Development of frequency modulation reflectometer for Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seo, Seong-Heon; Wi, H. M.; Lee, W. R.

2013-08-15

Frequency modulation reflectometer has been developed to measure the plasma density profile of the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research tokamak. Three reflectometers are operating in extraordinary polarization mode in the frequency range of Q band (33.6–54 GHz), V band (48–72 GHz), and W band (72–108 GHz) to measure the density up to 7 × 10{sup 19} m{sup −3} when the toroidal magnetic field is 2 T on axis. The antenna is installed inside of the vacuum vessel. A new vacuum window is developed by using 50 μm thick mica film and 0.1 mm thick gold gasket. The filter bank ofmore » low pass filter, notch filter, and Faraday isolator is used to reject the electron cyclotron heating high power at attenuation of 60 dB. The full frequency band is swept in 20 μs. The mixer output is directly digitized with sampling rate of 100 MSamples/s. The phase is obtained by using wavelet transform. The whole hardware and software system is described in detail and the measured density profile is presented as a result.« less

Electron Cyclotron Current Drive Efficiency in General Tokamak Geometry and Its Application to Advanced Tokamak Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin-Liu, Y. R.; Chan, V. S.; Luce, T. C.; Prater, R.

1998-11-01

Owing to relativistic mass shift in the cyclotron resonance condition, a simple and accurate interpolation formula for estimating the current drive efficiency, such as those(S.C. Chiu et al.), Nucl. Fusion 29, 2175 (1989).^,(D.A. Ehst and C.F.F. Karney, Nucl. Fusion 31), 1933 (1991). commonly used in FWCD, is not available in the case of ECCD. In this work, we model ECCD using the adjoint techniques. A semi-analytic adjoint function appropriate for general tokamak geometry is obtained using Fisch's relativistic collision model. Predictions of off-axis ECCD qualitatively and semi-quantitatively agrees with those of Cohen,(R.H. Cohen, Phys. Fluids 30), 2442 (1987). currently implemented in the raytracing code TORAY. The dependences of the current drive efficiency on the wave launch configuration and the plasma parameters will be presented. Strong absorption of the wave away from the resonance layer is shown to be an important factor in optimizing the off-axis ECCD for application to advanced tokamak operations.

The effect of the inductive electric field on ion poloidal rotation in all collisionality regimes for the primary ions in tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pan Chengkang; Wang Shaojie; Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031

2007-11-15

The expression for the poloidal rotation velocity of the primary ions that is caused by the parallel inductive electric field in tokamaks and valid in all collisionality regimes is derived via the Hirshman-Sigmar moment approach. Also the expression of the collisional impurity ions poloidal rotation velocity that is caused by the parallel inductive electric field in tokamaks is derived. The poloidal rotation velocities of the primary ions and the impurity ions are sensitive to the primary ion collisionality parameter and the impurity strength parameter. The poloidal rotation velocities of the primary ions and the impurity ions decrease with the primarymore » ion collisionality parameter and decrease with the impurity strength parameter.« less

Status of the tokamak program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheffield, J.

1981-08-01

For a specific configuration of magnetic field and plasma to be economically attractive as a commercial source of energy, it must contain a high-pressure plasma in a stable fashion while thermally isolating the plasma from the walls of the containment vessel. The tokamak magnetic configuration is presently the most successful in terms of reaching the considered goals. Tokamaks were developed in the USSR in a program initiated in the mid-1950s. By the early 1970s tokamaks were operating not only in the USSR but also in the U.S., Australia, Europe, and Japan. The advanced state of the tokamak program is indicated by the fact that it is used as a testbed for generic fusion development - for auxiliary heating, diagnostics, materials - as well as for specific tokamak advancement. This has occurred because it is the most economic source of a large, reproducible, hot, dense plasma. The basic tokamak is considered along with tokamak improvements, impurity control, additional heating, particle and power balance in a tokamak, aspects of microscopic transport, and macroscopic stability.

Halo current diagnostic system of experimental advanced superconducting tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, D. L.; Shen, B.; Sun, Y.

2015-10-15

The design, calibration, and installation of disruption halo current sensors for the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak are described in this article. All the sensors are Rogowski coils that surround conducting structures, and all the signals are analog integrated. Coils with two different cross-section sizes have been fabricated, and their mutual inductances are calibrated. Sensors have been installed to measure halo currents in several different parts of both the upper divertor (tungsten) and lower divertor (graphite) at several toroidal locations. Initial measurements from disruptions show that the halo current diagnostics are working well.

The ARIES Advanced and Conservative Tokamak Power Plant Study

DOE PAGES

Kessel, C. E; Tillak, M. S; Najmabadi, F.; ...

2015-12-22

Tokamak power plants are studied with advanced and conservative design philosophies to identify the impacts on the resulting designs and to provide guidance to critical research needs. Incorporating updated physics understanding and using more sophisticated engineering and physics analysis, the tokamak configurations have developed a more credible basis compared with older studies. The advanced configuration assumes a self-cooled lead lithium blanket concept with SiC composite structural material with 58% thermal conversion efficiency. This plasma has a major radius of 6.25 m, a toroidal field of 6.0 T, a q₉₅ of 4.5, aᵦ total N of 5.75, an H98 of 1.65,more » an n/n Gr of 1.0, and a peak divertor heat flux of 13.7 MW/m² . The conservative configuration assumes a dual-coolant lead lithium blanket concept with reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel structural material and helium coolant, achieving a thermal conversion efficiency of 45%. The plasma has a major radius of 9.75 m, a toroidal field of 8.75 T, a q₉₅ of 8.0, aᵦ total N of 2.5, an H₉₈ of 1.25, an n/n Gr of 1.3, and a peak divertor heat flux of 10 MW/m² . The divertor heat flux treatment with a narrow power scrape off width has driven the plasmas to larger major radius. Edge and divertor plasma simulations are targeting a basis for high radiated power fraction in the divertor, which is necessary for solutions to keep the peak heat flux in the range 10 to 15 MW/m² . Combinations of the advanced and conservative approaches show intermediate sizes. A new systems code using a database approach has been used and shows that the operating point is really an operating zone with some range of plasma and engineering parameters and very similar costs of electricity. Other papers in this issue provide more detailed discussion of the work summarized here.« less

Numerical studies of edge localized instabilities in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, H. R.; Snyder, P. B.; Huysmans, G. T. A.; Miller, R. L.

2002-04-01

A new computational tool, edge localized instabilities in tokamaks equilibria (ELITE), has been developed to help our understanding of short wavelength instabilities close to the edge of tokamak plasmas. Such instabilities may be responsible for the edge localized modes observed in high confinement H-mode regimes, which are a serious concern for next step tokamaks because of the high transient power loads which they can impose on divertor target plates. ELITE uses physical insight gained from analytic studies of peeling and ballooning modes to provide an efficient way of calculating the edge ideal magnetohydrodynamic stability properties of tokamaks. This paper describes the theoretical formalism which forms the basis for the code.

Fishbone activity in experimental advanced superconducting tokamak neutral beam injection plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Liqing; Zhang, Jizong; Chen, Kaiyun, E-mail: Kychen@ipp.cas.cn, E-mail: lqhu@ipp.cas.cn

2015-12-15

Repetitive fishbones near the trapped ion procession frequency were observed for the first time in the neutral beam injection high confinement plasmas in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) tokamak, and diagnosed using a solid-state neutral particle analyzer based on a compact silicon photodiode together with an upgraded high spatial-temporal-resolution multi-arrays soft X-ray (SX) system. This 1/1 typical internal kink mode propagates in the ion-diamagnetism direction with a rotation speed faster than the bulk plasma in the plasma frame. From the SX measurements, this mode frequency is typical of chirping down and the energetic particle effect related to the twisting modemore » structure. This ion fishbone was found able to trigger a multiple core sawtooth crashes with edge-2/1 sideband modes, as well as to lead to a transition from fishbone to long lived saturated kink mode to fishbone. Furthermore, using SX tomography, a correlation between mode amplitude and mode frequency was found. Finally, a phenomenological prey–predator model was found to reproduce the fishbone nonlinear process well.« less

New steady-state quiescent high-confinement plasma in an experimental advanced superconducting tokamak.

PubMed

Hu, J S; Sun, Z; Guo, H Y; Li, J G; Wan, B N; Wang, H Q; Ding, S Y; Xu, G S; Liang, Y F; Mansfield, D K; Maingi, R; Zou, X L; Wang, L; Ren, J; Zuo, G Z; Zhang, L; Duan, Y M; Shi, T H; Hu, L Q

2015-02-06

A critical challenge facing the basic long-pulse high-confinement operation scenario (H mode) for ITER is to control a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instability, known as the edge localized mode (ELM), which leads to cyclical high peak heat and particle fluxes at the plasma facing components. A breakthrough is made in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak in achieving a new steady-state H mode without the presence of ELMs for a duration exceeding hundreds of energy confinement times, by using a novel technique of continuous real-time injection of a lithium (Li) aerosol into the edge plasma. The steady-state ELM-free H mode is accompanied by a strong edge coherent MHD mode (ECM) at a frequency of 35-40 kHz with a poloidal wavelength of 10.2 cm in the ion diamagnetic drift direction, providing continuous heat and particle exhaust, thus preventing the transient heat deposition on plasma facing components and impurity accumulation in the confined plasma. It is truly remarkable that Li injection appears to promote the growth of the ECM, owing to the increase in Li concentration and hence collisionality at the edge, as predicted by GYRO simulations. This new steady-state ELM-free H-mode regime, enabled by real-time Li injection, may open a new avenue for next-step fusion development.

The ARIES Advanced And Conservative Tokamak (ACT) Power Plant Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kessel, C. E.; Poli, F. M.; Ghantous, K.

2014-03-05

Tokamak power plants are studied with advanced and conservative design philosophies in order to identify the impacts on the resulting designs and to provide guidance to critical research needs. Incorporating updated physics understanding, and using more sophisticated engineering and physics analysis, the tokamak configurations have developed a more credible basis compared to older studies. The advanced configuration assumes a self-cooled lead lithium (SCLL) blanket concept with SiC composite structural material with 58% thermal conversion efficiency. This plasma has a major radius of 6.25 m, a toroidal field of 6.0 T, a q95 of 4.5, a βN total of 5.75, Hmore » 98 of 1.65, n/nGr of 1.0, and peak divertor heat flux of 13.7 MW/m 2. The conservative configuration assumes a dual coolant lead lithium (DCLL) blanket concept with ferritic steel structural material and helium coolant, achieving a thermal conversion efficiency of 45%. The plasma major radius is 9.75 m, a toroidal field of 8.75 T, a q95 of 8.0, a βN total of 2.5, H 98 of 1.25, n/n Gr of 1.3, and peak divertor heat flux of 10 MW/m 2. The divertor heat flux treatment with a narrow power scrape-off width has driven the plasmas to larger major radius. Edge and divertor plasma simulations are targeting a basis for high radiated power fraction in the divertor, which is necessary for solutions to keep the peak heat flux in the range of 10-15 MW/m 2. Combinations of the advanced and conservative approaches show intermediate sizes. A new systems code using a database approach has been used and shows that the operating point is really an operating zone with some range of plasma and engineering parameters and very similar costs of electricity. Papers in this issue provide more detailed discussion of the work summarized here.« less

Fishbone Oscillations in the Experimental Advanced Superconductivity Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Li-Qing; Hu, Li-Qun; Yuan, Yi; Li, Ying-Ying; Zhong, Guo-Qiang; Liu, Hai-Qing; Chen, Kai-Yun; Shi, Tong-Hui; Duan, Yan-Min

2018-03-01

A fishbone oscillation was observed in the neutral beam injection plasma at Experimental Advanced Superconductivity Tokamak (EAST). This m = 1/n = 1 ( m, n: poloidal, toroidal mode numbers, respectively) typical internal kink mode travels in the ion-diamagnetism direction in the poloidal section with a rotation speed close to the ion diamagnetic drift frequency. A high thermal plasma beta and high amounts of energetic ions are necessary for the mode to develop. Fishbone oscillations can expel heavy impurities in the core, which favors sustaining a high-performance plasma. The born frequency of the fishbone oscillation is the ion diamagnetic drift frequency and the chirping down of the frequency during the initial growth phase is the result of a drop in iondiamagnetic drift frequency. The excitation energy is thought to be due to the thermal plasma pressure gradient; however, the development of a fishbone oscillation is related to energetic ions.

Parameter exploration for a Compact Advanced Tokamak DEMO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weisberg, D. B.; Buttery, R. J.; Ferron, J. R.; Garofalo, A. M.; Snyder, P. B.; Turnbull, A. D.; Holcomb, C. T.; McClenaghan, J.; Canik, J.; Park, J.-M.

2017-10-01

A new parameter study has explored a range of design points to assess the physics feasibility for a compact 200MWe advanced tokamak DEMO that combines high beta (βN < 4) and high toroidal field (BT = 6 - 7 T). A unique aspect of this study is the use of a FASTRAN modeling suite that combines integrated transport, pedestal, stability, and heating & current drive calculations to predict steady-state solutions with neutral beam and helicon powered current drive. This study has identified a range of design solutions in a compact (R0 = 4 m), high-field (BT = 6 - 7 T), strongly-shaped (κ = 2 , δ = 0.6) device. Unlike previous proposals, C-AT DEMO takes advantage of high-beta operation as well as emerging advances in magnet technology to demonstrate net electric production in a moderately sized machine. We present results showing that the large bootstrap fraction and low recirculating power enabled by high normalized beta can achieve tolerable heat and neutron load with good H-mode access. The prediction of operating points with simultaneously achieved high-confinement (H98 < 1.3), high-density (fGW < 1.3), and high-beta warrants additional assessment of this approach towards a cost-attractive DEMO device. Work supported by the US DOE under DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Compatibility of internal transport barrier with steady-state operation in the high bootstrap fraction regime on DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Garofalo, Andrea M.; Gong, Xianzu; Grierson, Brian A.; ...

2015-11-16

Recent EAST/DIII-D joint experiments on the high poloidal beta tokamak regime in DIII-D have demonstrated fully noninductive operation with an internal transport barrier (ITB) at large minor radius, at normalized fusion performance increased by ≥30% relative to earlier work. The advancement was enabled by improved understanding of the “relaxation oscillations”, previously attributed to repetitive ITB collapses, and of the fast ion behavior in this regime. It was found that the “relaxation oscillations” are coupled core-edge modes 2 amenable to wall-stabilization, and that fast ion losses which previously dictated a large plasma-wall separation to avoid wall over-heating, can be reduced tomore » classical levels with sufficient plasma density. By using optimized waveforms of the plasma-wall separation and plasma density, fully noninductive plasmas have been sustained for long durations with excellent energy confinement quality, bootstrap fraction ≥ 80%, β N ≤ 4 , β P ≥ 3 , and β T ≥ 2%. Finally, these results bolster the applicability of the high poloidal beta tokamak regime toward the realization of a steady-state fusion reactor.« less

Burning plasma regime for Fussion-Fission Research Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakharov, Leonid E.

2010-11-01

The basic aspects of burning plasma regimes of Fusion-Fission Research Facility (FFRF, R/a=4/1 m/m, Ipl=5 MA, Btor=4-6 T, P^DT=50-100 MW, P^fission=80-4000 MW, 1 m thick blanket), which is suggested as the next step device for Chinese fusion program, are presented. The mission of FFRF is to advance magnetic fusion to the level of a stationary neutron source and to create a technical, scientific, and technology basis for the utilization of high-energy fusion neutrons for the needs of nuclear energy and technology. FFRF will rely as much as possible on ITER design. Thus, the magnetic system, especially TFC, will take advantage of ITER experience. TFC will use the same superconductor as ITER. The plasma regimes will represent an extension of the stationary plasma regimes on HT-7 and EAST tokamaks at ASIPP. Both inductive discharges and stationary non-inductive Lower Hybrid Current Drive (LHCD) will be possible. FFRF strongly relies on new, Lithium Wall Fusion (LiWF) plasma regimes, the development of which will be done on NSTX, HT-7, EAST in parallel with the design work. This regime will eliminate a number of uncertainties, still remaining unresolved in the ITER project. Well controlled, hours long inductive current drive operation at P^DT=50-100 MW is predicted.

Small angle slot divertor concept for long pulse advanced tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, H. Y.; Sang, C. F.; Stangeby, P. C.; Lao, L. L.; Taylor, T. S.; Thomas, D. M.

2017-04-01

SOLPS-EIRENE edge code analysis shows that a gas-tight slot divertor geometry with a small-angle (glancing-incidence) target, named the small angle slot (SAS) divertor, can achieve cold, dissipative/detached divertor conditions at relatively low values of plasma density at the outside midplane separatrix. SAS exhibits the following key features: (1) strong enhancement of the buildup of neutral density in a localized region near the plasma strike point on the divertor target; (2) spreading of the cooling front across the divertor target with the slot gradually flaring out from the strike point, thus effectively reducing both heat flux and erosion on the entire divertor target surface. Such a divertor may potentially provide a power and particle handling solution for long pulse advanced tokamaks.

Equilibrium, confinement and stability of runaway electrons in tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Spong, D A

1976-03-01

Some of the ramifications of the runaway population in tokamak experiments are investigated. Consideration is given both to the normal operating regime of tokamaks where only a small fraction of high energy runaways are present and to the strong runaway regime where runaways are thought to carry a significant portion of the toroidal current. In particular, the areas to be examined are the modeling of strong runaway discharges, single particle orbit characteristics of runaways, macroscopic beam-plasma equilibria, and stability against kink modes. A simple one-dimensional, time-dependent model has been constructed in relation to strong runaway discharges. Single particle orbits aremore » analyzed in relation to both the strong runaway regime and the weak regime. The effects of vector E x vector B drifts are first considered in strong runaway discharges and are found to lead to a slow inward shrinkage of the beam. Macroscopic beam-plasma equilibria are treated assuming a pressureless relativistic beam with inertia and using an ideal MHD approximation for the plasma. The stability of a toroidal relativistic beam against kink perturbations is examined using several models. (MOW)« less

Physics evaluation of compact tokamak ignition experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Uckan, N.A.; Houlberg, W.A.; Sheffield, J.

1985-01-01

At present, several approaches for compact, high-field tokamak ignition experiments are being considered. A comprehensive method for analyzing the potential physics operating regimes and plasma performance characteristics of such ignition experiments with O-D (analytic) and 1-1/2-D (WHIST) transport models is presented. The results from both calculations are in agreement and show that there are regimes in parameter space in which a class of small (R/sub o/ approx. 1-2 m), high-field (B/sub o/ approx. 8-13 T) tokamaks with aB/sub o/S/q/sub */ approx. 25 +- 5 and kappa = b/a approx. 1.6-2.0 appears ignitable for a reasonable range of transport assumptions. Consideringmore » both the density and beta limits, an evaluation of the performance is presented for various forms of chi/sub e/ and chi/sub i/, including degradation at high power and sawtooth activity. The prospects of ohmic ignition are also examined. 16 refs., 13 figs.« less

Electron transport fluxes in potato plateau regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaing, K. C.; Hazeltine, R. D.

1997-12-01

Electron transport fluxes in the potato plateau regime are calculated from the solutions of the drift kinetic equation and fluid equations. It is found that the bootstrap current density remains finite in the region close to the magnetic axis, although it decreases with increasing collision frequency. This finite amount of the bootstrap current in the relatively collisional regime is important in modeling tokamak startup with 100% bootstrap current.

High Performance Regimes in Alcator C-Mod at High Magnetic Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marmar, E. S.; Alcator C-Mod Team

2017-10-01

Alcator is the only divertor tokamak in the world capable of operating at magnetic fields up to 8 T, equaling and exceeding that planned for ITER. Using RF and microwave tools for auxiliary heating and current drive, C-Mod accesses high pressure, high density, reactor-relevant regimes with no external torque and equilibrated electrons and ions, with exclusive use of high-Z metal plasma-facing components. The 2016 experimental campaign focused on naturally ELM-suppressed, enhanced energy confinement regimes (including I-mode and EDA H-mode, and approaches to super-H-mode), with emphasis on operation at the highest fields (52 atm.) was achieved. Taken together, combined with previous results from C-Mod and the world tokamak database, these results form a strong foundation for the high field, compact approach to achieving fusion energy production. New advances in high temperature, high field superconductors open the possibilities for practical development of this path for commercial fusion. Supported by USDOE.

The study of heat flux for disruption on experimental advanced superconducting tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Zhendong; Fang, Jianan; Gong, Xianzu; Gan, Kaifu; Luo, Jiarong; Zhao, Hailin; Cui, Zhixue; Zhang, Bin; Chen, Meiwen

2016-05-01

Disruption of the plasma is one of the most dangerous instabilities in tokamak. During the disruption, most of the plasma thermal energy is lost, which causes damages to the plasma facing components. Infrared (IR) camera is an effective tool to detect the temperature distribution on the first wall, and the energy deposited on the first wall can be calculated from the surface temperature profile measured by the IR camera. This paper concentrates on the characteristics of heat flux distribution onto the first wall under different disruptions, including the minor disruption and the vertical displacement events (VDE) disruption. Several minor disruptions have been observed before the major disruption under the high plasma density in experimental advanced superconducting tokamak. During the minor disruption, the heat fluxes are mainly deposited on the upper/lower divertors. The magnetic configuration prior to the minor disruption is a lower single null with the radial distance between the two separatrices in the outer midplane dRsep = -2 cm, while it changes to upper single null (dRsep = 1.4 cm) during the minor disruption. As for the VDE disruption, the spatial distribution of heat flux exhibits strong toroidal and radial nonuniformity, and the maximum heat flux received on the dome plate can be up to 11 MW/m2.

Some Aspects of Advanced Tokamak Modeling in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

St John, H. E.; Petty, C. C.; Murakami, M.; Kinsey, J. E.

2000-10-01

We extend previous work(M. Murakami, et al., General Atomics Report GA-A23310 (1999).) done on time dependent DIII-D advanced tokamak simulations by introducing theoretical confinement models rather than relying on power balance derived transport coefficients. We explore using NBCD and off axis ECCD together with a self-consistent aligned bootstrap current, driven by the internal transport barrier dynamics generated with the GLF23 confinement model, to shape the hollow current profile and to maintain MHD stable conditions. Our theoretical modeling approach uses measured DIII-D initial conditions to start off the simulations in a smooth consistent manner. This mitigates the troublesome long lived perturbations in the ohmic current profile that is normally caused by inconsistent initial data. To achieve this goal our simulation uses a sequence of time dependent eqdsks generated autonomously by the EFIT MHD equilibrium code in analyzing experimental data to supply the history for the simulation.

ICRF fast wave current drive and mode conversion current drive in EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, L.; Yang, C.; Gong, X. Y.; Lu, X. Q.; Du, D.; Chen, Y.

2017-10-01

Fast wave in the ion-cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) range is a promising candidate for non-inductive current drive (CD), which is essential for long pulse and high performance operation of tokamaks. A numerical study on the ICRF fast wave current drive (FWCD) and mode-conversion current drive (MCCD) in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) is carried out by means of the coupled full wave and Ehst-Karney parameterization methods. The results show that FWCD efficiency is notable in two frequency regimes, i.e., f ≥ 85 MHz and f = 50-65 MHz, where ion cyclotron absorption is effectively avoided, and the maximum on-axis driven current per unit power can reach 120 kA/MW. The sensitivity of the CD efficiency to the minority ion concentration is confirmed, owing to fast wave mode conversion, and the peak MCCD efficiency is reached for 22% minority-ion concentration. The effects of the wave-launch position and the toroidal wavenumber on the efficiency of current drive are also investigated.

Magnetic diagnostics for the lithium tokamak experiment.

PubMed

Berzak, L; Kaita, R; Kozub, T; Majeski, R; Zakharov, L

2008-10-01

The lithium tokamak experiment (LTX) is a spherical tokamak with R(0)=0.4 m, a=0.26 m, B(TF) approximately 3.4 kG, I(P) approximately 400 kA, and pulse length approximately 0.25 s. The focus of LTX is to investigate the novel low-recycling lithium wall operating regime for magnetically confined plasmas. This regime is reached by placing an in-vessel shell conformal to the plasma last closed flux surface. The shell is heated and then coated with liquid lithium. An extensive array of magnetic diagnostics is available to characterize the experiment, including 80 Mirnov coils (single and double axis, internal and external to the shell), 34 flux loops, 3 Rogowskii coils, and a diamagnetic loop. Diagnostics are specifically located to account for the presence of a secondary conducting surface and engineered to withstand both high temperatures and incidental contact with liquid lithium. The diagnostic set is therefore fabricated from robust materials with heat and lithium resistance and is designed for electrical isolation from the shell and to provide the data required for highly constrained equilibrium reconstructions.

A flowing liquid lithium limiter for the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ren, J.; Zuo, G. Z.; Hu, J. S.

2015-02-15

A program involving the extensive and systematic use of lithium (Li) as a “first,” or plasma-facing, surface in Tokamak fusion research devices located at Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, was started in 2009. Many remarkable results have been obtained by the application of Li coatings in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) and liquid Li limiters in the HT-7 Tokamak—both located at the institute. In furtherance of the lithium program, a flowing liquid lithium (FLiLi) limiter system has been designed and manufactured for EAST. The design of the FLiLi limiter is based on the concept of a thinmore » flowing film which was previously tested in HT-7. Exploiting the capabilities of the existing material and plasma evaluation system on EAST, the limiter will be pre-wetted with Li and mechanically translated to the edge of EAST during plasma discharges. The limiter will employ a novel electro-magnetic pump which is designed to drive liquid Li flow from a collector at the bottom of limiter into a distributor at its top, and thus supply a continuously flowing liquid Li film to the wetted plasma-facing surface. This paper focuses on the major design elements of the FLiLi limiter. In addition, a simulation of incoming heat flux has shown that the distribution of heat flux on the limiter surface is acceptable for a future test of power extraction on EAST.« less

Effect of 3D magnetic perturbations on divertor conditions and detachment in tokamak and stellarator

DOE PAGES

Ahn, J. -W.; Briesemester, A. R.; Kobayashi, M.; ...

2017-06-22

Enhanced perpendicular heat and momentum transport induces parallel pressure loss leading to divertor detachment, which can be produced by the increase of density in 2D tokamaks. However, in the 3D configurations such as tokamaks with 3D fields and stellarators, the fraction of perpendicular transport can be higher even in a lower density regime, which could lead to the early transition to detachment without passing through the high-recycling regime. 3D fields applied to the limiter tokamak plasmas produce edge stochastic layers close to the last closed flux surface (LCFS), which can allow for enhanced perpendicular transport and indeed the absence ofmore » high recycling regime and early detachment have been observed in TEXTOR and Tore Supra. However, in the X-point divertor tokamaks with the applied 3D fields, the parallel transport is still dominant and the detachment facilitation has not been observed yet. Rather, 3D fields affected detachment adversely under certain conditions, either by preventing detachment onset as seen in DIII-D or by re-attaching the existing detached plasma as shown in NSTX. The possible way for strong 3D effects to induce access to the early detachment in divertor tokamaks appears to be via significant perpendicular loss of parallel momentum by frictional force for the counter-streaming flows between neighboring flow channels in the divertor. In principle, the adjacent lobes in the 3D divertor tokamak may generate the counter-streaming flow channels. However, an EMC3-EIRENE simulation for ITER H-mode plasmas demonstrated that screened RMP leads to significantly reduced counter-flows near the divertor target, therefore the momentum loss effect leading to detachment facilitation is expected to be small. This is consistent with the observation in LHD, which showed screening (amplification) of RMP fields in the attachment (stable detachment) case. In conclusion, work for optimal parameter window for best divertor operation scenario is

Effect of 3D magnetic perturbations on divertor conditions and detachment in tokamak and stellarator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ahn, J. -W.; Briesemester, A. R.; Kobayashi, M.

Enhanced perpendicular heat and momentum transport induces parallel pressure loss leading to divertor detachment, which can be produced by the increase of density in 2D tokamaks. However, in the 3D configurations such as tokamaks with 3D fields and stellarators, the fraction of perpendicular transport can be higher even in a lower density regime, which could lead to the early transition to detachment without passing through the high-recycling regime. 3D fields applied to the limiter tokamak plasmas produce edge stochastic layers close to the last closed flux surface (LCFS), which can allow for enhanced perpendicular transport and indeed the absence ofmore » high recycling regime and early detachment have been observed in TEXTOR and Tore Supra. However, in the X-point divertor tokamaks with the applied 3D fields, the parallel transport is still dominant and the detachment facilitation has not been observed yet. Rather, 3D fields affected detachment adversely under certain conditions, either by preventing detachment onset as seen in DIII-D or by re-attaching the existing detached plasma as shown in NSTX. The possible way for strong 3D effects to induce access to the early detachment in divertor tokamaks appears to be via significant perpendicular loss of parallel momentum by frictional force for the counter-streaming flows between neighboring flow channels in the divertor. In principle, the adjacent lobes in the 3D divertor tokamak may generate the counter-streaming flow channels. However, an EMC3-EIRENE simulation for ITER H-mode plasmas demonstrated that screened RMP leads to significantly reduced counter-flows near the divertor target, therefore the momentum loss effect leading to detachment facilitation is expected to be small. This is consistent with the observation in LHD, which showed screening (amplification) of RMP fields in the attachment (stable detachment) case. In conclusion, work for optimal parameter window for best divertor operation scenario is

Design of a magnetic shielding system for the time of flight enhanced diagnostics neutron spectrometer at Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cui, Z. Q.; Chen, Z. J.; Xie, X. F.

