EA039021B1 - Systems for forming and maintaining a high performance field reversed configuration - Google Patents

Abstract

A high performance field reversed configuration (FRC) provided includes a central confinement vessel, two diametrically opposed reversed-field-theta-pinch formation sections coupled to the vessel, and two divertor chambers coupled to the formation sections. A magnetic system includes quasi-dc coils axially positioned along the FRC system components, quasi-dc mirror coils between the confinement chamber and the formation sections, and mirror plugs between the formation sections and the divertors. The formation sections include modular pulsed power formation systems enabling static and dynamic formation and acceleration of the FRCs. The FRC system further includes neutral atom beam injectors, pellet injectors, gettering systems, axial plasma guns and flux surface biasing electrodes. The beam injectors are preferably angled toward the midplane of the chamber. In operation, FRC plasma parameters including plasma thermal energy, total particle numbers, radius and trapped magnetic flux, are sustainable at or about a constant value without decay during neutral beam injection.

Description

The embodiments described herein relate generally to systems for magnetic plasma confinement, and more particularly to systems and methods that facilitate the formation and maintenance of reversed field configurations with excellent stability as well as particle, energy and flux confinement.

Background of the invention

Field reversed configuration (FRC) belongs to a class of magnetic plasma confinement topologies known as compact toroids (QDs). It exhibits predominantly poloidal magnetic fields and has zero or small self-generated toroidal fields (see M. Tuszewski, Nucl. Fusion 28, 2033 (1988)). The advantages of this configuration are its easy-to-construct and maintain geometry, a natural unlimited divertor for energy release and ash removal, as well as a very high β (β-ratio of the average plasma pressure to the average magnetic field pressure inside the FRC), i.e. high power density. The high β property is beneficial for economical operation and for the use of advanced neutron fuels such as D-He ³ and p-B ¹¹ .

The traditional method of forming FRCs uses field-reversed θ-pinch technologies to produce hot, high-density plasmas (see A.L. Hoffman and J.T. Slough, Nucl. Fusion 33, 27 (1993)). A variation of this is a transfer and capture method in which the plasma generated in the θpinch source is more or less immediately ejected from one end into the containment chamber. The transported plasmoid is then captured between two robust mirrors at the ends of the chamber (see, for example, H. Himura, S. Okada, S. Sugimoto and S. Goto, Phys. Plasmas 2, 191 (1995)). Once this plasmoid is in the containment chamber, various methods of heating and current excitation can be applied, such as injection of a particle beam (neutral or neutralized), rotating magnetic fields, high-frequency or ohmic heating, etc. This separation of source and containment functions provides key engineering benefits for potential future fusion reactors. FRCs have proven their exceptional resistance to external influences, adaptability to dynamic formation, transference and intense capture events. Moreover, they tend to assume a preferred plasma state (see, for example, H.Y. Guo, A.L. Hoffman, K.E. Miller and L.C. Steinhauer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 245001 (2004)). Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in the development of other ways of forming FRC: by combining spheromaks with oppositely directed helicities (see, for example, Y. Ono, M. Inomoto, Y. Ueda, T. Matsuyama and T. Okazaki, Nucl. Fusion 39 , 2001 (1999)) and through current excitation by rotating magnetic fields (RMPs) (see, for example, IR Jones, Phys. Plasmas 6, 1950 (1999)), which also provide additional stability.

Recently, the collision and unification method proposed a long time ago was significantly improved (see, for example, DR Wells, Phys. Fluids 9, 1010 (1966)): two separate θ-pinches at opposite ends of the confinement chamber simultaneously generate and accelerate two plasmoids in the direction towards each other at high speed, which then collide in the center of the containment chamber and combine to form a composite FRC. In the development and successful implementation of one of the largest-scale FRC experiments to date, conventional collision and fusion techniques have been shown to yield stable high-temperature FRCs with long lifetime and high particle flux density (see, for example, M. Binderbauer, HY Guo, M. Tuszewski et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 105,045003 (2010)).

FRCs consist of a torus of field lines of a closed field inside the separatrix and an annular boundary layer on magnetic lines of an open field just outside the separatrix. The boundary layer converges into jets beyond the FRC length, providing a natural divertor. The topology of the FRC coincides with the topology of the plasma of field-reversed mirrors. However, a significant difference lies in the fact that the FRC plasma has a β of about 10. Its own weak internal magnetic field provides a certain local population of particles with a certain kinetic energy, i.e. particles with large Larmor radii compared to the small FRC radius. It is clear that it is these strong kinetic effects that contribute at least in part to the overall robustness of past and modern FRCs, such as those obtained in collision and unification experiments.

Experiments with typical FRCs developed in the past have been dominated by convective losses, with energy retention driven by particle transport. Particles diffuse from the volume limited by the separatrix mainly radially, and then their axial losses occur in the boundary layer. Accordingly, the retention of FRC depends on the properties of the areas of field lines of both closed and open fields. The time of particle diffusion outward from the volume outlined by the separatrix is T _i ~ a2 / D _i (a ~ r _s / 4, where r _s is the central radius of the separatrix), and D _i is the characteristic diffusion coefficient, such as D _± ~ 12, 5 p _ie , where p _ie is the ion gyroradius estimated in an externally applied magnetic field. In FRC experiments developed in the past, the _{retention time τ τ} of the boundary layer particles is essentially the axial travel time. In the steady state, the balance between radial and axial particle losses gives the length of the density gradient at the separatrix, which is δ ~ (D। TI) ¹² . Time scales particle retention in FRC up (T ^ TI) ^1/2 for FRC, developed in the past that have a significant density at the separatrix (see., E.g., M. TUSZEWSKI, Field Reversed Configurations, Nucl. Fusion 28, 2033 (1988 )).

Another disadvantage of prior art FRC designs was the need to use external multipoles to control rotational instabilities, such as flute instabilities, at n = 2. Thus, typical externally applied quadrupole fields provided the required magnetic recovery pressure to stop the build-up of these unstable modes. While this method is suitable for controlling the stability of a thermal main plasma, it poses a significant challenge for higher kinetic energy FRCs or advanced hybrid FRCs where populations of highly kinetic particles with large orbits are combined with conventional thermal plasmas. In these systems, the distortion of the axisymmetric magnetic field due to such multipole fields leads to extremely large losses of fast particles due to collisionless stochastic diffusion, which is a consequence of the loss of conservation of the canonical angular momentum. Thus, a novel solution to provide stability control without intensifying the diffusion of any particles is important to take advantage of the higher technical potential of these advanced FRC concepts not previously explored.

Therefore, in light of the above, it is desirable to improve the confinement and increase the stability of FRCs in order to use steady state FRCs as a route to a variety of applications, including compact neutron sources (for the production of medical isotopes, recovery of spent nuclear fuel, materials research, neutron radiography, etc. tomography), compact photon sources (for chemical production and chemical processing), separation and enrichment systems, and reactor cores for the fusion of light nuclei for future energy generation.

Disclosure of invention

The embodiments of the present invention provided herein are directed to the development of systems and methods that facilitate the formation and maintenance of new highly efficient field reversed configuration (FRC) configurations. Consistent with this new paradigm of high performance FRC, the present system combines a myriad of new ideas and tools to dramatically improve FRC particle retention, energy and flux, and provide stability control without negative side effects.

The FRC system proposed here includes a central containment vessel surrounded by two diametrically opposed field-reversed θ-pinch forming sections and two divertor chambers outside the forming sections, with the divertor chambers designed to control the density of neutral particles and contamination by impurities. The magnetic system includes a number of quasi-DC mirror coils that are in axial positions along the FRC system components, with the quasi-DC mirror coils located between either end of the containment chamber and adjacent forming sections, and mirror plugs containing compact mirror quasi-DC coils between each from forming sections and divertors, which create additional directing fields for targeting magnetic flux surfaces to the divertor. The shaping sections include modular pulse shaping systems that make it possible to form an FRC in situ and then accelerate and inject it (= static shaping or shaping and accelerating at the same time (= dynamic shaping).

The FRC system includes neutral atom beam injectors and a pellet injector. In one embodiment, the beam injectors are tilted to inject neutral particles toward the midplane. Having beam injectors tilted to the midplane at axial beam positions near the midplane improves beam-plasma coupling even when the FRC plasma is contracting or otherwise axially compressed during the injection period. The structure also includes gettering systems, as well as axial plasma guns. Bias electrodes are also provided to electrically bias the exposed flow surfaces.

During operation, global plasma parameters, including plasma thermal energy, total particles, plasma radius and length, and magnetic flux, are virtually constant without decay, while beams of neutral particles are injected into the plasma, and tablets provide replenishment of the appropriate particles. ...

The systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will or will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. This description is intended to cover all such additional methods, features and advantages that fall within the scope of the invention and are protected by the appended claims. It is also intended that the invention is not limited to requiring all the details of possible embodiments to be provided.

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Brief Description of Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included in this application as part of it, illustrate the presently preferred embodiment and, along with the general description set forth above and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment below, serve to explain the principles of the present invention and teach these principles.

FIG. 1 illustrates particle confinement in the proposed FRC system in high efficiency FRC mode compared to conventional FRC mode and compared to other experiments with conventional FRC.

FIG. 2 illustrates the components of the proposed FRC system and the FRC magnetic topology obtained in the proposed FRC system.

FIG. 3A illustrates a basic top plan view of the proposed FRC system, including the preferred arrangement of neutral beams, electrodes, plasma guns, mirror plugs, and a tablet injector.

FIG. 3B illustrates a central holding vessel in plan view and shows the neutral portion tufts at a lesser angle than a straight line to the major axis of symmetry of the central holding vessel.

