Current drive in reversed field pinches with traveling magnetic fields produced by helicoidal coils

• Grant number: 09/11835-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2010
• Effective date (End): February 29, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Physics of Fluids, Plasma Physics and Electrical Discharge
• Principal Investigator: Munemasa Machida
• Grantee: Vinícius Njaim Duarte
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin (IFGW). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Among the different methods, alternative to induction, to drive current in magnetically confined plasmas, with aim to obtain a continuous operation of a possible fusion reactor, we seek to study that associated to traveling magnetic field produced by helicoidal coils carrying out of phase radiofrequency currents (double helix current drive). The method should allow compensating resistive losses in toroidal plasma configurations, like reversed field pinches, in low collisionality regime for the electrons. The problem may be reduced to the study of stationary states for a plasma column subjected to radiofrequency fields produced by external helicoidal coils. Neglecting density and temperature gradients, the model is governed by a system of coupled nonlinear second order ordinary differential equations, which depend on four dimensionless parameters of physical interest and can be solved numerically using the software Mathematica. We intend to study the efficiency of the method with respect to applications in reversed field pinches, for which the longitudinal steady magnetic field shows an inversion inside the plasma column. This implies considering not yet well explored regions of the parameters of interest. The possibility of including gradient effects for density and/or temperature in the model will also be considered.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DUARTE, V. N.; CLEMENTE, R. A.; FARENGO, R.. Traveling wave current drive theory for an arbitrary m-polar configuration. Physics of Plasmas, v. 20, n. 3, MAR 2013. (12/22830-2, 09/11835-0)

DUARTE, V. N.; CLEMENTE, R. A.. Electron inertia effects on the planar plasma sheath problem. Physics of Plasmas, v. 18, n. 4, APR 2011. (09/11835-0)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

DUARTE, Vinícius Njaim. Helical traveling wave current drive. 2012. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin Campinas, SP.