The Energy Storage System for a 3.5-Megajoule Magnetic Compression Experiment

The Scylla experimental program has shown that a small volume of high temperature (>107°K) plasma can be produced by the application of a fast-rising, sinusoidal, axial magnetic field to a volume of partially ionized deuterium gas. The apparatus described was designed to produce a plasma with the same final density and temperature as in a net energy-producing plasma but for a much shorter containment time. However, the magnetic half period will be of sufficient length to allow the stability problem to be studied thoroughly. The engineering aspects of the 3.5 Mjoule experiment, Scylla IV, are discussed in detail. The basic problems in the design are those of minimizing the source inductance, providing electrical insulation for tens of kilovolts and providing transmission systems and switches capable of handling currents of 20 to 30 megamperes. The design of the capacitor banks, switching system, cabling and cable headers, and collector plates is described.