FIG. 3C illustrates a central containment vessel in a plan view showing beams of neutral particles at a smaller angle than a straight line to the major axis of symmetry of the central containment vessel and injecting particles toward the midplane of the central containment vessel.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of the components of a switching power supply system for forming sections.

FIG. 5 illustrates an isometric view of a separate pulse power shaping module.

FIG. 6 illustrates an isometric view of a forming tube assembly.

FIG. 7 illustrates a partial cross-sectional isometric view of a system of beams of neutral particles and key components.

FIG. 8 illustrates an isometric view of the neutral particle beam generating means on the containment chamber.

FIG. 9 illustrates a partial cross-sectional isometric view of a preferred arrangement of Ti and Li gettering systems.

FIG. 10 illustrates a partial cross-sectional isometric view of a plasma gun mounted in a divertor chamber. Also shown are the associated magnetic mirror probe and the divertor electrode assembly.

FIG. 11 illustrates a preferred arrangement for an annular displacement electrode at the axial end of the containment chamber.

FIG. 12 illustrates the evolution of the radius of the excluded flux in the FRC system, obtained from a number of external diamagnetic loops in two forming sections of θ-pinches with a reversed field and magnetic probes embedded inside a central metal containment chamber. The time is measured from the moment of synchronized reversal of the field in the sources for the formation, and the distance z is set relative to the axial median plane of the machine.

FIG. 13 (a) - (d) illustrate data obtained from an unsupported discharge in a typical low efficiency FRC mode on the proposed FRC system. Shown as a function of time: (a) the radius of the excluded flow in the median plane; (b) 6 chords of linear density integrated from the midplane interferometer for determining the CO ₂ content; (c) Abel inverted radial density profiles from the CO2 interferometer; and (d) total plasma temperature based on pressure balance.

FIG. 14 illustrates the axial profiles of the excluded flux at selected times for the same discharge from the proposed FRC system shown in FIG. thirteen.

FIG. 15 illustrates an isometric view of deflection coils mounted outside the containment chamber.

FIG. 16 illustrates the correlations between the FRC lifetime and the pulse duration of injected beams of neutral particles. As shown, longer beam pulses give a longer FRC lifetime.

FIG. 17 illustrates the individual and cumulative effects of different components of an FRC system on FRC performance and achieving high efficiency.

FIG. 18 (a) - (d) illustrate data obtained from an unsupported discharge in a characteristic high efficiency FRC mode on the proposed FRC system. Shown as a function of time: (a) the radius of the excluded flow in the median plane; (b) 6 chords of linear density integrated from the midplane interferometer to determine the CO2 content; (c) Abel inverted radial density profiles from a CO ₂ interferometer; and (d) total plasma temperature based on pressure equality.

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FIG. 19 illustrate flux retention as a function of electron temperature (Te). This provides a graphical representation of the newly settable scaling mode, which is superior to those known for the high efficiency FRC discharges.

FIG. 20 illustrates the FRC lifetime corresponding to the pulse length of non-tilted and tilted injected neutral particle beams.

It should be noted that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and that elements of similar construction or function are generally identified with the same reference numerals throughout the drawings for purposes of illustration. It should also be noted that the drawings are only intended to facilitate describing the various embodiments discussed herein. The drawings do not necessarily describe every aspect of the ideas proposed herein, and the drawings do not limit the scope of the claims.

Detailed description

The present embodiments provided herein are directed to the development of systems and methods that facilitate the formation and maintenance of highly efficient field reversed configurations (FRCs), giving them superior stability, as well as superior particle, energy and flux retention, compared to conventional FRCs. These highly efficient FRCs provide a pathway to a variety of applications, including compact neutron sources (for medical isotope production, spent nuclear fuel recovery, materials research, neutron radiography and tomography), compact photon sources (for chemical production and chemical processing), separation systems isotopes and enrichment, and reactor cores for the fusion of light nuclei for future energy generation.

Various auxiliary systems and operating modes have been investigated to assess whether there is a retention regime in the FRC that is superior to the known ones. These efforts led to important scientific discoveries and the development of the high-performance FRC paradigm described here. In accordance with this new paradigm, these systems and methods combine a myriad of new ideas and tools to dramatically improve FRC retention, as illustrated in FIG. 1, and also provide resistance control without negative side effects. As discussed in more detail below, FIG. 1 illustrates particle retention in an FRC system 10 described below (see FIGS. 2 and 3) operating in a high efficiency FRC mode while forming and maintaining an FRC, as compared to operating in accordance with a conventional mode when forming and maintaining an FRC and compared to particle confinement according to conventional FRC formation and maintenance regimes used in other experiments. This disclosure will provide a general and detailed description of the new individual components of the FRC system 10 and methods, as well as their cumulative effects.

Description of the FRC system.

Vacuum system.

FIG. 2 and 3 show a schematic representation of a proposed FRC system 10. FRC system 10 includes a central holding vessel 100 surrounded by two diametrically opposed field-reversed θ-pinch forming sections 200, and outside the forming sections 200 two chambers 300 divertors for control density of neutral particles and contamination by impurities. The proposed FRC system 10 has been designed to accommodate ultra-high vacuum and operate at typical starting pressures of 10 ^-8 torr. These vacuum pressures require the use of twin pump mating flanges between the mating components, metal O-rings, high-purity inner walls, as well as careful initial conditioning of the surfaces of all parts before assembly, such as physical and chemical cleaning, followed by vacuum drying for 24 hours at 250 ° C and cleaning by a glow discharge in hydrogen.

The shaping sections 200 θ-pinches with field reversed are standard θ-pinches with field reversed (FRTP), albeit with an advanced pulse power shaping system, discussed in detail below (see Fig. 4-6). Each shaping section 200 is constructed from standard industrial grade opaque quartz tubes featuring a 2mm ultrapure quartz inner lining. The containment chamber 100 is made of stainless steel, providing a plurality of radial and tangential holes; it also serves as a means of keeping flux within the time frame of the experiment described below and restricts fast magnetic transients. Vacuums are created and maintained within the 10 FRC system using a set of oil-free scroll backing pumps, turbomolecular pumps and cryopumps.

Magnetic system.

FIG. 2 and 3 illustrate the magnetic system 400. In FIG. 2 illustrates, among other design features, the FRC flux and density profiles (as a function of radial and axial coordinates) inherent in the FRC 450 generated by the FRC system 10. These profiles are obtained by 2D numerical simulation using a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) Hall generator using the code, developed to simulate systems and methods,

- 4 039021 corresponding to FRC-system 10, and are in good agreement with experimental measurement data.

As seen in FIG. 2, FRC 450 consists of a closed field torus in the inner space 453 FRC 450 within separatrix 451 and an annular boundary layer 456 on magnetic lines

452 open field outside the separatrix 451. Boundary layer 456 converges into jets 454 outside the FRC length, providing a natural divertor.

The main magnetic system 410 includes a number of quasi-DC coils 412, 414, and 416 that are in axial positions along the components of the FRC system 10, i. along the containment chamber 100, forming sections 200 and diverters 300. Quasi-DC coils 412, 414 and 416 are powered by means of quasi-DC switching power supplies and create basic bias magnetic fields with an induction of about 0.1 T in the containment chamber 100, forming sections 200 and diverters 300. In addition to the quasi-DC coils 412, 414, and 416, the main magnet system 410 includes quasi-DC mirror coils 420 (powered by switching power supplies) between either end of the containment chamber 100 and adjacent shaping sections 200. The quasi-DC mirror coils 420 provide coefficients reflections of a magnetic mirror up to 5 and provide the possibility of independent excitation to control the equilibrium shape. In addition, mirror plugs 440 are disposed between each of the forming sections 200 and the divertors 300. The mirror plugs 440 comprise compact mirror coils 430 quasi-DC and mirror mirror coils 444. The mirror coils 430 quasi-DC include three coils 432, 434 and 436 (powered by means of switching power supplies), which create additional directional fields to aim the magnetic flux surfaces 455 towards the small diameter channel 442 passing through the mirror plug coils 444. The mirror plug coils 444 that wrap the small diameter channel 442 and are powered by pulsed power LC- circuits, create strong fields of a magnetic mirror with an induction of up to 4 T. The purpose of this entire coil structure is to tightly couple and direct magnetic flux surfaces 455 and end-face plasma jets 454 into distant chambers 310 of divertors 300. Finally, outside containment chamber 100, a set of deflection coil antennas 460 ( see Fig. 15), two on each side of the midplane, which are powered by DC power supplies. The deflection coil antennas 460 can be configured to provide a quasi-static magnetic dipole or quadrupole field with an induction of about 0.01 T for rotation instability control and / or electron current control. The deflection coil antennas 460 can flexibly provide magnetic fields that are either symmetric or asymmetric about the midplane of the machine, depending on the direction of the applied currents.

Forming systems of impulse power supply.

The pulse shaping systems 210 operate on the principle of a modified θ pinch. There are two systems, each of which feeds one of the forming sections 200. FIG. 4-6 illustrate the major constituent blocks and the arrangement of the shaping systems 210. The shaping system 210 is comprised of a modular impulse power structure that is comprised of discrete modules 220, each of which drives a subset of hanger coils 232 of suspension assembly 230 that are wrapped around forming quartz tubes 240. Each module 220 is composed of capacitors 221, inductors 223, high-speed high-current switches 225, and associated start-up and charge-discharge circuits 222 222. Each shaping system 210 stores capacitive energy in the 350-400 kJ range, which provides up to 35 GW of power for forming and accelerating FRCs. Coordinated operation of these components is achieved through a known triggering 222 and control system 224 that provides synchronization between the shaping systems 210 on each shaping section 200 and minimizes jitter switching timing by limiting it to tens of nanoseconds. The advantage of this modular design is flexible operation: FRC can be formed on site and then accelerated and injected (= static formation), or shaped and accelerated at the same time (= dynamic formation).