2014-11-15

The novel neutron spectrometer TOFED (Time of Flight Enhanced Diagnostics), comprising 90 individual photomultiplier tubes coupled with 85 plastic scintillation detectors through light guides, has been constructed and installed at Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak. A dedicated magnetic shielding system has been constructed for TOFED, and is designed to guarantee the normal operation of photomultiplier tubes in the stray magnetic field leaking from the tokamak device. Experimental measurements and numerical simulations carried out employing the finite element method are combined to optimize the design of the magnetic shielding system. The system allows detectors to work properly in an external magnetic fieldmore » of 200 G.« less

Filterscope diagnostic system on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Z.; Wu, C. R.; Yao, X. J.

2016-11-15

A filterscope diagnostic system has been mounted to observe the line emission and visible bremsstrahlung emission from plasma on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak during the 2014 campaign. By this diagnostic system, multiple wavelengths including D{sub α} (656.1 nm), D{sub γ} (433.9 nm), He II (468.5 nm), Li I (670.8 nm), Li II (548.3 nm), C III (465.0 nm), O II (441.5 nm), Mo I (386.4 nm), W I (400.9 nm), and visible bremsstrahlung radiation (538.0 nm) are monitored with corresponding wavelength filters. All these multi-channel signals are digitized at up to 200 kHz simultaneously. This diagnostic plays a crucialmore » role in studying edge localized modes and H-mode plasmas, due to the high temporal resolution and spatial resolution that have been designed into it.« less

The study of heat flux for disruption on experimental advanced superconducting tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Zhendong, E-mail: dongyz@ipp.ac.cn, E-mail: jafang@dhu.edu.cn; Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031; Fang, Jianan, E-mail: dongyz@ipp.ac.cn, E-mail: jafang@dhu.edu.cn

Disruption of the plasma is one of the most dangerous instabilities in tokamak. During the disruption, most of the plasma thermal energy is lost, which causes damages to the plasma facing components. Infrared (IR) camera is an effective tool to detect the temperature distribution on the first wall, and the energy deposited on the first wall can be calculated from the surface temperature profile measured by the IR camera. This paper concentrates on the characteristics of heat flux distribution onto the first wall under different disruptions, including the minor disruption and the vertical displacement events (VDE) disruption. Several minor disruptionsmore » have been observed before the major disruption under the high plasma density in experimental advanced superconducting tokamak. During the minor disruption, the heat fluxes are mainly deposited on the upper/lower divertors. The magnetic configuration prior to the minor disruption is a lower single null with the radial distance between the two separatrices in the outer midplane dR{sub sep} = −2 cm, while it changes to upper single null (dR{sub sep} = 1.4 cm) during the minor disruption. As for the VDE disruption, the spatial distribution of heat flux exhibits strong toroidal and radial nonuniformity, and the maximum heat flux received on the dome plate can be up to 11 MW/m{sup 2}.« less

Transitions to improved confinement regimes induced by changes in heating in zero-dimensional models for tokamak plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu, H.; Chapman, S. C.; Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden

2014-06-15

It is shown that rapid substantial changes in heating rate can induce transitions to improved energy confinement regimes in zero-dimensional models for tokamak plasma phenomenology. We examine for the first time the effect of step changes in heating rate in the models of Kim and Diamond [Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 185006 (2003)] and Malkov and Diamond [Phys. Plasmas 16, 012504 (2009)], which nonlinearly couple the evolving temperature gradient, micro-turbulence, and a mesoscale flow; and in the extension of Zhu et al. [Phys. Plasmas 20, 042302 (2013)], which couples to a second mesoscale flow component. The temperature gradient rises, as doesmore » the confinement time defined by analogy with the fusion context, while micro-turbulence is suppressed. This outcome is robust against variation of heating rise time and against introduction of an additional variable into the model. It is also demonstrated that oscillating changes in heating rate can drive the level of micro-turbulence through a period-doubling path to chaos, where the amplitude of the oscillatory component of the heating rate is the control parameter.« less

Neutron field measurement at the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak using a Bonner sphere spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Zhimeng; Zhong, Guoqiang; Ge, Lijian; Du, Tengfei; Peng, Xingyu; Chen, Zhongjing; Xie, Xufei; Yuan, Xi; Zhang, Yimo; Sun, Jiaqi; Fan, Tieshuan; Zhou, Ruijie; Xiao, Min; Li, Kai; Hu, Liqun; Chen, Jun; Zhang, Hui; Gorini, Giuseppe; Nocente, Massimo; Tardocchi, Marco; Li, Xiangqing; Chen, Jinxiang; Zhang, Guohui

2018-07-01

The neutron field measurement was performed in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) experimental hall using a Bonner sphere spectrometer (BSS) based on a 3He thermal neutron counter. The measured spectra and the corresponding integrated neutron fluence and dose values deduced from the spectra at two exposed positions were compared to the calculated results obtained by a general Monte Carlo code MCNP5, and good agreements were found. The applicability of a homemade dose survey meter installed at EAST was also verified with the comparison of the ambient dose equivalent H*(10) values measured by the meter and BSS.

Advances in Dust Detection and Removal for Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campos, A.; Skinner, C. H.; Roquemore, A. L.; Leisure, J. O. V.; Wagner, S.

2008-11-01

Dust diagnostics and removal techniques are vital for the safe operation of next step fusion devices such as ITER. An electrostatic dust detector[1] developed in the laboratory is being applied to NSTX. In the tokamak environment, large particles or fibres can fall on the grid potentially causing a permanent short. We report on the development of a gas puff system that uses helium to clear such particles from the detector. Experiments with varying nozzle designs, backing pressures, puff durations, and exit flow orientations have obtained an optimal configuration that effectively removes particles from a 25 cm^2 area. Dust removal from next step tokamaks will be required to meet regulatory dust limits. A tripolar grid of fine interdigitated traces has been designed that generates an electrostatic travelling wave for conveying dust particles to a ``drain.'' First trials have shown particle motion in optical microscope images. [1] C. H. Skinner et al., J. Nucl. Mater., 376 (2008) 29.

Twenty Years of Research on the Alcator C-Mod Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenwald, Martin

2013-10-01

Alcator C-Mod is a compact, high-field tokamak, whose unique design and operating parameters have produced a wealth of new and important results since its start in 1993, contributing data that extended tests of critical physical models into new parameter ranges and into new regimes. Using only RF for heating and current drive with innovative launching structures, C-Mod operates routinely at very high power densities. Research highlights include direct experimental observation of ICRF mode-conversion, ICRF flow drive, demonstration of Lower-Hybrid current drive at ITER-like densities and fields and, using a set of powerful new diagnostics, extensive validation of advanced RF codes. C-Mod spearheaded the development of the vertical-target divertor and has always operated with high-Z metal plasma facing components--an approach adopted for ITER. C-Mod has made ground-breaking discoveries in divertor physics and plasma-material interactions at reactor-like power and particle fluxes and elucidated the critical role of cross-field transport in divertor operation, edge flows and the tokamak density limit. C-Mod developed the I-mode and EDA H-mode regimes which have high performance without large ELMs and with pedestal transport self-regulated by short-wavelength electromagnetic waves. C-Mod has carried out pioneering studies of intrinsic rotation and found that self-generated flow shear can be strong enough to significantly modify transport. C-Mod made the first quantitative link between pedestal temperature and H-mode performance, showing that the observed self-similar temperature profiles were consistent with critical-gradient-length theories and followed up with quantitative tests of nonlinear gyrokinetic models. Disruption studies on C-Mod provided the first observation of non-axisymmetric halo currents and non-axisymmetric radiation in mitigated disruptions. Work supported by U.S. DoE

Overview of RWM Stabilization and Other Experiments With New Internal Coils in the DIII-D Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, G. L.; Evans, T. E.; La Haye, R. J.; Kellman, A. G.; Schaffer, M. J.; Scoville, J. T.; Strait, E. J.; Szymanski, D. D.; Bialek, J.; Garofalo, A. M.; Navratil, G. A.; Reimerdes, H.; Edgell, D. H.; Okabayashi, M.; Hatcher, R.

2003-10-01

A set of 12 single-turn internal coils (I-coils) has been installed and operated in the DIII-D tokamak. The primary purpose of these coils (A_coil = 1.1 m^2, I ≤,7 kA, d_wall = 1.47 cm) is to improve stabilization of the n=1 resistive wall mode (RWM), compared to the existing external C-coil set, especially for high βN advanced tokamak discharges in low toroidal rotation plasmas. The versatility of the I-coil set and its associated power systems allow for a variety of experiments: fast feedback stabilization of RWMs, dc error field correction, edge stochastic fields, n=1,2, or 3 toroidal magnetic braking, and MHD spectroscopy (0-60 Hz). The resonant field amplification from an applied n=1 field was found to be completely suppressed, demonstrating successfully the controllability with the new system. With the I-coils, the high βN regime (above the no wall limit) has been explored both with RWM feedback and with dynamic error field correction. Experiments on edge ergodization will also be discussed.

Electromagnetic banana kinetic equation and its applications in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaing, K. C.; Chu, M. S.; Sabbagh, S. A.; Seol, J.

2018-03-01

A banana kinetic equation in tokamaks that includes effects of the finite banana width is derived for the electromagnetic waves with frequencies lower than the gyro-frequency and the bounce frequency of the trapped particles. The radial wavelengths are assumed to be either comparable to or shorter than the banana width, but much wider than the gyro-radius. One of the consequences of the banana kinetics is that the parallel component of the vector potential is not annihilated by the orbit averaging process and appears in the banana kinetic equation. The equation is solved to calculate the neoclassical quasilinear transport fluxes in the superbanana plateau regime caused by electromagnetic waves. The transport fluxes can be used to model electromagnetic wave and the chaotic magnetic field induced thermal particle or energetic alpha particle losses in tokamaks. It is shown that the parallel component of the vector potential enhances losses when it is the sole transport mechanism. In particular, the fact that the drift resonance can cause significant transport losses in the chaotic magnetic field in the hitherto unknown low collisionality regimes is emphasized.

High Harmonic Fast Wave Damping on an Ion Beam: NSTX and DIII-D Regimes Compared

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinsker, R. I.; Choi, C. C.; Petty, C. C.; Porkolab, M.; Wilson, J. R.; Murakami, M.; Harvey, R. W.

2004-11-01

Both NSTX and DIII-D use the combination of fast Alfven waves (FW) and neutral beam injection (NBI) for central electron heating and current drive. Damping of the fast wave on the beam ions at moderate to high harmonics (4th--20th) of the beam ion cyclotron frequency represents a loss process. In DIII-D current drive experiments at low density in which 4th and 8th harmonics were compared, damping at the 8th harmonic damping was much weaker than at the 4th [1]. However, recent simulations have predicted that in higher density and higher beam power regimes (of interest to the Advanced Tokamak program) the beam ion absorption will transition to the unmagnetized ion regime, where the damping is significant and essentially independent of harmonic number. In the present work, the transition from magnetized to unmagnetized ion regimes for the NSTX and DIII-D HHFW experiments is studied theoretically, with a combination of simple semi-analytic models and numerical models. \\vspace0.25 em [1] C.C. Petty, et al., Plasma Phys. and Contr. Fusion 43, 1747 (2001).

Radioactivity evaluation for the KSTAR tokamak.

PubMed

Kim, Hyunduk; Lee, Hee-Seock; Hong, Sukmo; Kim, Minho; Chung, Chinwha; Kim, Changsuk

2005-01-01

The deuterium-deuterium (D-D) reaction in the KSTAR (Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research) tokamak generates neutrons with a peak yield of 2.5 x 10(16) s(-1) through a pulse operation of 300 s. Since the structure material of the tokamak is irradiated with neutrons, this environment will restrict work around and inside the tokamak from a radiation protection physics point of view after shutdown. Identification of neutron-produced radionuclides and evaluation of absorbed dose in the structure material are needed to develop a guiding principle for radiation protection. The activation level was evaluated by MCNP4C2 and an inventory code, FISPACT. The absorbed dose in the working area decreased by 4.26 x 10(-4) mrem h(-1) in the inner vessel 1.5 d after shutdown. Furthermore, tritium strongly contributes to the contamination in the graphite tile. The amount of tritium produced by neutrons was 3.03 x 10(6) Bq kg(-1) in the carbon graphite of a plasma-facing wall.

Advanced tokamak investigations in full-tungsten ASDEX Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bock, A.; Doerk, H.; Fischer, R.; Rittich, D.; Stober, J.; Burckhart, A.; Fable, E.; Geiger, B.; Mlynek, A.; Reich, M.; Zohm, H.; ASDEX Upgrade Team

2018-05-01

The appropriate tailoring of the q-profile is the key to accessing Advanced Tokamak (AT) scenarios, which are of great benefit to future all-metal fusion power plants. Such scenarios depend on low collisionality ν* which permits efficient external current drive and high amounts of intrinsic bootstrap current. At constant pressure, lowering of the electron density ne leads to a strong decrease in the collisionality with increasing electron temperature ν* ˜ Te-3 . Simultaneously, the conditions for low ne also benefit impurity accumulation. This paper reports on how radiative collapses due to central W accumulation were overcome by improved understanding of the changes to recycling and pumping, substantially expanded ECRH capacities for both heating and current drive, and a new solid W divertor capable of withstanding the power loads at low ne. Furthermore, it reports on various improvements to the reliability of the q-profile reconstruction. A candidate steady state scenario for ITER/DEMO (q95 = 5.3, βN = 2.7, fbs > 40%) is presented. The ion temperature profiles are steeper than predicted by TGLF, but nonlinear electromagnetic gyro-kinetic analyses with GENE including fast particle effects matched the experimental heat fluxes. A fully non-inductive scenario at higher q95 = 7.1 for current drive model validation is also discussed. The results show that non-inductive operation is principally compatible with full-metal machines.

Numerical modelling of geodesic acoustic mode relaxation in a tokamak edge

DOE PAGES

Dorf, M. A.; Cohen, R. H.; Dorr, M.; ...

2013-05-08

Here, the edge of a tokamak in a high confinement (H mode) regime is characterized by steep density gradients and a large radial electric field. Recent analytical studies demonstrated that the presence of a strong radial electric field consistent with a subsonic pedestal equilibrium modifies the conventional results of the neoclassical formalism developed for the core region. In the present work we make use of the recently developed gyrokinetic code COGENT to numerically investigate neoclassical transport in a tokamak edge including the effects of a strong radial electric field. The results of numerical simulations are found to be in goodmore » qualitative agreement with the theoretical predictions and the quantitative discrepancy is discussed. In addition, the present work investigates the effects of a strong radial electric field on the relaxation of geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) in a tokamak edge. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the presence of a strong radial electric field characteristic of a tokamak pedestal can enhance the GAM decay rate, and heuristic arguments elucidating this finding are provided.« less

Stability at high performance in the MAST spherical tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buttery, R. J.; Akers, R.; Arends, E.; Conway, N. J.; Counsell, G. F.; Cunningham, G.; Gimblett, C. G.; Gryaznevich, M.; Hastie, R. J.; Hole, M. J.; Lehane, I.; Martin, R.; Patel, A.; Pinfold, T.; Sauter, O.; Taylor, D.; Turri, G.; Valovic, M.; Walsh, M. J.; Wilson, H. R.; MAST Team

2004-09-01

The development of reliable H-modes on MAST, together with advances in heating power and a range of high spatial resolution diagnostics, has provided a platform to enable MAST to address some of the most important issues of tokamak stability. In particular the high bgr potential of the spherical tokamak is highlighted with stable operation at bgrN ~ 5-6, bgrT ~ 16% and bgrp up to ~2. Magnetic diagnostic evaluation of the global bgr parameters is independently confirmed by kinetic profile data. Calculations indicate that the bgrN values are in the vicinity of no-wall stability limits. Studies of neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) have been extended to explore their effects and develop avoidance strategies. Experiments have demonstrated that sawteeth play a strong role in triggering NTMs—by avoiding large sawteeth a much higher bgrN value has been reached. The significance of NTMs is confirmed, with large islands observed using the 300 point Thomson scattering diagnostic, and locking of large n = 1 modes frequently leading to disruptions, which become more rapid at low q95. The role of error fields has been explored. H-mode plasmas are also limited by edge localized modes (ELMs), with confinement degraded as the ELM frequency rises. However, in contrast to the conventional tokamak, the ELMs in high performing regimes on MAST (HIPB98Y2 ~ 1) appear to be type III in nature. Modelling using the ELITE code, which incorporates finite n corrections, identifies instability to peeling modes, consistent with a type III interpretation. It also shows considerable scope to raise pressure gradients before ballooning type modes (perhaps associated with type I ELMs) occur. The calculations show that narrow pedestals can support much stronger pressure gradients than might be expected from simple n = infin ballooning calculations. Finally sawteeth are shown to degrade confinement by ~10-15% in particular cases examined. They are observed not to remove the q = 1 surface in the cases

Impedance of an intense plasma-cathode electron source for tokamak startup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinson, E. T.; Barr, J. L.; Bongard, M. W.; Burke, M. G.; Fonck, R. J.; Perry, J. M.

2016-05-01

An impedance model is formulated and tested for the ˜1 kV , 1 kA/cm2 , arc-plasma cathode electron source used for local helicity injection tokamak startup. A double layer sheath is established between the high-density arc plasma ( narc≈1021 m-3 ) within the electron source, and the less dense external tokamak edge plasma ( nedge≈1018 m-3 ) into which current is injected at the applied injector voltage, Vinj . Experiments on the Pegasus spherical tokamak show that the injected current, Iinj , increases with Vinj according to the standard double layer scaling Iinj˜Vinj3 /2 at low current and transitions to Iinj˜Vinj1 /2 at high currents. In this high current regime, sheath expansion and/or space charge neutralization impose limits on the beam density nb˜Iinj/Vinj1 /2 . For low tokamak edge density nedge and high Iinj , the inferred beam density nb is consistent with the requirement nb≤nedge imposed by space-charge neutralization of the beam in the tokamak edge plasma. At sufficient edge density, nb˜narc is observed, consistent with a limit to nb imposed by expansion of the double layer sheath. These results suggest that narc is a viable control actuator for the source impedance.

From pure fusion to fusion-fission Demo tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirnov, S. V.

2013-04-01

The major requirements for pure fusion tokamak reactors and tokamak-based fusion neutron sources (FNS) are analyzed together with possible paths from the present-day tokamak towards the FNS tokamak. The FNS are of interest for traditional fission reactors as a method of waste management by burning of long-lived transuranic radionuclides (minorities) and fission fuel breeding. The Russian fission community places several hard requirements on the quality of FNS suitable for the first step of the investigation program of minority burning and breeding. They are (a) a steady-state regime of neutron production (more than 80% of the operational time), (b) a neutron power flux density greater than >0.2 MW m-2, (c) a total surface integrated neutron power >10 MW. Among the different FNS projects, based on magnetically confined plasmas, only ‘classical tokamak’ is most likely to fulfill these requirements in the nearest future. Some of the most important improvements of the ‘classical tokamak’ needed for successful realization of the FNS are (1) decrease in Zeff (probably, by making use of lithium as a part of plasma-facing components), (2) He removal and closed loop DT fuel circulation, (3) increase in the energy of stationary injected neutral tritium beams up to 150-170 keV and (4) control of impurity contamination at the plasma center (probably, by local RF heating). These key issues are discussed.

Dynamic diagnostics of the error fields in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pustovitov, V. D.

2007-07-01

The error field diagnostics based on magnetic measurements outside the plasma is discussed. The analysed methods rely on measuring the plasma dynamic response to the finite-amplitude external magnetic perturbations, which are the error fields and the pre-programmed probing pulses. Such pulses can be created by the coils designed for static error field correction and for stabilization of the resistive wall modes, the technique developed and applied in several tokamaks, including DIII-D and JET. Here analysis is based on the theory predictions for the resonant field amplification (RFA). To achieve the desired level of the error field correction in tokamaks, the diagnostics must be sensitive to signals of several Gauss. Therefore, part of the measurements should be performed near the plasma stability boundary, where the RFA effect is stronger. While the proximity to the marginal stability is important, the absolute values of plasma parameters are not. This means that the necessary measurements can be done in the diagnostic discharges with parameters below the nominal operating regimes, with the stability boundary intentionally lowered. The estimates for ITER are presented. The discussed diagnostics can be tested in dedicated experiments in existing tokamaks. The diagnostics can be considered as an extension of the 'active MHD spectroscopy' used recently in the DIII-D tokamak and the EXTRAP T2R reversed field pinch.

Radial and poloidal correlation reflectometry on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qu, Hao; Zhang, Tao; Han, Xiang

2015-08-15

An X-mode polarized V band (50 GHz–75 GHz) radial and poloidal correlation reflectometry is designed and installed on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). Two frequency synthesizers (12 GHz–19 GHz) are used as sources. Signals from the sources are up-converted to V band using active quadruplers and then coupled together for launching through one single pyramidal antenna. Two poloidally separated antennae are installed to receive the reflected waves from plasma. This reflectometry system can be used for radial and poloidal correlation measurement of the electron density fluctuation. In ohmically heated plasma, the radial correlation length is about 1.5 cm measured bymore » the system. The poloidal correlation analysis provides a means to estimate the fluctuation velocity perpendicular to the main magnetic field. In the present paper, the distance between two poloidal probing points is calculated with ray-tracing code and the propagation time is deduced from cross-phase spectrum. Fluctuation velocity perpendicular to the main magnetic field in the core of ohmically heated plasma is about from −1 km/s to −3 km/s.« less

Final technical report for DE-SC00012633 AToM (Advanced Tokamak Modeling)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Holland, Christopher; Orlov, Dmitri; Izzo, Valerie

This final report for the AToM project documents contributions from University of California, San Diego researchers over the period of 9/1/2014 – 8/31/2017. The primary focus of these efforts was on performing validation studies of core tokamak transport models using the OMFIT framework, including development of OMFIT workflow scripts. Additional work was performed to develop tools for use of the nonlinear magnetohydrodynamics code NIMROD in OMFIT, and its use in the study of runaway electron dynamics in tokamak disruptions.

Overview of progress in European medium sized tokamaks towards an integrated plasma-edge/wall solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, H.; Eich, T.; Beurskens, M.; Coda, S.; Hakola, A.; Martin, P.; Adamek, J.; Agostini, M.; Aguiam, D.; Ahn, J.; Aho-Mantila, L.; Akers, R.; Albanese, R.; Aledda, R.; Alessi, E.; Allan, S.; Alves, D.; Ambrosino, R.; Amicucci, L.; Anand, H.; Anastassiou, G.; Andrèbe, Y.; Angioni, C.; Apruzzese, G.; Ariola, M.; Arnichand, H.; Arter, W.; Baciero, A.; Barnes, M.; Barrera, L.; Behn, R.; Bencze, A.; Bernardo, J.; Bernert, M.; Bettini, P.; Bilková, P.; Bin, W.; Birkenmeier, G.; Bizarro, J. P. S.; Blanchard, P.; Blanken, T.; Bluteau, M.; Bobkov, V.; Bogar, O.; Böhm, P.; Bolzonella, T.; Boncagni, L.; Botrugno, A.; Bottereau, C.; Bouquey, F.; Bourdelle, C.; Brémond, S.; Brezinsek, S.; Brida, D.; Brochard, F.; Buchanan, J.; Bufferand, H.; Buratti, P.; Cahyna, P.; Calabrò, G.; Camenen, Y.; Caniello, R.; Cannas, B.; Canton, A.; Cardinali, A.; Carnevale, D.; Carr, M.; Carralero, D.; Carvalho, P.; Casali, L.; Castaldo, C.; Castejón, F.; Castro, R.; Causa, F.; Cavazzana, R.; Cavedon, M.; Cecconello, M.; Ceccuzzi, S.; Cesario, R.; Challis, C. D.; Chapman, I. T.; Chapman, S.; Chernyshova, M.; Choi, D.; Cianfarani, C.; Ciraolo, G.; Citrin, J.; Clairet, F.; Classen, I.; Coelho, R.; Coenen, J. W.; Colas, L.; Conway, G.; Corre, Y.; Costea, S.; Crisanti, F.; Cruz, N.; Cseh, G.; Czarnecka, A.; D'Arcangelo, O.; De Angeli, M.; De Masi, G.; De Temmerman, G.; De Tommasi, G.; Decker, J.; Delogu, R. S.; Dendy, R.; Denner, P.; Di Troia, C.; Dimitrova, M.; D'Inca, R.; Dorić, V.; Douai, D.; Drenik, A.; Dudson, B.; Dunai, D.; Dunne, M.; Duval, B. P.; Easy, L.; Elmore, S.; Erdös, B.; Esposito, B.; Fable, E.; Faitsch, M.; Fanni, A.; Fedorczak, N.; Felici, F.; Ferreira, J.; Février, O.; Ficker, O.; Fietz, S.; Figini, L.; Figueiredo, A.; Fil, A.; Fishpool, G.; Fitzgerald, M.; Fontana, M.; Ford, O.; Frassinetti, L.; Fridström, R.; Frigione, D.; Fuchert, G.; Fuchs, C.; Furno Palumbo, M.; Futatani, S.; Gabellieri, L.; Gałązka, K.; Galdon-Quiroga, J.; Galeani, S.; Gallart, D.; Gallo, A.; Galperti, C.; Gao, Y.; Garavaglia, S.; Garcia, J.; Garcia-Carrasco, A.; Garcia-Lopez, J.; Garcia-Munoz, M.; Gardarein, J.-L.; Garzotti, L.; Gaspar, J.; Gauthier, E.; Geelen, P.; Geiger, B.; Ghendrih, P.; Ghezzi, F.; Giacomelli, L.; Giannone, L.; Giovannozzi, E.; Giroud, C.; Gleason González, C.; Gobbin, M.; Goodman, T. P.; Gorini, G.; Gospodarczyk, M.; Granucci, G.; Gruber, M.; Gude, A.; Guimarais, L.; Guirlet, R.; Gunn, J.; Hacek, P.; Hacquin, S.; Hall, S.; Ham, C.; Happel, T.; Harrison, J.; Harting, D.; Hauer, V.; Havlickova, E.; Hellsten, T.; Helou, W.; Henderson, S.; Hennequin, P.; Heyn, M.; Hnat, B.; Hölzl, M.; Hogeweij, D.; Honoré, C.; Hopf, C.; Horáček, J.; Hornung, G.; Horváth, L.; Huang, Z.; Huber, A.; Igitkhanov, J.; Igochine, V.; Imrisek, M.; Innocente, P.; Ionita-Schrittwieser, C.; Isliker, H.; Ivanova-Stanik, I.; Jacobsen, A. S.; Jacquet, P.; Jakubowski, M.; Jardin, A.; Jaulmes, F.; Jenko, F.; Jensen, T.; Jeppe Miki Busk, O.; Jessen, M.; Joffrin, E.; Jones, O.; Jonsson, T.; Kallenbach, A.; Kallinikos, N.; Kálvin, S.; Kappatou, A.; Karhunen, J.; Karpushov, A.; Kasilov, S.; Kasprowicz, G.; Kendl, A.; Kernbichler, W.; Kim, D.; Kirk, A.; Kjer, S.; Klimek, I.; Kocsis, G.; Kogut, D.; Komm, M.; Korsholm, S. B.; Koslowski, H. R.; Koubiti, M.; Kovacic, J.; Kovarik, K.; Krawczyk, N.; Krbec, J.; Krieger, K.; Krivska, A.; Kube, R.; Kudlacek, O.; Kurki-Suonio, T.; Labit, B.; Laggner, F. M.; Laguardia, L.; Lahtinen, A.; Lalousis, P.; Lang, P.; Lauber, P.; Lazányi, N.; Lazaros, A.; Le, H. B.; Lebschy, A.; Leddy, J.; Lefévre, L.; Lehnen, M.; Leipold, F.; Lessig, A.; Leyland, M.; Li, L.; Liang, Y.; Lipschultz, B.; Liu, Y. Q.; Loarer, T.; Loarte, A.; Loewenhoff, T.; Lomanowski, B.; Loschiavo, V. P.; Lunt, T.; Lupelli, I.; Lux, H.; Lyssoivan, A.; Madsen, J.; Maget, P.; Maggi, C.; Maggiora, R.; Magnussen, M. L.; Mailloux, J.; Maljaars, B.; Malygin, A.; Mantica, P.; Mantsinen, M.; Maraschek, M.; Marchand, B.; Marconato, N.; Marini, C.; Marinucci, M.; Markovic, T.; Marocco, D.; Marrelli, L.; Martin, Y.; Solis, J. R. Martin; Martitsch, A.; Mastrostefano, S.; Mattei, M.; Matthews, G.; Mavridis, M.; Mayoral, M.-L.; Mazon, D.; McCarthy, P.; McAdams, R.; McArdle, G.; McCarthy, P.; McClements, K.; McDermott, R.; McMillan, B.; Meisl, G.; Merle, A.; Meyer, O.; Milanesio, D.; Militello, F.; Miron, I. G.; Mitosinkova, K.; Mlynar, J.; Mlynek, A.; Molina, D.; Molina, P.; Monakhov, I.; Morales, J.; Moreau, D.; Morel, P.; Moret, J.-M.; Moro, A.; Moulton, D.; Müller, H. W.; Nabais, F.; Nardon, E.; Naulin, V.; Nemes-Czopf, A.; Nespoli, F.; Neu, R.; Nielsen, A. H.; Nielsen, S. K.; Nikolaeva, V.; Nimb, S.; Nocente, M.; Nouailletas, R.; Nowak, S.; Oberkofler, M.; Oberparleiter, M.; Ochoukov, R.; Odstrčil, T.; Olsen, J.; Omotani, J.; O'Mullane, M. G.; Orain, F.; Osterman, N.; Paccagnella, R.; Pamela, S.; Pangione, L.; Panjan, M.; Papp, G.; Papřok, R.; Parail, V.; Parra, F. I.; Pau, A.; Pautasso, G.; Pehkonen, S.-P.; Pereira, A.; Perelli Cippo, E.; Pericoli Ridolfini, V.; Peterka, M.; Petersson, P.; Petrzilka, V.; Piovesan, P.; Piron, C.; Pironti, A.; Pisano, F.; Pisokas, T.; Pitts, R.; Ploumistakis, I.; Plyusnin, V.; Pokol, G.; Poljak, D.; Pölöskei, P.; Popovic, Z.; Pór, G.; Porte, L.; Potzel, S.; Predebon, I.; Preynas, M.; Primc, G.; Pucella, G.; Puiatti, M. E.; Pütterich, T.; Rack, M.; Ramogida, G.; Rapson, C.; Rasmussen, J. Juul; Rasmussen, J.; Rattá, G. A.; Ratynskaia, S.; Ravera, G.; Réfy, D.; Reich, M.; Reimerdes, H.; Reimold, F.; Reinke, M.; Reiser, D.; Resnik, M.; Reux, C.; Ripamonti, D.; Rittich, D.; Riva, G.; Rodriguez-Ramos, M.; Rohde, V.; Rosato, J.; Ryter, F.; Saarelma, S.; Sabot, R.; Saint-Laurent, F.; Salewski, M.; Salmi, A.; Samaddar, D.; Sanchis-Sanchez, L.; Santos, J.; Sauter, O.; Scannell, R.; Scheffer, M.; Schneider, M.; Schneider, B.; Schneider, P.; Schneller, M.; Schrittwieser, R.; Schubert, M.; Schweinzer, J.; Seidl, J.; Sertoli, M.; Šesnić, S.; Shabbir, A.; Shalpegin, A.; Shanahan, B.; Sharapov, S.; Sheikh, U.; Sias, G.; Sieglin, B.; Silva, C.; Silva, A.; Silva Fuglister, M.; Simpson, J.; Snicker, A.; Sommariva, C.; Sozzi, C.; Spagnolo, S.; Spizzo, G.; Spolaore, M.; Stange, T.; Stejner Pedersen, M.; Stepanov, I.; Stober, J.; Strand, P.; Šušnjara, A.; Suttrop, W.; Szepesi, T.; Tál, B.; Tala, T.; Tamain, P.; Tardini, G.; Tardocchi, M.; Teplukhina, A.; Terranova, D.; Testa, D.; Theiler, C.; Thornton, A.; Tolias, P.; Tophøj, L.; Treutterer, W.; Trevisan, G. L.; Tripsky, M.; Tsironis, C.; Tsui, C.; Tudisco, O.; Uccello, A.; Urban, J.; Valisa, M.; Vallejos, P.; Valovic, M.; Van den Brand, H.; Vanovac, B.; Varoutis, S.; Vartanian, S.; Vega, J.; Verdoolaege, G.; Verhaegh, K.; Vermare, L.; Vianello, N.; Vicente, J.; Viezzer, E.; Vignitchouk, L.; Vijvers, W. A. J.; Villone, F.; Viola, B.; Vlahos, L.; Voitsekhovitch, I.; Vondráček, P.; Vu, N. M. T.; Wagner, D.; Walkden, N.; Wang, N.; Wauters, T.; Weiland, M.; Weinzettl, V.; Westerhof, E.; Wiesenberger, M.; Willensdorfer, M.; Wischmeier, M.; Wodniak, I.; Wolfrum, E.; Yadykin, D.; Zagórski, R.; Zammuto, I.; Zanca, P.; Zaplotnik, R.; Zestanakis, P.; Zhang, W.; Zoletnik, S.; Zuin, M.; ASDEX Upgrade, the; MAST; TCV Teams

