Abstract This invention relates to a toroidal plasma confinement device having poloidal and toroidal magnetic fields for confining a toroidal plasma column with a plasma current induced therein along an endless, circular equilibrium axis in a torus vacuum cavity wherein the improvement comprises the use of a toroidal plasma band limiter mounted within the vacuum cavity in such a manner as to ensure that the plasma energy is distributed more uniformly over the limiter surface thereby avoiding intense local heating of the limiter while at the same time substantially preventing damage to the plasma containment wall of the cavity by the energetic particles diffusing out from the confined plasma. A plurality of poloidal plasma ring limiters are also utilized for containment wall protection during any disruptive instability that might occur during operation of the device.
In a toroidal plasma confinement device having poloidal and toroidal magnetic fields for confining a toroidal plasma column with a plasma current induced therein along an endless, circular equilibrium axis in a torus vacuum cavity, the improvement comprising a toroidal plasma band limiter mounted on the midplane inside of and to the wall of said cavity and at the outer radius of said plasma, said band limiter extending around the perimeter of said plasma, said band limiter being tangent at its mid-region to the outermost plasma surface and flaring away from said plasma at the top and the bottom of the band to intercept a shell of plasma surfaces in the plasma scrape-off region, thus receiving a generally uniform energetic particle flux therefrom, thereby avoiding intense local heating of said band limiter while at the same time preventing vacuum cavity wall damage.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
142 words
In a toroidal plasma confinement device having poloidal and toroidal magnetic fields for confining a toroidal plasma column with a plasma current induced therein along an endless, circular equilibrium axis in a torus vacuum cavity, the improvement comprising a toroidal plasma band limiter mounted on the midplane inside of and to the wall of said cavity and at the outer radius of said plasma, said band limiter extending around the perimeter of said plasma, said band limiter being tangent at its mid-region to the outermost plasma surface and flaring away from said plasma at the top and the bottom of the band to intercept a shell of plasma surfaces in the plasma scrape-off region, thus receiving a generally uniform energetic particle flux therefrom, thereby avoiding intense local heating of said band limiter while at the same time preventing vacuum cavity wall damage.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The device set forth in claim 1, wherein said band limiter is constructed from a plurality of rows of tungsten links mounted between a pair of angle irons.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
64 words
The device set forth in claim 1, wherein a plurality of poloidal ring limiters are mounted within said cavity to the inside walls thereof at spaced intervals with the inner edges thereof at the same radial distance as the top and bottom edges of said toroidal band limiter, said poloidal ring limiters providing additional protection to the walls of said cavity during disruptive instabilities.