Neutral particle beam injectors.

Beams of 600 neutral atoms are deployed in the FRC system 10 to provide heating and current excitation, as well as to develop the pressure of fast particles. As shown in FIG. 3A, 3B and 8, individual beam paths containing neutral atom beam injection systems 610 and 640 are located around the central containment chamber 100 and inject fast particles into the FRC plasma tangentially (and perpendicular or at right angles to the main axis of symmetry of the central container 100 to contain ) with a certain aiming parameter, so that the target capture zone lies within the separatrix 451 (see Fig. 2). Each injection system 610 and 640 is capable of injecting neutral particle beams up to 1 MW into FRC plasma with particle energies between 20 and 40 keV. Systems 610 and 640 are based on multi-hole positive ion sources and include geometric focusing, inertial cooling of ion-evolving gratings, and differential pumping. In addition to the use of different plasma sources, the 610 and 640 systems differ mainly in the correspondence of their physical design to the corresponding places of their installation, allowing injection from the side and from the top. Typical components of these neutral particle beam injectors are illustrated in particular in FIG. 7 for side injection systems 610. As shown in FIG. 7, each individual side neutral neutral beam injection system 610 includes a high frequency (RF) plasma source 612 at an input end (replaced by an arc source in systems 640) with a magnetic shield 614 covering that end. A block 616 is connected to the plasma source 612, which includes an optical ion source and accelerating grids, and a shut-off valve 620 is located between the block 616, which includes an optical ion source and accelerating grids, and a neutralizer 622. A deflecting magnet 624 and a means 628 for discharging ions are located between the neutralizer 622 and targeting device 630 at the exit end. The cooling system contains two cryogenic chillers, two cryogenic panels 634 and a liquid nitrogen cooled jacket 638. This versatile design allows operation over a wide range of FRC parameters.

An alternative configuration for neutral atom beam injectors 600 is a configuration that provides tangential injection of fast particles into the FRC plasma, but at an angle less than 90 ° with respect to the main axis of symmetry of the central confinement vessel 100. These types of orientations of the beam injectors 615 are shown in FIG. 3C. In addition, the beam injectors 615 may be oriented such that the beam injectors 615 on either side of the median plane of the central containment vessel 100 will inject their particles toward the midplane. Finally, the axial position of these 600 beam systems can be selected closer to the median plane. These alternative injection embodiments embody a more centered replenishment option that provides better beam coupling and higher capture efficiency of the injected fast particles. In addition, depending on the angle and axial position, this arrangement of the beam injectors 615 provides a more direct and independent control of the axial elongation and other characteristics of the FRC 450. axial elongation and lower temperature, while choosing a more perpendicular angle A will result in a plasma that is shorter in the axial direction, but hotter. Thus, the angle A of injection and the location of the beam injectors 615 can be optimized for various purposes. In addition, such adjustment of the angle and position of the beam injectors 615 can provide beams of increased energy (generally better for exposure to higher power with less beam divergence) that must be injected into weaker magnetic fields than would otherwise be necessary. to capture such beams. The reason for this is associated with the azimuthal component of the energy, which determines the scale of the orbits of fast ions (which turns out to be gradually decreasing as the injection angle decreases with respect to the main axis of symmetry of the said capacitance at a constant beam energy). In addition, oblique injection towards the midplane and with the axial positions of the beams close to the midplane improves the beam-plasma coupling even when the FRC plasma is contracted or otherwise compressed in the axial direction during the injection period.

Tablet injector.

To provide a means of injecting new particles and better control of the total particle count in the FRC, the FRC 10 uses a 12-barrel 700 tablet injector (see, for example, I. Vinyar et al., Pellet Injectors Developed at PELIN for JET, TAE , and HL-2A, Proceedings of the 26th Fusion Science and Technology Symposium, 09/27 to 10/01 (2010)). FIG. 3 illustrates the layout of the 700 pellet injector in the FRC system 10. Cylindrical pellets (D ~ 1 mm, L ~ 1-2 mm) are injected into the FRC at a speed in the range of 150-250 km / s. Each individual tablet contains approximately 5x10 ¹⁹ hydrogen atoms, which is comparable to the total particle count in FRC.

Gettering systems.

It is well known that neutral halogen gas is a serious problem in all containment systems. The processes of charge exchange and recirculation (the release of cold material impurities from the wall) can have a detrimental effect on the retention of energy and particles. In addition, any significant density of neutral gas at or near the boundary will result in immediate losses, at least significantly reducing the lifetime of the injected (high-energy) particles in large orbits (the term large-radius orbit refers to particles having orbits within the FRC topology or, at least, orbital radii that are much larger than the linear scale of the gradient of the characteristic magnetic field), and this fact is detrimental to all energy applications of plasma, including thermonuclear fusion, due to the heating of the beam.

Surface conditioning is a means by which the harmful effects of inert gas and impurities can be controlled or reduced in the containment system. To this end, the proposed FRC system 10 uses titanium and lithium deposition systems 810 and 822, which cover the plasma-facing surfaces of the confinement chamber 100 (or containment vessel) and divertors 300 with Ti and / or Li films (the thickness of which is tens of micrometers ). These coatings are applied by vapor deposition techniques. Solid Li and / or Ti evaporation

- 6 039021 are sublimated and / or sprayed onto nearby surfaces to form coatings. The sources are nuclear furnaces with pilot nozzles 822 (in the case of Li) or heated spheres of solids with guide tires 812 (in the case of Ti). Li evaporation systems generally operate in a continuous mode, while Ti sublimators generally operate in between plasma work. The operating temperatures of these systems exceed 600 ° C to obtain high deposition rates. To achieve acceptable wall coverage, multiple strategically located evaporation and / or sublimation systems are required. FIG. 9 illustrates in detail the preferred arrangement of gettering systems 810 and 820 in FRC system 10. The coatings act as gettering surfaces and efficiently evacuate neutral atoms and atomic ions in general, as well as molecular ions and neutral molecules (H and D) in general. These coatings also reduce other typical impurities such as carbon and oxygen to negligible levels.

Mirror plugs.

As noted above, the FRC system 10 employs the mirror coil sets 420, 430, and 444 shown in FIG. 2 and 3. The first set of mirror coils 420 is located at the two axial ends of the containment chamber 100 and is independently energized from the containment coils 412, 414, and 416 of the main magnet system 410. The first set of mirror coils 420 primarily assists in steering and axial positioning of the FRC 450 during the time of combining and provides control of imparting equilibrium during maintenance. The first set of mirror coils 420 produces nominally higher magnetic fields (approximately 0.4-0.5 Tesla) than the central containment field produced by the center containment coil 412. The second set of mirror coils 430, which includes three compact mirror coils 432, 434 and 436 of a quasi-constant current is located between the forming sections 200 and the divertors 300 and is driven by a common switching power supply. Mirror coils 432, 434, and 436, together with the more compact pulsed mirror mirror coils 444 (powered by a capacitive power supply) and physical constriction 442, form mirror tubes 440, which provide a narrow path with low gas conductivity and very high inductance magnetic fields (in the range 2-4 T with rise times of about 10-20 ms). The most compact 444 pulse mirror coils have compact radial dimensions — a 20 cm bore and similar length — compared to a flat design with plus metric drilled holes of 412, 414, and 416 restraining coils. The 440 mirror plugs are multifunctional. (1) Coils 432, 434, 436, and 444 tightly couple and direct magnetic flux surfaces 455 and end-face plasma jets 454 into distant divertor chambers 310. This implies that the ejected particles reach the divertors 300 appropriately, and that there are continuous flow surfaces 455 that follow from the open field line region 452 of the central FRC 450 all the way to the divertors. (2) The physical constrictions 442 in the FRC system 10 through which said coils 432, 434, 436 and 444 allow magnetic flux surfaces 452 and plasma jets 454 to pass, obstruct the flow of inert gas from the plasma guns 350 that sit in the divertors 300. Likewise, the constrictions 442 prevent gas from flowing back from the forming sections 200 to the divertors 300, thereby reducing the amount of neutral particles that must be introduced into the entire FRC system 10 at the start of the FRC start-up. (3) The strictly axial mirrors formed by coils 432, 434, 436, and 444 reduce the axial particle loss and thereby reduce the ability of the particles to diffuse parallel along the open field lines.

Axial plasma cannons.

Plasma streams from guns 350 installed in chambers 310 of divertors 300 are designed to improve stability and neutral particle beam performance. The guns 350 are axially mounted within the chambers 310 of the diverters 300 as illustrated in FIG. 3 and 10, and create plasma flowing along the open field lines 452 in the divertor 300 and towards the center of the containment chamber 100. Guns 350 operate with a high-density gas discharge in a washer stack and are designed to generate several thousand amperes of fully ionized plasma in 5-10 ms. Guns 350 include a pulsed magnetic coil that matches the plasma output to the desired dimensions of the plasma in the containment chamber 100. The technical parameters of guns 350 are characterized by a channel having an outer diameter of 5-13 cm and an inner diameter of up to about 10 cm, and provide a discharge current of 10-15 kA at 400-600 V by means of an internal magnetic field of the gun having an induction in the range from 0.5 to 2.3 T.

Plasma streams from the guns can penetrate the magnetic fields of the mirror plugs 440 and flow into the forming section 200 and the containment chamber 100. The efficiency of plasma transport through mirror plugs 440 increases with decreasing distance between guns 350 and plugs 440, as well as expansion and shortening of plugs 440. Under acceptable conditions, each of guns 350 can deliver approximately 10 ²² protons per second through mirror plugs 440 with an inductance of 2- 4 T at high temperatures of ions and electrons, about 150-300 eV and about 40-50 eV, respectively. Cannons 350 provide significant replenishment of the 456 FRC boundary layer and improved overall particle retention through FRC.

