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Magnetic Fields and Magnetic Diagnostics for Tokamak Plasmas

Magnetic Fields and Magnetic Diagnostics for Tokamak Plasmas

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<strong>Magnetic</strong> fields <strong>and</strong> tokamak plasmas<br />

Alan Wootton<br />

20 . THE IRON CORE<br />

Many tokamaks have an iron core to ensure good coupling between the primary winding <strong>and</strong> the<br />

plasma. This iron core has the additional advantage of keeping 'stray' fields away from<br />

diagnostic apparatus. However, it complicates the study of the plasma equilibrium, because the<br />

free space expressions <strong>for</strong> the fields produced by circular conductors are no longer applicable.<br />

Here all I want to do is to point out that iron is a pain to deal with.<br />

X<br />

poloidal field<br />

I<br />

iron<br />

iron<br />

Figure 20.1. A straight iron cylinder Figure 20.2. An iron core with an air<br />

surrounding a plasma<br />

gap, with a linked plasma (current I).<br />

The iron core introduces a new boundary condition. It is often stated incorrectly that the lines of<br />

<strong>for</strong>ce enter a medium of infinite permeability (the iron) perpendicularly, but this is not always<br />

true. A simple example of a straight iron cylinder surrounding a straight wire with current shows<br />

this not to always be the case: in Figure 20.1 the field lines are tangential to the iron boundary.<br />

A correct boundary condition, <strong>for</strong> the normal component of the induction, is<br />

B n<br />

( air) = µ 0<br />

H n<br />

( air) = µH n<br />

( iron) = B n<br />

( iron) 20.1<br />

For permeability u very large we can take H n approaching 0 just inside the iron, so that<br />

H n<br />

( iron) = 0 20.2<br />

(from the continuity of B n ) <strong>and</strong> add the boundary condition<br />

H τ<br />

is continuous 20.3<br />

144

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