Performance projections for the lithium tokamak experiment (LTX)

Majeski, R.; Berzak, L.; Gray, T.; Kaita, R.; Kozub, T.; Levinton, F. M.; Lundberg, D.P.; Manickam, J.; Pereverzev, G.; Snieckus, K.; Soukhanovskii, V.; Spaleta, J.; Stotler, D.P.; Strickler, Trevor; Timberlake, J.; Yoo, Jongsoo; Zakharov, L.

doi:10.1088/0029-5515/49/5/055014

Cited by 54 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Results from NSTX cited in this paper, and earlier results from CDX-U [7,18], indicate that confinement is strongly enhanced with lithium PFCs. In particular, the results from CDX-U provided strong correlation between enhanced confinement and a reduction in recycling to the ~60% level [7].…”

Section: Projected Performance Of Ltxsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…In particular, the results from CDX-U provided strong correlation between enhanced confinement and a reduction in recycling to the ~60% level [7]. A model has been developed for the performance of discharges in LTX with further reductions in the global recycling coefficient provided by full liquid lithium walls [18]. Modeling indicates that the effects of low recycling walls on confinement should be significant, even in Ohmic operation [18].…”

Section: Projected Performance Of Ltxmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Impact Of Lithium Wall Coatings On NSTX Discharges And The Engineering Of The Lithium Tokamak eXperiment (LTX)

Majeski¹

2010

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Recent experiments on the National Spherical Torus eXperiment (NSTX) have shown the benefits of solid lithium coatings on carbon PFC's to diverted plasma performance, in both Land H-mode confinement regimes. Better particle control, with decreased inductive flux consumption, and increased electron temperature, ion temperature, energy confinement time, and DD neutron rate were observed. Successive increases in lithium coverage resulted in the complete suppression of ELM activity in H-mode discharges. A liquid lithium divertor (LLD), which will employ the porous molybdenum surface developed for the LTX shell, is being installed on NSTX for the 2010 run period, and will provide comparisons between liquid walls in the Lithium Tokamak eXperiment (LTX) and liquid divertor targets in NSTX.LTX, which recently began operations at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, is the world's first confinement experiment with full liquid metal plasma-facing components (PFCs). All materials and construction techniques in LTX are compatible with liquid lithium. LTX employs an inner, heated, stainless steel-faced liner or shell, which will be lithium-coated. In order to ensure that lithium adheres to the shell, it is designed to operate at up to 500 -600 ºC to promote wetting of the stainless by the lithium, providing the first hot wall in a tokamak to operate at reactor-relevant temperatures. The engineering of LTX will be discussed.

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Section: Projected Performance Of Ltxsupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Projected Performance Of Ltxmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact Of Lithium Wall Coatings On NSTX Discharges And The Engineering Of The Lithium Tokamak eXperiment (LTX)

Majeski¹

2010

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“…The model was tested against the CDX-U data [10,11]. Because of the relatively long mean free path of cold neutrals in the low density CDX-U plasma, the particle source was calculated by solving the kinetic equation for a neutral distribution function describing multiple charge exchange and ionization.…”

Section: Diffusion Based Confinementmentioning

confidence: 99%

LiWALL FUSION — THE NEW CONCEPT OF MAGNETIC FUSION

Zakharov¹

2011

PAST-TF

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Utilization of the outstanding abilities of a liquid lithium layer in pumping hydrogen isotopes leads to a new approach to magnetic fusion, called the LiWall Fusion. It relies on innovative plasma regimes with low edge density and high temperature. The approach combines fueling the plasma by neutral injection beams with the best possible elimination of outside neutral gas sources, which cools down the plasma edge. Prevention of cooling the plasma edge suppresses the dominant, temperature gradient related turbulence in the core. Such an approach is much more suitable for controlled fusion than the present practice, relying on high heating power for compensating essentially unlimited turbulent energy losses.

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“…Experiments in T11-M at TRINITI, Troitsk, Moscow 13 the Current Drive eXperiment -Upgrade (CDX-U, at PPPL), 3 and the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade (FTU, at ENEA Frascati) 14 have all employed liquid lithium as a PFC, to varying degrees. Near-term experiments in the Lithium Tokamak eXperiment (LTX, at PPPL) 15 and NSTX 16 will make more extensive use of liquid lithium PFCs. Lithium would not be a serious candidate for a liquid metal PFC, due to its low operating temperature limit, if it did not offer the possibility of very low recycling.…”

Section: Liquid Metals For Pfcsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Liquid Metal Walls, Lithium, And Low Recycling Boundary Conditions In Tokamaks

Majeski¹

2010

AIP Conference Proceedings

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Abstract. At present, the only solid material believed to be a viable option for plasma-facing components (PFCs) in a fusion reactor is tungsten. Operated at the lower temperatures typical of present-day fusion experiments, tungsten is known to suffer from surface degradation during long-term exposure to helium-containing plasmas, leading to reduced thermal conduction to the bulk, and enhanced erosion. Existing alloys are also quite brittle at temperatures under 700°C. However, at a sufficiently high operating temperature (700 -1000 °C), tungsten is selfannealing and it is expected that surface damage will be reduced to the point where tungsten PFCs will have an acceptable lifetime in a reactor environment.The existence of only one potentially viable option for solid PFCs, though, constitutes one of the most significant restrictions on design space for DEMO and follow-on fusion reactors. In contrast, there are several candidates for liquid metal-based PFCs, including gallium, tin, lithium, and tin-lithium eutectics. We will discuss options for liquid metal walls in tokamaks, looking at both high and low recycling materials. We will then focus in particular on one of the candidate liquids, lithium.Lithium is known to have a high chemical affinity for hydrogen, and has been shown in test stands 1 and fusion experiments 2,3 to produce a low recycling surface, especially when liquid. Because it is also low-Z and is usable in a tokamak over a reasonable temperature range (200 -400 °C), it has been now been used as a PFC in several confinement experiments (TFTR, T11-M, CDX-U, NSTX, FTU, and TJ-II), with favorable results. The consequences of substituting low recycling walls for the traditional high recycling variety on tokamak equilibria are very extensive. We will discuss some of the expected modifications, briefly reviewing experimental results, and comparing the results to expectations.

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Performance projections for the lithium tokamak experiment (LTX)

Cited by 54 publications

References 13 publications

The Impact Of Lithium Wall Coatings On NSTX Discharges And The Engineering Of The Lithium Tokamak eXperiment (LTX)

The Impact Of Lithium Wall Coatings On NSTX Discharges And The Engineering Of The Lithium Tokamak eXperiment (LTX)

LiWALL FUSION — THE NEW CONCEPT OF MAGNETIC FUSION

Liquid Metal Walls, Lithium, And Low Recycling Boundary Conditions In Tokamaks

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