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To further increase the plasma density, a gas separator could be used to distill additional gas into the plasma stream from gun 350. This method provides several times the density of the injected plasma. A gas separator installed in the FRC-system 10 on the side of the mirror plugs 440 facing the divertors 300, improves the replenishment of the boundary layer 456

FRC, 450 formation and linear plasma binding.

Given all the adjustable parameters discussed above, and considering the ability to work with only one or two guns, it is easy to understand that a wide range of operating modes is available.

Displacement electrodes.

Electrical displacement of the open field surfaces can provide radial potentials that result in azimuthal motion, ExB, providing a knob-like control mechanism to control rotation of the open field linear plasma as well as the actual 450 FRC core through velocity discontinuity. To achieve this control, the FRC system 10 uses different electrodes strategically placed in different parts of the machine. FIG. 3 illustrates bias electrodes located at preferred locations within FRC system 10.

In principle, there are 4 classes of electrodes: (1) point electrodes 905 in containment chamber 100 that come into contact with specific open field lines 4 52 at the FRC 450 border, providing localized charging; (2) annular electrodes 900 between the containment chamber 100 and the forming sections 200 for azimuthally symmetric charging of the distal flow layers 456; (3) stacks of concentric electrodes 910 in the divertors 300 for charging multiple concentric flow layers 455 (whereby layer selection can be controlled by adjusting the coils 416 to adjust the magnetic field of the divertors to complete the desired flow layers 456 at the proper electrodes 910); and finally (4) the anodes 920 (see FIG. 10) of the plasma guns 350 themselves (which intercept the inner open field surfaces 455 near the FRC 450). FIG. 10 and 11 show some typical designs of some of the electrodes.

In all cases, these electrodes are energized by switching power supplies or DC power supplies at voltages up to about 800 V. Depending on the size of the electrodes and the locations where they intersect the flow surfaces, it is possible to draw currents in the kiloampere range.

Unsupported FRC System Operation - Normal Mode.

Standard plasma formation in an FRC system 10 follows the well-developed field-reversed θ pinch method. A typical FRC starting process begins by energizing the quasi-DC coils 412, 414, 416, 420, 432, 434, and 436 for steady-state operation. Then, the pulsed power circuits of the pulsed power shaping systems 210, designed to create a high-frequency thermal plasma, excite the excitation coils 232 of the pulsed rapidly reversible magnetic field, creating a temporary reversible displacement of about -0.05 T in the shaping sections 200. At this moment, in the two shaping volumes, bounded by chambers 240 in the form of quartz tubes (north and south) forming sections 200, inject a predetermined amount of inert gas at 9-20 psi (psi) through a plurality of azimuth-oriented purge valves in flanges located at the outer ends of the forming sections 200. Then from a set of antennas on the surface of quartz tubes 240 generate a field at low high frequencies (~ hundreds of kilohertz), creating preliminary ionization in the form of regions of local initial ionization within the columns of neutral gas. This is followed by the application of theta ring modulation to the current driving the pulsed reversible magnetic field coils 232, resulting in more general preionization of the gas columns. Finally, the main switching power supplies of the pulse shaping systems 210 are energized to drive the pulsed fast reversible magnetic field excitation coils 232, creating a forward-biased field with an inductance of up to 0.4 Tesla. This step can be performed in such a sequence in time that a forward-biased field is uniformly generated over the entire length of the quartz tubes 240 (static formation) or sequential peristaltic modulation of the field along the axis of the forming tubes 240 (dynamic formation) is achieved.

Throughout this formation process, the actual reversal of the field in the plasma occurs rapidly within about 5 μs. The multi-gigawatt pulsed power applied to the formed plasma easily creates hot FRCs, which are then injected from the forming sections 200 by applying either sequential time modulation of the magnetic field in the forward half space (magnetic peristalsis) or temporarily increased currents in the last coil of the coil sets 232. near the axial outer ends of the forming tubes 210 (generating an axial magnetic field gradient that is axially facing the containment chamber 100). Both formative FRCs (north and south), formed in this way and accelerated, then expand

- 8 039021 into a containment chamber 100 having a larger diameter, where the quasi-DC coils 412 create a forward biased field to control radial expansion and provide equilibrium external magnetic flux.

As soon as the north and south formative FRCs arrive in the vicinity of the median plane of the containment chamber 100, these FRCs collide. The axial kinetic energies during the collision of the north and south formative FRCs are largely thermalized as the FRCs ultimately merge into a single FRC 450. The containment chamber 100 provides a wide range of plasma diagnostic techniques to study the equilibria of the FRC 450. Typical operating conditions in the FRC are System 10 is given a composite FRC with separatrix radii of about 0.4 m and an axial length of about 3 m. Additional characteristics are external magnetic fields with an inductance of about 0.1 T, a plasma density of about 5x10 ¹⁹ m ^3, and a total plasma temperature of up to 1 keV. Without any support, i.e. in the absence of heating and / or current excitation by means of injection of beams of neutral particles or other auxiliary means, the lifetime of these FRCs, i.e. the inherent holding time of the characteristic configuration is limited to approximately 1 ms.

Experimental Data for Unsupported Operation - Normal Mode.

FIG. 12 shows a typical time evolution of the radius r _{ΔΦ of the} excluded flux, which approximates the radius rs of the separatrix, to illustrate the dynamics of the FRC 450 merging process occurring in the θ pinch. sections 200 with supersonic speed v _z ~ 250 km / s, and collide near the median plane at z = 0. During collision, the plasmoids undergo axial compression, followed by rapid radial and axial expansion, before eventually merging to form one FRC 450. The presence of both radial and axial dynamics is indicated by detailed density profile measurements and bolometer-based tomography ...

Unsupported discharge data of FRC system 10 is shown as a function of time in FIG. 13. FRC is initiated at time t = 0. The radius of the eliminated flow in the axially median plane of the machine is shown in FIG. 13 (a). This data is obtained from an array of magnetic probes that are positioned slightly inside a stainless steel containment chamber wall and measure the axial magnetic field. The steel wall is a good means of maintaining the flow during the discharge time.

FIG. 13 (b) shows the linear-integral densities obtained from a 6-chord CO ₂ / He-Ne interferometer located at z = 0. Taking into account the vertical displacement (y) of the FRC as measured by bolometric tomography, the Abel inversion gives the density profiles of FIG. 13 (c). After some axial and radial oscillation during the first 0.1 ms, an FRC is established with some hollow density profile. This profile is reasonably flat with substantial axial density as required by equilibrium in typical flat FRCs.

FIG. 13 (d) shows the total plasma temperature, derived from the equality of pressures and fully consistent with Thompson scattering and spectroscopic measurements.

Analysis of the entire data set of the excluded flow indicates that the shape of the FRC separatrix (approximated by axial profiles) is gradually evolving from circular to elliptical. This evolution, shown in FIG. 14 is consistent with gradual magnetic reconnection from two FRCs to one. Indeed, rough estimates suggest that in this particular case, about 10% of the magnetic fluxes of the two original FRCs reconnect during the collision.

The length of the FRC decreases monotonically from 3 m to about 1 m during the lifetime of the FRC. This abbreviation seen in FIG. 14 assumes that mainly convective energy losses dominate during FRC confinement. Since the plasma pressure inside the separatrix decreases faster than the magnetic pressure outside, the tension of the magnetic field lines in the end regions leads to axial compression of the FRC, restoring the axial and radial equilibrium. For the discharge discussed in connection with FIG. 13 and 14, we note that the magnetic flux, the total number of particles, and the FRC thermal energy (approximately 10 MVσ, 7x10 ¹⁹ particles, and 7 kJ, respectively) decrease, roughly speaking, by an order of magnitude in the first millisecond when the FRC equilibrium disappears.

Supported work - FRC high efficiency mode.

FIG. 12-14 are examples of FRC failure without any support. However, the FRC system 10 employs several techniques to further improve FRC (inner core and boundary layer) containment to achieve high FRC performance and maintain configuration.

Beams of neutral particles.

First, fast neutral particles (H) in the form of beams are injected from eight injectors of 600 neutral particle beams perpendicular to B _z . Beams of fast neutral particles are injected from the moment the north and south forming FRCs in the containment chamber 100 are combined into one FRC

- 9 039021

450. Fast ions, created mainly through charge exchange, have betatron orbits (with primary radii within the FRC topology, or at least significantly larger than the characteristic linear scale of the magnetic field gradient), which contribute to the azimuthal current of the FRC 450. After passing through some fraction discharge (after 0.5-0.8 ms per image) a sufficiently large population of fast ions significantly improves the internal stability and retention properties of FRC (see, for example, MW Binderbauer and N. Rostoker, Plasma Phys. 56, part 3, 451 ( 1996)). In addition, it follows from the support perspective that the beams from the 600 neutral particle injectors are also the primary means of current excitation and heat the FRC plasma.

In the plasma mode of the FRC system 10, fast ions are slowed down primarily by plasma electrons. During the early part of the discharge, the typical orbital-averaged slowdown times of fast ions are 0.3-0.5 ms, which leads to significant heating of the FRC, primarily by electrons. Fast ions make large radial excursions outward from the separatrix, because the internal magnetic field of the FRC has a low induction by its nature (on average, about 0.03 T for an external axial field with an induction of 0.1 T). Fast ions would be subject to charge exchange losses if the density of the neutral gas outside the separatrix were too high. Therefore, wall gettering and other techniques (such as using a plasma gun 350 and mirror plugs 440, which, among other things, contribute to gas control) used in the FRC system 10 tend to minimize the boundary neutral particles and provide the required build-up. current due to fast ions.

