Steady state compact toroidal plasma production
First Claim
1. An apparatus for maintaining a field-reversed toroidally shaped plasma in a steady state mode comprising:
- at least one magnetized coaxial plasma gun for forming a toroidal plasma said means having cylindrically symmetric solenoidal electrodes for generating a poloidal magnetic field;
means for maintaining the radial equilibrium of said toroidal plasmas after formation, said means being operatively coupled to said plasma gun; and
means for producing magnetic helicity being operatively connected to said electrodes so as to produce increasing magnetic helicity from magnetic flux between said electrodes.
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Abstract
Apparatus and method for maintaining steady state compact toroidal plasmas. A compact toroidal plasma is formed by a magnetized coaxial plasma gun and held in close proximity to the gun electrodes by applied magnetic fields or magnetic fields produced by image currents in conducting walls. Voltage supply means maintains a constant potential across the electrodes producing an increasing magnetic helicity which drives the plasma away from a minimum energy state. The plasma globally relaxes to a new minimum energy state, conserving helicity according to Taylor'"'"'s relaxation hypothesis, and injecting net helicity into the core of the compact toroidal plasma. Controlling the voltage so as to inject net helicity at a predetermined rate based on dissipative processes maintains or increases the compact toroidal plasma in a time averaged steady state mode.
103 Citations
15 Claims
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1. An apparatus for maintaining a field-reversed toroidally shaped plasma in a steady state mode comprising:
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at least one magnetized coaxial plasma gun for forming a toroidal plasma said means having cylindrically symmetric solenoidal electrodes for generating a poloidal magnetic field; means for maintaining the radial equilibrium of said toroidal plasmas after formation, said means being operatively coupled to said plasma gun; and means for producing magnetic helicity being operatively connected to said electrodes so as to produce increasing magnetic helicity from magnetic flux between said electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An apparatus for producing steady state field-reversed toroidal plasmas comprising:
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at least one magnetized coaxial plasma gun for forming toroidally shaped plasmas having cylindrically symmetric solenoidal electrodes for generating a poloidal magnetic field, electrical input means for said electrodes, gas input means providing particle species for a discharge between said electrodes, and an open annular breech for passage of resulting toroidal plasmas; means for maintaining the radial equilibrium of said toroidal plasma after formation being operatively coupled to said plasma gun; and means for producing a constant voltage electrically connected to said electrodes through switching means. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for producing steady state field-reversed toroidal plasmas using a magnetized coaxial plasma gun having cylindrically symmetric solenoidal electrodes for generating a poloidal magnetic field, electrical input means for said electrodes, gas input means providing particle species for a discharge between said electrodes, and an open annular breech for passage of a resulting compact toroidal plasma, the method comprising the steps of:
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flowing a particle species between said coaxial gun electrodes in sufficient quantity for creating a plasma upon application of predetermined discharge currents; forming a toroidal plasma by discharging an electrical energy storage means across said electrodes through a particle medium; confining said toroidal plasma in a radial equilibrium field immediately adjacent to said plasma gun; and producing an increasing magnetic helicity between said electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification