L.R. Grisham

Fusion neutron production during deuterium neutral-beam injection into the PLT tokamak

Fusion neutron emission of 1.5 × 1014 neutrons s−1 and 2 × 1013 neutrons/pulse has been observed for PLT deuterium discharges with up to 2.5 MW of deuterium neutral-beam injection. The neutron time evolution and magnitude are consistent with theoretical calculations of the fusion reactions caused by energetic injected ions which are confined and slow down classically. The factor-of-two accuracy in the absolute neutron calibration is the major uncertainty in the comparison with theory. Neutron sawtooth oscillations ( 3%) are observed which can also be explained classically.

Correlations of heat and momentum transport in the TFTR tokamak

Measurements of the toroidal rotation speed vφ(r) driven by neutral beam injection in tokamak plasmas and, in particular, simultaneous profile measurements of vφ, Ti, Te, and ne, have provided new insights into the nature of anomalous transport in tokamaks. Low‐recycling plasmas heated with unidirectional neutral beam injection exhibit a strong correlation among the local diffusivities, χφ≊χi>χe. Recent measurements have confirmed similar behavior in broad‐density L‐mode plasmas. These results are consistent with the conjecture that electrostatic turbulence is the dominant transport mechanism in the tokamak fusion test reactor tokamak (TFTR) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 58, 1004 (1987)], and are inconsistent with predictions both from test‐particle models of strong magnetic turbulence and from ripple transport. Toroidal rotation speed measurements in peaked‐density TFTR ‘‘supershots’’ with partially unbalanced beam injection indicate that momentum transport decreases as the density profile becomes more peaked. In hi...

Multiple electron stripping of 3.4 MeV/amu Kr7+ and Xe11+ in nitrogen

Use of heavy ions beams with ∼10 MeV/amu mass ∼200, and average charge state of 1+ has been proposed as a driver for heavy ion fusion. Stripping of the ion beam by background gas can lead to an increase in the space charge density of the beam, which may make focusing the intense ion beam onto small targets more complex. Knowledge of the electron loss cross sections is essential to understand and address the problem. Currently, there are no 10 MeV/amu mass=200, charge state=1 beams available, and the theories that calculate electron loss cross sections can be experimentally tested only by using available beams of somewhat lower energy and higher initial charge state. The charge state distribution of ions produced in single collisions of 3.4 MeV/amu Kr7+ and 3.4 MeV/amu Xe11+ in N2 have been measured at the Texas A&M Cyclotron Institute using a windowless gas cell. The charge states of the outgoing ions are determined by magnetic analysis using a position-sensitive microchannel-plate detector. The cross sec...

R&D progress of the high power negative ion accelerator for the ITER NB system at JAEA

At JAEA, as the Japan Domestic Agency (JADA) for ITER, a MAMuG (multi-aperture multi-grid) accelerator has been developed to perform the required R&D for the ITER neutral beam (NB) system. As a result of countermeasures to handle excess heat load to the ion source by backstreaming positive ions, H− ion beam current was increased to 0.32 A (the ion current density of 140 A m−2) at a beam energy of 796 keV. This high power beam acceleration simulated the ITER operation condition maintaining the perveance (H− ion current density/beam energy3/2) of the ITER accelerator. After the high power beam operation, the pulse length was successfully extended from 0.2 to 5 s at 550 keV, which yielded a 131 mA H− ion beam as an initial test of the long pulse operation. A test of a single-aperture single-gap (SINGAP) accelerator was performed at JAEA under an ITER R&D task agreement. The objective of this test was to compare two different accelerator concepts (SINGAP and MAMuG) at the same test facility. As a result, the MAMuG accelerator was defined as the baseline design for ITER, due to advantages in its better voltage holding and less electron acceleration. In three-dimensional beam trajectory analyses, the aperture offset at the bottom of the extractor was found to be effective for compensation of beamlet deflection due to their own space charge. It has been analytically demonstrated that these compensated beamlets can be focused at a focal point by adopting the aperture offset at the final grid of the accelerator.

Efficiencies of gas neutralizers for multi-MeV beams of light negative ions

We report measurements of the neutral and charged particle fractions produced by running beams of Li−, C−, O−, and Si− at energies up to 7 MeV through gas cells of N2, Ar, or CO2. We discuss the implications of these measurements for the design of neutralizers to produce high‐energy light atom beams for heating or current drive in tokamaks.