Injection of tablets.

When a significant population of fast ions grows within the FRC 450 and the electron temperatures are elevated and the FRC lifetimes are increased, frozen H or D tablets are injected into the FRC 450 from a 700 tablet injector to maintain the total FRC particle count required for the FRC 450 The estimated time intervals for ablation are short enough to provide a significant source of particles for FRC. This speed can also be increased by increasing the surface area of the injected nib by breaking the individual tablet into smaller fragments as they are in the barrels or injection pipes of the tablet injector 700 and before they enter the retention chamber 100 - a step that can be accomplished by increasing the friction between the pellet and the walls of the injection pipe by decreasing the bend radius of the last segment of the injection pipe just before entering the containment chamber 100. By varying the sequence and rate of fire of the 12 barrels (injection lances) and fragmentation, the tablet injection system 700 can be tuned to provide just the desired level of total particle support. This in turn helps maintain the internal kinetic pressure of the FRC 450 as well as the sustained performance and life of the FRC 450.

Once the ablated atoms meet a significant amount of plasma in the FRC 450, they become fully ionized. The resulting portion of the cold plasma then heats up when it collides with its own FRC plasma. The energy required to maintain the desired FRC temperature is ultimately supplied by the 600 beam injectors. In this sense, the pellet injectors 700, together with the neutral particle injectors 600, form a system that maintains and maintains the FRC 450 steady state.

Deflection coils.

In order to achieve steady state excitation and maintain the required ionic current, it is desirable to prevent or significantly reduce the upward electron spins due to the frictional force between electrons and ions (resulting from the transfer of momentum resulting from collisions of ions and electrons). The FRC system 10 uses a new method of providing a discontinuity in the distribution of electrons through an externally applied static magnetic dipole or quadrupole field. This is achieved by external deflection coils 460 shown in FIG. 15. A radial magnetic field transversely applied from deflecting coils 460 induces an axial electric field in the rotating FRC plasma. The resulting axial electron current interacts with a radial magnetic field, creating an azimuthal breaking force Fe = -σ _V eθ <| B _r | ² > acting on electrons. To provide an adequate discontinuity in the electron distribution for typical conditions in the FRC system 10, the required applied magnetic dipole (or quadrupole) field within the plasma must have an inductance of only 0.001 T. The corresponding external magnetic field, with an inductance of about 0.015 T, is weak enough not to cause appreciable loss of fast particles or otherwise adversely affect confinement. The actually applied magnetic dipole (or quadrupole) field contributes to the suppression of instabilities. Combined with tangential neutral beam injection and axial plasma injection, deflection coils 460 provide an additional level of control due to current conservation and stability.

Mirror plugs.

The design of the impulse coils 444 inside the mirror plugs 440 allows for local generation.

- 10 039021 Treatment of strong magnetic fields (2-4 T) with low capacitive energy (approx. 100 kJ). To generate magnetic fields typical of the operation of the FRC system 10 under consideration, all field lines within the formation volume pass through the constrictions 442 at the mirror plugs 440, as assumed in the presence of the magnetic field lines shown in FIG. 2, and no plasma contact with the wall occurs. In addition, the mirror plugs 440, together with the quasi-DC divertor magnets 416, can be adjusted to direct the field lines to the divertor electrodes 910 or to align the field lines in a (not shown) configuration of sharp end protrusions. The latter increases the stability and suppresses the parallel thermal conductivity of electrons.

The mirror caps 440 themselves also contribute to neutral gas control. Mirror plugs 440 allow better utilization of the deuterium gas blown into the quartz tubes during FRC formation, as the backflow of gas to the divertors 300 is significantly reduced due to the plugs' low gas permeability (as minuscule as 500 L / s). Most of the residual purge gas inside the forming tubes 210 is rapidly ionized. In addition, the high-density plasma flowing through the mirror plugs 440 provides effective ionization of neutral particles, and hence an effective gas barrier. As a result, most of the neutral particles recirculated in the divertors 300 from the FRC boundary layer 456 do not return to the containment chamber 100. In addition, the neutral particles associated with the operation of the plasma guns 350 (discussed below) will mostly be contained in the 300 divertors.

Finally, 440 mirrored plugs tend to improve retention of the FRC boundary layer. With mirror reflection coefficients (plug / confining magnetic fields) in the range 20-40 and with a length of 15 m between the northern and southern mirror plugs 440, the time τ ^ of confinement of the boundary layer particles increases by an order of magnitude. Increasing τ readily improves particle retention in the FRC.

Assuming that the losses of particles caused by radial diffusion (D) from the volume 453 bounded by the separatrix are balanced by axial losses (τ _Ι ) from the boundary layer 456, we obtain (2πr _s L _i ) (Dn _s / δ) = (Dπr _s L _i δ) ( D _s / τ _Ι |), whence it follows that the length of the density gradient at the separatrix can be rewritten as δ = (Dτ _Ι ) ^1/2 . Here rs, Ls, and ns are the radius of the separatrix, the length of the separatrix, and the density at the separatrix, respectively. The retention time of particles in FRC is τN = [πrs ² Ls <n>] / [(2πrsL _i ) (Dn _s / δ) = (<n> / n _s ) (τ _± D) ¹ 2, where τ ± = a ² / D and at the same time a = rs / 4. Physically, an increase in τ _Τ leads to an increased δ (a reduced density gradient and drift parameter at the separatrix), and hence to a reduced loss of particles in the FRC. The overall increase in the particle confinement parameter in FRC is usually somewhat less than the quadratic one, since n _s increases with _m

A significant increase in τ also requires that the boundary layer 456 remains largely stable (that is, for n = 1, there is no flute, tubular, or other magnetohydrodynamic instability typical of open systems). The use of plasma cannons 350 provides advantageous stability at the border. In this sense, mirror plugs 440 and plasma guns 350 form an effective border control system.

Plasma guns.

Plasma guns 350 increase the stability of jets 454 emitted from FRC through linear bonding. Plasmas emitted from plasma guns 350 are generated without involving the amount of azimuthal angular motion, which has been shown to be useful in controlling rotational instabilities in FRCs. If so, the 350 cannons are an effective means of controlling FRC stability without the need for the outdated quadrupole stabilization method. As a result, the plasma cannons 350 are able to take advantage of the beneficial effects of fast particles or access the Advanced Hybrid Kinetic FRC mode as outlined in this disclosure. Consequently, plasma guns 350 allow the FRC system 10 to operate at deflecting coil currents just right for discontinuity in the electron distribution, but lower than those that would cause FRC instability and / or would lead to intense diffusion of fast particles.

As mentioned in the section Mirror Plugs discussed above, if it were possible to significantly increase τι, then the plasma supplied from the guns would be comparable to the rate (~ 10 ²² / s) of particle losses in the boundary layer. The lifetime of the plasma obtained from the guns in the FRC system 10 is in the millisecond range. Indeed, consider a plasma from guns with a density ne ~ 10 ¹³ cm ^-3 and an ion temperature of about 200 eV, enclosed between the end mirror plugs 440. The capture length L and the reflection coefficient R of the mirror are about 15 and 20 m, respectively. The average mean free path of ions due to Coulomb collisions is λii ~ 6χ10 ³ cm, and since λiilnR / R <L, the ions are in the gas-dynamic regime. The plasma confinement time in this mode is τ _g d ~ RL / 2V _s ~ 2 ms, where V _s is the ion sound velocity. For comparison, the classical ion confinement time for these plasma parameters would be τ _s ~ 0.5τl (lnR + (lnR) ^0.5 ) ~ 0.7 ms. In principle, abnormal transverse diffusion can shorten the plasma confinement time. At the same time, if we assume that Bohm diffusion takes place in the FRC system 10, then the estimated transverse confinement time for the plasma from the guns is T _± > T _gd ~ 2 ms. Consequently, the guns could provide significant replenishment of the 456 FRC boundary layer and improved overall particle retention in the FRC.

In addition, the plasma streams from the guns can be turned on for about 150-200 μs, which allows them to be used during launch, translational movement and combination of FRCs into the containment chamber 100. If switching on occurs at about t ~ 0 (initiation of the main FRC power supplies), then the plasma from the guns helps to maintain the FRC 450, now obtained after dynamic formation and combining. The combined particle counts from the FRC shaping and from the cannons are satisfactory for trapping neutral particle beams, plasma heating, and long-term support. If switching on occurs at time t in the range -1-0 ms, then plasma from the guns can lead to filling the quartz tubes 210 with plasma or to ionization of the gas blown into the quartz tubes, thereby allowing the formation of FRCs with a reduced or even zero volume of blown gas. The latter condition may require a sufficiently cold forming plasma to allow rapid diffusion of the reverse-biased magnetic field. If the switch-on occurs at the moment t <-2 ms, then the plasma flows can fill approximately 1-3 m ^{3 of the} linear volume of the field of the areas of formation and retention of the forming sections 200 and the containment chamber 100 with a target density of several units per 10 ¹³ cm ^-3 , sufficient to ensure the creation of beams of neutral particles prior to arrival at the FRC. Thereafter, the forming FRCs could form and translate into the resulting plasma containment vessels. Thus, the plasma guns 350 provide a wide variety of operating conditions and parameter settings.

Electrical displacement.

