Numerical studies of current generation by radio-frequency traveling waves
Abstract
By injecting radio-frequency traveling waves into a tokamak, continuous toroidal electron currents may be generated. This process is studied by numerically solving the two-dimensional Fokker-Planck equation with an added quasi-linear term. The results are compared with the one-dimensional analytic treatment of Fisch, which predicted a reduced plasma resistivity when high-phase-velocity waves are employed. It is shown that two-dimensional velocity space effects, while retaining the predicted scaling, further reduce the ratio of power dissipated to current generated by about 40%. These effects enhance the attractiveness of steady-state tokamak reactors utilizing this method of current generation.
- Publication:
-
Physics of Fluids
- Pub Date:
- September 1979
- DOI:
- 10.1063/1.862787
- Bibcode:
- 1979PhFl...22.1817K
- Keywords:
-
- Electric Current;
- Radio Waves;
- Tokamak Devices;
- Toroidal Plasmas;
- Traveling Waves;
- Distribution Functions;
- Electron Distribution;
- Electron-Ion Recombination;
- Energy Dissipation;
- Fokker-Planck Equation;
- Fusion Reactors;
- Numerical Analysis;
- Power Efficiency;
- Plasma Physics