A Study of Fusion Product Effects in Field-Reversed Mirrors

The effect of fusion products (fps) on Field-Reversed Mirror (FRM) reactor concepts has been evaluated through the development of two new computer models. The first code (MCFRM) treats fps as test particles in a fixed background plasma, which is represented as a fluid. MCFRM includes a Monte Carlo treatment of Coulomb scattering and thus provides an accurate treatment of fp behavior even at lower energies where pitch-angle scattering becomes important. The second code (FRMOD) is a steady-state, globally averaged, two-fluid (ion and electron), point model of the FRM plasma that incorporates fp heating and ash buildup values which are consistent with the MCFRM calculations. These values are obtained by expressing the fp energy and particle retention in the closed field region in terms of the fraction of marginally confined fps (i.e., those fps that can interact with both the open and closed field plasma but still do not have a "loss cone"). Both codes employ an approximate representation of the field-reversed equilibrium based on Hill's vortex model.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nuclear Engineering

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Driemeyer, Daniel Edward

• Engineering, Nuclear
• Energy

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(UMI)AAI8017929

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/67778