On performance capacity of plasma optical mass separator

Abstract

In the magnetic barrier of the azimuthator of the POMS-E-3 plasma optical mass separator, a 20–40 times decrease in the ion flux has been observed. Such a phenomenon deems the process of separation of a multi-component ion beam into elements inefficient. Upon conducting an in-depth theoretical analysis of the problem regarding the passage of the ion stream across the magnetic barrier while considering the walls and in the absence of those, it has been concluded that the problem has a unique steady-state solution allowing for the ions to pass at any values of magnetic field induction, regardless of the density and thermal dispersion in the incoming ion beam. The maximum value of the ion density at the output of the magnetic barrier is estimated as n∞∼β1πW0e2Δ2, where W0 stands for the ion energy at the input of the magnetic barrier and Δ equals the length of the magnetic barrier, while e signifies the electron charge and β varies from 1/9 to 1.

Negative electric potential in a cylindrical plasma column with magnetized electrons

“…The ability to create adjustable electric fields in plasma opens up a wide range of applications for plasma technologies. Among them are various schemes for plasma processing of spent nuclear fuel [1][2][3][4][5], purification of nuclear waste [6], processing of rare-earth elements [7], separation of isotopes [8][9][10], plasma confinement in the open [11,12] and toroidal [13,14] traps for thermonuclear fusion, space engines [15], and materials processing [16].…”

ExB flows for high-throughput plasma mass separation

“…Experiments on this device using a mixture of three gases revealed that the flow becomes positively charged when going through the azimuthator, which in turn affects the ion dynamics and separation 73 . This observation was recently explained through analytical models for electron and ion flows in the azimuthator 74 . However, the separation region, and in particular how the required potential can be appropriately imposed across the magnetic field in the presence of plasma, has not yet been studied experimentally.…”

Role of thermionic emission in the formation of negative electric potential and oscillations in low pressure discharges

“…In the present research, we discuss the results from the two-dimensional computational investigation of the thermionic cathode emission and the formation of the negative potential near the emitted electrode. These studies are primarily aimed at the optimization of the ionization chamber in the LaPlaS plasma separator source [19] as used, for example, in plasma mass separation [20][21][22][23] or utilization of spent nuclear fuel plasma technologies [24,25]. In these technologies the condensed substances are converted into low-temperature plasma.…”