Publication

The negative triangularity tokamak: stability limits and prospects as a fusion energy system

Olivier Sauter, Ambrogio Fasoli, Laurent Villard, Andrei Martynov
2015
Journal Articles

Abstract

The paper discusses edge stability, beta limits and power handling issues for negative triangularity tokamaks. The edge magnetohydrodynamic stability is the most crucial item for power handling. For the case of negative triangularity the edge stability picture is quite different from that for conventional positive triangularity tokamaks: the second stability access is closed for localized Mercier/ballooning modes due to the absence of a magnetic well, and nearly internal kink modes set the pedestal height limit to be weakly sensitive to diamagnetic stabilization just above the margin of the localized mode Mercier criterion violation. While a negative triangularity tokamak is thought to have a low beta limit with its magnetic hill property, it is found that plasmas with reactor-relevant values of normalized beta beta(N) > 3 can be stable to global kink modes without wall stabilization with appropriate core pressure profile optimization against localized mode stability, and also with increased magnetic shear in the outer half-radius. The beta limit is set by the n = 1 mode for the resulting flat pressure profile. The wall stabilization is very inefficient due to strong coupling between external and internal modes. The n > 1 modes are increasingly internal when approaching the localized mode limit, and set a lower beta in the case of the peaked pressure profile leading to a Mercier unstable core. With the theoretical predictions supported by experiments, a negative triangularity tokamak would become a prospective fusion energy system with other advantages including a larger separatrix wetted area, more flexible divertor configuration design, wider trapped particle-free scrape-off layer, lower background magnetic field for internal poloidal field coils, and larger pumping conductance from the divertor room.

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/a7232197-f6ae-4af0-a01d-bf6e38671324

Olivier Sauter, Ambrogio Fasoli, Laurent Villard, Andrei Martynov
2015
Journal Articles

Abstract

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/a7232197-f6ae-4af0-a01d-bf6e38671324

Ontological neighbourhood

Physics

Plasma physics: Fusion power

Related concepts (31)

Plasma stability

The stability of a plasma is an important consideration in the study of plasma physics. When a system containing a plasma is at equilibrium, it is possible for certain parts of the plasma to be disturbed by small perturbative forces acting on it. The stability of the system determines if the perturbations will grow, oscillate, or be damped out. In many cases, a plasma can be treated as a fluid and its stability analyzed with magnetohydrodynamics (MHD).

Magnetic confinement fusion

Magnetic confinement fusion is an approach to generate thermonuclear fusion power that uses magnetic fields to confine fusion fuel in the form of a plasma. Magnetic confinement is one of two major branches of fusion energy research, along with inertial confinement fusion. The magnetic approach began in the 1940s and absorbed the majority of subsequent development. Fusion reactions combine light atomic nuclei such as hydrogen to form heavier ones such as helium, producing energy.

Plasma beta

The beta of a plasma, symbolized by β, is the ratio of the plasma pressure (p = n kB T) to the magnetic pressure (pmag = B2/2μ0). The term is commonly used in studies of the Sun and Earth's magnetic field, and in the field of fusion power designs. In the fusion power field, plasma is often confined using strong magnets. Since the temperature of the fuel scales with pressure, reactors attempt to reach the highest pressures possible. The costs of large magnets roughly scales like β1⁄2.

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