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Feasibility and performance of the staged Z-pinch: A one-dimensional study with FLASH and MACH2.
- Source :
- Physics of Plasmas; Apr2024, Vol. 31 Issue 4, p1-13, 13p
- Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Z-pinch platforms constitute a promising pathway to fusion energy research. Here, we present a one-dimensional numerical study of the staged Z-pinch (SZP) concept using the FLASH and MACH2 codes. We discuss the verification of the codes using two analytical benchmarks that include Z-pinch-relevant physics, building confidence on the codes' ability to model such experiments. Then, FLASH is used to simulate two different SZP configurations: a xenon gas-puff liner (SZP1<superscript>*</superscript>) and a silver solid liner (SZP2). The SZP2 results are compared against previously published MACH2 results, and a new code-to-code comparison on SZP1<superscript>*</superscript> is presented. Using an ideal equation of state and analytical transport coefficients, FLASH yields a fuel convergence ratio (CR) of approximately 39 and a mass-averaged fuel ion temperature slightly below 1 keV for the SZP2 scheme, significantly lower than the full-physics MACH2 prediction. For the new SZP1<superscript>*</superscript> configuration, full-physics FLASH simulations furnish large and inherently unstable CRs (>300) but achieve fuel ion temperatures of many kilo-electron volts. While MACH2 also predicts high temperatures, the fuel stagnates at a smaller CR. The integrated code-to-code comparison reveals how magnetic insulation, heat conduction, and radiation transport affect platform performance and the feasibility of the SZP concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1070664X
- Volume :
- 31
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Physics of Plasmas
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 177184931
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0187342