2017-10-01

Integrating the plasma core performance with an edge and scrape-off layer (SOL) that leads to tolerable heat and particle loads on the wall is a major challenge. The new European medium size tokamak task force (EU-MST) coordinates research on ASDEX Upgrade (AUG), MAST and TCV. This multi-machine approach within EU-MST, covering a wide parameter range, is instrumental to progress in the field, as ITER and DEMO core/pedestal and SOL parameters are not achievable simultaneously in present day devices. A two prong approach is adopted. On the one hand, scenarios with tolerable transient heat and particle loads, including active edge localised mode (ELM) control are developed. On the other hand, divertor solutions including advanced magnetic configurations are studied. Considerable progress has been made on both approaches, in particular in the fields of: ELM control with resonant magnetic perturbations (RMP), small ELM regimes, detachment onset and control, as well as filamentary scrape-off-layer transport. For example full ELM suppression has now been achieved on AUG at low collisionality with n  =  2 RMP maintaining good confinement {{H}\\text{H≤ft(98,\\text{y}2\\right)}}≈ 0.95 . Advances have been made with respect to detachment onset and control. Studies in advanced divertor configurations (Snowflake, Super-X and X-point target divertor) shed new light on SOL physics. Cross field filamentary transport has been characterised in a wide parameter regime on AUG, MAST and TCV progressing the theoretical and experimental understanding crucial for predicting first wall loads in ITER and DEMO. Conditions in the SOL also play a crucial role for ELM stability and access to small ELM regimes. In the future we will refer to the author list of the paper as the EUROfusion MST1 Team.

Full wave simulations of fast wave efficiency and power losses in the scrape-off layer of tokamak plasmas in mid/high harmonic and minority heating regimes

DOE PAGES

Bertelli, N.; Jaeger, E. F.; Hosea, J. C.; ...

2015-12-17

Here, several experiments on different machines and in different fast wave (FW) heating regimes, such as hydrogen minority heating and high harmonic fast waves (HHFW), have found strong interaction between radio-frequency (RF) waves and the scrape-off layer (SOL) region. This paper examines the propagation and the power loss in the SOL by using the full wave code AORSA, in which the edge plasma beyond the last closed flux surface (LCFS) is included in the solution domain and a collisional damping parameter is used as a proxy to represent the real, and most likely nonlinear, damping processes. 2D and 3D AORSAmore » results for the National Spherical Torus eXperiment (NSTX) have shown a strong transition to higher SOL power losses (driven by the RF field) when the FW cut-off is removed from in front of the antenna by increasing the edge density. Here, full wave simulations have been extended for 'conventional' tokamaks with higher aspect ratios, such as the DIII-D, Alcator C-Mod, and EAST devices. DIII-D results in HHFW regime show similar behavior found in NSTX and NSTX-U, consistent with previous DIII-D experimental observations. In contrast, a different behavior has been found for C-Mod and EAST, which operate in the minority heating regime.« less

Observation of finite-. beta. MHD phenomena in tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McGuire, K.M.

1984-09-01

Stable high-beta plasmas are required for the tokamak to attain an economical fusion reactor. Recently, intense neutral beam heating experiments in tokamaks have shown new effects on plasma stability and confinement associated with high beta plasmas. The observed spectrum of MHD fluctuations at high beta is clearly dominated by the n = 1 mode when the q = 1 surface is in the plasma. The m/n = 1/1 mode drives other n = 1 modes through toroidal coupling and n > 1 modes through nonlinear coupling. On PDX, with near perpendicular injection, a resonant interaction between the n = 1more » internal kink and the trapped fast ions results in loss of beam particles and heating power. Key parameters in the theory are the value of q/sub 0/ and the injection angle. High frequency broadband magnetic fluctuations have been observed on ISX-B and D-III and a correlation with the deterioration of plasma confinement was reported. During enhanced confinement (H-mode) discharges in divertor plasmas, two new edge instabilities were observed, both localized radially near the separatrix. By assembling results from the different tokamak experiments, it is found that the simple theoretical ideal MHD beta limit has not been exceeded. Whether this represents an ultimate tokamak limit or if beta optimized configurations (Dee- or bean-shaped plasmas) can exceed this limit and perhaps enter a second regime of stability remains to be clarified.« less

Recent Results of IRAN-T1 Tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dorranian, D.; Ghoranneviss, M.; Salem, M. K.

2006-12-04

In this article after introducing the IR-T1 tokamak and its diagnostic systems a brief discussion on the range of grossly stable operating conditions of its plasma by Hugill diagram is presented. Hard disruption instability is studied experimentally in the next part, which confirms that MHD behavior in small tokamaks can be characterized by a single parameter q(a), safety factor at plasma edge. Finally the characteristics of the new regime of IR-T1 are reported. By our new model of triggering different fields (toroidal, ohmic and vertical), the plasma duration time is increased up to 35 ms with Ip of about 25more » kA. By modifying capacitance and charging voltage of ohmic and vertical fields the spike oscillations which was appeared in the plasma behavior is taken out. The role of cleaning the vacuum chamber and using heavier gas for glow discharge and the effect of base pressure is described in detail.« less

Millimeter-wave imaging of magnetic fusion plasmas: technology innovations advancing physics understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y.; Tobias, B.; Chang, Y.-T.; Yu, J.-H.; Li, M.; Hu, F.; Chen, M.; Mamidanna, M.; Phan, T.; Pham, A.-V.; Gu, J.; Liu, X.; Zhu, Y.; Domier, C. W.; Shi, L.; Valeo, E.; Kramer, G. J.; Kuwahara, D.; Nagayama, Y.; Mase, A.; Luhmann, N. C., Jr.

2017-07-01

Electron cyclotron emission (ECE) imaging is a passive radiometric technique that measures electron temperature fluctuations; and microwave imaging reflectometry (MIR) is an active radar imaging technique that measures electron density fluctuations. Microwave imaging diagnostic instruments employing these techniques have made important contributions to fusion science and have been adopted at major fusion facilities worldwide including DIII-D, EAST, ASDEX Upgrade, HL-2A, KSTAR, LHD, and J-TEXT. In this paper, we describe the development status of three major technological advancements: custom mm-wave integrated circuits (ICs), digital beamforming (DBF), and synthetic diagnostic modeling (SDM). These have the potential to greatly advance microwave fusion plasma imaging, enabling compact and low-noise transceiver systems with real-time, fast tracking ability to address critical fusion physics issues, including ELM suppression and disruptions in the ITER baseline scenario, naturally ELM-free states such as QH-mode, and energetic particle confinement (i.e. Alfvén eigenmode stability) in high-performance regimes that include steady-state and advanced tokamak scenarios. Furthermore, these systems are fully compatible with today’s most challenging non-inductive heating and current drive systems and capable of operating in harsh environments, making them the ideal approach for diagnosing long-pulse and steady-state tokamaks.

Millimeter-wave imaging of magnetic fusion plasmas: technology innovations advancing physics understanding

DOE PAGES

Wang, Y.; Tobias, B.; Chang, Y. -T.; ...

2017-03-14

Electron cyclotron emission (ECE) imaging is a passive radiometric technique that measures electron temperature fluctuations; and microwave imaging reflectometry (MIR) is an active radar imaging technique that measures electron density fluctuations. The microwave imaging diagnostic instruments employing these techniques have made important contributions to fusion science and have been adopted at major fusion facilities worldwide including DIII-D, EAST, ASDEX Upgrade, HL-2A, KSTAR, LHD, and J-TEXT. In this paper, we describe the development status of three major technological advancements: custom mm-wave integrated circuits (ICs), digital beamforming (DBF), and synthetic diagnostic modeling (SDM). These also have the potential to greatly advance microwavemore » fusion plasma imaging, enabling compact and low-noise transceiver systems with real-time, fast tracking ability to address critical fusion physics issues, including ELM suppression and disruptions in the ITER baseline scenario, naturally ELM-free states such as QH-mode, and energetic particle confinement (i.e. Alfven eigenmode stability) in high-performance regimes that include steady-state and advanced tokamak scenarios. Furthermore, these systems are fully compatible with today's most challenging non-inductive heating and current drive systems and capable of operating in harsh environments, making them the ideal approach for diagnosing long-pulse and steady-state tokamaks.« less

Advanced Fuels Reactor using Aneutronic Rodless Ultra Low Aspect Ratio Tokamak Hydrogenic Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, Celso

2015-11-01

The use of advanced fuels for fusion reactor is conventionally envisaged for field reversed configuration (FRC) devices. It is proposed here a preliminary study about the use of these fuels but on an aneutronic Rodless Ultra Low Aspect Ratio (RULART) hydrogenic plasmas. The idea is to inject micro-size boron pellets vertically at the inboard side (HFS, where TF is very high and the tokamak electron temperature is relatively low because of profile), synchronised with a proton NBI pointed to this region. Therefore, p-B reactions should occur and alpha particles produced. These pellets will act as an edge-like disturbance only (cp. killer pellet, although the vertical HFS should make this less critical, since the unablated part should appear in the bottom of the device). The boron cloud will appear at midplance, possibly as a MARFE-look like. Scaling of the p-B reactions by varying the NBI energy should be compared with the predictions of nuclear physics. This could be an alternative to the FRC approach, without the difficulties of the optimization of the FRC low confinement time. Instead, a robust good tokamak confinement with high local HFS TF (enhanced due to the ultra low aspect ratio and low pitch angle) is used. The plasma central post makes the RULART concept attractive because of the proximity of NBI path and also because a fraction of born alphas will cross the plasma post and dragged into it in the direction of the central plasma post current, escaping vertically into a hole in the bias plate and reaching the direct electricity converter, such as in the FRC concept.

Observation of runaway electron beams by visible color camera in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Yuejiang; Fu, Jia; Li, Jiahong; Yang, Yu; Wang, Fudi; Li, Yingying; Zhang, Wei; Wan, Baonian; Chen, Zhongyong

2010-03-01

The synchrotron radiation originated from the energetic runaway electrons has been measured by a visible complementary metal oxide semiconductor camera working in the wavelength ranges of 380-750 nm in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak [H. Q. Liu et al., Plasma Phys. Contr. Fusion 49, 995 (2007)]. With a tangential viewing into the plasma in the direction of electron approach on the equatorial plane, the synchrotron radiation from the energetic runaway electrons was measured in full poloidal cross section. The synchrotron radiation diagnostics provides a direct pattern of the runaway beam inside the plasma. The energy and pitch angle of runaway electrons have been obtained according to the synchrotron radiation pattern. A stable shell shape of synchrotron radiation has been observed in a few runaway discharges.

ADX: A high Power Density, Advanced RF-Driven Divertor Test Tokamak for PMI studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whyte, Dennis; ADX Team

2015-11-01

The MIT PSFC and collaborators are proposing an advanced divertor experiment, ADX; a divertor test tokamak dedicated to address critical gaps in plasma-material interactions (PMI) science, and the world fusion research program, on the pathway to FNSF/DEMO. Basic ADX design features are motivated and discussed. In order to assess the widest range of advanced divertor concepts, a large fraction (>50%) of the toroidal field volume is purpose-built with innovative magnetic topology control and flexibility for assessing different surfaces, including liquids. ADX features high B-field (>6 Tesla) and high global power density (P/S ~ 1.5 MW/m2) in order to access the full range of parallel heat flux and divertor plasma pressures foreseen for reactors, while simultaneously assessing the effect of highly dissipative divertors on core plasma/pedestal. Various options for efficiently achieving high field are being assessed including the use of Alcator technology (cryogenic cooled copper) and high-temperature superconductors. The experimental platform would also explore advanced lower hybrid current drive and ion-cyclotron range of frequency actuators located at the high-field side; a location which is predicted to greatly reduce the PMI effects on the launcher while minimally perturbing the core plasma. The synergistic effects of high-field launchers with high total B on current and flow drive can thus be studied in reactor-relevant boundary plasmas.

Impedance of an intense plasma-cathode electron source for tokamak startup

DOE PAGES

Hinson, Edward Thomas; Barr, Jayson L.; Bongard, Michael W.; ...

2016-05-31

In this study, an impedance model is formulated and tested for the ~1kV, ~1kA/cm 2, arc-plasma cathode electron source used for local helicity injection tokamak startup. A double layer sheath is established between the high-density arc plasma (n arc ≈ 10 21 m -3) within the electron source, and the less dense external tokamak edge plasma (n edge ≈ 10 18 m -3) into which current is injected at the applied injector voltage, V inj. Experiments on the Pegasus spherical tokamak show the injected current, I inj, increases with V inj according to the standard double layer scaling I injmore » ~ V inj 3/2 at low current and transitions to I inj ~ V inj 1/2 at high currents. In this high current regime, sheath expansion and/or space charge neutralization impose limits on the beam density n b ~ I inj/V inj 1/2. For low tokamak edge density n edge and high I inj, the inferred beam density n b is consistent with the requirement n b ≤ n edge imposed by space-charge neutralization of the beam in the tokamak edge plasma. At sufficient edge density, n b ~ n arc is observed, consistent with a limit to n b imposed by expansion of the double layer sheath. These results suggest that n arc is a viable control actuator for the source impedance.« less

The circuit of polychromator for Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak edge Thomson scattering diagnostic.

PubMed

Zang, Qing; Hsieh, C L; Zhao, Junyu; Chen, Hui; Li, Fengjuan

2013-09-01

The detector circuit is the core component of filter polychromator which is used for scattering light analysis in Thomson scattering diagnostic, and is responsible for the precision and stability of a system. High signal-to-noise and stability are primary requirements for the diagnostic. Recently, an upgraded detector circuit for weak light detecting in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) edge Thomson scattering system has been designed, which can be used for the measurement of large electron temperature (T(e)) gradient and low electron density (n(e)). In this new circuit, a thermoelectric-cooled avalanche photodiode with the aid circuit is involved for increasing stability and enhancing signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), especially the circuit will never be influenced by ambient temperature. These features are expected to improve the accuracy of EAST Thomson diagnostic dramatically. Related mechanical construction of the circuit is redesigned as well for heat-sinking and installation. All parameters are optimized, and SNR is dramatically improved. The number of minimum detectable photons is only 10.

Neoclassical theory inside transport barriers in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaing, K. C.; Hsu, C. T.

2012-02-01

Inside the transport barriers in tokamaks, ion energy losses sometimes are smaller than the value predicted by the standard neoclassical theory. This improvement can be understood in terms of the orbit squeezing theory in addition to the sonic poloidal E ×B Mach number Up,m that pushes the tips of the trapped particles to the higher energy. In general, Up,m also includes the poloidal component of the parallel mass flow speed. These physics mechanisms are the corner stones for the transition theory of the low confinement mode (L-mode) to the high confinement mode (H-mode) in tokamaks. Here, detailed transport fluxes in the banana regime are presented using the parallel viscous forces calculated earlier. It is found, as expected, that effects of orbit squeezing and the sonic Up,m reduce the ion heat conductivity. The former reduces it by a factor of |S|3/2 and the later by a factor of R(Up ,m2)exp(-Up ,m2) with R(Up ,m2), a rational function. Here, S is the orbit squeezing factor.

Overview of physics research on the TCV tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fasoli, A.; TCV Team

2009-10-01

The Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV) tokamak is equipped with high-power (4.5 MW), real-time-controllable EC systems and flexible shaping, and plays an important role in fusion research by broadening the parameter range of reactor relevant regimes, by investigating tokamak physics questions and by developing new control tools. Steady-state discharges are achieved, in which the current is entirely self-generated through the bootstrap mechanism, a fundamental ingredient for ITER steady-state operation. The discharge remains quiescent over several current redistribution times, demonstrating that a self-consistent, 'bootstrap-aligned' equilibrium state is possible. Electron internal transport barrier regimes sustained by EC current drive have also been explored. MHD activity is shown to be crucial in scenarios characterized by large and slow oscillations in plasma confinement, which in turn can be modified by small Ohmic current perturbations altering the barrier strength. In studies of the relation between anomalous transport and plasma shape, the observed dependences of the electron thermal diffusivity on triangularity (direct) and collisionality (inverse) are qualitatively reproduced by non-linear gyro-kinetic simulations and shown to be governed by TEM turbulence. Parallel SOL flows are studied for their importance for material migration. Flow profiles are measured using a reciprocating Mach probe by changing from lower to upper single-null diverted equilibria and shifting the plasmas vertically. The dominant, field-direction-dependent Pfirsch-Schlüter component is found to be in good agreement with theoretical predictions. A field-direction-independent component is identified and is consistent with flows generated by transient over-pressure due to ballooning-like interchange turbulence. Initial high-resolution infrared images confirm that ELMs have a filamentary structure, while fast, localized radiation measurements reveal that ELM activity first appears

Advanced Tokamak Investigations in Full-Tungsten ASDEX Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bock, Alexander

2017-10-01

The tailoring of the q-profile is the foundation of Advanced Tokamak (AT) scenarios. It depends on low collisionality ν* which permits efficient external current drive and high amounts of intrinsic bootstrap current. At constant pressure, lowering ne leads to a strong decrease of ν* Te - 3 . After the conversion of ASDEX Upgrade to fully W-coated plasma facing components, radiative collapses of H-modes with little gas puffing due to central W accumulation could only be avoided partially with central ECRH. Also, operation at high β with low ne presented a challenge for the divertor. Together, these issues prevented meaningful AT investigations. To overcome this, several major feats have been accomplished: Access to lower ne was achieved through a better understanding of the changes to recycling and pumping, and optionally the density pump-out phenomenon due to RMPs. ECRH capacities were substantially expanded for both heating and current drive, and a solid W divertor capable of withstanding the power loads was installed. A major overhaul improved the reliability of the current profile diagnostics. This contribution will detail the efforts needed to re-access AT scenarios and report on the development of candidate steady state scenarios for ITER/DEMO. Starting from the `hybrid scenario,' a non-inductive scenario (q95 = 5.3 , βN = 2.7 , fbs > 40 %) was developed. It can be sustained for many τE, limited only by technical boundaries, and is also independent of the ramp-up scenario. The β-limit is set by ideal modes that convert into NTMs. The Ti-profiles are steeper than predicted by TGLF, but nonlinear electromagnetic gyro-kinetic analyses with GENE including fast particle effects matched the experimental heat fluxes. We will also report on scenarios at higher q95, similar to the EAST/DIII-D steady state scenario. The extrapolation of these scenarios to ITER/DEMO will be discussed.

Transition to subcritical turbulence in a tokamak plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Wyk, F.; Highcock, E. G.; Schekochihin, A. A.; Roach, C. M.; Field, A. R.; Dorland, W.

2016-12-01

Tokamak turbulence, driven by the ion-temperature gradient and occurring in the presence of flow shear, is investigated by means of local, ion-scale, electrostatic gyrokinetic simulations (with both kinetic ions and electrons) of the conditions in the outer core of the Mega-Ampere Spherical Tokamak (MAST). A parameter scan in the local values of the ion-temperature gradient and flow shear is performed. It is demonstrated that the experimentally observed state is near the stability threshold and that this stability threshold is nonlinear: sheared turbulence is subcritical, i.e. the system is formally stable to small perturbations, but, given a large enough initial perturbation, it transitions to a turbulent state. A scenario for such a transition is proposed and supported by numerical results: close to threshold, the nonlinear saturated state and the associated anomalous heat transport are dominated by long-lived coherent structures, which drift across the domain, have finite amplitudes, but are not volume filling; as the system is taken away from the threshold into the more unstable regime, the number of these structures increases until they overlap and a more conventional chaotic state emerges. Whereas this appears to represent a new scenario for transition to turbulence in tokamak plasmas, it is reminiscent of the behaviour of other subcritically turbulent systems, e.g. pipe flows and Keplerian magnetorotational accretion flows.

Scaling mechanisms of vapour/plasma shielding from laser-produced plasmas to magnetic fusion regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sizyuk, Tatyana; Hassanein, Ahmed

2014-02-01

The plasma shielding effect is a well-known mechanism in laser-produced plasmas (LPPs) reducing laser photon transmission to the target and, as a result, significantly reducing target heating and erosion. The shielding effect is less pronounced at low laser intensities, when low evaporation rate together with vapour/plasma expansion processes prevent establishment of a dense plasma layer above the surface. Plasma shielding also loses its effectiveness at high laser intensities when the formed hot dense plasma plume causes extensive target erosion due to radiation fluxes back to the surface. The magnitude of emitted radiation fluxes from such a plasma is similar to or slightly higher than the laser photon flux in the low shielding regime. Thus, shielding efficiency in LPPs has a peak that depends on the laser beam parameters and the target material. A similar tendency is also expected in other plasma-operating devices such as tokamaks of magnetic fusion energy (MFE) reactors during transient plasma operation and disruptions on chamber walls when deposition of the high-energy transient plasma can cause severe erosion and damage to the plasma-facing and nearby components. A detailed analysis of these abnormal events and their consequences in future power reactors is limited in current tokamak reactors. Predictions for high-power future tokamaks are possible only through comprehensive, time-consuming and rigorous modelling. We developed scaling mechanisms, based on modelling of LPP devices with their typical temporal and spatial scales, to simulate tokamak abnormal operating regimes to study wall erosion, plasma shielding and radiation under MFE reactor conditions. We found an analogy in regimes and results of carbon and tungsten erosion of the divertor surface in ITER-like reactors with erosion due to laser irradiation. Such an approach will allow utilizing validated modelling combined with well-designed and well-diagnosed LPP experimental studies for predicting

Nonlinear fishbone dynamics in spherical tokamaks

DOE Data Explorer

Wang, Feng [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Dalian Univ Technol, Sch Phys & Optoelect Technol, Minist Educ, Key Lab Mat Modificat Laser Ion & Electron Beams, Dalian 116024, Peoples R China.; Fu, G.Y. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Institute for Fusion Theory and Simulation and Department of Physics Hangzhou, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, People's Republic of China; Shen, Wei [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China

2017-01-01

Linear and nonlinear kinetic-MHD hybrid simulations have been carried out to investigate linear stability and nonlinear dynamics of beam-driven fishbone instability in spherical tokamak plasmas. Realistic NSTX parameters with finite toroidal rotation were used. The results show that the fishbone is driven by both trapped and passing particles. The instability drive of passing particles is comparable to that of trapped particles in the linear regime. The effects of rotation are destabilizing and a new region of instability appears at higher q min (>1.5) values, q min being the minimum of safety factor profile. In the nonlinear regime, the mode saturates due to flattening of beam ion distribution, and this persists after initial saturation while mode frequency chirps down in such a way that the resonant trapped particles move out radially and keep in resonance with the mode. Correspondingly, the flattening region of beam ion distribution expands radially outward. A substantial fraction of initially non-resonant trapped particles become resonant around the time of mode saturation and keep in resonance with the mode as frequency chirps down. On the other hand, the fraction of resonant passing particles is significantly smaller than that of trapped particles. Our analysis shows that trapped particles provide the main drive to the mode in the nonlinear regime.

Edge multi-energy soft x-ray diagnostic in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Y. L.; Xu, G. S.; Wan, B. N.

A multi-energy soft x-ray (ME-SXR) diagnostic has been built for electron temperature profile in the edge plasma region in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) after two rounds of campaigns. Originally, five preamplifiers were mounted inside the EAST vacuum vessel chamber attached to five vertically stacked compact diode arrays. A custom mechanical structure was designed to protect the detectors and electronics under constraints of the tangential field of view for plasma edge and the allocation of space. In the next experiment, the mechanical structure was redesigned with a barrel structure to absolutely isolate it from the vacuum vessel. Multiple shielding structuresmore » were mounted at the pinhole head to protect the metal foils from lithium coating. The pre-amplifiers were moved to the outside of the vacuum chamber to avoid introducing interference. Twisted copper cooling tube was embedded into the back-shell near the diode to limit the temperature of the preamplifiers and diode arrays during vacuum vessel baking when the temperature reached 150 °C. Electron temperature profiles were reconstructed from ME-SXR measurements using neural networks.« less

Modeling of Steady-state Scenarios for the Fusion Nuclear Science Facility, Advanced Tokamak Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garofalo, A. M.; Chan, V. S.; Prater, R.; Smith, S. P.; St. John, H. E.; Meneghini, O.

2013-10-01

A Fusion National Science Facility (FNSF) would complement ITER in addressing the community identified science and technology gaps to a commercially attractive DEMO, including breeding tritium and completing the fuel cycle, qualifying nuclear materials for high fluence, developing suitable materials for the plasma-boundary interface, and demonstrating power extraction. Steady-state plasma operation is highly desirable to address the requirements for fusion nuclear technology testing [1]. The Advanced Tokamak (AT) is a strong candidate for an FNSF as a consequence of its mature physics base, capability to address the key issues with a more compact device, and the direct relevance to an attractive target power plant. Key features of AT are fully noninductive current drive, strong plasma cross section shaping, internal profiles consistent with high bootstrap fraction, and operation at high beta, typically above the free boundary limit, βN > 3 . Work supported by GA IR&D funding, DE-FC02-04ER54698, and DE-FG02-95ER43309.

Resistive edge mode instability in stellarator and tokamak geometries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahmood, M. Ansar; Rafiq, T.; Persson, M.; Weiland, J.

