plasma also suffers instability to multiple ideal low field approach to fusion with all of the potential bene- kink modes as a consequence of its low safety factor equi- fits that entails. However, the RFP’s unique advantage is the librium, q < 1, even in the limit of vanishing thermal pres- opportunity to achieve an ohmically ignited and inductively sure. It is therefore essential that the plasma be surrounded by sustained toroidal fusion plasma, including the possibility for a conducting wall to prevent growth of global modes on an steady-state operation using ac magnetic helicity injection. Alfv´enic timescale. The finite conductivity of the stabilizing The RFP is magnetized almost entirely by plasma current, wall translates the instability to resistive wall modes (RWM). which increases ohmic heating and reduces the demands on Multiple RWMs can be simultaneously unstable, which might magnets. The poloidal current that generates toroidal magnetic have seemed an insurmountable hurdle. A second game chang- field is mostly in the plasma, not in a winding. The elimina- ing development for the RFP is active mode control using sad- tion of auxiliary heating and current drive is game changing dle coils surrounding the wall and plasma, which controls all for toroidal plasma confinement. Induction of current is sim- ple, reliable and efficient, accomplished with transformers that unstable modes and maintains a precise plasma boundary for are located outside of the blanket. Plasma-facing antennas are pulse durations limited only by power supplies. Moreover, the absent, and perforations in the neutron shield are minimized. control encompasses simultaneous magnetic field error cor- The applied toroidal field in an RFP is small and can even be rection as well. This pioneering development of active mode set to zero, although the toroidal field magnet is valuable as control for RFP plasmas has helped improve the prospects for a poloidal current transformer for optimizing inductive con- steady-state advanced tokamak plasmas that suffer analogous trol and sustainment. The TITAN reactor study investigated the high-beta kink modes, and it also creates connections to 3D advantages of a compact, high beta, inductively sustained RFP physics shared by stellarator plasmas. plasma core, yielding one of the lowest cost-of-electricity pro- Advanced nonlinear, visco-resistive, 3D MHD models and jections to date. This study introduced novel design elements, simulations have been critical to understanding RFP plasmas. including single-piece maintenance and an integrated blanket- The development of major MHD codes now used extensively magnet for the toroidal field. New scenarios and requirements in magnetic fusion research has roots in the goal to under- have emerged in the intervening years, and updated reactor stand the RFP’s magnetic self-organization. The knowledge studies are starting again to affirm the RFP’s potential as a gained from this work has inspired approaches to improve con- low-cost, reliable approach to fusion energy. finement in the RFP. Current profile control was invented in As a toroidal plasma, the RFP shares all of the fundamental MHD modelling before being tested experimentally. Similarly, requirements for fusion related to equilibrium, stability, energy the bifurcation towards the single-helicity regime was initially and particle confinement, impurity control, and plasma–wall discovered in modelling of high viscosity RFP plasmas and interactions (PWI) (but sans auxiliary heating). This review then quasi-helical states emerged in experiments. The latter describes our current knowledge on these fundamental areas were better reproduced in simulations by including a helical of fusion science for the RFP.