An Energy-Dependent Finite-Orbit Treatment for Plasma Buildup in Mirror Fusion Devices

A computer simulation of hot plasma buildup in mirror fusion devices and results from this model are pesented here. In a small, hot magnetically confined plasma, the ion orbit radius ((rho)(,i)) can be comparable to the plasma radius (R(,p)). In a mirror-confined plasma where (rho)(,i)/R(,p) > 1/25 (such as 2XII-B), a "point kinetic" treatment of ion interactions becomes inaccurate and a finite gyro-radius (FGR) treatment must be used to adequately describe plasma buildup processes. This is particularly true for describing losses due to cold-gas charge exchange (c-x) near the plasma surface, since a particle lost near the vacuum interface may have contributed to the density as far as 2(rho)(,i) radially inward from the c-x point. A similar FGR effect applies to beam-deposited ions whose large orbits influence the density up to 2(rho)(,i) from the trapping point.

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

• Campbell, Mark Mundy

• Engineering, Nuclear

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(UMI)AAI8114396

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/67797