Ignition and Steady-State Current Drive Capability of INTOR Plasma

The confinement capability of the INTOR plasma for achieving ignition and noninductively driven, Q > 5 steady-state operation has been assessed for various energy confinement scaling laws and current drive schemes by using a global power balance model. Plasma operation contours are used to illustrate the boundaries of the operating regimes in density-temperature (n-T) space. Results of the analysis indicate a very restricted capability (if any) for ignition and a limited flexibility in driven modes of operation in the INTOR (8-MA) design. Nearly a factor of two increase in plasma current (through stronger plasma shaping) could improve the feasibility of ignition in INTOR.