A. D. Van Drie
A5018927588- Magnetic confinement fusion research
- Particle accelerators and beam dynamics
- Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics
- Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics
- Fusion materials and technologies
- Plasma Diagnostics and Applications
- Superconducting Materials and Applications
- Astro and Planetary Science
- Laser-induced spectroscopy and plasma
Tri Alpha Energy (United States)
2010-2021
Conventional field-reversed configurations (FRCs), high-beta, prolate compact toroids embedded in poloidal magnetic fields, face notable stability and confinement concerns. These can be ameliorated by various control techniques, such as introducing a significant fast ion population. Indeed, adding neutral beam injection into the FRC over past half-decade has contributed to striking improvements stability. Further, addition of electrically biased plasma guns at ends, end plugs, advanced...
A hot stable field-reversed configuration (FRC) has been produced in the C-2 experiment by colliding and merging two high-β plasmoids preformed dynamic version of θ-pinch technology. The process exhibits highest poloidal flux amplification obtained a magnetic confinement system (over tenfold increase). Most kinetic energy is converted into thermal with total temperature (T{i}+T{e}) exceeding 0.5 keV. final FRC state record lifetime approaching classical values. These findings should have...
TAE Technologies' research is devoted to producing high temperature, stable, long-lived field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasmas by neutral-beam injection (NBI) and edge biasing/control. The newly constructed C-2W experimental device (also called 'Norman') the world's largest compact-toroid (CT) device, which has several key upgrades from preceding C-2U such as higher input power longer pulse duration of NBI system well installation inner divertors with upgraded electrode biasing systems....
TAE Technologies, Inc. (TAE) is pursuing an alternative approach to magnetically confined fusion, which relies on field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasmas composed of mostly energetic and well-confined particles by means a state-of-the-art tunable energy neutral-beam (NB) injector system. TAE's current experimental device, C-2W (also called 'Norman'), the world's largest compact-toroid device has made significant progress in FRC performance, producing record breaking, high temperature...
Field reversed configurations (FRCs) with high confinement are obtained in the C-2 device by combining plasma gun edge biasing and neutral beam injection. The creates an inward radial electric field that counters usual FRC spin-up. n = 2 rotational instability is stabilized without applying quadrupole magnetic fields. FRCs nearly axisymmetric, which enables fast ion confinement. also produces E × B shear layer, may explain observed improved particle transport. times factors to 4, lifetimes...
Tri Alpha Energy's experimental program has demonstrated reliable field-reversed configuration (FRC) formation and sustainment, driven by fast ions via high-power neutral-beam (NB) injection. The world's largest compact-toroid device, C-2U, was upgraded from C-2 with the following key system upgrades: increased total NB input power ~4 MW (20 keV hydrogen) to 10+ (15 tilted injection angle; enhanced edge-biasing capability inside of each end divertor for boundary/stability control. C-2U...
A high temperature field reversed configuration (FRC) has been produced in the newly built, world’s largest compact toroid (CT) facility, C-2, by colliding and merging two high-β CTs using advanced field-reversed θ-pinch technology. This long-lived, stable merged state exhibits following key properties: (1) apparent increase poloidal flux from first pass to final state, (2) significantly improved confinement compared conventional FRCs with decay rates approaching classical values some cases,...
Large field reversed configurations (FRCs) are produced in the C-2 device by combining dynamic formation and merging processes. The good confinement of these FRCs must be further improved to achieve sustainment with neutral beam (NB) injection pellet fuelling. A plasma gun is installed at one end attempt electric control FRC edge layer. inward radial counters usual spin-up mitigates n = 2 rotational instability without applying quadrupole magnetic fields. Better centering also obtained,...
A long-lived field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasma has been produced in the C-2 device by dynamically colliding and merging two oppositely directed, highly supersonic compact toroids (CTs). The reversed-field structure of translated CTs final merged-FRC state have directly verified probing internal magnetic field using a multi-channel probe array near midplane confinement chamber. Each exhibits significant toroidal fields (B(t)) with opposite helicity, relatively large B(t) remains...
Magnetic measurements are a fundamental part of determining the size and shape field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasmas in C-2 device. The magnetic probe suite consists 44 in-vessel ex-vessel probes constructed using various technologies: ultra-high vacuum compatible mineral-insulated cable, nested triple axis coils hand-wound on ceramic bobbins, commercial chip inductors mounted printed circuit boards. Together, these measure three-dimensional excluded flux profile FRC, which approximates...
C-2 is a unique, large compact-toroid (CT) device at Tri Alpha Energy that produces field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasmas by colliding and merging oppositely directed CTs. Significant progress has recently been made on C-2, achieving ~5 ms stable with dramatic improvement in confinement, far beyond the prediction from conventional FRC scaling. This stable, long-lived plasma state called high-performance (HPF) regime. The key approaches to achieve HPF regime are as follows: (i) dynamic...
In modern field-reversed configuration (FRC) experiments (Binderbauer et al 2015 Phys. Plasmas 22 056110) at TAE Technologies, classical FRC instabilities are suppressed by advanced neutral beam injection and edge biasing methods, leading to high plasma confinement fast ion pressure built-up which is comparable the bulk pressure. some of these performance plasmas, a new macroscopically non-destructive driven micro-burst instability observed as periodic small amplitude bursts with frequency...
A high temperature, stable, long-lived field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasma state has been produced in the C-2 device by dynamically colliding and merging two oppositely directed compact toroids, with combining effects of biasing edge near FRC separatrix from an end-plasma-gun magnetic-mirror-plugs neutral-beam (NB) injection. The plasma-gun creates inward radial electric field which mitigates n = 2 rotational instability. gun also produces E×B velocity shear layer, may explain...
The Field Reversed Configuration (FRC) is a high-beta Compact Toroid that includes closed and open field line regions of poloidal magnetic field. Improving the transport properties both important for overall FRC confinement may be attempted in C-2 device. goal this experiment to explore sustainment by combining heating current drive from neutral beam injection particle fueling pellet injector. Additions device include mirror plugs, plasma guns, electrically-biased limiters. These additions...