2008-09-01

Geometrical effects on linear stability of electrostatic resistive edge modes are investigated in the three-dimensional Wendelstein 7-X stellarator [G. Grieger et al., Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research 1990 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1991), Vol. 3, p. 525] and the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor [Progress in the ITER Physics Basis, Nucl. Fusion 7, S1, S285 (2007)]-like equilibria. An advanced fluid model is used for the ions together with the reduced Braghinskii equations for the electrons. Using the ballooning mode representation, the drift wave problem is set as an eigenvalue equation along a field line and is solved numerically using a standard shooting technique. A significantly larger magnetic shear and a less unfavorable normal curvature in the tokamak equilibrium are found to give a stronger finite-Larmor radius stabilization and a more narrow mode spectrum than in the stellarator. The effect of negative global magnetic shear in the tokamak is found to be stabilizing. The growth rate on a tokamak magnetic flux surface is found to be comparable to that on a stellarator surface with the same global magnetic shear but the eigenfunction in the tokamak is broader than in the stellarator due to the presence of large negative local magnetic shear (LMS) on the tokamak surface. A large absolute value of the LMS in a region of unfavorable normal curvature is found to be stabilizing in the stellarator, while in the tokamak case, negative LMS is found to be stabilizing and positive LMS destabilizing.

The circuit of polychromator for Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak edge Thomson scattering diagnostic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zang, Qing; Zhao, Junyu; Chen, Hui

2013-09-15

The detector circuit is the core component of filter polychromator which is used for scattering light analysis in Thomson scattering diagnostic, and is responsible for the precision and stability of a system. High signal-to-noise and stability are primary requirements for the diagnostic. Recently, an upgraded detector circuit for weak light detecting in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) edge Thomson scattering system has been designed, which can be used for the measurement of large electron temperature (T{sub e}) gradient and low electron density (n{sub e}). In this new circuit, a thermoelectric-cooled avalanche photodiode with the aid circuit is involved for increasingmore » stability and enhancing signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), especially the circuit will never be influenced by ambient temperature. These features are expected to improve the accuracy of EAST Thomson diagnostic dramatically. Related mechanical construction of the circuit is redesigned as well for heat-sinking and installation. All parameters are optimized, and SNR is dramatically improved. The number of minimum detectable photons is only 10.« less

Physics basis for an advanced physics and advanced technology tokamak power plant configuration: ARIES-ACT1

DOE PAGES

Kessel, C. E.; Poli, F. M.; Ghantous, K.; ...

2015-01-01

Here, the advanced physics and advanced technology tokamak power plant ARIES-ACT1 has a major radius of 6.25 m at an aspect ratio of 4.0, toroidal field of 6.0 T, strong shaping with elongation of 2.2, and triangularity of 0.63. The broadest pressure cases reached wall-stabilized β N ~ 5.75, limited by n = 3 external kink mode requiring a conducting shell at b/a = 0.3, requiring plasma rotation, feedback, and/or kinetic stabilization. The medium pressure peaking case reaches β N = 5.28 with B T = 6.75, while the peaked pressure case reaches β N < 5.15. Fast particle magnetohydrodynamicmore » stability shows that the alpha particles are unstable, but this leads to redistribution to larger minor radius rather than loss from the plasma. Edge and divertor plasma modeling shows that 75% of the power to the divertor can be radiated with an ITER-like divertor geometry, while >95% can be radiated in a stable detached mode with an orthogonal target and wide slot geometry. The bootstrap current fraction is 91% with a q95 of 4.5, requiring ~1.1 MA of external current drive. This current is supplied with 5 MW of ion cyclotron radio frequency/fast wave and 40 MW of lower hybrid current drive. Electron cyclotron is most effective for safety factor control over ρ~0.2 to 0.6 with 20 MW. The pedestal density is ~0.9×10 20/m 3, and the temperature is ~4.4 keV. The H98 factor is 1.65, n/n Gr = 1.0, and the ratio of net power to threshold power is 2.8 to 3.0 in the flattop.« less

Tokamak Operation with Safety Factor q 95 < 2 via Control of MHD Stability

DOE PAGES

Piovesan, Paolo; Hanson, Jeremy M.; Martin, Piero; ...

2014-07-24

Magnetic feedback control of the resistive-wall mode has enabled DIII-D to access stable operation at safety factor q95 = 1:9 in divertor plasmas for 150 instability growth times. Magnetohydrodynamic stability sets a hard, disruptive limit on the minimum edge safety factor achievable in a tokamak, or on the maximum plasma current at given toroidal magnetic eld. In tokamaks with a divertor, the limit occurs at q95 = 2, as con rmed in DIII-D. Since the energy con cement time scales linearly with current, this also bounds the performance of a fusion reactor. DIII-D has overcome this limit, opening a wholemore » new high-current regime not accessible before. This result brings signi cant possible bene ts in terms of fusion performance, but it also extends resistive wall mode physics and its control to conditions never explored before. In present experiments, q95 < 2 operation is eventually halted by voltage limits reached in the feedback power supplies, not by intrinsic physics issues. Improvements to power supplies and to control algorithms have the potential to further extend this regime.« less

Turbulent transport regimes and the scrape-off layer heat flux width

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myra, J. R.; D'Ippolito, D. A.; Russell, D. A.

2015-04-01

Understanding the responsible mechanisms and resulting scaling of the scrape-off layer (SOL) heat flux width is important for predicting viable operating regimes in future tokamaks and for seeking possible mitigation schemes. In this paper, we present a qualitative and conceptual framework for understanding various regimes of edge/SOL turbulence and the role of turbulent transport as the mechanism for establishing the SOL heat flux width. Relevant considerations include the type and spectral characteristics of underlying instabilities, the location of the gradient drive relative to the SOL, the nonlinear saturation mechanism, and the parallel heat transport regime. We find a heat flux width scaling with major radius R that is generally positive, consistent with the previous findings [Connor et al., Nucl. Fusion 39, 169 (1999)]. The possible relationship of turbulence mechanisms to the neoclassical orbit width or heuristic drift mechanism in core energy confinement regimes known as low (L) mode and high (H) mode is considered, together with implications for the future experiments.

Nonlinear fishbone dynamics in spherical tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Wang, Feng; Fu, G. Y.; Shen, Wei

2016-11-22

Linear and nonlinear kinetic-MHD hybrid simulations have been carried out to investigate linear stability and nonlinear dynamics of beam-driven fishbone instability in spherical tokamak plasmas. Realistic NSTX parameters with finite toroidal rotation were used. Our results show that the fishbone is driven by both trapped and passing particles. The instability drive of passing particles is comparable to that of trapped particles in the linear regime. The effects of rotation are destabilizing and a new region of instability appears at higher q min (>1.5) values, q min being the minimum of safety factor profile. In the nonlinear regime, the mode saturatesmore » due to flattening of beam ion distribution, and this persists after initial saturation while mode frequency chirps down in such a way that the resonant trapped particles move out radially and keep in resonance with the mode. Correspondingly, the flattening region of beam ion distribution expands radially outward. Furthermore, a substantial fraction of initially non-resonant trapped particles become resonant around the time of mode saturation and keep in resonance with the mode as frequency chirps down. On the other hand, the fraction of resonant passing particles is significantly smaller than that of trapped particles. Finally, our analysis shows that trapped particles provide the main drive to the mode in the nonlinear regime.« less

"International regime for advancing lunar development"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beldavs, VZ

2017-09-01

A specific concern regarding the Moon Treaty is the provision for sharing the wealth gained from space with developing countries that have not invested and taken risks in making possible space materials utilization. Article 11, par. 7 states "The main purposes of the international regime to be established shall include: (a) The orderly and safe development of the natural resources of the moon; (b) The rational management of those resources; (c) The expansion of opportunities in the use of those resources; (d) An equitable sharing by all States Parties in the benefits derived from those resources, whereby the interests and needs of the developing countries, as well as the efforts of those countries which have contributed either directly or indirectly to the exploration of the moon, shall be given special consideration." Whether the Moon Treaty in its present form or modified to be acceptable to more parties or the Moon Treaty is ignored, the language of Article 11, paragraph 7 can be used to construct an international regime for lunar development that can meet the requirements of commercial business as well as of states that provide support for lunar development as well as developing countries that may have played a modest role in making lunar development possible. This paper will consider options for constructing an international regime for lunar development.

Current Challenges in the First Principle Quantitative Modelling of the Lower Hybrid Current Drive in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peysson, Y.; Bonoli, P. T.; Chen, J.; Garofalo, A.; Hillairet, J.; Li, M.; Qian, J.; Shiraiwa, S.; Decker, J.; Ding, B. J.; Ekedahl, A.; Goniche, M.; Zhai, X.

2017-10-01

The Lower Hybrid (LH) wave is widely used in existing tokamaks for tailoring current density profile or extending pulse duration to steady-state regimes. Its high efficiency makes it particularly attractive for a fusion reactor, leading to consider it for this purpose in ITER tokamak. Nevertheless, if basics of the LH wave in tokamak plasma are well known, quantitative modeling of experimental observations based on first principles remains a highly challenging exercise, despite considerable numerical efforts achieved so far. In this context, a rigorous methodology must be carried out in the simulations to identify the minimum number of physical mechanisms that must be considered to reproduce experimental shot to shot observations and also scalings (density, power spectrum). Based on recent simulations carried out for EAST, Alcator C-Mod and Tore Supra tokamaks, the state of the art in LH modeling is reviewed. The capability of fast electron bremsstrahlung, internal inductance li and LH driven current at zero loop voltage to constrain all together LH simulations is discussed, as well as the needs of further improvements (diagnostics, codes, LH model), for robust interpretative and predictive simulations.

Advanced tokamak research with integrated modeling in JT-60 Upgrade

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hayashi, N.

2010-05-15

Researches on advanced tokamak (AT) have progressed with integrated modeling in JT-60 Upgrade [N. Oyama et al., Nucl. Fusion 49, 104007 (2009)]. Based on JT-60U experimental analyses and first principle simulations, new models were developed and integrated into core, rotation, edge/pedestal, and scrape-off-layer (SOL)/divertor codes. The integrated models clarified complex and autonomous features in AT. An integrated core model was implemented to take account of an anomalous radial transport of alpha particles caused by Alfven eigenmodes. It showed the reduction in the fusion gain by the anomalous radial transport and further escape of alpha particles. Integrated rotation model showed mechanismsmore » of rotation driven by the magnetic-field-ripple loss of fast ions and the charge separation due to fast-ion drift. An inward pinch model of high-Z impurity due to the atomic process was developed and indicated that the pinch velocity increases with the toroidal rotation. Integrated edge/pedestal model clarified causes of collisionality dependence of energy loss due to the edge localized mode and the enhancement of energy loss by steepening a core pressure gradient just inside the pedestal top. An ideal magnetohydrodynamics stability code was developed to take account of toroidal rotation and clarified a destabilizing effect of rotation on the pedestal. Integrated SOL/divertor model clarified a mechanism of X-point multifaceted asymmetric radiation from edge. A model of the SOL flow driven by core particle orbits which partially enter the SOL was developed by introducing the ion-orbit-induced flow to fluid equations.« less

Deuterium-tritium experiments on the Tokamak Fusion Test reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hosea, J.; Adler, J.H.; Alling, P.

The deuterium-tritium (D-T) experimental program on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) is underway and routine tritium operations have been established. The technology upgrades made to the TFTR facility have been demonstrated to be sufficient for supporting both operations and maintenance for an extended D-T campaign. To date fusion power has been increased to {approx}9 MW and several physics results of importance to the D-T reactor regime have been obtained: electron temperature, ion temperature, and plasma stored energy all increase substantially in the D-T regime relative to the D-D regime at the same neutral beam power and comparable limiter conditioning;more » possible alpha electron heating is indicated and energy confinement improvement with average ion mass is observed; and alpha particle losses appear to be classical with no evidence of TAE mode activity up to the PFUS {approx}6 MW level. Instability in the TAE mode frequency range has been observed at PFUS > 7 MW and its effect on performance in under investigation. Preparations are underway to enhance the alpha particle density further by increasing fusion power and by extending the neutral beam pulse length to permit alpha particle effects of relevance to the ITER regime to be more fully explored.« less

Simulation of EAST vertical displacement events by tokamak simulation code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Qinglai; Xiao, Bingjia; Guo, Yong; Liu, Lei; Xing, Zhe; Humphreys, D. A.

2016-10-01

Vertical instability is a potentially serious hazard for elongated plasma. In this paper, the tokamak simulation code (TSC) is used to simulate vertical displacement events (VDE) on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST). Key parameters from simulations, including plasma current, plasma shape and position, flux contours and magnetic measurements match experimental data well. The growth rates simulated by TSC are in good agreement with TokSys results. In addition to modeling the free drift, an EAST fast vertical control model enables TSC to simulate the course of VDE recovery. The trajectories of the plasma current center and control currents on internal coils (IC) fit experimental data well.

Observations of compound sawteeth in ion cyclotron resonant heating plasma using ECE imaging on experimental advanced superconducting tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hussain, Azam; Zhao, Zhenling; Xie, Jinlin, E-mail: jlxie@ustc.edu.cn

The spatial and temporal evolutions of compound sawteeth were directly observed using 2D electron cyclotron emission imaging on experimental advanced superconducting tokamak. The compound sawtooth consists of partial and full collapses. After partial collapse, the hot core survives as only a small amount of heat disperses outwards, whereas in the following full collapse a large amount of heat is released and the hot core dissipates. The presence of two q = 1 surfaces was not observed. Instead, the compound sawtooth occurs mainly at the beginning of an ion cyclotron resonant frequency heating pulse and during the L-H transition phase, which may bemore » related to heat transport suppression caused by a decrease in electron heat diffusivity.« less

Spherical tokamaks with plasma centre-post

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, Celso

2013-10-01

The metal centre-post (MCP) in tokamaks is a structure which carries the total toroidal field current and also houses the Ohmic heating solenoid in conventional or low aspect ratio (Spherical)(ST) tokamaks. The MCP and solenoid are critical components for producing the toroidal field and for the limited Ohmic flux in STs. Constraints for a ST reactor related to these limitations lead to a minimum plasma aspect ratio of 1.4 which reduces the benefit of operation at higher betas in a more compact ST reactor. Replacing the MCP is of great interest for reactor-based ST studies since the device is simplified, compactness increased, and maintenance reduced. An experiment to show the feasibility of using a plasma centre-post (PCP) is being currently under construction and involves a high level of complexity. A preliminary study of a very simple PCP, which is ECR(Electron Cyclotron Resonance)-assisted and which includes an innovative fuelling system based on pellet injection, has recently been reported. This is highly suitable for an ultra-low aspect ratio tokamak (ULART) device. Advances on this PCP ECR-assisted concept within a ULART and the associated fuelling system are presented here, and will include the field topology for the PCP ECR-assisted scheme, pellet ablation modeling, and a possible global equilibrium simulation. VIE-ITCR, IAEA-CRP contr.17592, National Instruments-Costa Rica.

Measurements of the parallel wavenumber of lower hybrid waves in the scrape-off layer of a high-density tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baek, S. G.; Wallace, G. M.; Shinya, T.; Parker, R. R.; Shiraiwa, S.; Bonoli, P. T.; Brunner, D.; Faust, I.; LaBombard, B. L.; Takase, Y.; Wukitch, S.

2016-05-01

In lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) experiments on tokamaks, the parallel wavenumber of lower hybrid waves is an important physics parameter that governs the wave propagation and absorption physics. However, this parameter has not been experimentally well-characterized in the present-day high density tokamaks, despite the advances in the wave physics modeling. In this paper, we present the first measurement of the dominant parallel wavenumber of lower hybrid waves in the scrape-off layer (SOL) of the Alcator C-Mod tokamak with an array of magnetic loop probes. The electric field strength measured with the probe in typical C-Mod plasmas is about one-fifth of that of the electric field at the mouth of the grill antenna. The amplitude and phase responses of the measured signals on the applied power spectrum are consistent with the expected wave energy propagation. At higher density, the observed k|| increases for the fixed launched k||, and the wave amplitude decreases rapidly. This decrease is correlated with the loss of LHCD efficiency at high density, suggesting the presence of loss mechanisms. Evidence of the spectral broadening mechanisms is observed in the frequency spectra. However, no clear modifications in the dominant k|| are observed in the spectrally broadened wave components, as compared to the measured k|| at the applied frequency. It could be due to (1) the probe being in the SOL and (2) the limited k|| resolution of the diagnostic. Future experiments are planned to investigate the roles of the observed spectral broadening mechanisms on the LH density limit problem in the strong single pass damping regime.

Physics Basis for the Advanced Tokamak Fusion Power Plant ARIES-AT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

S.C. Jardin; C.E. Kessel; T.K. Mau

2003-10-07

The advanced tokamak is considered as the basis for a fusion power plant. The ARIES-AT design has an aspect ratio of A always equal to R/a = 4.0, an elongation and triangularity of kappa = 2.20, delta = 0.90 (evaluated at the separatrix surface), a toroidal beta of beta = 9.1% (normalized to the vacuum toroidal field at the plasma center), which corresponds to a normalized beta of bN * 100 x b/(I(sub)P(MA)/a(m)B(T)) = 5.4. These beta values are chosen to be 10% below the ideal-MHD stability limit. The bootstrap-current fraction is fBS * I(sub)BS/I(sub)P = 0.91. This leads tomore » a design with total plasma current I(sub)P = 12.8 MA, and toroidal field of 11.1 T (at the coil edge) and 5.8 T (at the plasma center). The major and minor radii are 5.2 and 1.3 m, respectively. The effects of H-mode edge gradients and the stability of this configuration to non-ideal modes is analyzed. The current-drive system consists of ICRF/FW for on-axis current drive and a lower-hybrid system for off-axis. Tran sport projections are presented using the drift-wave based GLF23 model. The approach to power and particle exhaust using both plasma core and scrape-off-layer radiation is presented.« less

Fast valve based on double-layer eddy-current repulsion for disruption mitigation in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak.

PubMed

Zhuang, H D; Zhang, X D

2015-05-01

A fast valve based on the double-layer eddy-current repulsion mechanism has been developed on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). In addition to a double-layer eddy-current coil, a preload system was added to improve the security of the valve, whereby the valve opens more quickly and the open-valve time becomes shorter, making it much safer than before. In this contribution, testing platforms, open-valve characteristics, and throughput of the fast valve are discussed. Tests revealed that by choosing appropriate parameters the valve opened within 0.15 ms, and open-valve times were no longer than 2 ms. By adjusting working parameter values, the maximum number of particles injected during this open-valve time was estimated at 7 × 10(22). The fast valve will become a useful tool to further explore disruption mitigation experiments on EAST in 2015.

High power heating of magnetic reconnection in merging tokamak experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ono, Y.; Tanabe, H.; Gi, K.

2015-05-15

Significant ion/electron heating of magnetic reconnection up to 1.2 keV was documented in two spherical tokamak plasma merging experiment on MAST with the significantly large Reynolds number R∼10{sup 5}. Measured 1D/2D contours of ion and electron temperatures reveal clearly energy-conversion mechanisms of magnetic reconnection: huge outflow heating of ions in the downstream and localized heating of electrons at the X-point. Ions are accelerated up to the order of poloidal Alfven speed in the reconnection outflow region and are thermalized by fast shock-like density pileups formed in the downstreams, in agreement with recent solar satellite observations and PIC simulation results. The magneticmore » reconnection efficiently converts the reconnecting (poloidal) magnetic energy mostly into ion thermal energy through the outflow, causing the reconnection heating energy proportional to square of the reconnecting (poloidal) magnetic field B{sub rec}{sup 2}  ∼  B{sub p}{sup 2}. The guide toroidal field B{sub t} does not affect the bulk heating of ions and electrons, probably because the reconnection/outflow speeds are determined mostly by the external driven inflow by the help of another fast reconnection mechanism: intermittent sheet ejection. The localized electron heating at the X-point increases sharply with the guide toroidal field B{sub t}, probably because the toroidal field increases electron confinement and acceleration length along the X-line. 2D measurements of magnetic field and temperatures in the TS-3 tokamak merging experiment also reveal the detailed reconnection heating mechanisms mentioned above. The high-power heating of tokamak merging is useful not only for laboratory study of reconnection but also for economical startup and heating of tokamak plasmas. The MAST/TS-3 tokamak merging with B{sub p} > 0.4 T will enables us to heat the plasma to the alpha heating regime: T{sub i} > 5 keV without using any additional heating

Impact of E × B flow shear on turbulence and resulting power fall-off width in H-mode plasmas in experimental advanced superconducting tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Q. Q., E-mail: yangqq@ipp.ac.cn; Zhong, F. C., E-mail: gsxu@ipp.ac.cn, E-mail: fczhong@dhu.edu.cn; Jia, M. N.

2015-06-15

The power fall-off width in the H-mode scrape-off layer (SOL) in tokamaks shows a strong inverse dependence on the plasma current, which was noticed by both previous multi-machine scaling work [T. Eich et al., Nucl. Fusion 53, 093031 (2013)] and more recent work [L. Wang et al., Nucl. Fusion 54, 114002 (2014)] on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak. To understand the underlying physics, probe measurements of three H-mode discharges with different plasma currents have been studied in this work. The results suggest that a higher plasma current is accompanied by a stronger E×B shear and a shorter radial correlation lengthmore » of turbulence in the SOL, thus resulting in a narrower power fall-off width. A simple model has also been applied to demonstrate the suppression effect of E×B shear on turbulence in the SOL and shows relatively good agreement with the experimental observations.« less

TEMPEST simulations of the plasma transport in a single-null tokamak geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, X. Q.; Bodi, K.; Cohen, R. H.; Krasheninnikov, S.; Rognlien, T. D.

2010-06-01

We present edge kinetic ion transport simulations of tokamak plasmas in magnetic divertor geometry using the fully nonlinear (full-f) continuum code TEMPEST. Besides neoclassical transport, a term for divergence of anomalous kinetic radial flux is added to mock up the effect of turbulent transport. To study the relative roles of neoclassical and anomalous transport, TEMPEST simulations were carried out for plasma transport and flow dynamics in a single-null tokamak geometry, including the pedestal region that extends across the separatrix into the scrape-off layer and private flux region. A series of TEMPEST simulations were conducted to investigate the transition of midplane pedestal heat flux and flow from the neoclassical to the turbulent limit and the transition of divertor heat flux and flow from the kinetic to the fluid regime via an anomalous transport scan and a density scan. The TEMPEST simulation results demonstrate that turbulent transport (as modelled by large diffusion) plays a similar role to collisional decorrelation of particle orbits and that the large turbulent transport (large diffusion) leads to an apparent Maxwellianization of the particle distribution. We also show the transition of parallel heat flux and flow at the entrance to the divertor plates from the fluid to the kinetic regime. For an absorbing divertor plate boundary condition, a non-half-Maxwellian is found due to the balance between upstream radial anomalous transport and energetic ion endloss.

Physics and performance of the I-mode regime over an expanded operating space on Alcator C-Mod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hubbard, A. E.; Baek, S.-G.; Brunner, D.; Creely, A. J.; Cziegler, I.; Edlund, E.; Hughes, J. W.; LaBombard, B.; Lin, Y.; Liu, Z.; Marmar, E. S.; Reinke, M. L.; Rice, J. E.; Sorbom, B.; Sung, C.; Terry, J.; Theiler, C.; Tolman, E. A.; Walk, J. R.; White, A. E.; Whyte, D.; Wolfe, S. M.; Wukitch, S.; Xu, X. Q.; the Alcator C-Mod Team

2017-12-01

New results on the I-mode regime of operation on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak are reported. This ELM-free regime features high energy confinement and a steep temperature pedestal, while particle confinement remains at L-mode levels, giving stationary density and avoiding impurity accumulation. I-mode has now been obtained over nearly all of the magnetic fields and currents possible in this high field tokamak (I p 0.55-1.7 MA, B T 2.8-8 T) using a configuration with B  ×  ∇ B drift away from the X-point. Results at 8 T confirm that the L-I power threshold varies only weakly with B T, and that the power range for I-mode increases with B T; no 8 T discharges transitioned to H-mode. Parameter dependences of energy confinement are investigated. Core transport simulations are giving insight into the observed turbulence reduction, profile stiffness and confinement improvement. Pedestal models explain the observed stability to ELMs, and can simulate the observed weakly coherent mode. Conditions for I-H transitions have complex dependences on density as well as power. I-modes have now been maintained in near-DN configurations, leading to improved divertor power flux sharing. Prospects for I-mode on future fusion devices such as ITER and ARC are encouraging. Further experiments on other tokamaks are needed to improve confidence in extrapolation.

Neural network evaluation of tokamak current profiles for real time control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wróblewski, Dariusz

1997-02-01

Active feedback control of the current profile, requiring real-time determination of the current profile parameters, is envisioned for tokamaks operating in enhanced confinement regimes. The distribution of toroidal current in a tokamak is now routinely evaluated based on external (magnetic probes, flux loops) and internal (motional Stark effect) measurements of the poloidal magnetic field. However, the analysis involves reconstruction of magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium and is too intensive computationally to be performed in real time. In the present study, a neural network is used to provide a mapping from the magnetic measurements (internal and external) to selected parameters of the safety factor profile. The single-pass, feedforward calculation of output of a trained neural network is very fast, making this approach particularly suitable for real-time applications. The network was trained on a large set of simulated equilibrium data for the DIII-D tokamak. The database encompasses a large variety of current profiles including the hollow current profiles important for reversed central shear operation. The parameters of safety factor profile (a quantity related to the current profile through the magnetic field tilt angle) estimated by the neural network include central safety factor, q0, minimum value of q, qmin, and the location of qmin. Very good performance of the trained neural network both for simulated test data and for experimental datais demonstrated.

The computation in diagnostics for tokamaks: systems, designs, approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krawczyk, Rafał; Linczuk, Paweł; Czarski, Tomasz; Wojeński, Andrzej; Chernyshova, Maryna; Poźniak, Krzysztof; Kolasiński, Piotr; Kasprowicz, Grzegorz; Zabołotny, Wojciech; Kowalska-Strzeciwilk, Ewa; Malinowski, Karol; Gaska, Michał

2017-08-01

The requirements given for GEM (Gaseous Electron Multiplier) detector based acquisition system for plasma impurities diagnostics triggered a need for the development of a specialized software and hardware architecture. The amount of computations with latency and throughput restrictions cause that an advanced solution is sought for. In order to provide a mechanism fitting the designated tokamaks, an insight into existing solutions was necessary. In the article there is discussed architecture of systems used for plasma diagnostics and in related scientific fields. The developed solution is compared and contrasted with other diagnostic and control systems. Particular attention is payed to specific requirements for plasma impurities diagnostics in tokamak thermal fusion reactor. Subsequently, the details are presented that justified the choice of the system architecture and the discussion on various approaches is given.

Investigation of the plasma radiation power in the Globus-M tokamak by means of SPD silicon photodiodes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Iblyaminova, A. D., E-mail: a.iblyaminova@mail.ioffe.ru; Avdeeva, G. F.; Aruev, P. N.

2016-10-15

Radiation losses from the plasma of the Globus-M tokamak are studied by means of SPD silicon photodiodes developed at the Ioffe Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences. The results from measurements of radiation losses in regimes with ohmic and neutral beam injection heating of plasmas with different isotope compositions are presented. The dependence of the radiation loss power on the plasma current and plasma–wall distance is investigated. The radiation power in different spectral ranges is analyzed by means of an SPD spectrometric module. Results of measurements of radiation losses before and after tokamak vessel boronization are presented. The time evolution ofmore » the sensitivity of the SPD photodiode during its two-year exploitation in Globus-M is analyzed.« less

TEMPEST Simulations of the Plasma Transport in a Single-Null Tokamak Geometry

DOE PAGES

X. Q. Xu; Bodi, K.; Cohen, R. H.; ...

2010-05-28

We present edge kinetic ion transport simulations of tokamak plasmas in magnetic divertor geometry using the fully nonlinear (full-f) continuum code TEMPEST. Besides neoclassical transport, a term for divergence of anomalous kinetic radial flux is added to mock up the effect of turbulent transport. In order to study the relative roles of neoclassical and anomalous transport, TEMPEST simulations were carried out for plasma transport and flow dynamics in a single-null tokamak geometry, including the pedestal region that extends across the separatrix into the scrape-off layer and private flux region. In a series of TEMPEST simulations were conducted to investigate themore » transition of midplane pedestal heat flux and flow from the neoclassical to the turbulent limit and the transition of divertor heat flux and flow from the kinetic to the fluid regime via an anomalous transport scan and a density scan. The TEMPEST simulation results demonstrate that turbulent transport (as modelled by large diffusion) plays a similar role to collisional decorrelation of particle orbits and that the large turbulent transport (large diffusion) leads to an apparent Maxwellianization of the particle distribution. Moreover, we show the transition of parallel heat flux and flow at the entrance to the divertor plates from the fluid to the kinetic regime. For an absorbing divertor plate boundary condition, a non-half-Maxwellian is found due to the balance between upstream radial anomalous transport and energetic ion endloss.« less

TEMPEST Simulations of the Plasma Transport in a Single-Null Tokamak Geometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

X. Q. Xu; Bodi, K.; Cohen, R. H.

We present edge kinetic ion transport simulations of tokamak plasmas in magnetic divertor geometry using the fully nonlinear (full-f) continuum code TEMPEST. Besides neoclassical transport, a term for divergence of anomalous kinetic radial flux is added to mock up the effect of turbulent transport. In order to study the relative roles of neoclassical and anomalous transport, TEMPEST simulations were carried out for plasma transport and flow dynamics in a single-null tokamak geometry, including the pedestal region that extends across the separatrix into the scrape-off layer and private flux region. In a series of TEMPEST simulations were conducted to investigate themore » transition of midplane pedestal heat flux and flow from the neoclassical to the turbulent limit and the transition of divertor heat flux and flow from the kinetic to the fluid regime via an anomalous transport scan and a density scan. The TEMPEST simulation results demonstrate that turbulent transport (as modelled by large diffusion) plays a similar role to collisional decorrelation of particle orbits and that the large turbulent transport (large diffusion) leads to an apparent Maxwellianization of the particle distribution. Moreover, we show the transition of parallel heat flux and flow at the entrance to the divertor plates from the fluid to the kinetic regime. For an absorbing divertor plate boundary condition, a non-half-Maxwellian is found due to the balance between upstream radial anomalous transport and energetic ion endloss.« less

Hydrocarbon deposition in gaps of tungsten and graphite tiles in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak edge plasma parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Qian; Yang, Zhongshi; Luo, Guang-Nan

2015-09-01

The three-dimensional (3D) Monte Carlo code PIC-EDDY has been utilized to investigate the mechanism of hydrocarbon deposition in gaps of tungsten tiles in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), where the sheath potential is calculated by the 2D in space and 3D in velocity particle-in-cell method. The calculated results for graphite tiles using the same method are also presented for comparison. Calculation results show that the amount of carbon deposited in the gaps of carbon tiles is three times larger than that in the gaps of tungsten tiles when the carbon particles from re-erosion on the top surface of monoblocks are taken into account. However, the deposition amount is found to be larger in the gaps of tungsten tiles at the same CH4 flux. When chemical sputtering becomes significant as carbon coverage on tungsten increases with exposure time, the deposition inside the gaps of tungsten tiles would be considerable.

