Coaxial Plasma Gun Research Articles

Experimental study on the formation and evolution of unconfined counter-helicity spheromaks merging using magnetized coaxial plasma gun

The formation and evolution of unconfined counter-helicity spheromaks merging have been experimentally investigated by using a magnetized coaxial plasma gun. By comparing the time-dependent photodiode signals and plasma radiation images of counter-helicity spheromaks merging and plasma jets merging, it is found that the field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasma formed by counter-helicity spheromaks merging has a distinct contour and a long maintenance time. For plasma jets merging, the resulting plasma has no discernible contours and a shorter lifetime. In addition, it is inferred from these data that stagnation heating and magnetic reconnection events occur during the counter-helicity spheromaks merging, causing a rapid rise in plasma pressure at the merging midplane and sharp kinks in the field lines near the merger region. By changing different operating parameters and observing the impact on the merger characteristics, it is suggested that the qualitative dynamics of the FRC plasma depends on the balance between the plasma pressure and the magnetic pressure. The high discharge voltage breaks the equilibrium in the merged body, while the large gas-puffed mass just weakens the compression effect of the merged body. These results give us an intuitive understanding of the counter-helicity spheromak merger process and its dependence on discharge parameters, and also provide a distinct perspective for the optimal design of FRC.

Thrust of a pulsed plasma jet measured from deviations of a ballistic pendulum

We measured the peak force of the plasma jet produced by a pulsed coaxial plasma gun operated at voltages up to 2 kV, using a home-made ballistic pendulum positioned in two locations, one in the proximity of the gun nozzle at 0.75 cm and the second at a distance of 9 cm from the gun nozzle. The force of the plasma wind is inferred and ranges from 11 to 60 N, which is almost an order of magnitude higher than that of typical ion-based thrusters. The results of various models of self-field magneto-plasmadynamic thrusters indicate that the magnetic component thrust tends to dominate over the thermal expansion, particularly at higher discharge voltages of 1.5 kV and 2 kV. The highest thrust of 60 N is obtained for a 2 kV discharging voltage. The plasma was ignited in CO2 at pressures between 1 and 5 Torr. The displacement of the pendulum pushed by the plasma wind force was measured using a high-speed camera.

Study of plasma parameters of coaxial plasma source using triple Langmuir probe and Faraday cup diagnostics

Coaxial plasma guns are a type of plasma source that produces plasma which propagates radially and axially controlled by the shape of the ground electrode, which has attracted much interest in several applications. In this work, a 120° opening angle of CPG nozzle is used as a plasma gun configuration that operates at the energy of 150 J. The ionization of polyethylene insulator between the electrodes of the gun produces a cloud of hydrogen and carbon plasma. The triple Langmuir probe and Faraday cup are used to measure plasma density and plasma temperature. These methods are used to measure the on-axis and off-axis plasma divergence of the coaxial plasma gun. The peak values of ion densities measured at a distance of 25 mm on-axis from the plasma gun are (1.6 0.5) 10 m and (2.8 0.6) 10 m for hydrogen and carbon plasma respectively and the peak temperature is 3.02 0.5 eV. The mean propagation velocity of plasma is calculated using the transit times of plasma at different distances from the plasma gun and is found to be 4.54 0.25 cm/ s and 1.81 0.18 cm/ s for hydrogen and carbon plasma respectively. The Debye radius is obtained from the measured experimental data that satisfies the thin sheath approximation. The shot-to-shot stability of plasma parameters facilitates the use of plasma guns in laboratory experiments. These types of plasma sources can be used in many applications like plasma opening switches, plasma devices, and as plasma sources.

Simulation and experimental results of plasma opening switch operation with inductive and electron beam diode loads in different plasma regimes

This paper reports the experimental results of a plasma opening switch (POS) that operates at hydrogen and carbon plasma regimes confirmed based on the conduction bipolar limit of the plasma species and the availability of plasma species during the conduction based on the density profiles. The generator is the compact capacitor bank developed using the synchronization of four field distortion spark gap switches. The plasma source is coaxial cable plasma guns characterized using the Faraday cup plasma diagnostic. The experimental results are compared with the time domain simulation code in which the POS is represented as the dynamic resistance governed by the physical equations of the bipolar model. The experiments and simulations are compared for inductive load and dynamic load of accelerating gap of 5 mm between the anode and cathode at the load end. From the results, POS can be operated based on the availability of plasma species with proper synchronized triggering between the plasma gun firing and generator firing that can operate at low and high values of currents.

