Energy Loss Measurements on the Limiter of the Gas Dynamic Trap

Abstract

A discrepancy between the energy input into the plasma and the energy lost through the measured loss channels is observed in the Gas Dynamic Trap (GDT): while 2-3 megawatts of power are captured by the plasma from the neutral beams, the observed energy losses do not exceed hundreds of kilowatts. In this study, a proposal was investigated that a part of the input energy is lost on the limiters of the GDT. The proposal was based on numerical modelling results that predict an existence near the limiter of a peak of power transferred to the plasma via fast ion drag. The experimental results showed that the energy losses on the limiter are too small to explain the energy balance discrepancy and further investigations of large loss channels are required.