Overview of results from the ATF torsatron

R. J. Colchin, M. Murakami, E. Anabitarte, F. S.B. Anderson, G. L. Bell, J. D. Bell, T. S. Bigelow, E. C. Crume, J. L. Dunlap, G. R. Dyer, A. C. England, P. W. Fisher, W. A. Gabbard, J. C. Glowienka, R. H. Goulding, J. W. Halliwell, G. R. Hanson, J. H. Harris, G. R. Haste, C. Hidalgo-VeraD. L. Hillis, S. Hiroe, L. D. Horton, H. C. Howe, D. P. Hutchinson, R. C. Isler, T. C. Jemigan, M. Kwon, R. A. Langley, D. K. Lee, J. F. Lyon, J. W. Lue, C. H. Ma, M. M. Menon, R. N. Morris, P. K. Mioduszewski, G. H. Neilson, A. L. Qualls, D. A. Rasmussen, P. S. Rogers, P. L. Shaw, T. D. Shepard, J. E. Simpkins, S. Sudo, C. E. Thomas, T. Uckan, M. R. Wade, J. B. Wilgen, W. R. Wing, H. Yamadaand, J. J. Zielinski

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11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Experiments involving plasma improvement, confinement scaling, bootstrap currents, and edge fluctuations have been carried out in the Advanced Toroidal Facility (ATF) torsatron [Fusion Technol. 10, 179 (1986)]. Average densities n̄e≤9x1019m-3 have been obtained, with global energy confinement times τE*≤20 msec. Confinement times generally follow the stellarator/torsatron empirical scaling law, τSL = 0.17XP-0.58ne 0.69B0.84a2R0.75 (with τSL in seconds, power P in megawatts, density ne in 1020 m-3, and plasma radius a and major radius R in meters). Gas injection during neutral beam injection (NBI) causes increases in ne, so that τE* does not decrease during NBI. Edge plasma fluctuations are found to exhibit a mode change near the peak of the energy confinement time. Plasma currents observed during electron cyclotron heating have been identified as bootstrap currents.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1347-1352
Number of pages6
JournalPhysics of Fluids B
Volume2
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 1990

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