Summary of the 16th IAEA Technical Meeting on ‘Research using Small Fusion Devices’

Abstract

Common research topics that are being studied in small, medium and large devices such as H-mode like or improved confinement, turbulence and transport are reported. These included modelling and diagnostic developments for edge and core, to characterize plasma density, temperature, electric potential, plasma flows, turbulence scale, etc. Innovative diagnostic methods were designed and implemented which could be used to develop experiments in small devices (in some cases not possible in large devices due to higher power deposition) to allow a better understanding of plasma edge and core properties.Reports are given addressing research in linear devices that can be used to study particular plasma physics topics relevant for other magnetic confinement devices such as the radial transport and the modelling of self-organized plasma jets involved in spheromak-like plasma formation. Some aspects of the work presented are of interest to the astrophysics community since they are believed to shed light on the basis of the physics of stellar jets. On the dense magnetized plasmas (DMP) topic, the present status of research, operation of new devices, plasma dynamics modelling and diagnostic developments is reported. The main devices presented belong to the class of Z-pinches, mostly plasma foci, and several papers were presented under this topic. The physics of DMP is important both for the main-stream fusion investigations as well as for providing the basis for elaboration of new concepts. New high-current technology introduced in the DMP devices design and construction make these devices nowadays more reliably fitted to various applications and give the possibility to widen the energy range used by them in both directions-to the multi-MJ level facilities and down to miniature plasma focus devices with energy of just a few J.

Current and Perspective Applications of Dense Plasma Focus Devices

“…In Fig. 5 (PF-1000, IPPLM, Poland) one may see a set of oscilloscope traces taken in a single shot by means of a number of diagnostics [5].…”

Progress in plasma focus research and applications

“…An essential contribution to the studies of neutron production has recently been made by an international group of scientists in the PF-1000 facility [27][28][29][30]. The main goal of these studies is the search for an answer to a key question: is the observed saturation in the neutron yield caused by the incorrect formation of a proper plasma sheath for many reasons (e.g.…”

Experimental results on the irradiation of nuclear fusion relevant materials at the dense plasma focus ‘Bora’ device

“…Maximal heat loads expected in FRs with magnetic plasma confinement (MPC) are about 10 4 W cm −2 whereas in reactors with inertial plasma confinement (IPC) these figures may reach up to 10 8 W cm −2 . The dense plasma focus (DPF) device can not only ensure the fulfilment of the values of the loads much higher compared with the above-mentioned ones but it can produce it namely with the same load carriers (hot plasma and fast particles) having the same parameters expected on the plasma-facing components of the contemporary main-stream fusion devices (like ITER and NIF) [3].…”