Plasma and Fusion Research

Volume 13, 1203008 (2018)

Rapid Communications


MHD Simulation of Merging Fueling Method Used for ST Plasma
Shintaro KOIKE, Toshiki TAKAHASHI, Naoki MIZUGUCHI1) and Osamu MITARAI2)
Graduate School of Science and Technology, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515, Japan
1)
National Institute for Fusion Science, Toki, Gifu 509-5292, Japan
2)
Institute for Advanced Fusion and Physics Education, Kumamoto 861-5525, Japan
(Received 2 December 2017 / Accepted 20 December 2017 / Published 9 February 2018)

Abstract

Three-dimensional resistive MHD simulation was carried out in order to develop a method to fuel the plasma core by merging two Spherical Torus (ST) plasmas. A relatively small ST plasma was translated into the axial direction by external magnetic field control and made to collide with the larger ST. In this calculation, ballooning instability occurred in both plasmas during translation, while the magnetic surface was observed to collapse from the Poincare plot of the magnetic lines. It was observed that the magnetic lines in the core regions of the two STs were connected to each other and that the merging was completed.


Keywords

advanced fusion, spherical torus plasma, fueling, MHD simulation, merging, magnetic reconnection

DOI: 10.1585/pfr.13.1203008


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