Design of a collective scattering system for small scale turbulence study in Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, W., E-mail: woochanglee@unist.ac.kr; Lee, D. J.; Park, H. K.

The design characteristics of a multi-channel collective (or coherent) scattering system for small scale turbulence study in Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR), which is planned to be installed in 2017, are given in this paper. A few critical issues are discussed in depth such as the Faraday and Cotton-Mouton effects on the beam polarization, radial spatial resolution, probe beam frequency, polarization, and power. A proper and feasible optics with the 300 GHz probe beam, which was designed based on these issues, provides a simultaneous measurement of electron density fluctuations at four discrete poloidal wavenumbers up to 24 cm{sup −1}.more » The upper limit corresponds to the normalized wavenumber k{sub θ}ρ{sub e} of ∼0.15 in nominal KSTAR plasmas. To detect the scattered beam power and extract phase information, a quadrature detection system consisting of four-channel antenna/detector array and electronics will be employed.« less

Neural network evaluation of tokamak current profiles for real time control (abstract)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wróblewski, Dariusz

1997-01-01

Active feedback control of the current profile, requiring real-time determination of the current profile parameters, is envisioned for tokamaks operating in enhanced confinement regimes. The distribution of toroidal current in a tokamak is now routinely evaluated based on external (magnetic probes, flux loops) and internal (motional Stark effect) measurements of the poloidal magnetic field. However, the analysis involves reconstruction of magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium and is too intensive computationally to be performed in real time. In the present study, a neural network is used to provide a mapping from the magnetic measurements (internal and external) to selected parameters of the safety factor profile. The single-pass, feedforward calculation of output of a trained neural network is very fast, making this approach particularly suitable for real-time applications. The network was trained on a large set of simulated equilibrium data for the DIII-D tokamak. The database encompasses a large variety of current profiles including the hollow current profiles important for reversed central shear operation. The parameters of safety factor profile (a quantity related to the current profile through the magnetic field tilt angle) estimated by the neural network include central safety factor, q0, minimum value of q, qmin, and the location of qmin. Very good performance of the trained neural network both for simulated test data and for experimental data is demonstrated.

Stability and dynamics of the edge pedestal in the low collisionality regime: physics mechanisms for steady-state ELM-free operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snyder, P. B.; Burrell, K. H.; Wilson, H. R.; Chu, M. S.; Fenstermacher, M. E.; Leonard, A. W.; Moyer, R. A.; Osborne, T. H.; Umansky, M.; West, W. P.; Xu, X. Q.

2007-08-01

Understanding the physics of the edge pedestal and edge localized modes (ELMs) is of great importance for ITER and the optimization of the tokamak concept. The peeling-ballooning model has quantitatively explained many observations, including ELM onset and pedestal constraints, in the standard H-mode regime. The ELITE code has been developed to efficiently evaluate peeling-ballooning stability for comparison with observation and predictions for future devices. We briefly review recent progress in the peeling-ballooning model, including experimental validation of ELM onset and pedestal height predictions, and nonlinear 3D simulations of ELM dynamics, which together lead to an emerging understanding of the physics of the onset and dynamics of ELMs in the standard intermediate to high collisionality regime. We also discuss new studies of the apparent power dependence of the pedestal, and studies of the impact of sheared toroidal flow. Recently, highly promising low collisionality regimes without ELMs have been discovered, including the quiescent H-mode (QH) and resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) regimes. We present recent observations from the DIII-D tokamak of the density, shape and rotation dependence of QH discharges, and studies of the peeling-ballooning stability in this regime. We propose a model of the QH-mode in which the observed edge harmonic oscillation (EHO) is a saturated kink/peeling mode which is destabilized by current and rotation, and drives significant transport, allowing a near steady-state edge plasma. The model quantitatively predicts the observed density dependence and qualitatively predicts observed mode structure, rotation dependence and outer gap dependence. Low density RMP discharges are found to operate in a similar regime, but with the EHO replaced by an applied magnetic perturbation.

Magnetic diagnostics for equilibrium reconstructions in the presence of nonaxisymmetric eddy current distributions in tokamaks (invited).

PubMed

Berzak, L; Jones, A D; Kaita, R; Kozub, T; Logan, N; Majeski, R; Menard, J; Zakharov, L

2010-10-01

The lithium tokamak experiment (LTX) is a modest-sized spherical tokamak (R(0)=0.4 m and a=0.26 m) designed to investigate the low-recycling lithium wall operating regime for magnetically confined plasmas. LTX will reach this regime through a lithium-coated shell internal to the vacuum vessel, conformal to the plasma last-closed-flux surface, and heated to 300-400 °C. This structure is highly conductive and not axisymmetric. The three-dimensional nature of the shell causes the eddy currents and magnetic fields to be three-dimensional as well. In order to analyze the plasma equilibrium in the presence of three-dimensional eddy currents, an extensive array of unique magnetic diagnostics has been implemented. Sensors are designed to survive high temperatures and incidental contact with lithium and provide data on toroidal asymmetries as well as full coverage of the poloidal cross-section. The magnetic array has been utilized to determine the effects of nonaxisymmetric eddy currents and to model the start-up phase of LTX. Measurements from the magnetic array, coupled with two-dimensional field component modeling, have allowed a suitable field null and initial plasma current to be produced. For full magnetic reconstructions, a three-dimensional electromagnetic model of the vacuum vessel and shell is under development.

Turbulent transport regimes and the SOL heat flux width

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myra, J. R.; D'Ippolito, D. A.; Russell, D. A.

2014-10-01

Understanding the responsible mechanisms and resulting scaling of the scrape-off layer (SOL) heat flux width is important for predicting viable operating regimes in future tokamaks, and for seeking possible mitigation schemes. Simulation and theory results using reduced edge/SOL turbulence models have produced SOL widths and scalings in reasonable accord with experiments in many cases. In this work, we attempt to qualitatively and conceptually understand various regimes of edge/SOL turbulence and the role of turbulent transport in establishing the SOL heat flux width. Relevant considerations include the type and spectral characteristics of underlying instabilities, the location of the gradient drive relative to the SOL, the nonlinear saturation mechanism, and the parallel heat transport regime. Recent SOLT turbulence code results are employed to understand the roles of these considerations and to develop analytical scalings. We find a heat flux width scaling with major radius R that is generally positive, consistent with older results reviewed in. The possible relationship of turbulence mechanisms to the heuristic drift mechanism is considered, together with implications for future experiments. Work supported by US DOE grant DE-FG02-97ER54392.

Sensitivity of magnetic field-line pitch angle measurements to sawtooth events in tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ko, J., E-mail: jinseok@nfri.re.kr

2016-11-15

The sensitivity of the pitch angle profiles measured by the motional Stark effect (MSE) diagnostic to the evolution of the safety factor, q, profiles during the tokamak sawtooth events has been investigated for Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR). An analytic relation between the tokamak pitch angle, γ, and q estimates that Δγ ∼ 0.1° is required for detecting Δq ∼ 0.05 near the magnetic axis (not at the magnetic axis, though). The pitch angle becomes less sensitive to the same Δq for the middle and outer regions of the plasma (Δγ ∼ 0.5°). At the magnetic axis, it ismore » not straightforward to directly relate the γ sensitivity to Δq since the gradient of γ(R), where R is the major radius of the tokamak, is involved. Many of the MSE data obtained from the 2015 KSTAR campaign, when calibrated carefully, can meet these requirements with the time integration down to 10 ms. The analysis with the measured data shows that the pitch angle profiles and their gradients near the magnetic axis can resolve the change of the q profiles including the central safety factor, q{sub 0}, during the sawtooth events.« less

MHD Instabilities and Toroidal Field Effects on Plasma Column Behavior in Tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khorshid, Pejman; Plasma Physics Research Center, Islamic Azad University, 14665-678, Tehran; Wang, L.

2006-12-04

In the edge plasma of the CT-6B and IRAN-T1 tokamaks the shape of plasma column based on MHD behavior has been studied. The bulk of plasma behavior during plasma column rotation as non-rigid body plasma has been investigated. We found that mode number and rotation frequency of plasma column are different in angle position, so that the mode number detected from Mirnov coils array located in poloidal angle on the inner side of chamber is more than outer side which it can be because of toroidal magnetic field effects. The results of IR-T1 and CT-6B tokamaks compared with each other,more » so that in the CT-6B because of its coils number must be less, but because of its Iron core the effect of toroidal magnetic field became more effective with respect to IR-T1. In addition, it is shown that the plasma column behaves as non-Rigid body plasma so that the poloidal rotation velocity variation in CT-6B is more than IR-T1. A relative correction for island rotation frequency has been suggested in connection with IRAN-T1 and CT-6B tokamak results, which can be considered for optical measurement purposes and also for future advanced tokamak control design.« less

Generalized kinetic-neoclassical closure for parallel viscosity in a tokamak.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smolyakov, A.; Callen, J. D.; Hegna, C.

2000-10-01

We develop a drift-kinetic equation for a Chapman Enskog-type calculations of the parallel viscosity in a tokamak. This approach allows us to uniformly obtain closure relations for the parallel viscosity that include the kinetic effects of wave-particle interactions, such as those of Hammet-Perkins closures, as well as standard neoclassical moment closures induced by collisions and the magnetic field strength variation along field lines. Closures for both these cases can be obtained from our expressions; also, their mutual influences can be investigated. The developed equations allow calculation of parallel vicosity in general kinetic-neoclassical regimes while the main conservation properties remain correct even with an approximate treatment of the collisional operator.

Transition From High Harmonic Fast Wave to Whistler/Helicon Regime in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, S. P.; Pinsker, R. I.; Porkolab, M.

2014-10-01

Experiments are being prepared1 on DIII-D in which fast waves (FWs) at 0.5 GHz will be used to drive current noninductively in the mid-radius region. Previous DIII-D experiments used FWs at ~0.1 GHz to drive central current; in this work we examine the frequency dependence of wave propagation and damping in the 0.1-1.0 GHz range with the goal of identifying the optimum frequency range for a particular application. Strongly enhanced electron damping and reduced ion damping at higher frequencies must be weighed against increasing coupling difficulties at higher frequencies and more restrictive wave accessibility at low toroidal field. Wave propagation and accessibility is studied with ray tracing models in slab, cylindrical, and fully toroidal geometries. Analytic expressions for electron and ion damping will be derived with an emphasis on understanding the transition from the moderate-to-high ion cyclotron harmonic regime to the very high harmonic or ``whistler''/``helicon''/lower hybrid FW regime. Work supported in part by the National Undergraduate Fellowship Program in Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy Sciences and the US Department of Energy under DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Neoclassical quasilinear theory in the superbanana plateau regime and banana kinetics in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaing, K. C.

2017-12-01

Neoclassical quasilinear transport theory, which is part of a more general theory that unifies neoclassical and quasilinear theories, is extended to the superbanana plateau regime for low frequency (of the order of the drift frequency) electrostatic fluctuations. The physics mechanism that is responsible for the transport losses in this regime is the superbanana plateau resonance. Besides the usual magnetic drifts, Doppler shifted mode frequency also contributes to the resonance condition. Because the characteristic frequency involved in the resonance is of the order of the drift frequency, which is lower than either the bounce or the transit frequency of the particles, the transport losses are higher than the losses calculated in the conventional quasilinear theory. The important effects of the finite banana width, i.e., banana kinetics, are included and are found to reduce the transport losses for short wavelength modes. The implications on the energetic alpha particle energy loss are discussed.

Current drive by spheromak injection into a tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brown, M.R.; Bellan, P.M.

1990-04-30

We report the first observation of current drive by injection of a spheromak plasma into a tokamak (Caltech ENCORE small reasearch tokamak) due to the process of helicity injection. After an abrupt 30% increase, the tokamak current decays by a factor of 3 due to plasma cooling caused by the merging of the relatively cold spheromak with the tokamak. The tokamak density profile peaks sharply due to the injected spheromak plasma ({ital {bar n}}{sub 3} increases by a factor of 6) then becomes hollow, suggestive of an interchange instability.

A key to improved ion core confinement in the JET tokamak: ion stiffness mitigation due to combined plasma rotation and low magnetic shear.

PubMed

Mantica, P; Angioni, C; Challis, C; Colyer, G; Frassinetti, L; Hawkes, N; Johnson, T; Tsalas, M; deVries, P C; Weiland, J; Baiocchi, B; Beurskens, M N A; Figueiredo, A C A; Giroud, C; Hobirk, J; Joffrin, E; Lerche, E; Naulin, V; Peeters, A G; Salmi, A; Sozzi, C; Strintzi, D; Staebler, G; Tala, T; Van Eester, D; Versloot, T

2011-09-23

New transport experiments on JET indicate that ion stiffness mitigation in the core of a rotating plasma, as described by Mantica et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 175002 (2009)] results from the combined effect of high rotational shear and low magnetic shear. The observations have important implications for the understanding of improved ion core confinement in advanced tokamak scenarios. Simulations using quasilinear fluid and gyrofluid models show features of stiffness mitigation, while nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations do not. The JET experiments indicate that advanced tokamak scenarios in future devices will require sufficient rotational shear and the capability of q profile manipulation.

Plasma Equilibrium Control in Nuclear Fusion Devices 2. Plasma Control in Magnetic Confinement Devices 2.1 Plasma Control in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukuda, Takeshi

The plasma control technique for use in large tokamak devices has made great developmental strides in the last decade, concomitantly with progress in the understanding of tokamak physics and in part facilitated by the substantial advancement in the computing environment. Equilibrium control procedures have thereby been established, and it has been pervasively recognized in recent years that the real-time feedback control of physical quantities is indispensable for the improvement and sustainment of plasma performance in a quasi-steady-state. Further development is presently undertaken to realize the “advanced plasma control” concept, where integrated fusion performance is achieved by the simultaneous feedback control of multiple physical quantities, combined with equilibrium control.

Neoclassical transport fluxes inside transport barriers in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaing, K. C.

2011-10-01

Inside the transport barriers in tokamaks ion energy losses sometimes are smaller than the value predicted by the standard neoclassical theory. This improvement can be understood in terms of the orbit squeezing theory in addition to the sonic poloidal E × B Mach number Up . m that pushes the tips of the trapped particles to the higher energy. In general, Up . m also includes the poloidal component of the parallel mass flow speed. These physics mechanisms are the corner stones for the transition theory of the low confinement mode (L-mode) to the high confinement mode (H-mode) in tokamaks. Here, detailed transport fluxes in the banana regime are presented using the parallel viscous forces calculated earlier. It is found, as expected, that effects of orbit squeezing and the sonic Up . m reduce the ion heat conductivity. The former reduces it by a factor of | S | 3/2 and the later by a factor of RUp, m 2 exp -Up, m 2 with RUp, m 2 , a rational function. A nonlinear equation for Up . m, similar to the bifurcation equation for L-H transition, is derived. Discussions between the theory presented here and earlier with that from a different group will be presented. This work was supported by the National Science Council, Taiwan, and the Department of Energy, USA.

Tokamak foundation in USSR/Russia 1950-1990

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smirnov, V. P.

2010-01-01

In the USSR, nuclear fusion research began in 1950 with the work of I.E. Tamm, A.D. Sakharov and colleagues. They formulated the principles of magnetic confinement of high temperature plasmas, that would allow the development of a thermonuclear reactor. Following this, experimental research on plasma initiation and heating in toroidal systems began in 1951 at the Kurchatov Institute. From the very first devices with vessels made of glass, porcelain or metal with insulating inserts, work progressed to the operation of the first tokamak, T-1, in 1958. More machines followed and the first international collaboration in nuclear fusion, on the T-3 tokamak, established the tokamak as a promising option for magnetic confinement. Experiments continued and specialized machines were developed to test separately improvements to the tokamak concept needed for the production of energy. At the same time, research into plasma physics and tokamak theory was being undertaken which provides the basis for modern theoretical work. Since then, the tokamak concept has been refined by a world-wide effort and today we look forward to the successful operation of ITER.

The conceptual design of a robust, compact, modular tokamak reactor based on high-field superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whyte, D. G.; Bonoli, P.; Barnard, H.; Haakonsen, C.; Hartwig, Z.; Kasten, C.; Palmer, T.; Sung, C.; Sutherland, D.; Bromberg, L.; Mangiarotti, F.; Goh, J.; Sorbom, B.; Sierchio, J.; Ball, J.; Greenwald, M.; Olynyk, G.; Minervini, J.

2012-10-01

Two of the greatest challenges to tokamak reactors are 1) large single-unit cost of each reactor's construction and 2) their susceptibility to disruptions from operation at or above operational limits. We present an attractive tokamak reactor design that substantially lessens these issues by exploiting recent advancements in superconductor (SC) tapes allowing peak field on SC coil > 20 Tesla. A R˜3.3 m, B˜9.2 T, ˜ 500 MW fusion power tokamak provides high fusion gain while avoiding all disruptive operating boundaries (no-wall beta, kink, and density limits). Robust steady-state core scenarios are obtained by exploiting the synergy of high field, compact size and ideal efficiency current drive using high-field side launch of Lower Hybrid waves. The design features a completely modular replacement of internal solid components enabled by the demountability of the coils/tapes and the use of an immersion liquid blanket. This modularity opens up the possibility of using the device as a nuclear component test facility.

Optimal Control Techniques for ResistiveWall Modes in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clement, Mitchell Dobbs Pearson

Tokamaks can excite kink modes that can lock or nearly lock to the vacuum vessel wall, and whose rotation frequencies and growth rates vary in time but are generally inversely proportional to the magnetic flux diffusion time of the vacuum vessel wall. This magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instability is pressure limiting in tokamaks and is called the Resistive Wall Mode (RWM). Future tokamaks that are expected to operate as fusion reactors will be required to maximize plasma pressure in order to maximize fusion performance. The DIII-D tokamak is equipped with electromagnetic control coils, both inside and outside of its vacuum vessel, which create magnetic fields that are small by comparison to the machine's equilibrium field but are able to dynamically counteract the RWM. Presently for RWM feedback, DIII-D uses its interior control coils using a classical proportional gain only controller to achieve high plasma pressure. Future advanced tokamak designs will not likely have the luxury of interior control coils and a proportional gain algorithm is not expected to be effective with external control coils. The computer code VALEN was designed to calculate the performance of an MHD feedback control system in an arbitrary geometry. VALEN models the perturbed magnetic field from a single MHD instability and its interaction with surrounding conducting structures using a finite element approach. A linear quadratic gaussian (LQG) control, or H 2 optimal control, algorithm based on the VALEN model for RWM feedback was developed for use with DIII-D's external control coil set. The algorithm is implemented on a platform that combines a graphics processing unit (GPU) for real-time control computation with low latency digital input/output control hardware and operates in parallel with the DIII-D Plasma Control System (PCS). Simulations and experiments showed that modern control techniques performed better, using 77% less current, than classical techniques when using coils external to

On the applicability of the standard approaches for evaluating a neoclassical radial electric field in a tokamak edge region

DOE PAGES

Dorf, M. A.; Cohen, R. H.; Simakov, A. N.; ...

2013-08-27

The use of the standard approaches for evaluating a neoclassical radial electric field E r, i.e., the Ampere (or gyro-Poisson) equation, requires accurate calculation of the difference between the gyroaveraged electron and ion particle fluxes (or densities). In the core of a tokamak, the nontrivial difference appears only in high-order corrections to a local Maxwellian distribution due to the intrinsic ambipolarity of particle transport. The evaluation of such high-order corrections may be inconsistent with the accuracy of the standard long wavelength gyrokinetic equation (GKE), thus imposing limitations on the applicability of the standard approaches. However, in the edge of amore » tokamak, charge-exchange collisions with neutrals and prompt ion orbit losses can drive non-intrinsically ambipolar particle fluxes for which a nontrivial (E r-dependent) difference between the electron and ion fluxes appears already in a low order and can be accurately predicted by the long wavelength GKE. As a result, the parameter regimes where the radial electric field dynamics in the tokamak edge region is dominated by the non-intrinsically ambipolar processes, thus allowing for the use of the standard approaches, are discussed.« less

Dementia and Robotics: People with Advancing Dementia and Their Carers Driving an Exploration into an Engineering Solution to Maintaining Safe Exercise Regimes.

PubMed

Cooper, Carol; Penders, Jacques; Procter, Paula M

2016-01-01

The merging of the human world and the information technology world is advancing at a pace, even for those with dementia there are many useful smart 'phone applications including reminders, family pictures display, GPS functions and video communications. This paper will report upon initial collaborative work developing a robotic solution to engaging individuals with advancing dementia in safe exercise regimes. The research team has been driven by the needs of people with advancing dementia and their carers through a focus group methodology, the format, discussions and outcomes of these groups will be reported. The plans for the next stage of the research will be outlined including the continuing collaboration with advancing dementia and their carers.

Edge localized mode characteristics during edge localized mode mitigation by supersonic molecular beam injection in Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, H. Y.; Hong, J. H.; Jang, J. H.

It has been reported that supersonic molecular beam injection (SMBI) is an effective means of edge localized mode (ELM) mitigation. This paper newly reports the changes in the ELM, plasma profiles, and fluctuation characteristics during ELM mitigation by SMBI in Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research. During the mitigated ELM phase, the ELM frequency increased by a factor of 2–3 and the ELM size, which was estimated from the D{sub α} amplitude, the fractional changes in the plasma-stored energy and the line-averaged electron density, and divertor heat flux during an ELM burst, decreased by a factor of 0.34–0.43. Reductions in themore » electron and ion temperatures rather than in the electron density were observed during the mitigated ELM phase. In the natural ELM phase, frequency chirping of the plasma fluctuations was observed before the ELM bursts; however, the ELM bursts occurred without changes in the plasma fluctuation frequency in the mitigated ELM phase.« less

Ideal MHD Stability Prediction and Required Power for EAST Advanced Scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Junjie; Li, Guoqiang; Qian, Jinping; Liu, Zixi

2012-11-01

The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) is the first fully superconducting tokamak with a D-shaped cross-sectional plasma presently in operation. The ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability and required power for the EAST advanced tokamak (AT) scenario with negative central shear and double transport barrier (DTB) are investigated. With the equilibrium code TOQ and stability code GATO, the ideal MHD stability is analyzed. It is shown that a moderate ratio of edge transport barriers' (ETB) height to internal transport barriers' (ITBs) height is beneficial to ideal MHD stability. The normalized beta βN limit is about 2.20 (without wall) and 3.70 (with ideal wall). With the scaling law of energy confinement time, the required heating power for EAST AT scenario is calculated. The total heating power Pt increases as the toroidal magnetic field BT or the normalized beta βN is increased.

Design of an advanced bundle divertor for the Demonstration Tokamak Hybrid Reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, T.F.; Lee, A.Y.; Ruck, G.W.

1979-01-25

The conclusion of this work is that a bundle divertor, using an improved method of designing the magnetic field configuration, is feasible for the Demonstration Tokamak Hybrid Reactor (DTHR) investigated by Westinghouse. The most significant achievement of this design is the reduction in current density (1 kA/cm/sup 2/) in the divertor coils in comparison to the overall averaged current densities per tesla of field to be nulled for DITE (25 kA/cm/sup 2/) and for ISX-B/sup 2/ (11 kA/cm/sup 2/). Therefore, superconducting magnets can be built into the tight space available with a sound mechanical structure.

Linear and nonlinear response of a rotating tokamak plasma to a resonant error-field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fitzpatrick, Richard

2014-09-01

An in-depth investigation of the effect of a resonant error-field on a rotating, quasi-cylindrical, tokamak plasma is preformed within the context of constant-ψ, resistive-magnetohydrodynamical theory. General expressions for the response of the plasma at the rational surface to the error-field are derived in both the linear and nonlinear regimes, and the extents of these regimes mapped out in parameter space. Torque-balance equations are also obtained in both regimes. These equations are used to determine the steady-state plasma rotation at the rational surface in the presence of the error-field. It is found that, provided the intrinsic plasma rotation is sufficiently large, the torque-balance equations possess dynamically stable low-rotation and high-rotation solution branches, separated by a forbidden band of dynamically unstable solutions. Moreover, bifurcations between the two stable solution branches are triggered as the amplitude of the error-field is varied. A low- to high-rotation bifurcation is invariably associated with a significant reduction in the width of the magnetic island chain driven at the rational surface, and vice versa. General expressions for the bifurcation thresholds are derived and their domains of validity mapped out in parameter space.

Improved method for calculating neoclassical transport coefficients in the banana regime

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Taguchi, M., E-mail: taguchi.masayoshi@nihon-u.ac.jp

The conventional neoclassical moment method in the banana regime is improved by increasing the accuracy of approximation to the linearized Fokker-Planck collision operator. This improved method is formulated for a multiple ion plasma in general tokamak equilibria. The explicit computation in a model magnetic field shows that the neoclassical transport coefficients can be accurately calculated in the full range of aspect ratio by the improved method. The some neoclassical transport coefficients for the intermediate aspect ratio are found to appreciably deviate from those obtained by the conventional moment method. The differences between the transport coefficients with these two methods aremore » up to about 20%.« less

Turbulent transport of alpha particles in tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Croitoru, A.; Palade, D. I.; Vlad, M.; Spineanu, F.

2017-03-01

We investigate the \\boldsymbol{E}× \\boldsymbol{B} diffusion of fusion born α particles in tokamak plasmas. We determine the transport regimes for a realistic model that has the characteristics of the ion temperature gradient (ITG) or of the trapped electron mode (TEM) driven turbulence. It includes a spectrum of potential fluctuations that is modeled using the results of the numerical simulations, the drift of the potential with the effective diamagnetic velocity and the parallel motion. Our semi-analytical statistical approach is based on the decorrelation trajectory method (DTM), which is adapted to the gyrokinetic approximation. We obtain the transport coefficients as a function of the parameters of the turbulence and of the energy of the α particles. According to our results, significant turbulent transport of the α particles can appear only at energies of the order of 100 KeV. We determine the corresponding conditions.

Ocean Modeling in an Eddying Regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hecht, Matthew W.; Hasumi, Hiroyasu

This monograph is the first to survey progress in realistic simulation in a strongly eddying regime made possible by recent increases in computational capability. Its contributors comprise the leading researchers in this important and constantly evolving field. Divided into three parts, • Oceanographic Processes and Regimes: Fundamental Questions • Ocean Dynamics and State: From Regional to Global Scale, and • Modeling at the Mesoscale: State of the Art and Future Directions the volume details important advances in physical oceanography based on eddy resolving ocean modeling. It captures the state of the art and discusses issues that ocean modelers must consider in order to effectively contribute to advancing current knowledge, from subtleties of the underlying fluid dynamical equations to meaningful comparison with oceanographic observations and leading-edge model development. It summarizes many of the important results which have emerged from ocean modeling in an eddying regime, for those interested broadly in the physical science. More technical topics are intended to address the concerns of those actively working in the field.

Analysis of transport in gyrokinetic tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mynick, H. E.; Parker, S. E.

1995-06-01

Progress toward a detailed understanding of the transport in full-volume gyrokinetic simulations of tokamaks is described. The transition between the two asymptotic regimes (large and small) of scaling of the heat flux with system size a/ρg reported earlier is explained, along with the approximate size at which the transition occurs. The larger systems have transport close to that predicted by the simple standard estimates for transport by drift-wave turbulence (viz., Bohm or gyro-Bohm) in scaling with a/ρg, temperature, magnetic field, ion mass, safety factor, and minor radius, but lying much closer to Bohm, which seems the result better supported theoretically. The characteristic downshift in the spectrum observed previously in going from the linear to the turbulent phase is consistent with the numerically inferred coupling coefficients Mkpq of a reduced description of the system. An explanation of the downshift is given from the resemblance of the reduced system to the Hasegawa-Mima or Terry-Horton systems. These manifest an analogous downshift in slab geometry, and have Mkpq resembling those inferred from the gyrokinetic (GK) data.

