Preliminary results of experimental studies from low pressure inertial electrostatic confinement device

Abstract

In this study, Turkey's first low pressure inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) device, constructed at the Saraykoy Nuclear Research and Training Center (SNRTC-IEC), is introduced and the first results are reported. This device was designed for neutronic fusion studies in terms of D-D reaction. The SNRTC-IEC device consists of spherical chamber 300 mm in diameter and a grid-type spherical cathode in which high negative voltage is applied at the center of chamber. The outer surface of the device held at ground potential has 10 ports to connect the vacuum pump, high voltage load, residual gas analyzer, ion sources and other peripherals. Cathode voltage is 85 kV and it is particularly emphasized that the SNRTC-IEC device is studied at low pressure (1-10 × 10-4 mbar). The maximum total neutron production rate is measured at around 2.4 × 104 neutrons per second for the medium grid cathode. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.