Upgrade of the Gas Dynamic Trap: Physical Concepts and Numerical Models

The Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics Novosibirsk develops a project of an intense 14 MeV neutron source (NS) based on a gas dynamic trap (GDT) which is mainly intended for fusion material irradiation. Its actual disadvantage is the lack of data for the parameter range of the projected GDT-NS which does not yet allow a reliable interpolation from the parameters of the existing GDT experimental facility to the neutron source. At present, experimental and computational researches are carried out to complete the required data base.
So far, rather promising results have been achieved concerning the main plasma-physical issues like MHD stability, longitudinal confinement, cross-field transport and the fast ion behaviour [1,2]. For the investigations in the latter field the Integrated Transport Code System (ITCS) has been used [3,4]. These investigations must be extended to a higher level of plasma parameters. To this end a substantial upgrade of the GDT facility is planned. The main subsystems which are to be upgraded are the neutral beam injection (NBI) system and the magnetic field power supply. The higher power and the longer duration of the injection will provide a substantially higher energy content of the fast ions and, consequently, will increase the electron temperature.
During the last years several transport codes have been developed and applied for computational studies in parallel to the experimental research. They have been coupled by appropriate data file transfers to the ITCS. The report is focused on the application of the code system to study possible operation regimes of the upgraded GDT. The results of numerical simulations enable us to conclude that an electron temperature of 250-300 eV can be achieved in the GDT-Upgrade with a NBI of 10 MW and a duration of 3-6 ms. The maximum fast ion density in the region of their turning points is estimated at ~5x1013 cm-3.