Advancing the understanding of plasma transport in mid-size stellarators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidalgo, Carlos; Talmadge, Joseph; Ramisch, Mirko; TJ-II, the; HXS; TJ-K Teams

2017-01-01

The tokamak and the stellarator are the two main candidate concepts for magnetically confining fusion plasmas. The flexibility of the mid-size stellarator devices together with their unique diagnostic capabilities make them ideally suited to study the relation between magnetic topology, electric fields and transport. This paper addresses advances in the understanding of plasma transport in mid-size stellarators with an emphasis on the physics of flows, transport control, impurity and particle transport and fast particles. The results described here emphasize an improved physics understanding of phenomena in stellarators that complements the empirical approach. Experiments in mid-size stellarators support the development of advanced plasma scenarios in Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) and, in concert with better physics understanding in tokamaks, may ultimately lead to an advance in the prediction of burning plasma behaviour.

Feedback-Assisted Extension of the Tokamak Operating Space to Low Safety Factor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanson, J. M.

2013-10-01

Recent DIII-D experiments have demonstrated stable operation at very low edge safety factor, q95 <~ 2 through the use of magnetic feedback to control the n = 1 resistive wall mode (RWM) instability. The performance of tokamak fusion devices may benefit from increased plasma current, and thus, decreased q. However, disruptive stability limits are commonly encountered in experiments at qedge ~ 2 (limited plasmas) and q95 ~ 2 (diverted plasmas), limiting exploration of low q regimes. In the recent DIII-D experiments, the impact and control of key disruptive instabilities was studied. Locked n = 1 modes with exponential growth times on the order of the wall eddy current decay timescale τw preceded disruptions at q95 = 2 . The instabilities have a poloidal structure that is consistent with VALEN simulations of the RWM mode structure at q95 = 2 . Applying proportional gain magnetic feedback control of the n = 1 mode resulted in stabilized operation with q95 reaching 1.9, and an extension of the discharge lifetime for > 100τw . Loss of feedback control was accompanied by power supply saturation, followed by a rapidly growing n = 1 mode and disruption. Comparisons of the feedback dynamics with VALEN simulations will be presented. The DIII-D results complement and will be discussed alongside recent RFX-MOD demonstrations of RWM control using magnetic feedback in limited tokamak discharges with qedge < 2. These results call attention to the utility of magnetic feedback in significantly extending the tokamak operational space and potentially opening a new route to economical fusion power production. Supported by the US Department of Energy under DE-FG02-04ER54761 and DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Physics of the Tokamak Pedestal, and Implications for Magnetic Fusion Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snyder, Philip

2017-10-01

High performance in tokamaks is achieved via the spontaneous formation of a transport barrier in the outer few percent of the confined plasma. This narrow insulating layer, referred to as a ``pedestal,'' typically results in a >30x increase in pressure across a 0.4-5cm layer. Predicted fusion power scales with the square of the pedestal top pressure (or ``pedestal height''), hence a fusion reactor strongly benefits from a high pedestal, provided this can be attained without large Edge Localized Modes (ELMs), which may erode plasma facing materials. The overlap of drift orbit, turbulence, and equilibrium scales across this narrow layer leads to rich and complex physics, and challenges traditional analytic and computational approaches. We review studies employing gyrokinetic, neoclassical, MHD, and other methods, which have explored how a range of instabilities, influenced by complex geometry, and strong ExB flows and bootstrap current, drive transport across the pedestal and guide its structure and dynamics. Development of high resolution diagnostics, and coordinated experiments on several tokamaks, have validated understanding of important aspects of the physics, while highlighting open issues. A predictive model (EPED) has proven capable of predicting the pedestal height and width to 20-25% accuracy in large statistical studies. This model was used to predict a new, high pedestal ``Super H-Mode'' regime, which was subsequently discovered on DIII-D, and motivated experiments on Alcator C-Mod which achieved world record, reactor relevant pedestal pressure. We review open issues including improved formalism, particle and momentum transport, the role of neutrals and impurities, ELM control, and pedestal formation. Finally we discuss coupling pedestal and core predictive models to enable more comprehensive optimization of the tokamak fusion concept. Supported by the US DOE under DE-FG02-95ER54309, FC02-06ER54873, DE-FC02-04ER54698, DE-FC02-99ER54512.

High Confinement Mode and Edge Localized Mode Characteristics in a Near-Unity Aspect Ratio Tokamak.

PubMed

Thome, K E; Bongard, M W; Barr, J L; Bodner, G M; Burke, M G; Fonck, R J; Kriete, D M; Perry, J M; Schlossberg, D J

2016-04-29

Tokamak experiments at near-unity aspect ratio A≲1.2 offer new insights into the self-organized H-mode plasma confinement regime. In contrast to conventional A∼3 plasmas, the L-H power threshold P_{LH} is ∼15× higher than scaling predictions, and it is insensitive to magnetic topology, consistent with modeling. Edge localized mode (ELM) instabilities shift to lower toroidal mode numbers as A decreases. These ultralow-A operations enable heretofore inaccessible J_{edge}(R,t) measurements through an ELM that show a complex multimodal collapse and the ejection of a current-carrying filament.

High confinement mode and edge localized mode characteristics in a near-unity aspect ratio tokamak

DOE PAGES

Thome, Kathreen E.; Bongard, Michael W.; Barr, Jayson L.; ...

2016-04-27

Tokamak experiments at near-unity aspect ratio A ≲ 1.2 offer new insights into the self-organized H-mode plasma confinement regime. In contrast to conventional A ~ 3 plasmas, the L–H power threshold P LH is ~15× higher than scaling predictions, and it is insensitive to magnetic topology, consistent with modeling. Edge localized mode (ELM) instabilities shift to lower toroidal mode numbers as A decreases. Furthermore, these ultralow-A operations enable heretofore inaccessible J edge(R,t) measurements through an ELM that show a complex multimodal collapse and the ejection of a current-carrying filament.

Bifurcated helical core equilibrium states in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, W. A.; Chapman, I. T.; Schmitz, O.; Turnbull, A. D.; Tobias, B. J.; Lazarus, E. A.; Turco, F.; Lanctot, M. J.; Evans, T. E.; Graves, J. P.; Brunetti, D.; Pfefferlé, D.; Reimerdes, H.; Sauter, O.; Halpern, F. D.; Tran, T. M.; Coda, S.; Duval, B. P.; Labit, B.; Pochelon, A.; Turnyanskiy, M. R.; Lao, L.; Luce, T. C.; Buttery, R.; Ferron, J. R.; Hollmann, E. M.; Petty, C. C.; van Zeeland, M.; Fenstermacher, M. E.; Hanson, J. M.; Lütjens, H.

2013-07-01

Tokamaks with weak to moderate reversed central shear in which the minimum inverse rotational transform (safety factor) qmin is in the neighbourhood of unity can trigger bifurcated magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium states, one of which is similar to a saturated ideal internal kink mode. Peaked prescribed pressure profiles reproduce the ‘snake’ structures observed in many tokamaks which has led to a novel explanation of the snake as a bifurcated equilibrium state. Snake equilibrium structures are computed in simulations of the tokamak à configuration variable (TCV), DIII-D and mega amp spherical torus (MAST) tokamaks. The internal helical deformations only weakly modulate the plasma-vacuum interface which is more sensitive to ripple and resonant magnetic perturbations. On the other hand, the external perturbations do not alter the helical core deformation in a significant manner. The confinement of fast particles in MAST simulations deteriorate with the amplitude of the helical core distortion. These three-dimensional bifurcated solutions constitute a paradigm shift that motivates the applications of tools developed for stellarator research in tokamak physics investigations.

Bootstrap current in a tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kessel, C.E.

1994-03-01

The bootstrap current in a tokamak is examined by implementing the Hirshman-Sigmar model and comparing the predicted current profiles with those from two popular approximations. The dependences of the bootstrap current profile on the plasma properties are illustrated. The implications for steady state tokamaks are presented through two constraints; the pressure profile must be peaked and {beta}{sub p} must be kept below a critical value.

Physics of Tokamak Plasma Start-up

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, Dennis

2012-10-01

This tutorial describes and reviews the state-of-art in tokamak plasma start-up and its importance to next step devices such as ITER, a Fusion Nuclear Science Facility and a Tokamak/ST demo. Tokamak plasma start-up includes breakdown of the initial gas, ramp-up of the plasma current to its final value and the control of plasma parameters during those phases. Tokamaks rely on an inductive component, typically a central solenoid, which has enabled attainment of high performance levels that has enabled the construction of the ITER device. Optimizing the inductive start-up phase continues to be an area of active research, especially in regards to achieving ITER scenarios. A new generation of superconducting tokamaks, EAST and KSTAR, experiments on DIII-D and operation with JET's ITER-like wall are contributing towards this effort. Inductive start-up relies on transformer action to generate a toroidal loop voltage and successful start-up is determined by gas breakdown, avalanche physics and plasma-wall interaction. The goal of achieving steady-sate tokamak operation has motivated interest in other methods for start-up that do not rely on the central solenoid. These include Coaxial Helicity Injection, outer poloidal field coil start-up, and point source helicity injection, which have achieved 200, 150 and 100 kA respectively of toroidal current on closed flux surfaces. Other methods including merging reconnection startup and Electron Bernstein Wave (EBW) plasma start-up are being studied on various devices. EBW start-up generates a directed electron channel due to wave particle interaction physics while the other methods mentioned rely on magnetic helicity injection and magnetic reconnection which are being modeled and understood using NIMROD code simulations.

Super H-mode: theoretical prediction and initial observations of a new high performance regime for tokamak operation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Snyder, Philip B.; Solomon, Wayne M.; Burrell, Keith H.

2015-07-21

A new “Super H-mode” regime is predicted, which enables pedestal height and predicted fusion performance substantially higher than for H-mode operation. This new regime is predicted to exist by the EPED pedestal model, which calculates criticality constraints for peeling-ballooning and kinetic ballooning modes, and combines them to predict the pedestal height and width. EPED usually predicts a single (“H-mode”) pedestal solution for each set of input parameters, however, in strongly shaped plasmas above a critical density, multiple pedestal solutions are found, including the standard “Hmode” solution, and a “Super H-Mode” solution at substantially larger pedestal height and width. The Supermore » H-mode regime is predicted to be accessible by controlling the trajectory of the density, and to increase fusion performance for ITER, as well as for DEMO designs with strong shaping. A set of experiments on DIII-D has identified the predicted Super H-mode regime, and finds pedestal height and width, and their variation with density, in good agreement with theoretical predictions from the EPED model. Finally, the very high pedestal enables operation at high global beta and high confinement, including the highest normalized beta achieved on DIII-D with a quiescent edge.« less

Coupled two-dimensional edge plasma and neutral gas modeling of tokamak scrape-off-layers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maingi, Rajesh

1992-08-01

The objective of this study is to devise a detailed description of the tokamak scrape-off-layer (SOL), which includes the best available models of both the plasma and neutral species and the strong coupling between the two in many SOL regimes. A good estimate of both particle flux and heat flux profiles at the limiter/divertor target plates is desired. Peak heat flux is one of the limiting factors in determining the survival probability of plasma-facing-components at high power levels. Plate particle flux affects the neutral flux to the pump, which determines the particle exhaust rate. A technique which couples a two-dimensionalmore » (2-D) plasma and a 2-D neutral transport code has been developed (coupled code technique), but this procedure requires large amounts of computer time. Relevant physics has been added to an existing two-neutral-species model which takes the SOL plasma/neutral coupling into account in a simple manner (molecular physics model), and this model is compared with the coupled code technique mentioned above. The molecular physics model is benchmarked against experimental data from a divertor tokamak (DIII-D), and a similar model (single-species model) is benchmarked against data from a pump-limiter tokamak (Tore Supra). The models are then used to examine two key issues: free-streaming-limits (ion energy conduction and momentum flux) and the effects of the non-orthogonal geometry of magnetic flux surfaces and target plates on edge plasma parameter profiles.« less

Energetic-ion-driven global instabilities in stellarator/helical plasmas and comparison with tokamak plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Toi, K.; Ogawa, K.; Isobe, M.

2011-01-01

Comprehensive understanding of energetic-ion-driven global instabilities such as Alfven eigenmodes (AEs) and their impact on energetic ions and bulk plasma is crucially important for tokamak and stellarator/helical plasmas and in the future for deuterium-tritium (DT) burning plasma experiments. Various types of global modes and their associated enhanced energetic ion transport are commonly observed in toroidal plasmas. Toroidicity-induced AEs and ellipticity-induced AEs, whose gaps are generated through poloidal mode coupling, are observed in both tokamak and stellarator/helical plasmas. Global AEs and reversed shear AEs, where toroidal couplings are not as dominant were also observed in those plasmas. Helicity induced AEs thatmore » exist only in 3D plasmas are observed in the large helical device (LHD) and Wendelstein 7 Advanced Stellarator plasmas. In addition, the geodesic acoustic mode that comes from plasma compressibility is destabilized by energetic ions in both tokamak and LHD plasmas. Nonlinear interaction of these modes and their influence on the confinement of the bulk plasma as well as energetic ions are observed in both plasmas. In this paper, the similarities and differences in these instabilities and their consequences for tokamak and stellarator/helical plasmas are summarized through comparison with the data sets obtained in LHD. In particular, this paper focuses on the differences caused by the rotational transform profile and the 2D or 3D geometrical structure of the plasma equilibrium. Important issues left for future study are listed.« less

Experimental investigation of density behaviors in front of the lower hybrid launcher in experimental advanced superconducting tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, L.; Ding, B. J.; Li, M. H.

2013-06-15

A triple Langmuir probe is mounted on the top of the Lower Hybrid (LH) antenna to measure the electron density near the LH grills in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak. In this work, the LH power density ranges from 2.3 MWm{sup −2} to 10.3 MWm{sup −2} and the rate of puffing gas varies from 1.7 × 10{sup 20} el/s to 14 × 10{sup 20} el/s. The relation between the edge density (from 0.3 × n{sub e-cutoff} to 20 × n{sub e-cutoff}, where n{sub e-cutoff} is the cutoff density, n{sub e-cutoff} = 0.74 × 10{sup 17} m{sup −3} for 2.45 GHz lowermore » hybrid current drive) near the LH grill and the LH power reflection coefficients is investigated. The factors, including the gap between the LH grills and the last closed magnetic flux surface, line-averaged density, LH power, edge safety factor, and gas puffing, are analyzed. The experiments show that injection of LH power is beneficial for increasing edge density. Gas puffing is beneficial for increasing grill density but excess gas puffing is unfavorable for coupling and current drive.« less

Simulations of toroidal Alfvén eigenmode excited by fast ions on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pei, Youbin; Xiang, Nong; Shen, Wei; Hu, Youjun; Todo, Y.; Zhou, Deng; Huang, Juan

2018-05-01

Kinetic-MagnetoHydroDynamic (MHD) hybrid simulations are carried out to study fast ion driven toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes (TAEs) on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The first part of this article presents the linear benchmark between two kinetic-MHD codes, namely MEGA and M3D-K, based on a realistic EAST equilibrium. Parameter scans show that the frequency and the growth rate of the TAE given by the two codes agree with each other. The second part of this article discusses the resonance interaction between the TAE and fast ions simulated by the MEGA code. The results show that the TAE exchanges energy with the co-current passing particles with the parallel velocity |v∥ | ≈VA 0/3 or |v∥ | ≈VA 0/5 , where VA 0 is the Alfvén speed on the magnetic axis. The TAE destabilized by the counter-current passing ions is also analyzed and found to have a much smaller growth rate than the co-current ions driven TAE. One of the reasons for this is found to be that the overlapping region of the TAE spatial location and the counter-current ion orbits is narrow, and thus the wave-particle energy exchange is not efficient.

An enhanced tokamak startup model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goswami, Rajiv; Artaud, Jean-François

2017-01-01

The startup of tokamaks has been examined in the past in varying degree of detail. This phase typically involves the burnthrough of impurities and the subsequent rampup of plasma current. A zero-dimensional (0D) model is most widely used where the time evolution of volume averaged quantities determines the detailed balance between the input and loss of particle and power. But, being a 0D setup, these studies do not take into consideration the co-evolution of plasma size and shape, and instead assume an unchanging minor and major radius. However, it is known that the plasma position and its minor radius can change appreciably as the plasma evolves in time to fill in the entire available volume. In this paper, an enhanced model for the tokamak startup is introduced, which for the first time takes into account the evolution of plasma geometry during this brief but highly dynamic period by including realistic one-dimensional (1D) effects within the broad 0D framework. In addition the effect of runaway electrons (REs) has also been incorporated. The paper demonstrates that the inclusion of plasma cross section evolution in conjunction with REs plays an important role in the formation and development of tokamak startup. The model is benchmarked against experimental results from ADITYA tokamak.

Injection of electrons with predominantly perpendicular energy into an area of toroidal field ripple in a tokamak plasma to improve plasma confinement

DOEpatents

Ono, Masayuki; Furth, Harold

1993-01-01

An electron injection scheme for controlling transport in a tokamak plasma. Electrons with predominantly perpendicular energy are injected into a ripple field region created by a group of localized poloidal field bending magnets. The trapped electrons then grad-B drift vertically toward the plasma interior until they are detrapped, charging the plasma negative. Calculations indicate that the highly perpendicular velocity electrons can remain stable against kinetic instabilities in the regime of interest for tokamak experiments. The penetration distance can be controlled by controlling the "ripple mirror ratio", the energy of the injected electrons, and their v.sub..perp. /v.sub.51 ratio. In this scheme, the poloidal torque due to the injected radial current is taken by the magnets and not by the plasma. Injection is accomplished by the flat cathode containing an ECH cavity to pump electrons to high v.sub..perp..

An innovative small angle slot divertor concept for long pulse advanced tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Houyang

2017-10-01

A new Small Angle Slot (SAS) divertor is being developed in DIII-D to address the challenge of efficient divertor heat dispersal at the relatively low plasma density required for non-inductive current drive in future advanced tokamaks. SAS features a small incident angle near the plasma strike point on the divertor target plate with a progressively opening slot. SOLPS (B2-Eirene) edge code analysis finds that SAS can achieve strong plasma cooling when the strike point is placed near the small angle target plate in the slot, leading to low electron temperature Te across the entire divertor target. This is enabled by strong coupling between a gas tight slot and directed neutral recycling by the small angle target to enhance neutral buildup near the target. SOLPS analysis reveals a strong correlation between Te and D2 density at the target for various divertor configurations including the flat target, slanted target, and lower single null divertor. The strong correlation suggests that achievement of low Te may reduce essentially to identifying the divertor baffle geometry that achieves the highest target gas density at a given upstream condition. The SAS divertor concept has recently been tested in DIII-D for a range of plasma configurations and conditions with precise control of slot strike point location. In confirmation of SOLPS predictions, a sharp transition is observed when the strike point is moved to the critical outer corner of SAS. A set of Langmuir probes imbedded in SAS show that the Te radial profile, which is peaked at the strike point when it is located away from the SAS corner, becomes low across the target when the strike point is located near the corner. With further increase in density, deep-slot detachment occurs with Te 1 eV, measured by the unique DIII-D divertor Thomson Scattering diagnostic. Work supported by US DOE under DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Controlling fusion yield in tokamaks with spin polarized fuel, and feasibility studies on the DIII-D tokamak

DOE PAGES

Pace, D. C.; Lanctot, M. J.; Jackson, G. L.; ...

2015-09-21

The march towards electricity production through tokamaks requires the construction of new facilities and the inevitable replacement of the previous generation. There are, however, research topics that are better suited to the existing tokamaks, areas of great potential that are not sufficiently mature for implementation in high power machines, and these provide strong support for a balanced policy that includes the redirection of existing programs. Spin polarized fusion, in which the nuclei of tokamak fuel particles are spin-aligned and favorably change both the fusion cross-section and the distribution of initial velocity vectors of charged fusion products, is described here asmore » an example of a technological and physics topic that is ripe for development in a machine such as the DIII-D tokamak. In this study, such research and development experiments may not be efficient at the ITER-scale, while the plasma performance, diagnostic access, and collaborative personnel available within the United States’ magnetic fusion research program, and at the DIII-D facility in particular, provide a unique opportunity to further fusion progress.« less

Magnetic control of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities in tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Strait, Edward J.

2014-11-24

Externally applied, non-axisymmetric magnetic fields form the basis of several relatively simple and direct methods to control magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities in a tokamak, and most present and planned tokamaks now include a set of non-axisymmetric control coils for application of fields with low toroidal mode numbers. Non-axisymmetric applied fields are routinely used to compensate small asymmetries ( δB/B ~ 10 -3 to 10 -4) of the nominally axisymmetric field, which otherwise can lead to instabilities through braking of plasma rotation and through direct stimulus of tearing modes or kink modes. This compensation may be feedback-controlled, based on the magnetic responsemore » of the plasma to the external fields. Non-axisymmetric fields are used for direct magnetic stabilization of the resistive wall mode — a kink instability with a growth rate slow enough that feedback control is practical. Saturated magnetic islands are also manipulated directly with non-axisymmetric fields, in order to unlock them from the wall and spin them to aid stabilization, or position them for suppression by localized current drive. Several recent scientific advances form the foundation of these developments in the control of instabilities. Most fundamental is the understanding that stable kink modes play a crucial role in the coupling of non-axisymmetric fields to the plasma, determining which field configurations couple most strongly, how the coupling depends on plasma conditions, and whether external asymmetries are amplified by the plasma. A major advance for the physics of high-beta plasmas ( β = plasma pressure/magnetic field pressure) has been the understanding that drift-kinetic resonances can stabilize the resistive wall mode at pressures well above the ideal-MHD stability limit, but also that such discharges can be very sensitive to external asymmetries. The common physics of stable kink modes has brought significant unification to the topics of static error

Developing physics basis for the snowflake divertor in the DIII-D tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soukhanovskii, V. A.; Allen, S. L.; Fenstermacher, M. E.; Lasnier, C. J.; Makowski, M. A.; McLean, A. G.; Meyer, W. H.; Ryutov, D. D.; Kolemen, E.; Groebner, R. J.; Hyatt, A. W.; Leonard, A. W.; Osborne, T. H.; Petrie, T. W.; Watkins, J.

2018-03-01

Recent DIII-D results demonstrate that the snowflake (SF) divertor geometry (see standard divertor) enables significant manipulation of divertor heat transport for heat spreading and reduction in attached and radiative divertor regimes, between and during edge localized modes (ELMs), while maintaining good H-mode confinement. Snowflake divertor configurations have been realized in the DIII-D tokamak for several seconds in H-mode discharges with heating power P_NBI ≤slant 4 -5 MW and a range of plasma currents I_p=0.8-1.2 MA. In this work, inter-ELM transport and radiative SF divertor properties are studied. Significant impact of geometric properties on SOL and divertor plasma parameters, including increased poloidal magnetic flux expansion, divertor magnetic field line length and divertor volume, is confirmed. In the SF-minus configuration, heat deposition is affected by the geometry, and peak divertor heat fluxes are significantly reduced. In the SF-plus and near-exact SF configurations, divertor peak heat flux reduction and outer strike point heat flux profile broadening are observed. Inter-ELM sharing of power and particle fluxes between the main and additional snowflake divertor strike points has been demonstrated. The additional strike points typically receive up to 10-15% of total outer divertor power. Measurements of electron pressure and poloidal beta βp support the theoretically proposed churning mode that is driven by toroidal curvature and vertical pressure gradient in the weak poloidal field region. A comparison of the 4-4.5 MW NBI-heated H-mode plasmas with radiative SF divertor and the standard radiative divertor (both induced with additional gas puffing) shows a nearly complete power detachment and broader divertor radiated power distribution in the SF, as compared to a partial detachment and peaked localized radiation in the standard divertor. However, insignificant difference in the detachment onset w.r.t. density between the SF and the standard

Summary of Apollo; A D- sup 3 He tokamak reactor design

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kulcinski, G.L.; Blanchard, T.P.; El-Guebaly, L.A.

1992-07-01

In this paper, the key features of Apollo, a conceptual D-{sup 3}He tokamak reactor for commercial electricity production, are summarized. The 1000-MW (electric) design utilizes direct conversion of transport, neutron, and bremsstrahlung radiation power. The direct conversion method uses reactants, and the thermal conversion cycle uses an organic coolant. Apollo operates in the first-stability regime, with a major radius of 7.89 m, a peak magnetic field on the toroidal field coils of 19.3 T, a 53-MA plasma current, and a 6.7% beta value. The low neutron production of the D-{sup 3}He fuel cycle greatly reduces the radiation damage rate andmore » allows a full-lifetime first wall and structure made of standard steels with only slight modifications to reduce activation levels.« less

Rotation and kinetic modifications of the tokamak ideal-wall pressure limit.

PubMed

Menard, J E; Wang, Z; Liu, Y; Bell, R E; Kaye, S M; Park, J-K; Tritz, K

2014-12-19

The impact of toroidal rotation, energetic ions, and drift-kinetic effects on the tokamak ideal wall mode stability limit is considered theoretically and compared to experiment for the first time. It is shown that high toroidal rotation can be an important destabilizing mechanism primarily through the angular velocity shear; non-Maxwellian fast ions can also be destabilizing, and drift-kinetic damping can potentially offset these destabilization mechanisms. These results are obtained using the unique parameter regime accessible in the spherical torus NSTX of high toroidal rotation speed relative to the thermal and Alfvén speeds and high kinetic pressure relative to the magnetic pressure. Inclusion of rotation and kinetic effects significantly improves agreement between measured and predicted ideal stability characteristics and may provide new insight into tearing mode triggering.

Linear and Nonlinear Response of a Rotating Tokamak Plasma to a Resonant Error-Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fitzpatrick, Richard

2014-10-01

An in-depth investigation of the effect of a resonant error-field on a rotating, quasi-cylindrical, tokamak plasma is preformed within the context of resistive-MHD theory. General expressions for the response of the plasma at the rational surface to the error-field are derived in both the linear and nonlinear regimes, and the extents of these regimes mapped out in parameter space. Torque-balance equations are also obtained in both regimes. These equations are used to determine the steady-state plasma rotation at the rational surface in the presence of the error-field. It is found that, provided the intrinsic plasma rotation is sufficiently large, the torque-balance equations possess dynamically stable low-rotation and high-rotation solution branches, separated by a forbidden band of dynamically unstable solutions. Moreover, bifurcations between the two stable solution branches are triggered as the amplitude of the error-field is varied. A low- to high-rotation bifurcation is invariably associated with a significant reduction in the width of the magnetic island chain driven at the rational surface, and vice versa. General expressions for the bifurcation thresholds are derived, and their domains of validity mapped out in parameter space. This research was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-FG02-04ER-54742.

EBW H&CD Potential for Spherical Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urban, J.; Decker, J.; Peysson, Y.; Preinhaelter, J.; Shevchenko, V.; Taylor, G.; Vahala, L.; Vahala, G.

2011-12-01

Spherical tokamaks (STs), which feature relatively high neutron flux and good economy, operate generally in high-ß regimes, in which the usual EC O- and X- modes are cut-off. In this case, electron Bernstein waves (EBWs) seem to be the only option that can provide features similar to the EC waves—controllable localized heating and current drive (H&) that can be utilized for core plasma heating as well as for accurate plasma stabilization. We first derive an analytical expression for Gaussian beam OXB conversion efficiency. Then, an extensive numerical study of EBW H&CD performance in four typical ST plasmas (NSTX L- and H-mode, MAST Upgrade, NHTX) is performed. Coupled ray-tracing (AMR) and Fokker-Planck (LUKE) codes are employed to simulate EBWs of varying frequencies and launch conditions. Our results indicate that an efficient and universal EBW H&CD system is indeed viable. In particular, power can be deposited and current reasonably efficiently driven across the whole plasma radius. Such a system could be controlled by a suitably chosen launching antenna vertical position and would also be sufficiently robust.

UCLA Tokamak Program Close Out Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Taylor, Robert John

2014-02-04

The results of UCLA experimental fusion program are summarized. Starting with smaller devices like Microtor, Macrotor, CCT and ending the research on the large (5 m) Electric Tokamak. CCT was the most diagnosed device for H-mode like physics and the effects of rotation induced radial fields. ICRF heating was also studied but plasma heating of University Type Tokamaks did not produce useful results due to plasma edge disturbances of the antennae. The Electric Tokamak produced better confinement in the seconds range. However, it presented very good particle confinement due to an "electric particle pinch". This effect prevented us from reachingmore » a quasi steady state. This particle accumulation effect was numerically explained by Shaing's enhanced neoclassical theory. The PI believes that ITER will have a good energy confinement time but deleteriously large particle confinement time and it will disrupt on particle pinching at nominal average densities. The US fusion research program did not study particle transport effects due to its undue focus on the physics of energy confinement time. Energy confinement time is not an issue for energy producing tokamaks. Controlling the ash flow will be very expensive.« less

The initial regime of drop coalescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anthony, Christopher; Harris, Michael; Basaran, Osman

2017-11-01

Drop coalescence plays a key role in both industry and nature. Consequently, study of the phenomenon has been the focus of numerous experimental, computational and theoretical works to date. In coalescence, two drops come into contact and a liquid bridge forms between them. As time advances, this bridge grows from microscopic to macroscopic scales. Despite the large volume of work dedicated to this problem, currently experiment, theory, and computation are not in perfect agreement with respect to the earliest times following the initial contact of the drops. Experiments report an initial regime where the radius of the connecting bridge grows linearly in time before a transition to either a Stokes regime or an inertial regime where either viscous or inertial forces balance capillary force. In the initial linear regime, referred to as the inertially-limited viscous regime, all three forces are thought to be important. This is in contrast to theory which predicts that all coalescence events begin in the Stokes regime. We use high accuracy numerical simulation to show that the existing discrepancy in the literature can be resolved by paying careful attention to the initial conditions that set the shape and size of the bridge connecting the two drops.

Early regimes of water capillary flow in slit silica nanochannels.

