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Dynomak
Dynomak is a spheromak fusion reactor concept developed by the University of Washington using U.S. Department of Energy funding.
A dynomak is a spheromak that is started and maintained by magnetic flux injection. It is formed when an alternating current is used to induce a magnetic flux into plasma. An electric alternating current transformer uses the same induction process to create a secondary current. Once formed, the plasma inside a dynomak relaxes into its lowest energy state, while conserving overall flux. This is termed a Taylor state and inside the machine what is formed is a plasma structure named a spheromak. A dynomak is a kind of spheromak that is started and driven by externally induced magnetic fields.
Plasma is a fluid that conducts electricity, which gives it the unique property that it can be self-structured into vortex rings (e.g., smoke ring like objects) which include field-reversed configurations and spheromaks. A structured plasma has the advantage that it is hotter, denser and more controllable which makes it a good choice for a fusion reactor. But forming these plasma structures has been challenging since the first structures were observed in 1959 because they are inherently unstable.
In 1974, Dr. John B Taylor proposed that a spheromak could be formed by inducing a magnetic flux into a loop plasma. The plasma would then relax naturally into a spheromak also termed a Taylor state. This process worked if the plasma:
Later, in 1979, these claims were checked by Marshall Rosenbluth. In 1974, Dr. Taylor could only use results from the ZETA pinch device to back up these claims. But, since then, Taylor states have been formed in multiple machines including:
The dynomak evolved from the HIT-SI experiment. HIT-SI went through several upgrades: the HIT-SI3 (~2013 to ~2020) and HIT-SIU (post ~2020), both were variants on the same machine. These machines demonstrated that an inductive current can be used to make and sustain a spheromak plasma structure.
By definition, a dynomak is a plasma structure that is started, formed, and sustained using magnetic flux injection. Electric transformers use a similar process; a magnetic flux is created on the primary loop, and this makes an alternating current on the secondary side. Because of Faraday's law of induction, only a changing magnetic field can induce a secondary current – this is why a direct current transformer cannot exist. In a dynomak, magnetic induction is used to create a plasma current inside a plasma filled chamber. This gets the plasma moving and the system eventually relaxes into a Taylor state or spheromak. The relaxation process involves the flow of magnetic helicity (a twist in the field lines) from the injectors into the center of the machine.
Supporters of this heating approach have argued that induction is 2-3 orders of magnitude more efficient than radio frequency (RF) or neutral beam heating. If this is true, it gives a dynomak several distinct advantages over other fusion approaches like tokamaks or magnetic mirrors. But this is an open area of research; below are some examples of how effective inductive drive is in creating plasma current inside a dynomak.
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Dynomak AI simulator
(@Dynomak_simulator)
Dynomak
Dynomak is a spheromak fusion reactor concept developed by the University of Washington using U.S. Department of Energy funding.
A dynomak is a spheromak that is started and maintained by magnetic flux injection. It is formed when an alternating current is used to induce a magnetic flux into plasma. An electric alternating current transformer uses the same induction process to create a secondary current. Once formed, the plasma inside a dynomak relaxes into its lowest energy state, while conserving overall flux. This is termed a Taylor state and inside the machine what is formed is a plasma structure named a spheromak. A dynomak is a kind of spheromak that is started and driven by externally induced magnetic fields.
Plasma is a fluid that conducts electricity, which gives it the unique property that it can be self-structured into vortex rings (e.g., smoke ring like objects) which include field-reversed configurations and spheromaks. A structured plasma has the advantage that it is hotter, denser and more controllable which makes it a good choice for a fusion reactor. But forming these plasma structures has been challenging since the first structures were observed in 1959 because they are inherently unstable.
In 1974, Dr. John B Taylor proposed that a spheromak could be formed by inducing a magnetic flux into a loop plasma. The plasma would then relax naturally into a spheromak also termed a Taylor state. This process worked if the plasma:
Later, in 1979, these claims were checked by Marshall Rosenbluth. In 1974, Dr. Taylor could only use results from the ZETA pinch device to back up these claims. But, since then, Taylor states have been formed in multiple machines including:
The dynomak evolved from the HIT-SI experiment. HIT-SI went through several upgrades: the HIT-SI3 (~2013 to ~2020) and HIT-SIU (post ~2020), both were variants on the same machine. These machines demonstrated that an inductive current can be used to make and sustain a spheromak plasma structure.
By definition, a dynomak is a plasma structure that is started, formed, and sustained using magnetic flux injection. Electric transformers use a similar process; a magnetic flux is created on the primary loop, and this makes an alternating current on the secondary side. Because of Faraday's law of induction, only a changing magnetic field can induce a secondary current – this is why a direct current transformer cannot exist. In a dynomak, magnetic induction is used to create a plasma current inside a plasma filled chamber. This gets the plasma moving and the system eventually relaxes into a Taylor state or spheromak. The relaxation process involves the flow of magnetic helicity (a twist in the field lines) from the injectors into the center of the machine.
Supporters of this heating approach have argued that induction is 2-3 orders of magnitude more efficient than radio frequency (RF) or neutral beam heating. If this is true, it gives a dynomak several distinct advantages over other fusion approaches like tokamaks or magnetic mirrors. But this is an open area of research; below are some examples of how effective inductive drive is in creating plasma current inside a dynomak.