ISOLATION OF ELECTRONS BY THE MAGNETIC FIELD OF A CUSP FOR HIGH-DENSITY ION BEAM ACCELERATION

2.5D numerical simulation was carried out of the process of ions isolation from electrons of a compensated ion beam by the cusp magnetic field of the before entering the accelerating gap located in the region of zero magnetic field of the cusp, followed by the compensation of the accelerated ion beam with new electrons and transportation of the compensated ion beam to the next section of the linear induction ion accelerator. In contrast to the previously simulated compensated high-current ion beam with an energy of 250 keV (now non-existent), the equivalent plasma flow of a traditional coaxial plasma gun with real parameters: density 1010…1012 cm-3 and velocity 107 cm/s was considered as an injected compensated ion beam.

Influence of different pretreatments on the adhesion of nanodiamond composite films on Ti substrates via coaxial arc plasma deposition

In this study, we report on the novel growth of nanodiamond composite (NDC) films on titanium (Ti) substrates using the coaxial arc plasma deposition (CAPD) at room temperature, which offers several advantages over conventional growth techniques. CAPD employs a unique coaxial arc plasma gun structure that provides a supersaturated condition of highly energetic carbon ions (C+) for ultrafast quenching on the substrate, promoting the growth of nanodiamond grains. This allows for NDC films’ growth on diverse substrates without the need for initial seeding or substrate heating. However, the growth of NDC films on Ti substrates at room temperature is challenging due to the native oxide layer (TiO2). Here, we grew NDC films on Ti substrates using three different pretreatments: (i) hydrofluoric acid (HF) etching, (ii) insertion of a titanium carbide (TiC) intermediate layer, and (iii) in situ Ar+ plasma etching. The morphology and structure of the grown NDC films were examined by 3D laser, high-resolution scanning electron microscopies (HR-SEM), Raman, and x-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopies. Our results demonstrate that in situ Ar+ plasma etching is the most effective pretreatment method for completely removing the native TiO2 layer compared to the other two ex situ pretreatments, in which re-oxidation is more likely to occur after these pretreatments. Furthermore, NDC films grown using the hybrid Ar+ ion etching gun (IG) and CAPD exhibit the highest sp 3 content (63%) and adhesion strength (16 N).

Multi-camera imaging to characterize jet and liner uniformity on the Plasma Liner Experiment (PLX).

At Plasma Liner Experiment, a set of 36 coaxial plasma guns are deployed quasi-uniformly over a 9 ft diameter spherical chamber and are used to form a high-Z spherically compressive plasma liner. Simulations indicate that for the concept to ultimately achieve optimal target density and temperature, a high degree of timing uniformity is required between all guns. To aid in quantifying and correcting gun-to-gun nonuniformities, a key diagnostic will consist of up to six fisheye-view CCD cameras positioned inside the main chamber such that each has all plasma guns within its view. The individual cameras can be triggered at different times to determine each plasma jet's muzzle velocity and structure for different operating conditions. This camera array is currently under development, and the implementation needs and challenges for this camera array are discussed here. Additionally, we detail the analysis methodology for determining jet-to-jet uniformity deviations and how we can correct them, thereby improving overall liner uniformity.

Characterization of carburized layer on low-alloy steel fabricated by hydrogen-free carburizing process using carbon ions

Hydrogen-free carburized layer was fabricated by irradiating the carbon ions onto a heated low-alloy steel JIS SCM420 substrate using a coaxial arc plasma gun and controlling the diffusion of carbon atoms. The maximum hardness of carburized layer was 733 HV, and the hardness decreased reflecting the carbon concentration distribution in the depth direction of the substrate. The carburized layer was formed to depth of 200 μm. A martensitic structure was observed in the cross-sectional structure observation. Surface elemental analysis by SEM-EDS did not show segregation of chromium or oxygen to grain boundaries. Hydrogen concentration analysis by thermal desorption spectroscopy revealed that the concentration of diffusible hydrogen, which contributes to hydrogen embrittlement, was 0.0064 wt. ppm. Susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement test was conducted using the three-point bending slow strain rate tensile test. The hydrogen-free carburized layer exhibited about 2.7 times the strength and about 2.3 times the elongation to the hydrogen charged layer after hydrogen-free carburizing. These results led us to conclude that the hydrogen-free carburizing method is notably effective in preventing hydrogen embrittlement.

