Development of a high energy pulsed plasma simulator for the study of liquid lithium trenches

•A pulse device for a liquid lithium trench study is developed.•It consists of a coaxial plasma gun, a theta pinch, and guiding magnets.•A large energy enhancement is observed with the use of the plasma gun.•A further increase in energy and velocity is observed with the theta pinch.

To simulate detrimental events in a tokamak and provide a test-stand for a liquid-lithium infused trench (LiMIT) device [1], a pulsed plasma source utilizing a theta pinch in conjunction with a coaxial plasma accelerator has been developed. The plasma is characterized using a triple Langmuir probe, optical methods, and a calorimeter. Clear advantages have been observed with the application of a coaxial plasma accelerator as a pre-ionization source. The experimental results of the plasma gun in conjunction with the existing theta pinch show a significant improvement from the previous energy deposition by a factor of 14 or higher, resulting in a maximum energy and heat flux of 0.065 ± 0.002 MJ/m2 and 0.43 ± 0.01 GW/m2. A few ways to further increase the plasma heat flux for LiMIT experiments are discussed.