The Vacuum Design for ATC

The parameters for the design of vacuum vessels for plasma physics experiments usually are base pressure required, plasma volume, and the geometry of the magnetic field coils. For the Adiabatic Toroidal Compressor (ATC) machine now being constructed at Princeton, the plasma´s major and minor diameter changes during compression, and the compression field rise time requires a high electrical resistance for the vacuum vessel. These additional parameters dictate a unique vacuum vessel design. We shall discuss the geometry, construction details, and stress considerations for this design.