Transport and stability studies on TFTR

During the 1987 run, TFTR reached record values of QDD, neutron source strength, and Ti(0). Good confinement together with intense auxiliary heating has resulted in a plasma pressure greater than 3*105 Pascals on axis, which is at the ballooning stability boundary. At the same time improved diagnostics, especially ion temperature profile measurements, have led to increased understanding of tokamak confinement physics. Ion temperature profiles are much more peaked than previously thought, implying that ion thermal diffusivity, even in high ion temperature supershot plasmas, is greater than electron thermal diffusivity. Based on studies of the effect of beam orientation on plasma performance, one of the four neutral beamlines has been re-oriented from injecting co-parallel to counter parallel, which will increase the available balanced neutral injection power from 14 MW to 27 MW. With this increase in balanced beam power, and the addition of 7 MW of ICRF power it is planned to increase the present equivalant QDT of 0.25 to close to break-even conditions in the coming run.

The neutral beam heating system for the tokamak fusion test reactor

Abstract A neutral beam injection system will be the principal heat source for the plasma of the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor. This system will use twelve positive ion sources (developed by Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory) on four beamlines (designed by Lawrence Livennore Laboratory) to deliver up to 27 MW of neutral power to the plasma as D0 at a maximum energy of 120 keV. The first two beamlines are becoming operational in 1984.

Beam optics in a MeV-class multi-aperture multi-grid accelerator for the ITER neutral beam injector.

In a multi-aperture multi-grid accelerator of the ITER neutral beam injector, the beamlets are deflected due to space charge repulsion between beamlets and beam groups, and also due to magnetic field. Moreover, the beamlet deflection is influenced by electric field distortion generated by grid support structure. Such complicated beamlet deflections and the compensations have been examined utilizing a three-dimensional beam analysis. The space charge repulsion and the influence by the grid support structure were studied in a 1∕4 model of the accelerator including 320 beamlets. Beamlet deflection due to the magnetic field was studied by a single beamlet model. As the results, compensation methods of the beamlet deflection were designed, so as to utilize a metal bar (so-called field shaping plate) of 1 mm thick beneath the electron suppression grid (ESG), and an aperture offset of 1 mm in the ESG.

Compensation of beamlet repulsion in a large negative ion source with a multi aperture accelerator

Excess heat loads to accelerator grids limit extension of pulse length in operation of the large negative ion sources with multi aperture accelerator. Part of the heat loads is caused by interception of deflected beamlets due to their space charge repulsion. In this paper, a beamlet steering technique using aperture offset was examined for compensation of the beamlet deflections utilizing a three dimensional beam analysis simulating the D− negative ion source of JT‐60 U. The beamlet deflection was analyzed in detail using fifty beamlets, which were extracted from apertures arranged in a lattice pattern of 10×5. The simulation showed successful compensation of the beamlet deflection by aperture offsets defined according to the thin lens theory. Even if the beam energy was changed, the necessary aperture offset would not be changed maintaining the perveance and a ratio of extraction and acceleration voltage. In JT‐60 U, it was shown that the aperture offset of less than 1.0 mm would be enough to compensate ...

Multiple electron stripping of heavy ion beams

One approach being explored as a route to practical fusion energy uses heavy ion beams focused on an indirect drive target. Such beams will lose electrons while passing through background gas in the target chamber, and therefore it is necessary to assess the rate at which the charge state of the incident beam evolves on the way to the target. Accelerators designed primarily for nuclear physics or high energy physics experiments utilize ion sources that generate highly stripped ions in order to achieve high energies economically. As a result, accelerators capable of producing heavy ion beams of 10 to 40 MeV/amu with charge state I currently do not exist. Hence, the stripping cross sections used to model the performance of heavy ion fusion driver beams have, up to now, been based on theoretical calculations. We have investigated experimentally the stripping of 3.4 MeV/amu Kr -7 and Xe +11 in N 2 : 10.2 MeV/amu Ar +6 in He, N 2 , Ar. and Xe; 19 MeV/amu Ar +8 in He, N 2 . Ar, and Xe: 30 MeV He -1 in He N 2 , Ar, and Xe; and 38 MeV/amu N +6 in He, N 2 , Ar, and Xe. The results of these measurements are compared with the theoretical calculations to assess their applicability over a wide range of parameters.