An extended neoclassical rotation theory (poloidal and toroidal) is developed from the fluid moment equations, using the Braginskii decomposition of the viscosity tensor extended to generalized curvilinear geometry and a neoclassical calculation of the parallel viscosity coefficient interpolated over collision regimes. Important poloidal dependences of density and velocity are calculated using the Miller equilibrium flux surface geometry representation, which takes into account elongation, triangularity, flux surface compression/expansion and the Shafranov shift. The resulting set of eight (for a two-ion-species plasma model) coupled nonlinear equations for the flux surface averaged poloidal and toroidal rotation velocities and for the up-down and in-out density asymmetries for both ion species are solved numerically. The numerical solution methodology, a combination of nonlinear Successive Over-Relaxation(SOR) and Simulated Annealing(SA), is also discussed. Comparison of prediction with measured carbon poloidal and toroidal rotation velocities in a co-injected and a counter-injected H-mode discharges in DIII-D [J. Luxon, Nucl. Fusion 42, 614 (2002)] indicates agreement to within <10% except in the very edge in the co-injected discharge.

The numerical simulation and modeling of plasma detachment from a magnetic nozzle is presented. The detachment problem is of key importance to the plasma-based propulsion concepts that employ a guiding magnetic field to control plasma flow and motivated by the needs of the VASIMR (Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket) project. The detachment of the plasma exhaust is required to produce directed thrust. In the present scenario plasma can stretch the magnetic field lines to infinity, similar to the solar wind. In order to extend the magnetic nozzle model beyond the limitations of analytic theory, a numerical code is developed to simulate steady-state kinetic plasma flows and to evaluate nozzle efficiency. The direct solution of a steady-state problem, as opposed to an initial value problem, eliminates the need to deal with transient phenomena that are of secondary importance for continuously operated plasma thrusters. The new simulation code is verified against the analytic results and then used to model the plasma behaviour for the conditions of the Detachment Demonstration Experiment (DDEX) at the NASA Marshall Propulsion Research Center, Huntsville, Alabama. / text

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A nonthermal carbon monoxide plasma is known to produce a solid deposition which is thought to be a polymer of carbon suboxide (C3O2); however there are very few investigations of this deposition in the literature. This thesis contains an analysis of the theoretical thermodynamics and kinetics of carbon suboxide formation as well as experimental results. The theoretical analysis suggests that carbon suboxide may be an equilibrium product even at ambient conditions but favors lower temperatures; furthermore if solid carbon is considered to be kinetically limited, and therefore not a product, then carbon suboxide is more likely to be a product under these pseudo-equilibrium conditions. Experimentally, solid films were produced in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) containing pure carbon monoxide. Optical emission spectroscopy was used to analyze the plasma and models of the emission spectra were created to determine the plasma temperatures. Deposition rates were determined to be on the order of 0.2 mg/min at a power of about 10W; it is expected however that these conditions are not optimized. The overall kinetics of carbon suboxide was analyzed and optimal conditions for operation can be estimated. Characterization of the solid depositions were carried out using Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectroscopy (ESI-MS), and Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Spectroscopy (MALDI-MS). The characteristics of the film are very comparable to hydrolyzed carbon suboxide polymer suggesting that carbon suboxide polymer were in fact created in the carbon monoxide plasma at atmospheric conditions.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1994. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-65).