Controlling the radial profile of the electric field in the boundary layer 456 in various ways is beneficial to the stability and retention of the FRC. By means of the new biasing components deployed in the FRC system 10, a plurality of prearranged electrical potential distributions can be applied to a set of exposed flow surfaces throughout the machine from regions far outside the central containment region in containment chamber 100. Thus, it is possible to generate radial electric fields through the boundary layer 456 in close proximity to the FRC 450. These radial electric fields then modify the azimuthal rotation of the boundary layer 456 and maintain it by breaking the velocity, ExB. Any differential rotation between the boundary layer 456 and the FRC core 453 can then be transmitted to the interior of the FRC plasma by rupture. As a result, the control of the boundary layer 456 has a direct effect on the core 453 FRC. In addition, since free energy during plasma rotation can also cause instabilities, this method provides a direct means of combating the initiation and growth of instabilities. A suitable boundary displacement in the FRC system 10 provides effective control of the transfer and rotation of open field lines, as well as the rotation of the FRC core. The location and shape of the various intended electrodes 900, 905, 910 and 920 allow for the monitoring of different groups of flow surfaces 455 as well as monitoring at different and independent potentials. Thus, a wide range of different configurations of electric fields and strengths can be realized, each time with a different characteristic effect on the operating parameters of the plasma.

The key advantage of all these new displacement techniques is that plasma behavior in the core and at the boundary can be influenced from locations far outside the FRC plasma, i.e. there is no need to bring any physical components into contact with the central hot plasma (which would have serious consequences for the loss of energy, flux and particles). This has a fundamental beneficial effect on performance and all potential applications of the high efficiency FRC concept.

Experimental data - operation in high efficiency FRC mode.

Fast particle injection via beams from 600 cannons emitting neutral particle beams plays an important role in providing a highly efficient FRC regime. FIG. 16 illustrates this fact. A set of curves is depicted showing how the FRC lifetime correlates with the pulse duration of the beams. All other operating conditions are kept constant for all discharges covered by this study. The data is averaged over many images and therefore displays typical behavior. It is clear that increased beam durations result in longer-lived FRCs. The study of this fact, as well as other diagnostic results during this study, reveals that the beams increase stability and reduce losses. The correlation between the beam pulse duration and the FRC lifetime is not perfect, since beam capture becomes ineffective when the plasma dimensions are less than certain, i.e. when the physical dimensions of the FRC 450 are reduced and not all injected beams are intercepted and captured. The reduction in the size of the FRC is primarily due to the fact that the net energy loss (~ 4 MW about halfway through the discharge) from the FRC plasma during the discharge is somewhat greater than the total power supplied to the FRC by the beams of neutral particles (~ 2 , 5 MW) for a specific pilot run. The location of the beams in a location closer to the midplane of the container 100 can lead to

- 12 039021 tendencies of decreasing these losses and extending the FRC lifetime.

FIG. 17 illustrates the effects of different components in achieving a high efficiency FRC regime. Shown here is a family of typical curves plotting FRC 450 lifetime as a function of time. In all cases, a constant, low-power beam (about 2.5 MW) is injected throughout the duration of each discharge. Each curve is representative of a different combination of components. For example, operation of FRC system 10 without any mirror plugs 440, plasma guns 350, or gettering thanks to gettering systems 800 results in rapid rotation instability and loss of FRC topology. The introduction of only mirror plugs 440 delays the onset of instabilities and improves retention. The use of a plurality of mirror plugs 440 and a plasma gun 350 further reduces instabilities and increases the FRC lifetime. Finally, the introduction of gettering (Ti in this case) in addition to gun 350 and plugs 440 gives the best results - the resulting FRC has no instabilities and exhibits the longest lifetime. It is clear from this experimental demonstration that the entire set of components gives the best effect and provides beams with the best design conditions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the newly discovered high efficiency FRC mode exhibits dramatically improved transfer behavior. FIG. 1 illustrates the change in the retention time of particles in the FRC system during the transition from the normal mode to the high efficiency FRC mode. As you can see, the mentioned time in the high efficiency FRC mode increased by more than 5 times. Moreover, FIG. 1 specifies the retention time of particles in the FRC system 10 in relation to the retention time of particles in experiments with prior art FRCs. For these other machines, the high efficiency FRC mode of FRC 10 has a retention that has a gain of between 5 and a value close to 20. Finally - and most importantly - the nature of the scale invariance of the retention for FRC 10 in the high efficiency FRC mode is dramatic. differs from all known measurements. Prior to establishing a high efficiency FRC mode in FRC system 10, various empirical scaling laws were derived from the data to predict retention times in experiments with known FRCs. All these rules depend mainly on the ratio R2 / pi, where R is the zero radius of the magnetic field (a non-strict measure of the physical scale of the machine), and pI is the Larmor radius of the ion, estimated in an externally applied field (a non-strict measure of the applied magnetic field). From FIG. 1, it is clear that long-term confinement in a conventional FRC is only possible with a large machine and / or a strong magnetic field. The operation of the FRC system 10 in the normal FRC mode reflects the tendency to follow the normal rules as indicated in FIG. 1. At the same time, the highly efficient FRC mode is significantly superior to the mentioned mode and shows that much better confinement is achievable without large machine dimensions or strong magnetic fields. From FIG. 1 is also clear: more importantly, the high efficiency FRC mode, compared to the conventional mode, results in longer confinement times at reduced plasma sizes. Similar trends are also noticeable for the flux and energy retention times, as described below, which in FRC system 10 also increased 3-8 times. Hence, a major advance in the high efficiency FRC mode is the ability to use low beam powers, weaker magnetic fields, and smaller footprint to maintain and maintain FRC equilibria in FRC system 10 and future more powerful machines. These improvements come with lower operating and construction costs and lower technical complexity.

For further comparison, high efficiency FRC characteristic discharge data in FRC system 10 is shown in FIG. 18 as a function of time. FIG. 18 (a) depicts the radius of the cut-off stream in the midplane. For this extended timescale, the conductive steel wall is no longer a good means of flux conservation, and the inside-of-wall magnetic probes are supplemented with outside-wall probes to properly account for magnetic diffusion of flux through the steel. Compared to the typical operating parameters shown in FIG. 13, the mode of operation corresponding to the high efficiency FRC mode demonstrates the life time increased by more than 400%.

FIG. 18 (b) shows a representative linear density trace with its Abel-inverted complement, and FIG. 18 (c) - density profiles. Compared to the conventional FRC mode shown in FIG. 13, the plasma is more static throughout the pulse, which indicates a very stable operation. The peak density in the high efficiency FRC images is also slightly lower due to the higher (up to 2) total plasma temperature, as shown in FIG. 18 (d).

For the corresponding discharge illustrated in FIG. 18, the energy, particle and flux retention times are 0.5, 1, and 1 ms, respectively. At the instant of 1 ms, when entering the discharge, the accumulated energy of the plasma is 2 kJ, while the losses are about 4 MW, which makes this target set of parameters very suitable for supporting beams of neutral particles.

- 13 039021

FIG. 19, all the benefits of high efficiency FRC are summarized in the form of the newly established scale invariance of experimental flow confinement in high efficiency FRC. As can be seen in FIG. 19, based on measurements taken before and after t = 0.5 ms, i.e. when t <0.5 ms and t> 0.5 ms, the scales of flux confinement (and, similarly, particle confinement and energy confinement), roughly speaking, depend on the square of the electron temperature (Te) for a given separatrix radius. This strict scaling with positive power according to Te (rather than negative power) is completely opposite to that exhibited by conventional tokamaks, where confinement is generally inversely proportional to some power according to the electron temperature. The manifestation of this scale invariance is a direct consequence of the state of high efficiency FRC and ion populations in large radius orbits (i.e., orbits on the scale of the FRC topology and / or at least a linear scale of the characteristic magnetic field gradient). Generally speaking, this new scale invariance significantly favors high operating temperatures and allows relatively small reactors.

Given the benefits of a highly efficient FRC mode, it is possible to maintain or static FRC, excited by neutral beams, which can be maintained by injecting the proper pellets, which means that global plasma parameters such as plasma thermal energy, total particle numbers , the radius and length of the plasma, as well as the magnetic flux, are maintained at reasonable levels without a significant drop. For comparison, FIG. 20 shows the data in graph A obtained from the discharge in the characteristic high efficiency FRC mode on the FRC system 10 as a function of time, and in graph B for the projected characteristic high efficiency mode FRC mode on the FRC system 10 as a function of time, while the FRC 450 is maintained without decay over the entire length of the pulse of the beam of neutral particles. To obtain graph A, beams of neutral particles with a total power in the range of about 2.5-2.9 MW were injected into the FRC 460 with a duration of active beam pulses of about 6 ms. The plasma lifetime as a diamagnet, shown in graph A, was approximately 5.2 ms. Newer data show that with a duration of active pulses of beams of about 7 ms, the lifetime of a plasma as a diamagnet is attainable, which is about 7.2 ms.

As noted above in connection with FIG. 16, the correlation between the pulse duration of the beams and the FRC lifetime is not perfect, since the capture of beams becomes ineffective when the plasma dimensions are less than certain, i.e. when the physical dimensions of the FRC 450 are reduced and not all injected beams are intercepted and captured. The reduction in the size of the FRC is primarily due to the fact that the net energy loss (~ 4 MW about halfway through the discharge) from the FRC plasma during the discharge is somewhat greater than the total power supplied to the FRC by the neutral particle beams (~ 2.5 MW) for a specific pilot run. As noted above in connection with FIG. 3C, oblique injection from the neutral particle cannons 600 toward the midplane improves the beam-plasma coupling even when the FRC plasma contracts or otherwise contracts axially during the injection period. In addition, proper tablet feeding will maintain the required plasma density.

Graph B shows the result of the simulation steps carried out using an active pulse duration of about 6 ms and a total beam power from 600 cannons firing neutral particle beams slightly exceeding about 10 MW, while beams of neutral particles will lead to the injection of fast (H) or diffusion (D) neutral particles with a particle energy of about 15 keV. The equivalent current injected by each of the beams is approximately 110 A. For graph B, the angle of beam injection relative to the device axis was approximately 20 °, and the target radius was 0.19 m. The injection angle can be varied within the 15-25 ° range. The beams should be directed in the azimuthal direction so that the currents are parallel. The resultant of the lateral forces as well as the resultant of the axial forces resulting from beams of neutral particles with some amount of motion will be minimized. As in plot A, fast (H) neutral particles are injected from neutral beam injectors 600 from the moment the north and south forming FRCs merge in the containment chamber 100 into one FRC 450.

