MCTrans++: A 0-D Model for Centrifugal Mirrors

Abstract

The centrifugal mirror confinement scheme incorporates supersonic rotation of a plasma into a magnetic mirror device. This concept has been shown experimentally to drastically decrease parallel losses (Teodorescu et al. 2010) and increase plasma stability (Huang & Hassam 2001) as compared to prior axisymmetric mirrors. MCTrans++ is a 0D scoping tool which rapidly models experimental operating points in the Centrifugal Mirror Fusion Experiment (CMFX) at the University of Maryland. In the low-collisionality regime, parallel losses can be modelled analytically. A confining potential is set up that is partially ambipolar and partially centrifugal. Due to the stabilising effects of flowshear, the perpendicular losses can be modelled as classical. Radiation losses such as Bremsstrahlung and cyclotron are taken into account. A neutrals model is included, and in some circumstances, charge-exchange losses are found to exceed all other loss mechanisms. We use the SUNDIALS ARKODE library to solve the underlying equations of this model; the resulting software is suitable for scanning large parameter spaces, and can also be used to model time-dependent phenomenon such as a capacitive discharge. MCTrans++ has been used to verify results from prior centrifugal mirrors, create an experimental plan for CMFX, and find configurations for future reactor-scale fusion devices.