Session GP1 - Poster Session IV.
POSTER session, Tuesday afternoon, October 30
Exhibit Hall B,
There have been several experiments in the past that have formed and sustained a field reversed configuration (FRC) with a rotating magnetic field (RMF). But it is only recently that the confinement and scaling properties of these plasmas have been assessed. While this work is still ongoing, recent experiments where there has been adequate separation of the FRC from wall contact, the confinement and stability of the plasmas look promising. These RMF driven FRCs display a resistivity comparable to that predicted by past FRC experiments. Enhanced particle confinement with much better confinement than previous FRC scaling has also been observed. Even with a scaling no better than that observed in past FRC experiments, a fusion system based solely on RMF driven currents is envisioned to be feasible. The fusion system would be compact (r_p < 0.1 m), and would operate with a significant RMF field (~1 T). The power flow into the FRC during formation would reach several hundred MW and ohmically heat the FRC to fusion conditions in less than 1 ms. Although the RMF field is large, the necessary oscillating currents are well within the capability of current solid-state switching technology. Details of the final reactor size and power depend on the confinement scaling observed as RMF plasmas reach more fusion relevant conditions. Various scenarios based on different scalings will also presented