Equilibrium and stability studies for high beta plasmas in torsatron/heliotron devices

The equilibrium and stability properties of high β plasmas in torsatron/heliotron devices have been investigated. Three numerical approaches have been used to study plasma equilibria for a range of coil configurations. The method of averaging permits fast equilibrium and stability calculations. Two fully 3-D codes, namely the Chodura-Schluter code, and the NEAR code recently developed at ORNL, are used to explore selected regions of parameter space. The resulting equilibria calculated with different methods are in good agreement. This validates the average method approach and enhances its usefulness. Results are presented for configurations with different aspect ratios and number of field periods. The role of the vertical field has also been studied in detail. The main conclusion is that for moderate aspect ratios (Asub(p) <= 8), the self-stabilizing effect of the magnetic axis shift is large enough to open a direct path to the second stability regime. (author)