Splitting CO2 in Intense Pulsed Plasma Jets.

The splitting of CO2 was studied in a pulsed plasma discharge produced in a coaxial gun at voltages between ~1 and 2 kV and peak discharge currents of 7 to 14 kA. The plasma was ejected from the gun at a speed of a few km/s and had electron temperatures between 11 and 14 eV with peak electron densities ~2.4 × 1021 particles m-3. Spectroscopic measurements were carried out in the plasma plume produced at pressures between 1 and 5 Torr, and evidence of CO2 dissociation into oxygen and CO was found. An increased discharge current led to the observation of more intense spectra lines and the presence of new oxygen lines, which implies more dissociation channels. Several dissociation mechanisms are discussed, the main candidate being the splitting of the molecule by direct electron impact. Estimates of dissociation rates are made based on measured plasma parameters and interaction cross-sections available in the literature. A possible application of this technique is in future Mars missions where the coaxial plasma gun running in the atmosphere could be able to produce oxygen at a rate of the order of over 100 g per hour in a highly repetitive regime.

Analysis and optimization of acceleration model in coaxial plasma gun in pre-fill mode

Snowplow model is the main method to describe the acceleration process of coaxial plasma gun in the pre-fill mode, which can directly give the analytical expression of plasma velocity versus time. So it has become an important reference in designing the device structures satisfying the requirements for different applications. Through measuring the current, magnetic and optical signals, the characteristics of current during the discharge and the motion of plasmoid are investigated. The variation of discharge current with time is close to the damping sine curve, which is an underdamping solution of RLC equivalent discharge circuit. The measured current in lieu of the sine one is used to calculate the theoretical velocity so as to eliminate the error of magnetic pressure. The variation of plasma velocity with discharge voltage and chamber pressure are consistent with those obtained by solving the equation of plasma motion under snow plough model, but the acceleration process is another story. At the initial stage of the discharge, owing to the low sweep efficiency, the plasma is accelerated to a higher velocity than the predicted one, the increase of voltage and the decrease of pressure further enhance the effect. With the extension of the acceleration distance, owing to the friction resistance between plasma and electrodes, the acceleration slows down and the velocity starts to fall below the predicated value, the saturation of plasma velocity at the nozzle is found. The friction resistance term is added to the equation of plasma motion. Compared with the deviation range of 26.8%–53.6% of the existing model, the differences between the theoretical speed and the measured speed under different voltages and pressures are in a range of 3.1%–8.4% after adding the friction resistance term into the equation of plasma motion. The optimization of snow plow model greatly improves the accuracy of velocity prediction, which can provide an effective reference for designing device structure and calculating energy efficiency.

Corrosion‐Resistive and Low Specific Contact Resistance Ohmic Contacts to Semiconducting Diamonds Using Nanocarbon Electrodes

The realization of diamond‐based advanced devices is interrelated with the fabrication of practical ohmic contacts. Contrary to boron‐doped, the phosphorus‐doped diamonds with interface carbide forming Ti‐based conventional ohmic contacts find their limitation in device fabrication due to the high contact resistance. Herein, nanocarbon ohmic contacts are deposited by a coaxial arc plasma gun on semiconducting diamonds, and their composite structure which facilitates exceptional contact properties is explored. A comparative electrical characterization between nanocarbon ohmic contacts and conventional Ti‐based contacts is performed on a heavily phosphorus‐doped diamond, and they exhibited one‐order declination in specific contact resistance. In addition to the low contact resistance, an ideal ohmic electrode is preferable to have good mechanical adhesion and corrosion resistance for device applications. The contact behavior of n‐type diamond/nanocarbon against an extremely corrosive environment realized by boiling H2SO4 + HNO3 solution is analyzed. The nanocarbon ohmic contacts exhibit excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical adhesion over conventional Ti‐based contacts. A similar trend is also observed for nanocarbon contacts on boron‐doped diamonds. The modest effect on the transfer length of the nanocarbon contacts with respect to acid treatment sessions indicates a tightly bonded diamond/nanocarbon interface and actively suggests their application in highly‐corrosive and harsh environments.

