A spheromak is formed for the first time using a new steady state inductive helicity injection method. Using two inductive injectors with odd symmetry and oscillating at 5.8 kHz, a steady state spheromak with even symmetry is formed and sustained through nonlinear relaxation. A spheromak with about 13 kA of toroidal current is formed and sustained using about 3 MW of power. This is a much lower power threshold for spheromak production than required for electrode-based helicity injection. Internal magnetic probe data, including oscillations driven by the injectors, agree with the plasma being in the Taylor state. The agreement is remarkable considering the only fitting parameter is the amplitude of the spheromak component of the state.

Recent coaxial helicity injection (CHI) studies using the Helicity Injected Torus device [Redd et al., Phys. Plasmas 9, 2006 (2002)] have produced discharges with measured toroidal plasma currents up to 350kA and direct evidence of both poloidal flux amplification and toroidal current buildup, resulting from a steady process on millisecond time scales. Internal magnetic probes directly measure the poloidal flux amplification, and also measure a strong paramagnetism. Equilibrium reconstructions of these flux amplification discharges, using only surface magnetics, match the internal probes and multipoint Thomson scattering, and show current-profile relaxation during toroidal current ramp up. The criteria for producing flux amplification include both a sufficiently thin electrode-driven edge region and a large magnetic shear in the CHI injector region, which allows injector reconnection activity to overcome resistive decay and build up a closed plasma core. If the interelectrode distance d is small, then both criteria can be easily met. If d is comparable to the device minor radius, then the injector must be overdriven to produce significant flux amplification. The physics basis for generating CHI discharges with the theoretically maximum toroidal current is now understood, and this basis can be used to guide CHI experiments in any axisymmetric device.

Experimental results on the transfer of a coaxial-helicity-injection (CHI) produced discharge to inductive operation are reported. CHI assisted plasma startup is more robust than inductive only operation and reduces volt-seconds consumption. After handoff to inductive operation, the initial 100 kA of CHI produced current drops to 50 kA, then ramps up to 180 kA, using only 30 mVs, about 40% higher than that produced by induction alone. Results show that initiation of CHI discharges at lower densities produce higher levels of coupling current. Coupling a CHI produced discharge to induction from a precharged central solenoid has produced record currents of 290 kA using only 52 mWb of central solenoid flux. CHI discharges can also be generated while the central transformer is in the process of being precharged, during which period it induces a negative loop voltage on the CHI discharge. These significant results were obtained on the Helicity Injected Torus-II (HIT-II) [T.R. Jarboe, Fusion Technol. 15, 7 (1989)] spherical torus experiment (major/minor radius of 0.3/0.2 m and elongation of 1.5).

Experimental results on the transfer of a coaxial-helicity-injection (CHI) produced discharge to inductive operation are reported. By self-consistently increasing both the injector flux and the externally produced toroidal flux, the useful CHI produced closed flux current has been increased to 100 kA, which is retained during the inductive ramp. CHI started plasmas outperform inductive-only discharges and consume less volt-seconds. These significant results were obtained on the helicity injected torus-II (Jarboe T.R. 1989 Fusion Technol. 15 7) spherical torus experiment (major/minor radius of 0.3/0.2 m).