The modeling stages, which served as the basis for plotting the B graph, provided for the use of multidimensional algorithms for solving by means of a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) Hall generator to obtain plasma and equilibrium in accordance with known methods, completely kinetic algorithms for solving the Monte Carlo method for components of intense beams and all scattering processes, as well as the use of a system of equations for all plasma families in order to simulate interactive loss processes. Transport components are empirically calibrated and marked with benchmarks in relation to the experimental database.

As shown by graph B, the steady-state life of the diamagnets of the FRC 450 will be equal to the pulse width of the beam. However, it is important to note that key correlation plot B shows that when the beams are turned off, the plasma or FRC begins to decay at this point, but not before. This decay is similar to that observed for discharges that are not stimulated by beams - probably after about 1 ms after the moment of shutdown - and simply reflects the characteristic

- 14 039021 Theristic confinement time of the plasma excited by the processes of intrinsic losses.

Although the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, only specific examples are shown in the drawings and described in detail above. However, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific forms or methods disclosed; on the contrary, the invention is to be considered to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

In the foregoing description, a specific set of features is provided for illustrative purposes only, providing a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, one skilled in the art will understand that these specific details are not required to practice this invention.

Various features from the representative examples and dependent claims may be combined in ways not specifically and explicitly listed in order to provide additional useful embodiments of the principles of the present invention. It is also clearly seen that all ranges of values or indications of groups of objects disclose every possible intermediate value or every intermediate object for the purpose of the usual description, as well as for the purpose of limiting the claimed subject matter.

Systems and methods for generating and maintaining FRCs operating in a highly efficient FRC mode are proposed. It is understood that the embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes and should not be considered as limiting the subject matter of the invention. Various modifications, applications, substitutions, combinations, improvements, methods of preparation, which are within the scope of the claims or spirit of the present invention, will be apparent to a person skilled in the art. For example, the reader should understand that the specific order and set of technological steps described herein are illustrative only, unless otherwise indicated, and the invention can be implemented using different or additional technological steps or a different set or order of technological steps. As another example, note that each feature of one embodiment may be combined and matched with other features found in other embodiments. If desired, you can also envisage the presence of features and processes known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In addition, it is obvious that, if desired, features can be introduced or excluded. Accordingly, the invention is not limited by anything other than what is set forth in the appended claims and their equivalents.

In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for generating and maintaining a magnetic field using a field reversed configuration (FRC), comprising the steps of forming an FRC around a plasma in a confinement chamber and maintaining the FRC at or about a constant value without decay by injecting beams of fast neutral atoms from injectors of beams of neutral particles into FRC-plasma at a certain angle to the median plane of the confinement chamber.

In one embodiment, the method further includes the step of generating a magnetic field within the chamber using quasi-DC coils extending around the chamber.

According to one embodiment, the method further includes the step of generating a specular magnetic field within opposite ends of said chamber using quasi-DC specular coils extending around opposite ends of said chamber.

In yet another embodiment, the FRC forming step includes forming a forming FRC in a forming section associated with an end face of the holding chamber and accelerating the forming FRC toward a center plane of the chamber to form the FRC.

According to one further embodiment, the FRC forming step includes forming a second forming FRC in a second forming section associated with a second end of the containment chamber and accelerating the second forming FRC toward the midplane of said chamber where the two forming FRCs merge to form an FRC.

In yet another further embodiment, the step of forming an FRC includes one of forming a forming FRC while simultaneously accelerating the forming FRC toward a midplane of said chamber and forming a forming FRC followed by accelerating the forming FRC toward a midplane of said chamber.

In one embodiment, the method further includes the step of directing the FRC magnetic flux surfaces into divertors associated with the ends of the forming sections.

In yet another embodiment, the method further includes the step of directing the FRC flux surfaces into a divertor associated with an end face of the forming section.

In another embodiment, the method further includes the step of directing the FRC magnetic flux surfaces into a second divertor associated with an end of said chamber opposite the forming section.

In yet another embodiment, the method further includes the step of generating a magnetic field within the shaping sections and divertors with dc quasi-15 039021 coils extending around the shaping sections and divertors.

In another embodiment, the method further includes the step of generating a specular magnetic field between the shaping sections and the divertors using quasi-DC specular coils.

According to yet another embodiment, the method further includes the step of generating a magnetic field of the mirror plugs within a taper between the forming sections and the divertors with quasi-DC mirror plug coils extending around the taper between the forming sections and the divertors.

In yet another embodiment, the step of maintaining the FRC further includes the step of injecting pellets of neutral atoms into the FRC.

In yet another embodiment, the method further includes the step of generating one of a dipole magnetic field and a quadrupole magnetic field within the chamber using deflecting coils associated with the chamber.

In yet another embodiment, the method further includes the step of conditioning the interior surfaces of the chamber, forming sections and divertors with a gettering system.

In another embodiment, the gettering system includes one of a titanium deposition system and a lithium deposition system.

In yet another embodiment, the method further includes the step of axially injecting plasma into the FRC from axially mounted plasma guns.

In another embodiment, the method further includes the step of monitoring the radial profile of the electric field in the FRC boundary layer.

According to yet another embodiment, the step of monitoring the radial profile of the electric field in the boundary layer of the FRC includes superimposing an electric potential distribution on the group of open field FRC surfaces using deflecting electrodes.

In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for generating and maintaining a magnetic field using a field reversed configuration (FRC), comprising a retention chamber, first and second diametrically opposed FRC forming sections associated with the containment chamber, the forming section comprising modular forming systems for generating FRC and FRC translational movement to the middle plane of the containment chamber, the first and second divertors associated with the first and second forming sections, the first and second axial plasma guns, functionally connected with the first and second divertors, the first and second forming sections and the containment chamber, a plurality of injectors beams of neutral atoms connected to the confinement chamber and oriented with the possibility of injecting beams of neutral atoms to the middle plane of the confinement chamber at a smaller angle than a straight line to the longitudinal axis of the confinement chamber, a magnetic system containing a plurality of quasi-constant current coils placed around the holding chamber, the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors, the first and second sets of quasi-constant current mirror coils located between the holding chamber and the first and second forming sections, the first and second mirror plugs located between the first and second forming sections, and the first and second divertors, a gettering system associated with the confinement chamber and the first and second divertors, one or more biasing electrodes for electrically biasing the surface of the open field generated by the FRC, said one or more biasing electrodes located inside one or more of the confinement chamber, the first and second forming sections and first and second divertors, two or more deflecting coils associated with the containment chamber, and an ion pellet injector associated with the containment chamber.

In one embodiment, the system is configured to generate an FRC and keep the FRC at or about a constant value without decay while beams of neutral atoms are injected into the FRC.

In one embodiment, the mirror plug includes a third and fourth sets of mirror coils between each of the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors.

In one embodiment, the mirror plug further comprises a set of mirror plug coils wrapped around a throat in a channel between each of the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors.

In another embodiment, the elongated tube is a quartz lined quartz tube.

In another embodiment, the shaping systems are pulse power shaping systems.

In yet another embodiment, the shaping systems comprise a plurality of power and control units associated with individual assemblies from a plurality of suspension assemblies to energize a set of coils of discrete assemblies from said plurality of suspension assemblies wound around an elongated tube of the first and second shaping sections.

- 16 039021

According to yet another embodiment, the individual blocks of said plurality of power and control units comprise a start and control system.

According to another embodiment, the systems for triggering and controlling individual units of said plurality of power and control units are synchronized to provide static formation of an FRC, wherein the FRC is generated and then injected, or dynamically generated FRC, wherein the FRC is simultaneously formed and progressively moved.

According to another embodiment, said plurality of neutral atom beam injectors comprises one or more neutral atom beam injectors with RF plasma sources and one or more neutral atom beam injectors with arc sources.

In yet another embodiment, the plurality of neutral atom beam injectors are oriented such that the injection paths are directed tangentially to the FRC with a target capture zone within the FRC separatrix.

In yet another embodiment, the gettering system comprises one or more of a titanium deposition system and a lithium deposition system that coat the plasma-facing surfaces of the confinement chamber and the first and second divertors.

According to another embodiment, the bias electrodes include one or more of one or more point electrodes located within the containment chamber for contact with the open field lines, a set of annular electrodes between the containment chamber and the first and second forming sections for azimuthally symmetric charging of remote from the boundary of the flow layers, a plurality of concentric stacked electrodes located in the first and second divertors for charging multiple concentric flow layers, as well as anodes of plasma guns to intercept the open flow.

In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for generating and maintaining a magnetic field using a field reversed configuration (FRC), comprising a containment chamber, first and second diametrically opposed FRC-forming sections associated with the containment chamber, first and second divertors associated with the first and the second forming sections, one or more of a plurality of plasma guns, one or more bias electrodes, and first and second mirror plugs, said plurality of plasma guns including first and second axial plasma guns, functionally associated with the first and second divertors, the first and second forming sections and a holding chamber, wherein said one or more biasing electrodes are located inside one or more of the holding chamber, the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors, and wherein the first and second mirror plugs are located between the first and second forming sections and first and second q with inverters, a gettering system associated with the confinement chamber and the first and second divertors, a plurality of injectors of beams of neutral atoms associated with the confinement chamber and oriented perpendicular to the axis of the confinement chamber, and a magnetic system containing a plurality of quasi-direct current coils located around the confinement chamber, the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors, the first and second sets of mirror coils of quasi-constant current, located between the confinement chamber and the first and second forming sections, while the system is made with the possibility of generating FRC and maintaining FRC without decay, while beams of neutral particles are injected into plasma.