Operation and Qualification of Coaxial Plasma Gun Modes With a Gas Puff Inlet

We describe the design, operation, and qualification of a coaxial plasma gun (CPG) in a low-pressure environment with a gas puff inlet. This infrastructure enables a CPG to operate in the deflagration mode followed by snowplow plasma sheath formation. These modes inject radially expanding and axially propagating plasma sheaths into a low-pressure residual background. This manuscript details the pulse power delivery circuit, including automatic logic control of subcircuits. High-speed camera images (12800 frames/s) of the formed plasma elucidate the ionization of an axially propagating plasma. Long-exposure images (1.3 s) capture the full propagation distance of the plasmoid. Rogowski coil current diagnostics elucidate the timing of a self-crowbar discharge that delineates between deflagration and snowplow modes. An empirically determined 50-ms gas puff duration resulted in a maximum plasma propagation distance of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\approx 23$ </tex-math></inline-formula> cm. Shorter durations did not ionize a sufficient amount of gas for elongated axial propagation, whereas longer durations suppressed axial plasma sheath expansion. This type of gas injection CPG device is now qualified for use in CPG experiments that require the snowplow mode and maximum mean free path of fast ions resulting from various plasma heating mechanisms. These include CPG operation within external magnetic fields in which significant plasma propagation distance is required, including solar physics experiments and space propulsion development.

Measuring characteristic differences between high- and low-performing discharges on the MegaJOuLe Neutron Imaging Radiography (MJOLNIR) DPF

A dense plasma focus (DPF) is a compact coaxial plasma gun, which completes its discharge as a Z-pinch, producing short (&amp;lt;100 ns) pulses of ions, x rays, and/or neutrons. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory recently constructed and began operating a new device, the MJOLNIR (MegaJOuLe Neutron Imaging Radiography) DPF, which is designed for single-pulse flash neutron radiography. This device has achieved neutron yields of up to 4.1 × 1011 neutrons/pulse at 3.3 MA peak current, and higher-current commissioning is under way. Like most DPFs, MJOLNIR exhibits variable yields in some configurations. We present evidence of the role of parasitic current paths within the gun in stochastically influencing the yield. First through “conditioning shots,” where new hardware has been introduced, we show that increased run-down and run-in speeds correlate with higher yields. These observations are consistent with current being delivered to the electrodes but not to the main plasma sheath, degrading the implosion-driving force. Once nominal conditions are established, we correlate low-performing discharges with smaller current dip and associated voltage spike for a fixed machine configuration. A snow-plow model is able to recreate small-magnitude current dips through the introduction of a parasitic current path, and particle-in-cell simulations establish how parasitic current paths lower the ion beam energy available to produce neutrons. Finally, we observe an increased likelihood of shots with low yield and smaller current dip with increasing fill pressure.

Preliminary study for the evaluation of a pulsed coaxial plasma gun for removal of iron rust stain from bone artifacts

• Iron stain is one of the most crucial aspects of archaeological bone deterioration. • Chemical reaction between bones and the iron stain was explained. • The coaxial plasma cleaning was used for the first time for removal of iron stain. • The efficiency of plasma cleaning depended on power, numbers of pulses, and etc. • Analytical methods were utilized for the evaluation of the coaxial plasma cleaning. The pulsed coaxial plasma gun is an effective and fast way to remove stains found on the surface of cultural heritage materials. Invisible oil films, dust deposition, corrosion products, or other contaminants can be cleaned by plasma. Iron stain can be found on bone when it is in direct contact with the corroded iron object or in proximity to the corrosion products in the soil. This study aims to evaluate the removal of iron stain from the surface of bone by using Pulsed coaxial plasma. Different parameters of pulsed plasma have been evaluated to reach the best condition of the treatment. Pulsed coaxial plasma was applied to modern bone samples artificially stained with ferric hydroxides. Analytical techniques used to evaluate the iron stain removal were digital microscope, SEM-EDX, FTIR, color measurement by UV spectrophotometer, AFM, pH value, and contact angle measurement. The results indicated that the coaxial plasma is highly effective for iron stain removal and does not affect treated bones. The best cleaning was performed by pulsed argon plasma at 50 pulses, pressure of 0.2 mbar, 0.5 cm distance, and 3kV plasma power.