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:25:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2003-11Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:53:27Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 teixeira_apgc_me_guara.pdf: 1933388 bytes, checksum: a65434c8c77296c8a4c1caf57b057917 (MD5) / Filmes poliméricos obtidos ou processados a plasma têm sido objeto de muita pesquisa, devido às suas características peculiares que os tornam promissores e por vezes únicos em diversas aplicações tecnológicas e industriais. Este trabalho apresenta os resultados de um estudo que objetiva a investigação da evolução temporal do perfil topográfico de superfície de filmes produzidos por processos a plasma a partir do Acetileno. São apresentados resultados sobre a estrutura molecular e propriedades como rugosidade e molhabilidade dos filmes poliméricos. O experimento foi realizado num reator a plasma, cilíndrico de pyrex, excitado indutivamente por rádio-freqüência. O plasma foi gerado a partir do monômero Acetileno numa pressão de 100mTorr, excitado por uma rádio-freqüência (13,56MHz) à 35W de potência. Deposições foram realizadas sobre substratos de InP com dois tipos de perfis de superfície: com padrão bem definido e sem definição. Para caracterização dos filmes foram utilizadas diferentes técnicas de diagnósticos: espectroscopia infravermelha para o estudo da estrutura molecular, medida de ângulo de contato e energia de superfície através de um goniômetro e microscopia de força atômica (AFM) para o estudo de topografia de superfície dos filmes. Os resultados indicaram que a estrutura dos filmes permaneceu constante independente do tempo de deposição. O caráter hidrofílico dos filmes foi mantido ao longo do tempo, com o ângulo de contato medido em torno de 50º. A microscopia 15 (AFM) mostrou as estruturas nanométricas da superfície dos filmes e ainda a rugosidade e a espessura dos mesmos. A constância média no valor do ângulo de contato medido e a constância da estrutura química dos filmes sugerem que a rugosidade da superfície dos mesmos seja também constante. Esta influência é comprovada pelas imagens e... . / Considerable efforts have been made by the internacional community to study plasma polymeric films motivated by interesting features of these films in technological and industrial applications. The present work reports the investigation on the time evolution of topographic profile of the surface of films produced by plasma processing with Acetylene. The results on the study of molecular structure and properties such as roughness and wettability were reported as well. The experiment was performed in a cylindrical Pyrex plasma reactor in inductively coupled configuration. The plasma was generated in Acetylene at 100mTorr with a 35W power supply connected to a circular antenna around discharge tube. Depositions were performed on InP substrate with a well defined and undefined profile patternof the surface. To characterize the films, different techiniques were applied: Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy to study molecular structure, goniometer to measure contact angle and surface energy and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to study the topography of the films. The results indicated that the structure of the films were the same, i.e., independent of the time used to produce the film. High hydrophilic films were obtained with contact angle around 50º. The AFM showed the nanoscale structure of the films surfaces and values of film thickness as well. Approximate same value of contact angle and chemical strcture in the films suggested same roughness on its surface. This was conffirmated by observations with AFM. 17 The images of microscale structure of film surface shows that original topography of the substrate are reproduced on the film. In conclusion, polymeric thin films on the InP substrate produced with Acetylene plasma are hydrophilic for well defined and undefined profile pattern of substrate surface. They have also similar chemical... (Complete abstract, click electronic address below).

Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:30:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:00:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 00956.pdf: 10327962 bytes, checksum: 71ac2457f781bcc0e415fc355cccc8fe (MD5) / Tese (Doutoramento) / IPEN/T / Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Cambridge, Mass - MIT

Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:30:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:00:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 00956.pdf: 10327962 bytes, checksum: 71ac2457f781bcc0e415fc355cccc8fe (MD5) / Tese (Doutoramento) / IPEN/T / Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Cambridge, Mass - MIT

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The study of shock-waves in supersonic plasma jets is essential to understanding the complex dynamics involved in many physical systems. Specifically, ion-species separation caused by a shock wave propagating through a plasma is an important but not yet well understood phenomenon. In inertial confinement fusion implosions, a shock wave precedes the rapid compression of a fuel pellet to ignition conditions that theory and computational studies suggest may be separating the fuel and reducing the neutron yield. In astrophysics, the shock wave produced when a supernovae explodes has been shown to have an effect on nucleosynthesis as a result of shock heating. In both these cases the time and length scales make them difficult to study experimentally, but experiments on more reasonable scales can shed light on these phenomena. This body of work provides the basis for doing just that. The work begins by describing the development of a small, linear, plasma-armature railgun designed to accelerate plasma jets in vacuum to high-Mach-number. This is followed by discussion of an experimental campaign to establish a plasma parameter space for the jets, in order to predict how effectively the accelerator can be used to study centimeter-scale shock structures in jet collisions. The final section presents an experimental campaign in which jet collisions are induced, and the resultant structures that appear during the collision are diagnosed to assess how conducive the experiment is to the future study of shock-wave induced species separation in laboratory plasmas. This work is a foundation for future experimental studies of ion-separation mechanisms in a multi-ion-species plasma. This research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under grant number PHY-1903442. / Doctor of Philosophy / Plasma, the so-called fourth state of matter, is an ionized gas that often behaves like a fluid but can also become magnetized and carry an electric current. This combination leads to a lot of interesting yet often un-intuitive physics, the study of which is very important for understanding a wide array of topics. One subset of this field is the study of shock-wave induced species separation. Just like the shock-wave a jet aircraft produces when it moves through the air at a speed greater than the speed of sound, a plasma shock is characterized by a large change in parameters like density, temperature, and pressure across a very small region. A shock-wave propagating through a plasma can cause different ion species present to separate out, a phenomenon that is driven by the gradients that are present across a shock front. Understanding how these mechanisms work is important to a number of applications, including fusion energy research and astrophysical events. The first section of this work discusses the design and development of a plasma-armature railgun, a device that can produce and accelerate jets of plasma to high-Mach-number within a vacuum chamber. The next and most substantive section of the work presents results from experimental campaigns to characterize the accelerated plasma jets and then to induce plasma-jet collisions with the hope of producing shock-waves that exist on time and spatial scales that can be readily measured in a laboratory setting. This work is a foundation for future experimental attempts to measure separation induced by a shock-wave in order to better understand these complex phenomena.