PubMed

Oyarzua, Elton; Walther, Jens H; Mejía, Andrés; Zambrano, Harvey A

2015-06-14

Molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to investigate the initial stages of spontaneous imbibition of water in slit silica nanochannels surrounded by air. An analysis is performed for the effects of nanoscopic confinement, initial conditions of liquid uptake and air pressurization on the dynamics of capillary filling. The results indicate that the nanoscale imbibition process is divided into three main flow regimes: an initial regime where the capillary force is balanced only by the inertial drag and characterized by a constant velocity and a plug flow profile. In this regime, the meniscus formation process plays a central role in the imbibition rate. Thereafter, a transitional regime takes place, in which, the force balance has significant contributions from both inertia and viscous friction. Subsequently, a regime wherein viscous forces dominate the capillary force balance is attained. Flow velocity profiles identify the passage from an inviscid flow to a developing Poiseuille flow. Gas density profiles ahead of the capillary front indicate a transient accumulation of air on the advancing meniscus. Furthermore, slower capillary filling rates computed for higher air pressures reveal a significant retarding effect of the gas displaced by the advancing meniscus.

The engineering design of the Tokamak Physics Experiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schmidt, J.A.

A mission and supporting physics objectives have been developed, which establishes an important role for the Tokamak Physics Experiment (TPX) in developing the physic basis for a future fusion reactor. The design of TPX include advanced physics features, such as shaping and profile control, along with the capability of operating for very long pulses. The development of the superconducting magnets, actively cooled internal hardware, and remote maintenance will be an important technology contribution to future fusion projects, such as ITER. The Conceptual Design and Management Systems for TPX have been developed and reviewed, and the project is beginning Preliminary Design.more » If adequately funded the construction project should be completed in the year 2000.« less

A Regime Diagram for Subduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stegman, D. R.; Farrington, R.; Capitanio, F. A.; Schellart, W. P.

2009-12-01

Regime diagrams and associated scaling relations have profoundly influenced our understanding of planetary dynamics. Previous regime diagrams characterized the regimes of stagnant-lid, small viscosity contrast, transitional, and no-convection for temperature-dependent (Moresi and Solomatov, 1995), and non-linear power law rheologies (Solomatov and Moresi, 1997) as well as stagnant-lid, sluggish-lid, and mobile-lid regimes once the finite strength of rock was considered (Moresi and Solomatov, 1998). Scalings derived from such models have been the cornerstone for parameterized models of thermal evolution of rocky planets and icy moons for the past decade. While such a theory can predict the tectonic state of a planetary body, it is still rather incomplete in regards to predicting tectonics. For example, the mobile-lid regime is unspecific as to how continuous lithospheric recycling should occur on a terrestrial planet. Towards this goal, Gerya et al., (2008) advanced a new regime diagram aiming to characterize when subduction would manifest itself as a one-sided or two-sided downwelling and either symmetric or asymmetric. Here, we present a regime diagram for the case of a single-sided, asymmetric type of subduction (most Earth-like type). Using a 3-D numerical model of a free subduction, we describe a total of 5 different styles of subduction that can possibly occur. Each style is distinguished by its upper mantle slab morphology resulting from the sinking kinematics. We provide movies to illustrate the different styles and their progressive time-evolution. In each regime, subduction is accommodated by a combination of plate advance and slab rollback, with associated motions of forward plate velocity and trench retreat, respectively. We demonstrate that the preferred subduction mode depends upon two essential controlling factors: 1) buoyancy of the downgoing plate and 2) strength of plate in resisting bending at the hinge. We propose that a variety of subduction

Steady state plasma operation in RF dominated regimes on EAST

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, X. J.; Zhao, Y. P.; Gong, X. Z.

Significant progress has recently been made on EAST in the 2014 campaign, including the enhanced CW H&CD system over 20MW heating power (LHCD, ICRH and NBI), more than 70 diagnostics, ITER-like W-monoblock on upper divertor, two inner cryo-pumps and RMP coils, enabling EAST to investigate long pulse H mode operation with dominant electron heating and low torque to address the critical issues for ITER. H-mode plasmas were achieved by new H&CD system or 4.6GHz LHCD alone for the first time. Long pulse high performance H mode has been obtained by LHCD alone up to 28s at H{sub 98}∼1.2 or bymore » combing of ICRH and LHCD, no or small ELM was found in RF plasmas, which is essential for steady state operation in the future Tokamak. Plasma operation in low collision regimes were implemented by new 4.6GHz LHCD with core Te∼4.5keV. The non-inductive scenarios with high performance at high bootstrap current fraction have been demonstrated in RF dominated regimes for long pulse operation. Near full non-inductive CD discharges have been achieved. In addition, effective heating and decoupling method under multi-transmitter for ICRF system were developed in this campaign, etc. EAST could be in operation with over 30MW CW heating and current drive power (LHCD ICRH NBI and ECRH), enhanced diagnostic capabilities and full actively-cooled metal wall from 2015. It will therefore allow to access new confinement regimes and to extend these regimes towards to steady state operation.« less

Kinetic description of rotating Tokamak plasmas with anisotropic temperatures in the collisionless regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cremaschini, Claudio; Tessarotto, Massimo

2011-11-01

A largely unsolved theoretical issue in controlled fusion research is the consistent kinetic treatment of slowly-time varying plasma states occurring in collisionless and magnetized axisymmetric plasmas. The phenomenology may include finite pressure anisotropies as well as strong toroidal and poloidal differential rotation, characteristic of Tokamak plasmas. Despite the fact that physical phenomena occurring in fusion plasmas depend fundamentally on the microscopic particle phase-space dynamics, their consistent kinetic treatment remains still essentially unchallenged to date. The goal of this paper is to address the problem within the framework of Vlasov-Maxwell description. The gyrokinetic treatment of charged particles dynamics is adopted for the construction of asymptotic solutions for the quasi-stationary species kinetic distribution functions. These are expressed in terms of the particle exact and adiabatic invariants. The theory relies on a perturbative approach, which permits to construct asymptotic analytical solutions of the Vlasov-Maxwell system. In this way, both diamagnetic and energy corrections are included consistently into the theory. In particular, by imposing suitable kinetic constraints, the existence of generalized bi-Maxwellian asymptotic kinetic equilibria is pointed out. The theory applies for toroidal rotation velocity of the order of the ion thermal speed. These solutions satisfy identically also the constraints imposed by the Maxwell equations, i.e., quasi-neutrality and Ampere's law. As a result, it is shown that, in the presence of nonuniform fluid and EM fields, these kinetic equilibria can sustain simultaneously toroidal differential rotation, quasi-stationary finite poloidal flows and temperature anisotropy.

Kinetic-MHD hybrid simulation of fishbone modes excited by fast ions on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pei, Youbin; Xiang, Nong; Hu, Youjun; Todo, Y.; Li, Guoqiang; Shen, Wei; Xu, Liqing

2017-03-01

Kinetic-MagnetoHydroDynamic hybrid simulations are carried out to investigate fishbone modes excited by fast ions on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak. The simulations use realistic equilibrium reconstructed from experiment data with the constraint of the q = 1 surface location (q is the safety factor). Anisotropic slowing down distribution is used to model the distribution of the fast ions from neutral beam injection. The resonance condition is used to identify the interaction between the fishbone mode and the fast ions, which shows that the fishbone mode is simultaneously in resonance with the bounce motion of the trapped particles and the transit motion of the passing particles. Both the passing and trapped particles are important in destabilizing the fishbone mode. The simulations show that the mode frequency chirps down as the mode reaches the nonlinear stage, during which there is a substantial flattening of the perpendicular pressure of fast ions, compared with that of the parallel pressure. For passing particles, the resonance remains within the q = 1 surface, while, for trapped particles, the resonant location moves out radially during the nonlinear evolution. In addition, parameter scanning is performed to examine the dependence of the linear frequency and growth rate of fishbones on the pressure and injection velocity of fast ions.

Combined magnetic and kinetic control of advanced tokamak steady state scenarios based on semi-empirical modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreau, D.; Artaud, J. F.; Ferron, J. R.; Holcomb, C. T.; Humphreys, D. A.; Liu, F.; Luce, T. C.; Park, J. M.; Prater, R.; Turco, F.; Walker, M. L.

2015-06-01

This paper shows that semi-empirical data-driven models based on a two-time-scale approximation for the magnetic and kinetic control of advanced tokamak (AT) scenarios can be advantageously identified from simulated rather than real data, and used for control design. The method is applied to the combined control of the safety factor profile, q(x), and normalized pressure parameter, βN, using DIII-D parameters and actuators (on-axis co-current neutral beam injection (NBI) power, off-axis co-current NBI power, electron cyclotron current drive power, and ohmic coil). The approximate plasma response model was identified from simulated open-loop data obtained using a rapidly converging plasma transport code, METIS, which includes an MHD equilibrium and current diffusion solver, and combines plasma transport nonlinearity with 0D scaling laws and 1.5D ordinary differential equations. The paper discusses the results of closed-loop METIS simulations, using the near-optimal ARTAEMIS control algorithm (Moreau D et al 2013 Nucl. Fusion 53 063020) for steady state AT operation. With feedforward plus feedback control, the steady state target q-profile and βN are satisfactorily tracked with a time scale of about 10 s, despite large disturbances applied to the feedforward powers and plasma parameters. The robustness of the control algorithm with respect to disturbances of the H&CD actuators and of plasma parameters such as the H-factor, plasma density and effective charge, is also shown.

Ion temperature gradient driven transport in tokamaks with square shaping

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Joiner, N.; Dorland, W.

2010-06-15

Advanced tokamak schemes which may offer significant improvement to plasma confinement on the usual large aspect ratio Dee-shaped flux surface configuration are of great interest to the fusion community. One possibility is to introduce square shaping to the flux surfaces. The gyrokinetic code GS2[Kotschenreuther et al., Comput. Phys. Commun. 88, 128 (1996)] is used to study linear stability and the resulting nonlinear thermal transport of the ion temperature gradient driven (ITG) mode in tokamak equilibria with square shaping. The maximum linear growth rate of ITG modes is increased by negative squareness (diamond shaping) and reduced by positive values (square shaping).more » The dependence of thermal transport produced by saturated ITG instabilities on squareness is not as clear. The overall trend follows that of the linear instability, heat and particle fluxes increase with negative squareness and decrease with positive squareness. This is contradictory to recent experimental results [Holcomb et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 056116 (2009)] which show a reduction in transport with negative squareness. This may be reconciled as a reduction in transport (consistent with the experiment) is observed at small negative values of the squareness parameter.« less

Advances in multi-megawatt lower hybrid technology in support of steady-state tokamak operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delpech, L.; Achard, J.; Armitano, A.; Artaud, J. F.; Bae, Y. S.; Belo, J. H.; Berger-By, G.; Bouquey, F.; Cho, M. H.; Corbel, E.; Decker, J.; Do, H.; Dumont, R.; Ekedahl, A.; Garibaldi, P.; Goniche, M.; Guilhem, D.; Hillairet, J.; Hoang, G. T.; Kim, H. S.; Kim, J. H.; Kim, H.; Kwak, J. G.; Magne, R.; Mollard, P.; Na, Y. S.; Namkung, W.; Oh, Y. K.; Park, S.; Park, H.; Peysson, Y.; Poli, S.; Prou, M.; Samaille, F.; Yang, H. L.; The Tore Supra Team

2014-10-01

It has been demonstrated that lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) systems play a crucial role for steady-state tokamak operation, owing to their high current drive (CD) efficiency and hence their capability to reduce flux consumption. This paper describes the extensive technology programmes developed for the Tore Supra (France) and the KSTAR (Korea) tokamaks in order to bring continuous wave (CW) LHCD systems into operation. The Tore Supra LHCD generator at 3.7 GHz is fully CW compatible, with RF power PRF = 9.2 MW available at the generator to feed two actively water-cooled launchers. On Tore Supra, the most recent and novel passive active multijunction (PAM) launcher has sustained 2.7 MW (corresponding to its design value of 25 MW m-2 at the launcher mouth) for a 78 s flat-top discharge, with low reflected power even at large plasma-launcher gaps. The fully active multijunction (FAM) launcher has reached 3.8 MW of coupled power (24 MW m-2 at the launcher mouth) with the new TH2103C klystrons. By combining both the PAM and FAM launchers, 950 MJ of energy, using 5.2 MW of LHCD and 1 MW of ICRH (ion cyclotron resonance heating), was injected for 160 s in 2011. The 3.7 GHz CW LHCD system will be a key element within the W (for tungsten) environment in steady-state Tokamak (WEST) project, where the aim is to test ITER technologies for high heat flux components in relevant heat flux density and particle fluence conditions. On KSTAR, a 2 MW LHCD system operating at 5 GHz is under development. Recently the 5 GHz prototype klystron has reached 500 kW/600 s on a matched load, and studies are ongoing to design a PAM launcher. In addition to the studies of technology, a combination of ray-tracing and Fokker-Planck calculations have been performed to evaluate the driven current and the power deposition due to LH waves, and to optimize the N∥ spectrum for the future launcher design. Furthermore, an LHCD system at 5 GHz is being considered for a future upgrade of the ITER

Effects of Density and Impurity on Edge Localized Modes in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Ping

2017-10-01

Plasma density and impurity concentration are believed to be two of the key elements governing the edge tokamak plasma conditions. Optimal levels of plasma density and impurity concentration in the edge region have been searched for in order to achieve the desired fusion gain and divertor heat/particle load mitigation. However, how plasma density or impurity would affect the edge pedestal stability may have not been well known. Our recent MHD theory modeling and simulations using the NIMROD code have found novel effects of density and impurity on the dynamics of edge-localized modes (ELMs) in tokamaks. First, previous MHD analyses often predict merely a weak stabilizing effect of toroidal flow on ELMs in experimentally relevant regimes. We find that the stabilizing effects on the high- n ELMs from toroidal flow can be significantly enhanced with the increased edge plasma density. Here n denotes the toroidal mode number. Second, the stabilizing effects of the enhanced edge resistivity due to lithium-conditioning on the low- n ELMs in the high confinement (H-mode) discharges in NSTX have been identified. Linear stability analysis of the experimentally constrained equilibrium suggests that the change in the equilibrium plasma density and pressure profiles alone due to lithium-conditioning may not be sufficient for a complete suppression of the low- n ELMs. The enhanced resistivity due to the increased effective electric charge number Zeff after lithium-conditioning provides additional stabilization of the low- n ELMs. These new effects revealed in our theory analyses may help further understand recent ELM experiments and suggest new control schemes for ELM suppression and mitigation in future experiments. They may also pose additional constraints on the optimal levels of plasma density and impurity concentration in the edge region for H-mode tokamak operation. Supported by National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Science Program of China Grants 2014GB124002 and 2015GB

Analysis of higher harmonics on bidirectional heat pulse propagation experiment in helical and tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobayashi, T.; Ida, K.; Inagaki, S.; Tsuchiya, H.; Tamura, N.; Choe, G. H.; Yun, G. S.; Park, H. K.; Ko, W. H.; Evans, T. E.; Austin, M. E.; Shafer, M. W.; Ono, M.; López-bruna, D.; Ochando, M. A.; Estrada, T.; Hidalgo, C.; Moon, C.; Igami, H.; Yoshimura, Y.; Tsujimura, T. Ii.; Itoh, S.-I.; Itoh, K.

2017-07-01

In this contribution we analyze modulation electron cyclotron resonance heating (MECH) experiment and discuss higher harmonic frequency dependence of transport coefficients. We use the bidirectional heat pulse propagation method, in which both inward propagating heat pulse and outward propagating heat pulse are analyzed at a radial range, in order to distinguish frequency dependence of transport coefficients due to hysteresis from that due to other reasons, such as radially dependent transport coefficients, a finite damping term, or boundary effects. The method is applied to MECH experiments performed in various helical and tokamak devices, i.e. Large Helical Device (LHD), TJ-II, Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR), and Doublet III-D (DIII-D) with different plasma conditions. The frequency dependence of transport coefficients are clearly observed, showing a possibility of existence of transport hysteresis in flux-gradient relation.

Burn Control Mechanisms in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, M. A.; Stacey, W. M.

2015-11-01

Burn control and passive safety in accident scenarios will be an important design consideration in future tokamak reactors, in particular fusion-fission hybrid reactors, e.g. the Subcritical Advanced Burner Reactor. We are developing a burning plasma dynamics code to explore various aspects of burn control, with the intent to identify feedback mechanisms that would prevent power excursions. This code solves the coupled set of global density and temperature equations, using scaling relations from experimental fits. Predictions of densities and temperatures have been benchmarked against DIII-D data. We are examining several potential feedback mechanisms to limit power excursions: i) ion-orbit loss, ii) thermal instability density limits, iii) MHD instability limits, iv) the degradation of alpha-particle confinement, v) modifications to the radial current profile, vi) ``divertor choking'' and vii) Type 1 ELMs. Work supported by the US DOE under DE-FG02-00ER54538, DE-FC02-04ER54698.

The build-up of energetic electrons triggering electron cyclotron emission bursts due to a magnetohydrodynamic mode at the edge of tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Li, Erzhong; Austin, Max E.; White, R. B.; ...

2017-08-21

Intense bursts of electron cyclotron emission (ECE) triggered by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities such as edge localized modes (ELMs) have been observed on many tokamaks. On the DIII-D tokamak, it is found that an MHD mode is observed to trigger the ECE bursts in the low collisionality regime at the plasma edge. ORBIT-code simulations have shown that energetic electrons build up due to an interaction between barely trapped electrons with an MHD mode (f = 50 kHz for current case). The energetic tail of the electron distribution function develops a bump within several microseconds for this collisionless case. This behavior dependsmore » on the competition between the perturbing MHD mode and slowing down and pitch angle scattering due to collisions. As a result, for typical DIII-D parameters, the calculated ECE radiation transport predicted by ORBIT is in excellent agreement with ECE measurements, clarifying the electron dynamics of the ECE bursts for the first time.« less

Advanced ST plasma scenario simulations for NSTX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kessel, C. E.; Synakowski, E. J.; Bell, M. E.; Gates, D. A.; Harvey, R. W.; Kaye, S. M.; Mau, T. K.; Menard, J.; Phillips, C. K.; Taylor, G.; Wilson, R.; NSTX Research Team

2005-08-01

Integrated scenario simulations are done for NSTX that address four primary objectives for developing advanced spherical torus (ST) configurations: high β and high βN inductive discharges to study all aspects of ST physics in the high β regime; non-inductively sustained discharges for flattop times greater than the skin time to study the various current drive techniques; non-inductively sustained discharges at high β for flattop times much greater than a skin time which provides the integrated advanced ST target for NSTX and non-solenoidal startup and plasma current rampup. The simulations done here use the tokamak simulation code and are based on a discharge 109070. TRANSP analysis of the discharge provided the thermal diffusivities for electrons and ions, the neutral beam deposition profile and other characteristics. CURRAY is used to calculate the high harmonic fast wave (HHFW) heating depositions and current drive. GENRAY/CQL3D is used to establish the heating and CD deposition profiles for electron Bernstein waves (EBW). Analysis of the ideal MHD stability is done with JSOLVER, BALMSC and PEST2. The simulations indicate that the integrated advanced ST plasma is reachable, obtaining stable plasmas with βT ap 40% at βN's of 7.7-9, IP = 1.0 MA and BT = 0.35 T. The plasma is 100% non-inductive and has a flattop of four skin times. The resulting global energy confinement corresponds to a multiplier of H98(y),2 = 1.5. The simulations have demonstrated the importance of HHFW heating and CD, EBW off-axis CD, strong plasma shaping, density control and early heating/H-mode transition for producing and optimizing these plasma configurations.

Prospects for Attractive Fusion Power

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Najmabadi, Farrokh

2006-10-01

During the past ten years, the ARIES Team, a national team involving universities, national laboratories, and industry, has studied a variety of magnetic fusion power plants (tokamaks, stellarators, ST, and RFP). In this paper, we present the top-level requirements and goals for commercial fusion power plants developed with consultation with US utilities and industry. We will review several ARIES designs and discuss the candidate options for physics operation regime as well engineering design of various components (e.g., choice of structural material, coolant, breeder). For each option, we will discuss (1) the potential to satisfy the requirements and goals, and (2) the critical R&D needs. In particular, we will discuss fusion R&D issues which are similar to those of advanced fission systems. For tokamaks, our results indicate that dramatic improvement over first-stability operation can be obtained through either utilization of high-field magnets (e.g., high-temperature superconductors) or operation in advanced-tokamak modes (e.g., reversed-shear). In particular, if full benefits of reversed-shear operation are realized, as is assumed in ARIES-AT, tokamak power plants will have a cost of electricity competitive with other sources of electricity. Emerging technologies such as advanced Baryon cycle, high-temperature superconductor, and advanced manufacturing techniques can improve the cost and attractiveness of fusion plants.

Ultrafast two-dimensional lithium beam emission spectroscopy diagnostic on the EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zoletnik, S.; Hu, G. H.; Tál, B.; Dunai, D.; Anda, G.; Asztalos, O.; Pokol, G. I.; Kálvin, S.; Németh, J.; Krizsanóczi, T.

2018-06-01

A diagnostic instrument is described for the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) for the measurement of the edge plasma electron density profile and plasma turbulence properties. An accelerated neutral lithium beam is injected into the tokamak and the Doppler shifted 670.8 nm light emission of the Li2p-2s transition is detected. A novel compact setup is used, where the beam injection and observation take place from the same equatorial diagnostic port and radial-poloidal resolution is achieved with microsecond time resolution. The observation direction is optimized in order to achieve a sufficient Doppler shift of the beam light to be able to separate from the strong edge lithium line emission on this lithium coated device. A 250 kHz beam chopping technique is also demonstrated for the removal of background light. First results show the capability of measuring turbulence and its poloidal flow velocity in the scrape-off layer and edge region and the resolution of details of transient phenomena like edge localized modes with few microsecond time resolution.

Tokamak magneto-hydrodynamics and reference magnetic coordinates for simulations of plasma disruptions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zakharov, Leonid E.; Li, Xujing

This paper formulates the Tokamak Magneto-Hydrodynamics (TMHD), initially outlined by X. Li and L. E. Zakharov [Plasma Science and Technology 17(2), 97–104 (2015)] for proper simulations of macroscopic plasma dynamics. The simplest set of magneto-hydrodynamics equations, sufficient for disruption modeling and extendable to more refined physics, is explained in detail. First, the TMHD introduces to 3-D simulations the Reference Magnetic Coordinates (RMC), which are aligned with the magnetic field in the best possible way. The numerical implementation of RMC is adaptive grids. Being consistent with the high anisotropy of the tokamak plasma, RMC allow simulations at realistic, very high plasmamore » electric conductivity. Second, the TMHD splits the equation of motion into an equilibrium equation and the plasma advancing equation. This resolves the 4 decade old problem of Courant limitations of the time step in existing, plasma inertia driven numerical codes. The splitting allows disruption simulations on a relatively slow time scale in comparison with the fast time of ideal MHD instabilities. A new, efficient numerical scheme is proposed for TMHD.« less

Stability analysis of ELMs in long-pulse discharges with ELITE code on EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y. F.; Xu, G. S.; Wan, B. N.; Li, G. Q.; Yan, N.; Li, Y. L.; Wang, H. Q.; Peng, Y.-K. Martin; Xia, T. Y.; Ding, S. Y.; Chen, R.; Yang, Q. Q.; Liu, H. Q.; Zang, Q.; Zhang, T.; Lyu, B.; Xu, J. C.; Feng, W.; Wang, L.; Chen, Y. J.; Luo, Z. P.; Hu, G. H.; Zhang, W.; Shao, L. M.; Ye, Y.; Lan, H.; Chen, L.; Li, J.; Zhao, N.; Wang, Q.; Snyder, P. B.; Liang, Y.; Qian, J. P.; Gong, X. Z.; EAST team

2018-05-01

One challenge in long-pulse and high performance tokamak operation is to control the edge localized modes (ELMs) to reduce the transient heat load on plasma facing components. Minute-scale discharges in H-mode have been achieved repeatedly on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) since the 2016 campaign and understanding the characteristics of the ELMs in these discharges can be helpful for effective ELM control in long-pulse discharges. The kinetic profile diagnostics recently developed on EAST make it possible to perform the pedestal stability analysis quantitatively. Pedestal stability calculation of a typical long-pulse discharge with ELITE code is presented. The ideal linear stability results show that the ELM is dominated by toroidal mode number n around 10–15 and the most unstable mode structure is mainly localized in the steep pressure gradient region, which is consistent with experimental results. Compared with a typical type-I ELM discharge with larger total plasma current (I p = 600 kA), pedestal in the long-pulse H-mode discharge (I p = 450 kA) is more stable in peeling-ballooning instability and its critical peak pressure gradient is evaluated to be 65% of the former. Two important features of EAST tokamak in the long-pulse discharge are presented by comparison with other tokamaks, including a wider pedestal correlated with the poloidal pedestal beta and a smaller inverse aspect ratio and their effects on the pedestal stability are discussed. The effects of uncertainties in measurements on the linear stability results are also analyzed, including the edge electron density profile position, the separatrix position and the line-averaged effective ion charge {Z}{{e}{{f}}{{f}}} value.

Realizing Steady State Tokamak Operation for Fusion Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luce, T. C.

2009-11-01

Continuous operation of a tokamak for fusion energy has obvious engineering advantages, but also presents physics challenges beyond the achievement of conditions needed for a burning plasma. The power from fusion reactions and external sources must support both the pressure and the current equilibrium without inductive current drive, leading to demands on stability, confinement, current drive, and plasma-wall interactions that exceed those for pulsed tokamaks. These conditions have been met individually in the present generation of tokamaks, and significant progress has been made in the last decade to realize scenarios where the required conditions are obtained simultaneously. Tokamaks are now operated routinely without disruptions close to the ideal MHD pressure limit, as needed for steady-state operation. Scenarios that project to high fusion gain have been demonstrated where more than half of the current is supplied by the ``bootstrap'' current generated by the pressure gradient in the plasma. Fully noninductive sustainment has been obtained for about a resistive time (the longest intrinsic time scale in the confined plasma) with normalized pressure and confinement approaching those needed for demonstration of steady-state conditions in ITER. One key challenge remaining to be addressed is how to handle the demanding heat and particle fluxes expected in a steady-state tokamak without compromising the high level of core plasma performance. Rather than attempt a comprehensive historical survey, this review will start from the plasma requirements of a steady-state tokamak powerplant, illustrate with examples the progress made in both experimental and theoretical understanding, and point to the remaining physics challenges.

Optical layout and mechanical structure of polarimeter-interferometer system for Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zou, Z. Y.; Liu, H. Q., E-mail: hqliu@ipp.ac.cn; Jie, Y. X.

A Far-InfaRed (FIR) three-wave POlarimeter-INTerferometer (POINT) system for measurement current density profile and electron density profile is under development for the EAST tokamak. The FIR beams are transmitted from the laser room to the optical tower adjacent to EAST via ∼20 m overmoded dielectric waveguide and then divided into 5 horizontal chords. The optical arrangement was designed using ZEMAX, which provides information on the beam spot size and energy distribution throughout the optical system. ZEMAX calculations used to optimize the optical layout design are combined with the mechanical design from CATIA, providing a 3D visualization of the entire POINT system.

Optical layout and mechanical structure of polarimeter-interferometer system for Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak.

PubMed

Zou, Z Y; Liu, H Q; Jie, Y X; Ding, W X; Brower, D L; Wang, Z X; Shen, J S; An, Z H; Yang, Y; Zeng, L; Wei, X C; Li, G S; Zhu, X; Lan, T

2014-11-01

A Far-InfaRed (FIR) three-wave POlarimeter-INTerferometer (POINT) system for measurement current density profile and electron density profile is under development for the EAST tokamak. The FIR beams are transmitted from the laser room to the optical tower adjacent to EAST via ∼20 m overmoded dielectric waveguide and then divided into 5 horizontal chords. The optical arrangement was designed using ZEMAX, which provides information on the beam spot size and energy distribution throughout the optical system. ZEMAX calculations used to optimize the optical layout design are combined with the mechanical design from CATIA, providing a 3D visualization of the entire POINT system.

Neoclassical toroidal plasma viscosity in the vicinity of the magnetic axis in tokamaks with broken symmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaing, K. C.; Lee, H.; Seol, J.; Aydemir, A. Y.

2015-08-01

Theory for neoclassical toroidal plasma viscosity in the low collisionality regime is extended to the vicinity of the magnetic axis in tokamaks with broken symmetry. The toroidal viscosity is induced by particles drifting off the perturbed magnetic surface under the influence of the symmetry breaking magnetic field. In the region away from the magnetic axis, the drift orbit dynamics is governed by the bounce averaged drift kinetic equation in the low collisionality regimes. In the vicinity of the magnetic axis, it is the drift kinetic equation, averaged over the trapped particle orbits, i.e., potato orbits, that governs the drift dynamics. The orbit averaged drift kinetic equation is derived when collision frequency is low enough for trapped particles to complete their potato trajectories. The resultant equation is solved in the 1 /ν regime to obtain transport fluxes and, thus, toroidal plasma viscosity through flux-force relation. Here, ν is the collision frequency. The viscosity does not vanish on the magnetic axis, and has the same scalings as that in the region away from magnetic axis, except that the fraction of bananas is replaced by the fraction of potatoes. It also has a weak radial dependence. Modeling of plasma flow velocity V for the case where the magnetic surfaces are broken is also discussed.

