Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy

by Jeffrey P. Freidberg

• ISBN13: 9780521733175
• ISBN10: 0521733170
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-08-11
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

There has been an increase in woldwide interest in fusion research over the last decade due to the recognition that a large number of new, environmentally attractive, sustainable energy sources will be needed to meet the ever-increasing demand for electrical energy. This has led to an international agreement to build a large, $4 billion, reactor scale device known as the "International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor" (ITER).

Author Biography

Jeffrey P. Freidberg is a Professor and previous Head of the Nuclear Science and Engineering Department at MIT. He is also an Associate Director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, which is the main fusion research laboratory at MIT

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgements	p. xv
Units	p. xvii
Fusion power	p. 1
Fusion and world energy	p. 3
Introduction	p. 3
The existing energy options	p. 4
The role of fusion energy	p. 16
Overall summary and conclusions	p. 19
Bibliography	p. 20
The fusion reaction	p. 21
Introduction	p. 21
Nuclear vs. chemical reactions	p. 21
Nuclear energy by fission	p. 23
Nuclear energy by fusion	p. 24
The binding energy curve and why it has the shape it does	p. 29
Summary	p. 35
Bibliography	p. 35
Problems	p. 36
Fusion power generation	p. 37
Introduction	p. 37
The concepts of cross section, mean free path, and collision frequency	p. 38
The reaction rate	p. 42
The distribution functions, the fusion cross sections, and the fusion power density	p. 46
Radiation losses	p. 51
Summary	p. 56
Bibliography	p. 57
Problems	p. 58
Power balance in a fusion reactor	p. 60
Introduction	p. 60
The 0-D conservation of energy relation	p. 60
General power balance in magnetic fusion	p. 62
Steady state 0-D power balance	p. 62
Power balance in the plasma	p. 65
Power balance in a reactor	p. 69
Time dependent power balance in a fusion reactor	p. 74
Summary of magnetic fusion power balance	p. 82
Bibliography	p. 82
Problems	p. 83
Design of a simple magnetic fusion reactor	p. 85
Introduction	p. 85
A generic magnetic fusion reactor	p. 85
The critical reactor design parameters to be calculated	p. 86
Design goals, and basic engineering and nuclear physics constraints	p. 88
Design of the reactor	p. 91
Summary	p. 105
Bibliography	p. 106
Problems	p. 106
The plasma physics of fusion energy	p. 109
Overview of magnetic fusion	p. 111
Introduction	p. 111
Basic description of a plasma	p. 113
Single-particle behavior	p. 113
Self-consistent models	p. 114
MHD equilibrium and stability	p. 115
Magnetic fusion concepts	p. 116
Transport	p. 117
Heating and current drive	p. 118
The future of fusion research	p. 120
Bibliography	p. 120
Definition of a fusion plasma	p. 121
Introduction	p. 121
Shielding DC electric fields in a plasma - the Debye length	p. 122
Shielding AC electric fields in a plasma - the plasma frequency	p. 126
Low collisionality and collective effects	p. 130
Additional constraints for a magnetic fusion plasma	p. 133
Macroscopic behavior vs. collisions	p. 135
Summary	p. 135
Bibliography	p. 136
Problems	p. 137
Single-particle motion in a plasma - guiding center theory	p. 139
Introduction	p. 139
General properties of single-particle motion	p. 141
Motion in a constant B field	p. 143
Motion in constant B and E fields: the E x B drift	p. 148
Motion in fields with perpendicular gradients: the [down triangle, open] B drift	p. 151
Motion in a curved magnetic field: the curvature drift	p. 156
Combined V[subscript down triangle, open B] and V[subscript k] drifts in a vacuum magnetic field	p. 159
Motion in time varying E and B fields: the polarization drift	p. 160
Motion in fields with parallel gradients: the magnetic moment and mirroring	p. 167
Summary - putting all the pieces together	p. 177
Bibliography	p. 179
Problems	p. 179
Single-particle motion - Coulomb collisions	p. 183
Introduction	p. 183
Coulomb collisions - mathematical derivation	p. 185
The test particle collision frequencies	p. 191
The mirror machine revisited	p. 198
The slowing down of high-energy ions	p. 201
Runaway electrons	p. 207
Net exchange collisions	p. 212
Summary	p. 219
Bibliography	p. 220
Problems	p. 221
A self-consistent two-fluid model	p. 223
Introduction	p. 223
Properties of a fluid model	p. 224
Conservation of mass	p. 227
Conservation of momentum	p. 229
Conservation of energy	p. 234
Summary of the two-fluid model	p. 241
Bibliography	p. 242
Problems	p. 243
MHD - macroscopic equilibrium	p. 245
The basic issues of macroscopic equilibrium and stability	p. 245
Derivation of MHD from the two-fluid model	p. 246
Derivation of MHD from guiding center theory	p. 252
MHD equilibrium - a qualitative description	p. 258
Basic properties of the MHD equilibrium model	p. 261
Radial pressure balance	p. 264
Toroidal force balance	p. 271
Summary of MHD equilibrium	p. 292
Bibliography	p. 293
Problems	p. 293
MHD - macroscopic stability	p. 296
Introduction	p. 296
General concepts of stability	p. 297
A physical picture of MHD instabilities	p. 302
The general formulation of the ideal MHD stability problem	p. 307
The infinite homogeneous plasma - MHD waves	p. 313
The linear [theta]-pinch	p. 317
The m = 0 mode in a linear Z-pinch	p. 320
The m = 1 mode in a linear Z-pinch	p. 324
Summary of stability	p. 329
Bibliography	p. 329
Problems	p. 330
Magnetic fusion concepts	p. 333
Introduction	p. 333
The levitated dipole (LDX)	p. 335
The field reversed configuration (FRC)	p. 344
The surface current model	p. 350
The reversed field pinch (RFP)	p. 358
The spheromak	p. 373
The tokamak	p. 380
The stellarator	p. 423
Revisiting the simple fusion reactor	p. 437
Overall summary	p. 441
Bibliography	p. 443
Problems	p. 445
Transport	p. 449
Introduction	p. 449
Transport in a 1-D cyclindrical plasma	p. 451
Solving the transport equations	p. 465
Neoclassical transport	p. 478
Empirical scaling relations	p. 497
Applications of transport theory to a fusion ignition experiment	p. 513
Overall summary	p. 529
Bibliography	p. 529
Problems	p. 531
Heating and current drive	p. 534
Introduction	p. 534
Ohmic heating	p. 537
Neutral beam heating	p. 540
Basic principles of RF heating and current drive	p. 551
The cold plasma dispersion relation	p. 569
Collisionless damping	p. 571
Electron cyclotron heating (ECH)	p. 586
Ion cyclotron heating (ICH)	p. 597
Lower hybrid current drive (LHCD)	p. 609
Overall summary	p. 624
Bibliography	p. 625
Problems	p. 627
The future of fusion research	p. 633
Introduction	p. 633
Current status of plasma physics research	p. 633
ITER	p. 637
A Demonstration Power Plant (DEMO)	p. 642
Bibliography	p. 644
Analytical derivation of [right angle bracket sigma] v[left angle bracket]	p. 645
Radiation from an accelerating charge	p. 650
Derivation of Boozer coordinates	p. 656
Poynting's theorem	p. 664
Index	p. 666
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