Helical traveling wave current drive

Author(s)

Vinícius Njaim Duarte

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin
• Defense date: 2012-02-28

Examining board members

Roberto Antonio Clemente; Ricardo Farengo; David Mendez Soares

• Advisor: Roberto Antonio Clemente; Munemasa Machida

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 have studied the one associated to traveling magnetic field produced by helicoidal coils carrying out of phase radiofrequency currents (double helix current drive). The method allows compensating resistive losses in toroidal plasma configurations, like reversed field pinches. 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 studied 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 implied considering not yet well explored regions of the parameters of interest. Numerical results are presented for magnetic field configurations of dipolar and quadrupolar simmetries (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 09/11835-0 - Current drive in reversed field pinches with traveling magnetic fields produced by helicoidal coils
• Grantee: Vinícius Njaim Duarte
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master