Experiments and Simulations on the Plasma Dynamics in Vacuum Transporting Lines Aimed at the Z‐Pinch IFE Reactor

A series of experiments has been carried out on the S‐300 pulsed power machine (3 MA, 0.15 Ohm, 100 ns), devoted to the study of a section of magnetically insulated vacuum transporting line (MITL), by the current flow density up to 500 MA/cm2, by the linear current flow density being up to 6 MA/cm. These parameters fairly correspond to those of the Sandia Laboratories’ conceptual project of IFE reactor based on the fast Z‐pinch. The goals of experiments were as follows: 1) study of the near‐electrode plasma and its effect on the energy transfer; 2) testing the 2‐temperature MHD code NPINCH modeling the behavior of near‐electrode plasmas. As a result, the conditions of plasma formation and reconnection of the MITL gap have been determined.