Improved Confinement of C-2 Field-Reversed Configuration Plasmas

Field-reversed configuration formed by in-vessel θ-pinch in a tandem mirror device

We describe a field reversed configuration (FRC) experiment featuring in-vessel θ-pinch coils and open-field-line plasmas confined in a tandem mirror. Two FRCs, formed near the west and the east mirror throats of a central cell, are ejected toward the mid-plane for colliding and merging. Each FRC consists of four groups of pulsed power supplies and four groups of coils, having diameters 35, 35, 40, and 45 cm. The rise time of the main reversal field is 7.15 μs, and the maximum voltage is 40 kV with total currents of 416 kA, corresponding to a magnetic field of 1690 G. The total capacitive stored energy is 115.2 kJ. A fast pulse gas injection system was designed and tested to inject neutral gas into the FRC formation region with controlled directions. The successful installation of the θ-pinch coils inside the vacuum vessel offers greater freedom for diagnostics and control instruments as well as preserving magnetic tandem mirror configuration. The magnetic field reversal is confirmed by internal magnetic field measurements. The plasma temperature, density, and lifetime are, respectively, ∼100 eV, ∼3.0 × 10¹⁸ m^-3, and ∼300 μs for the current operating conditions.