Review of field-reversed configurations

Abstract

This review addresses field-reversed configurations (FRCs), which are compact-toroidal magnetic systems with little or no toroidal field and very high β (ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic pressure). Although enthusiasm for the FRC has primarily been driven by its potential for an attractive fusion reactor, this review focuses on the physics rather than on technological or engineering aspects. Major advances in both theory and experiment have taken place since the previous comprehensive FRC review in 1988. Even so many questions remain. In particular, even though FRC experiments have exhibited remarkable stability, how well this extrapolates to larger systems remains unresolved. The review considers FRCs under familiar topical categories: equilibrium, global stability, self-organization, transport, formation, and sustainment.

Achieving a long-lived high-beta plasma state by energetic beam injection

“…The field-reversed configuration (FRC) is a simple compact toroid (CT) magnetic confinement system, that is, one without toroidal coils linking the plasma 4,5 , and thus with predominantly poloidal fields. The attractions of such a configuration for a potential fusion reactor are its simple, linear geometry for ease of construction and maintenance, as well as a natural, unrestricted divertor configuration for facilitating energy extraction and fusion ash removal.…”

Test ion transport in a collisional, field-reversed configuration

“…Direct measurement of the floating potential (V f ) is performed using a floating tip probe ( figure 13). The probe itself consists of a 1 4 inch glass tube with 2-1.5 mm tips spaced 6 mm apart protruding out of the tube near the end of the probe. Initially, the probe was constructed to measure the local electric field between the two tips.…”

“…Mitigation of energy and particle loss can only be accomplished once their mechanisms are well understood. Field-reversed configuration (FRC) [1] capabilities will benefit from further detailed transport studies. Various methods for experimentally determining transport rates in FRCs have been employed [2], but these results rely on inferences made from other measurements, i.e.…”

Experimental Study of Hall Effect on a Formation Process of an FRC by Counter-Helicity Spheromak Merging in TS-4

“…A field-reversed configuration (FRC) [1] is an attractive configuration because of its high-beta. High-beta magnetic confinement is important for economical fusion reactor, and the simply-connected structure of an FRC enables to make a fusion reactor simple.…”