First Experiments and Radiographs on the MegaJOuLe Neutron Imaging Radiography (MJOLNIR) Dense Plasma Focus

A dense plasma focus (DPF) is a relatively compact coaxial plasma gun, which completes its discharge as a Z-pinch. These devices are designed to operate at a variety of scales to produce short (&#x003C;100 ns) pulses of ions, X-rays, and/or neutrons. LLNL recently constructed and brought into operation a new device, the MegaJOuLe Neutron Imaging Radiography (MJOLNIR) DPF, which is designed for radiography and high-yield operations. This device has been commissioned and has achieved neutron yields of up to 3.8E11 neutrons/pulse at 2.5-MA peak current while operating at up to 1 MJ of stored energy in its original pulsed power configuration. MJOLNIR is equipped with a wide range of diagnostics, including nuclear activation detectors, neutron time-of-flight (nToF) detectors, a fast-framing camera, optical light gates, and a time-gated neutron and X-ray imager. LLNL also runs unique particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of DPF discharges in the Chicago code and has gained significant insight into the various physical factors that influence neutron yield. MJOLNIR is one of the first DPFs whose design and continual upgrades are heavily influenced by model predictions. In this article, we describe insights from modeling, device operation, and recent results. Comparisons between modeling predictions and measurements, as well as X-ray and neutron images are presented.

Temperature-Dependent Impedance Spectra of Nitrogen-Doped Ultrananocrystalline Diamond Films Grown on Si Substrates

Nitrogen-doped ultrananocrystalline diamond/hydrogenated amorphous-carbon (UNCD/a-C:H) composite films, grown on Si substrates by the coaxial arc plasma gun, were investigated using temperature-dependent impedance spectroscopy. The measurements were carried out in frequency and temperature ranges of 100 Hz–2 MHz and 300–400 K, respectively. Structurally, the nitrogen incorporation into the deposited films as well as sp2/sp3 ratio was studied by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), measured with synchrotron radiation. The results of temperature-dependent electrical conductance characterization of the examined films revealed that the heterogeneous structure possesses a low-frequency conduction mechanism with an activation energy of 46 meV. This possibly originated from charge carriers hopping in the deposited composite. Furthermore, the results manifested a relaxation process, with an activation energy of 41 meV, originated from space charges in grain boundaries of the films. Cole-Cole plots of measured and fitted impedance spectra exhibited equivalent resistance due to grain boundaries that are much smaller than that related to UNCD grains. This is owing to the nitrogen incorporated in the composite film inside the grain boundaries instead of the grains. This increases the concentration of charge carriers within the grain boundaries and therefore enhances their conductivity. Moreover, the deduced capacitance corresponding to grain boundaries was larger than that originated from the UNCD grains. This is due to the difference between the grain-size and grain-boundary width of the UNCD/a-C:H composite.

Effects of magnetized coaxial plasma gun operation on spheromak formation and plasma characteristics

Spheromak plasma formed by a magnetized coaxial plasma gun possesses high propagation velocity and electron density, which has been extensively investigated, for it has a variety of applications, such as fueling of fusion reactor, magnetized target fusion, and labratory simulations of astrophysical phenomena. Formation and optimization of the gun-type spheromak are studied by investigating the discharge characteristics of the gun and the scaling of plasma parameters with various operation conditions. Based on the spheromak formation mechanism, several significant operation parameters are identified, including peak value of gun current, bias flux, gas-puffed mass and the length of neutral gas distribution inside the gun channel: this length can be controlled by adjusting the time delay between gas injection and discharge of the capacitor bank to initiate gas breakdown and for a long time delay the current path distribution inside the gun channel can be characterized by a moving plasma ring which carries almost all of the gun current. Under a sufficient pressure of the self-generated field, the moving plasma ring with freezed toroidal field pushes the bias field into the vacuum chamber, the twisted field lines are then broken, reconnected, and thus forming a free spheromak. The injected gas is desired to exist only in the gun channel: if downstream region of the gun is filled with neutral gas, a weakly ionized and cold spheromak will be formed, which is not beneficial to practical applications. The multiple current path phenomenon is observed using two spatially separated magnetic coils inside the gun channel, excepting for the plasma ring, there are a stagnant current path and a reversed current path separately located in upstream and middle region of the gun channel. Development of the upstream current path is due to the residual charged particles deteached from the tail of accelerated plasma ring and the unswept netural particles, which reduces the energy injected into the plasma ring from capacitor bank, and thus having a negative effect on the performance of spheormak. The axial propagation velocity of spheromak, electron temperature and density are shown to increase with the capacitor bank voltage rising, which can be attributed to the elevation in energy injected into the plasma ring. Only higher electron density is obatined by increasing the gas-puffed mass, and the propagation velocity and electron temperature are observed to decrease. The energy injected into the plasma ring is independent of the gas-puffed mass, and electron density is elevated with gas-puffed mass increasing. Since the frequency of electron impact ionization increases, electrons undergo more collisions and transfer more energy to other particle species, thus the thermal energy of electrons decreases.

