DEVELOPMENT IN DIII-D OF HIGH BETA DISCHARGES APPROPRIATE FOR STEADY-STATE TOKAMAK OPERATION WITH BURNING PLASMAS

Ideally, tokamak power plants will operate in steady-state at high fusion gain. Recent work at DIII-D on the development of suitable high beta discharges with 100% of the plasma current generated noninductively (f{sub NI} = 1) is described. In a discharge with 1.5 2, {beta}{sub N} = 4 has been achieved for 2 s {approx} {tau}{sub R}. In a high internal inductance scenario, which maximizes the ideal no-wall stability limit, {beta}{sub N} {approx} 4.8 has been reached with f{sub NI} > 1.« less