In one embodiment, the system is configured to generate an FRC and keep the FRC at or about a constant value without decay while beams of neutral atoms are injected into the FRC.

In one embodiment, the mirror plug includes a third and fourth sets of mirror coils between each of the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors.

In yet another embodiment, the mirror plug further comprises a set of mirror plug coils wrapped around the throat in the channel between each of the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors.

According to one embodiment, the system further comprises first and second axial plasma guns operatively associated with the first and second divertors, the first and second forming sections, and the containment chamber.

In one embodiment, the system further comprises two or more deflection coils associated with the containment chamber.

In one embodiment, the system further comprises an ion pellet injector associated with the retention chamber.

In yet another embodiment, the forming section comprises modular forming systems for generating the FRC and translating it toward the midplane of the containment chamber.

In another embodiment, the biasing electrodes include one or

- 17 039021 more of one or more point electrodes located inside the containment chamber for contact with the open field lines of force, a set of annular electrodes between the containment chamber and the first and second forming sections for azimuthally symmetric charging of flow layers remote from the boundary, a plurality of concentric stacked a package of electrodes located in the first and second divertors for charging multiple concentric layers of the flow, as well as anodes of plasma guns to intercept the open flow.

Claims (26)

1. A system for generating and maintaining a magnetic field using a reversed field configuration (FRC), comprising a retention chamber, first and second diametrically opposed forming FRC sections associated with the retention chamber, first and second divertors associated with the first and second forming sections, the first and second axial plasma guns, functionally connected with the first and second divertors, the first and second forming sections and the confinement chamber, a plurality of neutral atom beam injectors connected with the confinement chamber and oriented with the possibility of injecting beams of neutral atoms to the middle plane of the confinement chamber at an angle, deviated from the normal to the longitudinal axis of the containment chamber by about 15 to 25 °, and a magnetic system associated with the containment chamber, the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors, while the magnetic system includes the first and second mirror plugs located between the first and the second forming sections and the first m and the second divertors, moreover, when the FRC system is formed in the confinement chamber of the FRC system, it is a supported system in a spaced position with the confinement chamber wall and at or approximately at a constant value without decay, while beams of neutral atoms are injected from the aforementioned set of injectors of beams of neutral atoms in FRC at an angle deviated from the normal to the longitudinal axis of the containment chamber by approximately 15 to 25 °, and towards the median plane of the containment chamber. 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more biasing electrodes for electrically biasing the surface of the open field generated by the FRC, said one or more biasing electrodes located within one or more of the containment chamber, the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors ... 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second diametrically opposed FRC forming sections comprise modular forming systems for generating the FRC and translating it toward the midplane of the containment chamber. 4. A system for generating and maintaining a magnetic field using a reversed field configuration (FRC), comprising a containment chamber, first and second diametrically opposed forming FRC sections associated with the containment chamber, first and second divertors associated with the first and second forming sections , a plurality of neutral atom beam injectors connected to the confinement chamber and oriented with the possibility of injecting beams of neutral atoms to the middle plane of the confinement chamber at an angle deviated from the normal to the longitudinal axis of the confinement chamber by about 15 to 25 °, a magnetic system associated with the confinement chamber , the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors, one or more biasing electrodes for electrically displacing the surfaces of the open field generated by the FRC, and said one or more biasing electrodes are located inside one or more of the holding chamber, the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors, n Moreover, when formed by the FRC system in the confinement chamber of the FRC system, it is a supported system in a spaced position with the confinement chamber wall and at or approximately at a constant value without decay, while beams of neutral atoms are injected from the aforementioned set of injectors of beams of neutral atoms into FRC at an angle, deviated from the normal to the longitudinal axis of the containment chamber by about 15 to 25 °, and towards the middle plane of the containment chamber. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the bias electrodes include one or more of one or more point electrodes located within the containment chamber to contact the open field lines of force, a set of annular electrodes between the containment chamber and the first and second forming sections for azimuthal -symmetric charging of flow layers remote from the boundary, - 18 039021 sets of concentric stacked electrodes located in the first and second divertors for charging multiple concentric layers of the flow, as well as anodes of plasma guns to intercept the open flow. 6. The system of claim 1 or 4, wherein the magnetic system includes a plurality of quasi-DC coils axially spaced apart at positions along the containment chamber, first and second forming sections, and first and second divertors. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the magnetic system further comprises a first set of mirror coils disposed between the ends of the containment chamber and the first and second forming sections. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the magnetic system further comprises first and second mirror plugs. 9. The system of claim 1 or 8, wherein the first and second sets of mirror plugs comprise a second set of mirror coils between each of the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors. 10. The system of claim 4, further comprising first and second axial plasma guns operatively associated with the first and second divertors, the first and second forming sections and the containment chamber. 11. A system for generating and maintaining a magnetic field using a reversed field configuration (FRC), comprising a containment chamber, first and second diametrically opposed forming FRC sections associated with the containment chamber, first and second divertors associated with the first and second forming sections , the first and second axial plasma guns, functionally connected with the first and second divertors, the first and second forming sections and the confinement chamber, a plurality of neutral atom beam injectors connected with the confinement chamber and oriented with the possibility of injecting beams of neutral atoms to the middle plane of the confinement chamber at an angle deviated from the normal to the longitudinal axis of the containment chamber by about 15 to 25 °, and a magnetic system associated with the containment chamber, the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors, and when formed by the FRC system in the containment chamber, the FRC system is a supported system spaced apart with st the confinement chamber and at or approximately at a constant value without decay, while beams of neutral atoms are injected from the aforementioned set of injectors of beams of neutral atoms into the FRC at an angle deviated from the normal to the longitudinal axis of the confinement chamber by about 15 to 25 °, and towards the median plane of the containment chamber. 12. The system of claim 4 or 11, wherein the separate of the first and second forming sections comprises an elongated tube and a pulse power forming system connected to the elongated tube. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the shaping systems comprise a plurality of power and control units associated with individual nodes of the plurality of suspension assemblies to energize a set of coils of individual suspension assemblies wound around an elongated tube of the first and second shaping sections. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein individual blocks of said plurality of power and control units comprise a start and control system. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the systems for starting and controlling individual units from said plurality of power and control units are configured to be synchronized to provide static formation of an FRC, wherein the FRC is generated and then injected, or dynamically generated FRC, wherein the FRC is simultaneously formed and moves progressively. 16. The system of claim 11, further comprising one or more bias electrodes for electrically biasing open field surfaces generated by the FRC. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein said one or more bias electrodes include one or more of one or more point electrodes located within the containment chamber for contact with open field force lines, a set of annular electrodes between the containment chamber and the first and second forming sections for azimuthally symmetric charging of the flow layers remote from the boundary, a plurality of concentric electrodes stacked in a package located in the first and second divertors for charging multiple concentric flow layers, as well as anodes of plasma guns to intercept the open flow. 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the magnetic system includes a plurality of quasi-constant current coils axially spaced apart in positions along the containment chamber, first and second forming sections, and first and second divertors, and a first set of mirror coils located between the ends of the containment chamber and the first and second forming sections. 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the magnetic system includes a plurality of quasi-constant current coils - 19 039021 ka, axially spaced apart in positions along the holding chamber, the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors, the first set of mirror coils located between the ends of the holding chamber and the first and second forming sections, and the first and second mirror plugs, and contains a second set of mirror coils between each of the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors. 20. The system of claim 9 or 19, wherein the mirror plugs further comprise a set of compact impulse mirror coils twisted around a throat in a channel between each of the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors. 21. The system of claim 4 or 11, wherein said plurality of neutral atom beam injectors are oriented so that the injection paths are directed tangentially to the FRC with a target capture zone within the FRC separatrix. 22. A system according to any one of claims 1, 4, or 11, further comprising an ion pellet injector associated with a retention chamber. 23. A system according to any one of claims 1, 4 or 22, further comprising a gettering system configured to cover the plasma-facing surfaces of the confinement chamber and the first and second divertors with a layer of gettering material. 24. A system according to any one of claims 1, 4, 11, 12, 16, 18 or 22, wherein the magnetic system further comprises two or more deflection coils associated with the containment chamber on each side of the median plane of the containment chamber. 25. The system of claim 24, wherein the magnetic system further comprises a set of compact pulse mirror coils wound around a throat in a channel between each of the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors. 26. A system for generating and maintaining a magnetic field using a reversed field configuration (FRC), comprising a retention chamber, first and second diametrically opposed forming FRC sections associated with the retention chamber, first and second divertors associated with the first and second forming sections , a plurality of neutral atom beam injectors connected to the confinement chamber and oriented with the possibility of injecting beams of neutral atoms to the middle plane of the confinement chamber at an angle deviated from the normal to the longitudinal axis of the confinement chamber by about 15 to 25 °, a magnetic system associated with the confinement chamber , the first and second forming sections and the first and second divertors, a gettering system configured to cover the surfaces of the confinement chamber and the first and second divertors facing the plasma with a layer of gettering material, and a set of compact pulse mirror coils twisted around the narrowing in the channel between each of the first and the second forming sections and the first and second divertors, and when formed by the FRC system in the containment chamber of the FRC system, it is a supported system in a spaced position with the wall of the containment chamber and at or approximately at a constant value without decay, while beams of neutral atoms are injected from the aforementioned set of injectors beams of neutral atoms in FRC at an angle deviated from the normal to the longitudinal axis of the confinement chamber by about 15 to 25 °, and towards the middle plane of the confinement chamber.