Skip to main content
Log in

Scaling Laws of Bulk Plasma Parameters for a 1-D Flow through a Capillary with Extended Converging–Diverging Nozzle for Simulated Expansion into Fusion Reactor Chamber

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Journal of Fusion Energy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A capillary-extended converging–diverging transition region was previously proposed to allow for the flow and expansion of plasma into a large volume simulating aerosol expansion and particle transport in the active volume of a fusion reactor. It has been shown that the pulsed electrothermal plasma source was adequate for the simulation, and the expansion into the chamber is at steady conditions for the main plasma parameters indicating a uniform expansion of the aerosol following a disruption event. These parameters are the bulk temperature, density, pressure, plasma bulk velocity and Mach number for the same system geometrical configuration. Scaling laws in 1-D for bulk plasma parameters have been developed for ranges of axial length traversed by the flow to predict these parameters along the axis of the expansion chamber.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. R. Majumdar, J.G. Gilligan, A.L. Winfrey, M.A. Bourham, Supersonic flow patterns from electrothermal plasma source for simulated ablation and aerosol expansion following a fusion disruption. J. Fusion Energ. 33(1), 25–31 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. J.D. Powell, A.E. Zielinski, Capillary discharge in the electrothermal gun. IEEE Trans. Magn. 29(1), 591–596 (1993)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. L. Winfrey, J. Gilligan, A. Saveliev, M. Abd, Al-Halim and M. Bourham, A study of plasma parameters in a capillary discharge with calculations using ideal and non-ideal plasma models for comparison with experiment. IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 40(3), 843–852 (2012)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. J. Gilligan, M. Bourham, The use of an electrothermal plasma gun to simulate the extremely high heat flux conditions of a tokamak disruption. J. Fusion Energ. 12(3), 311–316 (1993)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. J.P. Sharpe, B.J. Merrill, D.A. Petti, M.A. Bourham, J.G. Gilligan, Modeling of particulate production in the SIRENS plasma disruption simulator. J. Nucl. Mater. 290, 1128–1133 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. J.E.A. John, T.G. Keith, Gas Dynamics, 3rd edn. (Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, 2005)

    Google Scholar 

  7. R.D. Zucker, O. Biblarz, Fundamentals of Gas Dynamics, 2nd edn. (Wiley, New York, 2002)

    Google Scholar 

  8. M.A. Al-Halim, M.A. Bourham, Characterization of short intense pulsed electrothermal plasma capillaries for use as fusion and launchers heat flux sources. J. Fusion Energ. 33(3), 258–263 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. J.R. Echols, A.L. Winfrey, Ablation of fusion materials exposed to high heat flux in an electrothermal plasma discharge as a simulation for hard disruption. J. Fusion Energ. 33(1), 60–67 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. K. Kim, Time-dependent one-dimensional modeling of pulsed plasma discharge in a capillary plasma device. IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 31(4), 729–735 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. T. Edamitsu, H. Tahar, Experimental and numerical study of an electrothermal pulsed plasma thruster for small satellites. Vacuum 80, 1223–1228 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. M.J. Esmond and A.L. Winfrey, Inspection of the flow characteristics of electrothermal plasma discharges using a two-dimensional fluid model, in 21st Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE), Anaheim, CA, 9–13 Nov 2014

  13. K. Kim, D. Peterson, A low aspect ratio electrothermal gun for metal plasma vapor discharge and ceramic nanopowder production. J. Mech. Sci. Technol. 22, 1408–1416 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. M.H. Hamer, Design of optical measurements for electrothermal plasma discharges, MS Thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2014

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mohamed A. Bourham.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Majumdar, R., Gilligan, J.G., Winfrey, A.L. et al. Scaling Laws of Bulk Plasma Parameters for a 1-D Flow through a Capillary with Extended Converging–Diverging Nozzle for Simulated Expansion into Fusion Reactor Chamber. J Fusion Energ 34, 905–910 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10894-015-9899-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10894-015-9899-2

Keywords

Navigation