TITLE:
Scaling Laws for Plasma Focus Machines from Numerical Experiments
AUTHORS:
S. H. SAW, S. LEE
KEYWORDS:
dense plasma focus, plasma focus scaling laws, neutron scaling laws, soft x-ray scaling laws, plasma focus modeling, Lee model code
JOURNAL NAME:
Energy and Power Engineering,
Vol.2 No.1,
March
1,
2010
ABSTRACT: Numerical experiments carried out systematically using the Lee Model code unveil insightful and practical wide-ranging scaling laws for plasma focus machines for nuclear fusion energy as well as other applications. An essential feature of the numerical experiments is the fitting of a measured current waveform to the computed waveform to calibrate the model for the particular machine, thus providing a reliable and rigorous determination of the all-important pinch current. The thermodynamics and radiation properties of the resulting plasma are then reliably determined. This paper provides an overview of the recently published scaling laws for neutron (Yn) and neon soft x-ray, SXR (Ysxr) yields:
Yn = 3.2x1011 Ipinch4.5; Yn = 1.8x1010 Ipeak3.8; Ipeak (0.3 to 5.7), Ipinch (0.2 to 2.4) in MA.
Yn~E02.0 at tens of kJ to Yn~E00.84 at MJ level (up to 25MJ) and
Ysxr = 8.3x103 Ipinch3.6; Ysxr = 6x102 Ipeak3.2; Ipeak (0.1 to 2.4), Ipinch (0.07 to1.3) in MA.
Ysxr~E01.6 (kJ range) to Ysxr~E00.8 (towards MJ).