Research on an unconfined spheromak and its current path in a magnetized coaxial plasma gun

The dynamics of plasma and ejection characteristics of spheromaks produced by a magnetized coaxial plasma gun are studied. By placing three magnetic probes at various axial positions, the distribution of current paths in the gun is found to vary in two distinct discharge modes. During the first half-period of a discharge, the plasma moves forward in the form of a current sheet, while the diffuse distribution of current paths in the second half-period indicates a deflagration mode. The evolution images and photodiode signals of the plasma show that only a single spheromak is ejected during the entire discharge. This is because the diffuse current paths reduce the J×B Lorentz force on the leading-edge plasma, which cannot be ejected from the gun. In addition, the existence of kinks in the plasma flow in two discharge modes proves that the instability is driven by Er×Bz drift, which causes rotation of the central column. Spheromak velocities increase linearly with discharge current amplitude but are inversely proportional to the gas puff mass. In ejected spheromaks, both toroidal and poloidal magnetic fields are axisymmetric, with field strength increasing with discharge current. During magnetic reconnection events, the toroidal electric field Vz×Br drives toroidal current that generates an additional poloidal field that amplifies the starting magnetic field in the spheromak plasma. This study clarifies the relationship between the formation of a single spheromak and the current distribution, and also provides a new way to optimize the spheromak's injection performance.

Plasma exhaust in a sheared-flow-stabilized Z pinch

The fusion Z-pinch experiment device produces a 0.3 cm radius by 50 cm-long Z pinch between the end of the inner electrode of a coaxial plasma gun and an end wall 50 cm away. The plasma column is stabilized for thousands of instability growth times by an embedded radially sheared axial plasma flow. To investigate the effect of end wall design on Z-pinch plasma behavior, the solid end wall with a central exhaust port is replaced with a spoked end wall with a solid hub. While the Z-pinch plasma behavior was largely unaffected, the plasma exhausted from the Z-pinch provides an experimental platform to study magnetic confinement and detachment. Current and density signals are compared between two cases: a low energy and a high energy case. Plasma is found to be frozen-in flux in the Z-pinch assembly region. The exhaust of plasma from the flux conserving region is found to be dependent on the ratio of plasma ram and thermal pressures to the local magnetic pressure, calculated from an equilibrium model at the end wall. Plasma exhaust is observed to increase with the spoked end wall only for the high energy conditions as its ratio of ram and thermal pressures to the magnetic pressure increases.

Plasma characteristics of a tapered coaxial gun and its damage effect on tungsten target

• A tapered coaxial plasma gun with negative pulse was used to obtain more suitable plasma parameters for simulation of the Type- I ELM in tokamak. • The plasma parameters of the tapered coaxial gun were measured. The characteristics of plasma are analyzed. • Fusion plasma surface interactions relevant results were provided. Damage effect on target was analyzed. Due to the property of high energy density, temperature and density, the plasma prodced by the coaxial gun is usually untilized to simulate the Type- I ELM in tokamak. In this work, the plasma characteristics of a tapered coaxial gun was studied and its effect on the tungsten target was investigated. By using current probe, photodetector, spectrometer and calorimeter, it is found that the plasma energy density, density and velocity increase obviously with the discharge voltage. The maximum energy density could reach 1.4 MJ/m 2 , the maximum electron density could reach 3 × 10 15 /cm 3 , and the maximum ion kinetic energy could reach 113 eV at the voltage of 16 kV, which is suitable for simulating the type I Elms in Tokamak. After one shot, there are many cracks and ablative spots on the surface of W target. Whose size could reach ∼ μm by scanning electron microscope(SEM), this is because W material will become brittle after the frequent heating and cooling alternations under thermal shock and the melt motion driven by high plasma pressure gradient. With the Energy Dispersive Spectrometer(EDS), it can be seen that no matter from the cracks and other area of the surface after one shot, the impurity can be ignored. These results help us to better understand the damage effect of tungsten target for further research.