Analysis of gas breakdown and electrostatic simulation characteristics of a Spherical Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion Chamber (SIEC-K)
Abstract
In this study, a spherical inertial electrostatic fusion reactor (SIEC-K) is designed, built and operated to analyze electrostatic characteristics and plasma breakdown conditions. The reactor consists of two spherical electrodes; where the anode is the outer chamber of the reactor made out of two aluminum hemispheres and the cathode is a combination of stainless-steel wires forming a cage like structure aligned within the center. Design considerations and processes are introduced as the execution of this technology sustains the fundamental grounds to understanding plasma breakdown. The conditions for plasma breakdown are that under a low-pressure environment where a certain potential difference is created between two electrodes, a deep potential well will be formed within the cathode region. The gas present in the reactor chamber will be ionized and the nucleus of the atoms will be accelerated towards the negative potential well, creating plasma breakdown. Considering that this study will not focus on nuclear fusion reactions, the main fuel source is chosen to be air and it is also very convenient to operate with. Electrostatic simulation was made to estimate the plasma region inside of the reactor and check if the proposed design is in accordance with the literature, which is to validate the formation of the potential well within the structure of the cathode. Pressure-voltage values within the range of hardware limitations (1-6 kV) for plasma breakdown values are recorded and qualitatively compared to their corresponding values for linear Paschen’s plasma breakdown voltage law. The main motivation behind this study is to uncover the basis of plasma characteristics of the SIEC-K Reactor for future studies.
Supporting Institution
Ankara University Institute of Nuclear Sciences
References
- Gamal M El-Aragi. “Building Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion Device Aimed for a Small Neutron Source”. High Energy Physics 4(6) (2017), pp. 88–92.
- Gamal M Elaragi. “Operation of Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion (IECF) Device Using Different Gases”. Journal of Fusion Energy 37(1) (2018), pp. 37–44.
- Ates Fettahoglu. How does pressure effect the plasma breakdown voltage of air as a fuel source in the designed IEC fusion reactor? Ankara, Mar. 2019. URL: http://tedprints.tedankara.k12.tr/939/.
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- E. C. G. Hermans. The design and optimization of an inertial electrostatic confinement fusion device — Eindhoven University of Technology research portal. Feb. 2013.
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- Prijil Mathew et al. “Experimental verification of modified Paschen’s law in DC glow discharge argon plasma”. AIP Advances 9(2) (2019), p. 025215.
- George H Miley and S Krupakar Murali. “Inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) fusion”. Fundamentals and Applications (2014).
- Matthew Smith. “Confining plasma in a spherically-convergent electrostatic potential well: the Farnsworth-Hirsch fusor” (2005).
- E. B. Sozer. Gaseous Discharges and Their Applications as High Power Plasma Switches. 2008.
- Krupakar Murali Subramanian. Diagnostic study of steady state advanced fuel (deuterium-deuterium and deuterium-tritium) fusion in an IEC device. The University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2004.
- Erik Wagenaars. Plasma Breakdown of Low-Pressure Gas Discharges. 2006. DOI: 10.6100/IR614696.
Abstract
References
- Gamal M El-Aragi. “Building Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion Device Aimed for a Small Neutron Source”. High Energy Physics 4(6) (2017), pp. 88–92.
- Gamal M Elaragi. “Operation of Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion (IECF) Device Using Different Gases”. Journal of Fusion Energy 37(1) (2018), pp. 37–44.
- Ates Fettahoglu. How does pressure effect the plasma breakdown voltage of air as a fuel source in the designed IEC fusion reactor? Ankara, Mar. 2019. URL: http://tedprints.tedankara.k12.tr/939/.
- M Ghasemi, M Habibi, and R Amrollahi. “Prediction of potential well structure formed in spherical inertial electrostatic confinement fusion devices with various parameters”. Journal of Plasma Physics 79(3) (2013), p. 295.
- E. C. G. Hermans. The design and optimization of an inertial electrostatic confinement fusion device — Eindhoven University of Technology research portal. Feb. 2013.
- S. H. M. Limpt. Characterization of fusor jets. 2013.
- Prijil Mathew et al. “Experimental verification of modified Paschen’s law in DC glow discharge argon plasma”. AIP Advances 9(2) (2019), p. 025215.
- George H Miley and S Krupakar Murali. “Inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) fusion”. Fundamentals and Applications (2014).
- Matthew Smith. “Confining plasma in a spherically-convergent electrostatic potential well: the Farnsworth-Hirsch fusor” (2005).
- E. B. Sozer. Gaseous Discharges and Their Applications as High Power Plasma Switches. 2008.
- Krupakar Murali Subramanian. Diagnostic study of steady state advanced fuel (deuterium-deuterium and deuterium-tritium) fusion in an IEC device. The University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2004.
- Erik Wagenaars. Plasma Breakdown of Low-Pressure Gas Discharges. 2006. DOI: 10.6100/IR614696.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Engineering |
| Journal Section | Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | June 25, 2021 |
| Submission Date | December 21, 2020 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2020 |