Modeling the complete prevention of disruption-generated runaway electron beam formation with a passive 3D coil in SPARC
Journal article, 2021

The potential formation of multi-mega-ampere beams of relativistic 'runaway' electrons (REs) during sudden terminations of tokamak plasmas poses a significant challenge to the tokamak's development as a fusion energy source. Here, we use state-of-the-art modeling of disruption magnetohydrodynamics coupled with a self-consistent evolution of RE generation and transport to show that a non-axisymmetric in-vessel coil will passively prevent RE beam formation during disruptions in the SPARC tokamak, a compact, high-field, high-current device capable of achieving a fusion gain Q > 2 in deuterium-tritium plasmas.

plasma disruption

runaway electron

tokamak

mitigation

Author

R. A. Tinguely

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

V. A. Izzo

Fiat Lux

D. T. Garnier

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Andréas Sundström

Subatomic, High Energy and Plasma Physics PP

K. Sarkimaki

Max Planck Society

Ola Embréus

Chalmers, Physics, Subatomic, High Energy and Plasma Physics

Tünde-Maria Fülöp

Chalmers, Physics, Subatomic, High Energy and Plasma Physics

R. S. Granetz

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Mathias Hoppe

Subatomic, High Energy and Plasma Physics PP

Istvan Pusztai

Chalmers, Physics, Subatomic, High Energy and Plasma Physics

R. Sweeney

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Nuclear Fusion

0029-5515 (ISSN) 1741-4326 (eISSN)

Vol. 61 12 124003

Runaway electrons in fusion plasmas

Swedish Research Council (VR) (2018-03911), 2018-12-01 -- 2021-12-31.

Subject Categories

Accelerator Physics and Instrumentation

Other Physics Topics

Fusion, Plasma and Space Physics

DOI

10.1088/1741-4326/ac31d7

More information

Latest update

11/18/2021