Realizing steady-state tokamak operation for fusion energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luce, T. C.

2011-03-01

Continuous operation of a tokamak for fusion energy has clear engineering advantages but requires conditions beyond those sufficient for a burning plasma. The fusion reactions and external sources must support both the pressure and the current equilibrium without inductive current drive, leading to demands on stability, confinement, current drive, and plasma-wall interactions that exceed those for pulsed tokamaks. These conditions have been met individually, and significant progress has been made in the past decade to realize scenarios where the required conditions are obtained simultaneously. Tokamaks are operated routinely without disruptions near pressure limits, as needed for steady-state operation. Fully noninductive sustainment with more than half of the current from intrinsic currents has been obtained for a resistive time with normalized pressure and confinement approaching those needed for steady-state conditions. One remaining challenge is handling the heat and particle fluxes expected in a steady-state tokamak without compromising the core plasma performance.

Tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wesson, J

1987-01-01

The word tokamak derives from the Russian term, toroidalnaya kamera magnitaya (toroidal chamber magnetic). The device was invented in the Soviet Union in 1950 and has since developed into one of the chief ways in which it is hoped to obtain usable power from plasmas through thermonuclear fusion. The present is meant to be an introduction to those entering the field, to those already engaged in research, and to those who want to gain some understanding of what it's all about.

Polarized fusion, its implications, and plans for a proof-of-principle experiment at the DIII-D tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandorfi, A. M.; Deur, A.; Lowry, M. M.; Wei, X.; Pace, D.; Eidietis, N.; Hyatt, A.; Jackson, G. L.; Lanctot, M.; Smith, S.; St-John, H.; Miller, G. W.; Zheng, X.; Baylor, L. R.

2015-10-01

The cross section for the primary fusion reaction in a tokamak, D+t --> α +n, would increase by a factor of 1.5 if the fuels were spin polarized parallel to the local field, rather than randomly oriented. Simulations show further gains in reaction rate would accompany this increase in large-scale machines such as ITER, due to increased alpha heating. The potential realization of such benefits rests on the crucial question of the survival of spin polarization for periods comparable to the energy containment time. Despite encouraging calculations, technical challenges in preparing and handling polarized materials have prevented any direct tests. Advances in three areas - polarized material technologies developed for nuclear and particle physics as well as medical imaging, polymer pellets developed for Inertial Confinement, and cryogenic injection guns developed for fueling tokamaks - have matured to the point where a direct in situ measurement is possible using the mirror reaction, D+3He --> α +p. Designs and simulations of a proof-of-principle experiment at the DIII-D tokamak in San Diego will be discussed. Work carried out under US DOE Contract DE-AC05-06OR23177 supporting Jefferson Lab and General Atomics Internal R&D funding.

Feedback-assisted extension of the tokamak operating space to low safety factor

DOE PAGES

Hanson, Jeremy M.; Bialek, James M.; Baruzzo, M.; ...

2014-07-07

Recent DIII-D and RFX-mod experiments have demonstrated stable tokamak operation at very low values of the edge safety factor q( a) near and below 2. The onset of n = 1 resistive wall mode (RWM) kink instabilities leads to a disruptive stability limit, encountered at q( a) = 2 (limiter plasmas) and q 95 = 2 (divertor plasmas). However, passively stable operation can be attained for q( a) and q 95 values as low as 2.2. RWM damping in the q( a) = 2 regime was measured using active MHD spectroscopy. Although consistent with theoretical predictions, the amplitude of themore » damped response does not increase significantly as the q( a) = 2 limit is approached, in contrast with damping measurements made approaching the pressure-driven RWM limit. Applying proportional gain magnetic feedback control of the n = 1 modes has resulted in stabilized operation with q 95 values reaching as low as 1.9 in DIII-D and q( a) reaching 1.55 in RFX-mod. In addition to being consistent with the q( a) = 2 external kink mode stability limit, the unstable modes have growth rates on the order of the characteristic wall eddy-current decay timescale in both devices, and a dominant m = 2 poloidal structure that is consistent with ideal MHD predictions. As a result, the experiments contribute to validating MHD stability theory and demonstrate that a key tokamak stability limit can be overcome with feedback.« less

Integrated tokamak modeling: when physics informs engineering and research planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poli, Francesca

2017-10-01

Simulations that integrate virtually all the relevant engineering and physics aspects of a real tokamak experiment are a power tool for experimental interpretation, model validation and planning for both present and future devices. This tutorial will guide through the building blocks of an ``integrated'' tokamak simulation, such as magnetic flux diffusion, thermal, momentum and particle transport, external heating and current drive sources, wall particle sources and sinks. Emphasis is given to the connection and interplay between external actuators and plasma response, between the slow time scales of the current diffusion and the fast time scales of transport, and how reduced and high-fidelity models can contribute to simulate a whole device. To illustrate the potential and limitations of integrated tokamak modeling for discharge prediction, a helium plasma scenario for the ITER pre-nuclear phase is taken as an example. This scenario presents challenges because it requires core-edge integration and advanced models for interaction between waves and fast-ions, which are subject to a limited experimental database for validation and guidance. Starting from a scenario obtained by re-scaling parameters from the demonstration inductive ``ITER baseline'', it is shown how self-consistent simulations that encompass both core and edge plasma regions, as well as high-fidelity heating and current drive source models are needed to set constraints on the density, magnetic field and heating scheme. This tutorial aims at demonstrating how integrated modeling, when used with adequate level of criticism, can not only support design of operational scenarios, but also help to asses the limitations and gaps in the available models, thus indicating where improved modeling tools are required and how present experiments can help their validation and inform research planning. Work supported by DOE under DE-AC02-09CH1146.

Edge-localized-modes in tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Leonard, Anthony W.

2014-09-11

Edge-localized-modes (ELMs) are a ubiquitous feature of H-mode in tokamaks. When gradients in the H-mode transport barrier grow to exceed the MHD stability limit the ELM instability grows explosively rapidly transporting energy and particles onto open field lines and material surfaces. Though ELMs provide additional particle and impurity transport through the H-mode transport barrier, enabling steady operation, the resulting heat flux transients to plasma facing surfaces project to large amplitude in future low collisionality burning plasma tokamaks. Measurements of the ELM heat flux deposition onto material surfaces in the divertor and main chamber indicate significant broadening compared to inter-ELM heatmore » flux, with a timescale for energy deposition that is consistent with sonic ion flow and numerical simulation. Comprehensive ELM simulation is highlighting the important physics processes of ELM transport including parallel transport due to magnetic reconnection and turbulence resulting from collapse of the H-mode transport barrier. As a result, encouraging prospects for ELM control and/or suppression in future tokamaks include intrinsic modes of ELM free operation, ELM triggering with frequent small pellet injection and the application of 3D magnetic fields.« less

Advances in the steady-state hybrid regime in DIII-D – a fully non-inductive, ELM-suppressed scenario for ITER

DOE PAGES

Petty, Craig C.; Nazikian, Raffi; Park, Jin Myung; ...

2017-07-19

Here, the hybrid regime with beta, collisionality, safety factor and plasma shape relevant to the ITER steady-state mission has been successfully integrated with ELM suppression by applying an odd parity n=3 resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP). Fully non-inductive hybrids in the DIII-D tokamak with high beta (β ≤ 2.8%) and high confinement (98y2 ≤ 1.4) in the ITER similar shape have achieved zero surface loop voltage for up to two current relaxation times using efficient central current drive from ECCD and NBCD. The n=3 RMP causes surprisingly little increase in thermal transport during ELM suppression. Poloidal magnetic flux pumping in hybridmore » plasmas maintains q above 1 without loss of current drive efficiency, except that experiments show that extremely peaked ECCD profiles can create sawteeth. During ECCD, Alfvén eigenmode (AE) activity is replaced by a more benign fishbone-like mode, reducing anomalous beam ion diffusion by a factor of 2. While the electron and ion thermal diffusivities substantially increase with higher ECCD power, the loss of confinement can be offset by the decreased fast ion transport resulting from AE suppression. Extrapolations from DIII-D along a dimensionless parameter scaling path as well as those using self-consistent theory-based modeling show that these ELM-suppressed, fully non-inductive hybrids can achieve the Q = 5 ITER steady-state mission.« less

Core turbulence behavior moving from ion-temperature-gradient regime towards trapped-electron-mode regime in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak and comparison with gyrokinetic simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Happel, T.; Navarro, A. Bañón; Conway, G. D.; Angioni, C.; Bernert, M.; Dunne, M.; Fable, E.; Geiger, B.; Görler, T.; Jenko, F.; McDermott, R. M.; Ryter, F.; Stroth, U.

2015-03-01

Additional electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) is used in an ion-temperature-gradient instability dominated regime to increase R / L Te in order to approach the trapped-electron-mode instability regime. The radial ECRH deposition location determines to a large degree the effect on R / L Te . Accompanying scale-selective turbulence measurements at perpendicular wavenumbers between k⊥ = 4-18 cm-1 (k⊥ρs = 0.7-4.2) show a pronounced increase of large-scale density fluctuations close to the ECRH radial deposition location at mid-radius, along with a reduction in phase velocity of large-scale density fluctuations. Measurements are compared with results from linear and non-linear flux-matched gyrokinetic (GK) simulations with the gyrokinetic code GENE. Linear GK simulations show a reduction of phase velocity, indicating a pronounced change in the character of the dominant instability. Comparing measurement and non-linear GK simulation, as a central result, agreement is obtained in the shape of radial turbulence level profiles. However, the turbulence intensity is increasing with additional heating in the experiment, while gyrokinetic simulations show a decrease.

Compact fusion energy based on the spherical tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sykes, A.; Costley, A. E.; Windsor, C. G.; Asunta, O.; Brittles, G.; Buxton, P.; Chuyanov, V.; Connor, J. W.; Gryaznevich, M. P.; Huang, B.; Hugill, J.; Kukushkin, A.; Kingham, D.; Langtry, A. V.; McNamara, S.; Morgan, J. G.; Noonan, P.; Ross, J. S. H.; Shevchenko, V.; Slade, R.; Smith, G.

2018-01-01

Tokamak Energy Ltd, UK, is developing spherical tokamaks using high temperature superconductor magnets as a possible route to fusion power using relatively small devices. We present an overview of the development programme including details of the enabling technologies, the key modelling methods and results, and the remaining challenges on the path to compact fusion.

Gamma ray imager on the DIII-D tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pace, D. C., E-mail: pacedc@fusion.gat.com; Taussig, D.; Eidietis, N. W.

2016-04-15

A gamma ray camera is built for the DIII-D tokamak [J. Luxon, Nucl. Fusion 42, 614 (2002)] that provides spatial localization and energy resolution of gamma flux by combining a lead pinhole camera with custom-built detectors and optimized viewing geometry. This diagnostic system is installed on the outer midplane of the tokamak such that its 123 collimated sightlines extend across the tokamak radius while also covering most of the vertical extent of the plasma volume. A set of 30 bismuth germanate detectors can be secured in any of the available sightlines, allowing for customizable coverage in experiments with runaway electronsmore » in the energy range of 1–60 MeV. Commissioning of the gamma ray imager includes the quantification of electromagnetic noise sources in the tokamak machine hall and a measurement of the energy spectrum of background gamma radiation. First measurements of gamma rays coming from the plasma provide a suitable testbed for implementing pulse height analysis that provides the energy of detected gamma photons.« less

Gamma ray imager on the DIII-D tokamak

DOE PAGES

Pace, D. C.; Cooper, C. M.; Taussig, D.; ...

2016-04-13

A gamma ray camera is built for the DIII-D tokamak [J. Luxon, Nucl. Fusion 42, 614 (2002)] that provides spatial localization and energy resolution of gamma flux by combining a lead pinhole camera with custom-built detectors and optimized viewing geometry. This diagnostic system is installed on the outer midplane of the tokamak such that its 123 collimated sightlines extend across the tokamak radius while also covering most of the vertical extent of the plasma volume. A set of 30 bismuth germanate detectors can be secured in any of the available sightlines, allowing for customizable coverage in experiments with runaway electronsmore » in the energy range of 1- 60 MeV. Commissioning of the gamma ray imager includes the quantification of electromagnetic noise sources in the tokamak machine hall and a measurement of the energy spectrum of background gamma radiation. In conclusion, first measurements of gamma rays coming from the plasma provide a suitable testbed for implementing pulse height analysis that provides the energy of detected gamma photons.« less

Advances in the steady-state hybrid regime in DIII-D—a fully non-inductive, ELM-suppressed scenario for ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petty, C. C.; Nazikian, R.; Park, J. M.; Turco, F.; Chen, Xi; Cui, L.; Evans, T. E.; Ferraro, N. M.; Ferron, J. R.; Garofalo, A. M.; Grierson, B. A.; Holcomb, C. T.; Hyatt, A. W.; Kolemen, E.; La Haye, R. J.; Lasnier, C.; Logan, N.; Luce, T. C.; McKee, G. R.; Orlov, D.; Osborne, T. H.; Pace, D. C.; Paz-Soldan, C.; Petrie, T. W.; Snyder, P. B.; Solomon, W. M.; Taylor, N. Z.; Thome, K. E.; Van Zeeland, M. A.; Zhu, Y.

2017-11-01

The hybrid regime with beta, collisionality, safety factor and plasma shape relevant to the ITER steady-state mission has been successfully integrated with ELM suppression by applying an odd parity n  =  3 resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP). Fully non-inductive hybrids in the DIII-D tokamak with high beta (≤ft< β \\right>   ⩽  2.8%) and high confinement (H98y2  ⩽  1.4) in the ITER similar shape have achieved zero surface loop voltage for up to two current relaxation times using efficient central current drive from ECCD and NBCD. The n  =  3 RMP causes surprisingly little increase in thermal transport during ELM suppression. Poloidal magnetic flux pumping in hybrid plasmas maintains q above 1 without loss of current drive efficiency, except that experiments show that extremely peaked ECCD profiles can create sawteeth. During ECCD, Alfvén eigenmode (AE) activity is replaced by a more benign fishbone-like mode, reducing anomalous beam ion diffusion by a factor of 2. While the electron and ion thermal diffusivities substantially increase with higher ECCD power, the loss of confinement can be offset by the decreased fast ion transport resulting from AE suppression. Extrapolations from DIII-D along a dimensionless parameter scaling path as well as those using self-consistent theory-based modeling show that these ELM-suppressed, fully non-inductive hybrids can achieve the Q fus  =  5 ITER steady-state mission.

Extreme ultraviolet and Soft X-ray diagnostic upgrade on the HBT-EP tokamak: Progress and Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desanto, S.; Levesque, J. P.; Battey, A.; Brooks, J. W.; Mauel, M. E.; Navratil, G. A.; Hansen, C. J.

2017-10-01

In order to understand internal MHD mode structure in a tokamak plasma, it is helpful to understand temperature and density fluctuations within that plasma. In the HBT-EP tokamak, the plasma emits bremsstrahlung radiation in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft x-ray (SXR) regimes, and the emitted power is primarily related to electron density and temperature. This radiation is detected by photodiode arrays located at several different angular positions near the plasma's edge, each array making several views through a poloidal slice of plasma. From these measurements a 2-d emissivity profile of that slice can be reconstructed with tomographic algorithms. This profile cannot directly tell us whether the emissivity is due to electron density, temperature, line emission, or charge recombination; however, when combined with information from other diagnostics, it can provide strong evidence of the type of internal mode or modes depending on the temporal-spatial context. We present ongoing progress and results on the installation of a new system that will eventually consist of four arrays of 16 views each and a separate two-color, 16-chord tangential system, which will provide an improved understanding of the internal structure of HBT-EP plasmas. Supported by U.S. DOE Grant DE-FG02-86ER5322.

Tokamak und Stellarator - zwei Wege zur Fusionsenergie: Fusionsforschung

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milch, Isabella

2006-07-01

Im Laufe der Fusionsforschung haben sich zwei Bautypen für ein zukünftiges Kraftwerk als besonders aussichtsreich erwiesen: Tokamak und Stellarator. Mit dem geplanten Tokamak-Experimentalreaktor ITER steht die internationale Fusionsforschung vor der Demonstration eines Energie liefernden Plasmas. Parallel soll die in Greifswald entstehende Forschungsanlage Wendelstein 7-X die Kraftwerkstauglichkeit des alternativen Bauprinzips der Stellaratoren zeigen.

Startup and stability of a small spherical tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garstka, Gregory Douglas

1997-09-01

The spherical tokamak (ST) is an evolutionary extension of the conventional tokamak concept where the aspect ratio is less than 2. These devices may possess significant advantages over standard tokamaks-they are capable of achieving higher values of /beta, seem to be more resilient to disruptions, and are significantly smaller than conventional tokamaks. Two important questions for the next generation of spherical tokamaks concern startup and internal reconnection events (IREs). Understanding startup is crucial due to the limited amount of ohmic flux in an ST. The IREs are disruption- like events observed on STs that do not result in termination of the current channel. Experiments have been conducted on the Madison EDUcational Small Aspect-ratio (MEDUSA) tokamak to answer some of the questions about startup and IREs in STs. MEDUSA is a small ohmic tokamak with an insulating vacuum vessel. Major parameters are R=12 cm, a=8 cm, Ip=10-40 kA, BT=0.2-0.45 T, /Delta tpulse=1-2 ms, /langle ne/rangle/approx5×1019/ m-3, and Te0/approx100 eV. The experiments in this work were aided by an internal magnetic probe array that constrained the reconstruction of MHD equilibria. It was found that startup efficiency, measured by the Ejima coefficient CE, improved with increasing loop voltage and toroidal field. Double tearing modes were found to be an important mechanism for current penetration in MEDUSA; their presence early in the discharge can improve the magnetic flux consumption. The lowest achieved value of the Ejima coefficient was 0.61 (0.13 for 'OH only') for a discharge with 0.375 T toroidal field and 9.4 V startup loop voltage. The study of internal reconnection events revealed the presence of a heretofore undiscovered precursor, which in MEDUSA was manifested as coherent oscillations in the internal poloidal field at 65-75 kHz for 100 μs prior to the IRE. These events were found to result in decreased /ell i and /beta, inward movement of the magnetic axis, dramatically

MHD Effects of a Ferritic Wall on Tokamak Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Paul E.

It has been recognized for some time that the very high fluence of fast (14.1MeV) neutrons produced by deuterium-tritium fusion will represent a major materials challenge for the development of next-generation fusion energy projects such as a fusion component test facility and demonstration fusion power reactor. The best-understood and most promising solutions presently available are a family of low-activation steels originally developed for use in fission reactors, but the ferromagnetic properties of these steels represent a danger to plasma confinement through enhancement of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities and increased susceptibility to error fields. At present, experimental research into the effects of ferromagnetic materials on MHD stability in toroidal geometry has been confined to demonstrating that it is still possible to operate an advanced tokamak in the presence of ferromagnetic components. In order to better quantify the effects of ferromagnetic materials on tokamak plasma stability, a new ferritic wall has been installated in the High Beta Tokamak---Extended Pulse (HBT-EP) device. The development, assembly, installation, and testing of this wall as a modular upgrade is described, and the effect of the wall on machine performance is characterized. Comparative studies of plasma dynamics with the ferritic wall close-fitting against similar plasmas with the ferritic wall retracted demonstrate substantial effects on plasma stability. Resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) are applied, demonstrating a 50% increase in n = 1 plasma response amplitude when the ferritic wall is near the plasma. Susceptibility of plasmas to disruption events increases by a factor of 2 or more with the ferritic wall inserted, as disruptions are observed earlier with greater frequency. Growth rates of external kink instabilities are observed to be twice as large in the presence of a close-fitting ferritic wall. Initial studies are made of the influence of mode rotation frequency

Experimental Results of OH Regime Investigation in Globus-M Spherical Torus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golant, Victor; Gusev, Vasily; Levin, Roman; Petrov, Yuriy; Sakharov, Nikolay

2001-10-01

Plasma parameters were measured in novel spherical torus Globus-M in highly shaped plasmas with aspect ratio, A > 1.5, elongation, k < 1.9, triangularity < 0.5. Plasma column was created by direct induction method with the currents up to Ip 0.3 MA in the magnetic field, Bt - 0.08 - 0.5 T. In Globus-M spherical torus plasma column is closely fitted into the vacuum vessel and wall conditioning technology described in [1] was used to achieve good plasma performance. Plasma experiments were focused around achievement of ultimate OH regimes allowed by power supplies. The operational limits of the device were investigated. In the regime with extreme low q(cy1) < 1 and high normalized current > 4, the plasma current of almost 100kA was sustained transiently in low magnetic field 800 Gs. The first results on stability analysis with numerical code are presented. The runaway electrons behavior was studied in spherical tokamak conditions. Influence of plasma current and density ramp-up speeds, MHD events on plasma performance and stability was demonstrated. Magnetic reconstruction was performed with EFIT version adopted for PC simulations. Plans for auxiliary heating and current drive are discussed. 1. V.K. Gusev, …, V.E. Golant, et al., Nucl. Fusion 41, No 7, (2001), to be published

Conditional heteroscedasticity as a leading indicator of ecological regime shifts.

PubMed

Seekell, David A; Carpenter, Stephen R; Pace, Michael L

2011-10-01

Regime shifts are massive, often irreversible, rearrangements of nonlinear ecological processes that occur when systems pass critical transition points. Ecological regime shifts sometimes have severe consequences for human well-being, including eutrophication in lakes, desertification, and species extinctions. Theoretical and laboratory evidence suggests that statistical anomalies may be detectable leading indicators of regime shifts in ecological time series, making it possible to foresee and potentially avert incipient regime shifts. Conditional heteroscedasticity is persistent variance characteristic of time series with clustered volatility. Here, we analyze conditional heteroscedasticity as a potential leading indicator of regime shifts in ecological time series. We evaluate conditional heteroscedasticity by using ecological models with and without four types of critical transition. On approaching transition points, all time series contain significant conditional heteroscedasticity. This signal is detected hundreds of time steps in advance of the regime shift. Time series without regime shifts do not have significant conditional heteroscedasticity. Because probability values are easily associated with tests for conditional heteroscedasticity, detection of false positives in time series without regime shifts is minimized. This property reduces the need for a reference system to compare with the perturbed system.

Observation of Flat Electron Temperature Profiles in the Lithium Tokamak Experiment

DOE PAGES

Boyle, D. P.; Majeski, R.; Schmitt, J. C.; ...

2017-07-05

It has been predicted for over a decade that low-recycling plasma-facing components in fusion devices would allow high edge temperatures and flat or nearly flat temperature profiles. In recent experiments with lithium wall coatings in the Lithium Tokamak Experiment (LTX), a hot edge ( > 200 eV ) and flat electron temperature profiles have been measured following the termination of external fueling. In this work, reduced recycling was demonstrated by retention of ~ 60% of the injected hydrogen in the walls following the discharge. Electron energy confinement followed typical Ohmic confinement scaling during fueling, but did not decrease with densitymore » after fueling terminated, ultimately exceeding the scaling by ~ 200% . Lastly, achievement of the low-recycling, hot edge regime has been an important goal of LTX and lithium plasma-facing component research in general, as it has potentially significant implications for the operation, design, and cost of fusion devices.« less

Observation of Flat Electron Temperature Profiles in the Lithium Tokamak Experiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boyle, D. P.; Majeski, R.; Schmitt, J. C.

It has been predicted for over a decade that low-recycling plasma-facing components in fusion devices would allow high edge temperatures and flat or nearly flat temperature profiles. In recent experiments with lithium wall coatings in the Lithium Tokamak Experiment (LTX), a hot edge ( > 200 eV ) and flat electron temperature profiles have been measured following the termination of external fueling. In this work, reduced recycling was demonstrated by retention of ~ 60% of the injected hydrogen in the walls following the discharge. Electron energy confinement followed typical Ohmic confinement scaling during fueling, but did not decrease with densitymore » after fueling terminated, ultimately exceeding the scaling by ~ 200% . Lastly, achievement of the low-recycling, hot edge regime has been an important goal of LTX and lithium plasma-facing component research in general, as it has potentially significant implications for the operation, design, and cost of fusion devices.« less

Design and Manufacturing of the Kstar Tokamak Helium Refrigeration System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dauguet, P.; Briend, P.; Abe, I.; Fauve, E.; Bernhardt, J. M.; Andrieu, F.; Beauvisage, J.

2008-03-01

The KSTAR (Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research) project makes intensive use of superconducting (SC) magnets operated at 4.4 K. The cold components of KSTAR require a forced flow of supercritical helium for magnets and structure, boiling liquid helium for current leads, and gaseous helium for thermal shields. A helium refrigeration system has been custom-designed for this project. The purpose of this paper is to give a brief overview of the proposed cryogenic system. The specified thermal loads for the different operating modes are presented. This specification results in the definition of a design mode for the refrigerator. The design and construction of the resulting 9 kW at 4.5-K Helium Refrigeration System (HSR) are presented.

Interactions of toroidally coupled tearing modes in the KSTAR tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Gnan; Yun, Gunsu S.; Woo, Minho; Park, Hyeon K.; KSTAR Team2, the

2018-03-01

The evolutions of toroidally coupled radially-distant and radially-adjacent tearing modes are visualized in 2D in detail on the Korea superconducting tokamak for advanced research. The coupled tearing modes are in-phase on the out-board mid-plane and become destabilized or compete with each other depending on their spatial separation. When two coupled tearing modes are far apart, both are increasingly destabilized. On the other hand, when they become close to each other, one becomes stabilized while the other becomes destabilized. In such cases, an additional tearing mode is often formed on outer rational flux surface and the three tearing modes compete. The competitions suggest that spatial overlap (merging) of coupled magnetic islands is difficult.

Physics of Intense Electron Current Sources for Helicity Injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinson, E. T.; Barr, J. L.; Bongard, M. W.; Burke, M. G.; Fonck, R. J.; Lewicki, B. T.; Perry, J. M.; Redd, A. J.; Winz, G. R.

2014-10-01

DC helicity injection (HI) for non-solenoidal ST startup requires sources of current at the tokamak edge. Since the rate of HI scales with injection voltage, understanding of the physics setting injector impedance is necessary for a predictive model of the HI rate and subsequent growth of Ip. In Pegasus, arc plasma sources are used for current injection. They operate immersed in tokamak edge plasma, and are biased at ~1-2 kV with respect to the vessel to draw current densities J ~ 1 kA/cm2 from an arc plasma cathode. Prior to tokamak formation, impedance data manifests two regimes, one at low current (< 1 kA) with I ~V 3 / 2 , and a higher current mode where I ~V 1 / 2 holds. The impedance in the I ~V 3 / 2 regime is consistent with an electrostatic double layer. Current in the I ~V 1 / 2 regime is linear in arc gas fueling rate, suggesting a space-charge limit set by nedge. In the presence of tokamak plasmas, voltage oscillations of the order 100s of volts are measured during MHD relaxation activity. These fluctuations occur at the characteristic frequencies of the n = 1 and n = 0 MHD activity observed on magnetic probes, and are suggestive of dynamic activity found in LHI simulations in NIMROD. Advanced injector design techniques have allowed higher voltage operation. These include staged shielding to prevent external arcing, and shaped cathodes, which minimize the onset and material damage due to cathode spot formation. Work supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

Evaluation of the toroidal torque driven by external non-resonant non-axisymmetric magnetic field perturbations in a tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kasilov, Sergei V.; Institute of Plasma Physics National Science Center “Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology” ul. Akademicheskaya 1, 61108 Kharkov; Kernbichler, Winfried

2014-09-15

The toroidal torque driven by external non-resonant magnetic perturbations (neoclassical toroidal viscosity) is an important momentum source affecting the toroidal plasma rotation in tokamaks. The well-known force-flux relation directly links this torque to the non-ambipolar neoclassical particle fluxes arising due to the violation of the toroidal symmetry of the magnetic field. Here, a quasilinear approach for the numerical computation of these fluxes is described, which reduces the dimension of a standard neoclassical transport problem by one without model simplifications of the linearized drift kinetic equation. The only limiting condition is that the non-axisymmetric perturbation field is small enough such thatmore » the effect of the perturbation field on particle motion within the flux surface is negligible. Therefore, in addition to most of the transport regimes described by the banana (bounce averaged) kinetic equation also such regimes as, e.g., ripple-plateau and resonant diffusion regimes are naturally included in this approach. Based on this approach, a quasilinear version of the code NEO-2 [W. Kernbichler et al., Plasma Fusion Res. 3, S1061 (2008).] has been developed and benchmarked against a few analytical and numerical models. Results from NEO-2 stay in good agreement with results from these models in their pertinent range of validity.« less

Comparison between measured and predicted turbulence frequency spectra in ITG and TEM regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Citrin, J.; Arnichand, H.; Bernardo, J.; Bourdelle, C.; Garbet, X.; Jenko, F.; Hacquin, S.; Pueschel, M. J.; Sabot, R.

2017-06-01

The observation of distinct peaks in tokamak core reflectometry measurements—named quasi-coherent-modes (QCMs)—are identified as a signature of trapped-electron-mode (TEM) turbulence (Arnichand et al 2016 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 58 014037). This phenomenon is investigated with detailed linear and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations using the Gene code. A Tore-Supra density scan is studied, which traverses through a linear (LOC) to saturated (SOC) ohmic confinement transition. The LOC and SOC phases are both simulated separately. In the LOC phase, where QCMs are observed, TEMs are robustly predicted unstable in linear studies. In the later SOC phase, where QCMs are no longer observed, ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) modes are identified. In nonlinear simulations, in the ITG (SOC) phase, a broadband spectrum is seen. In the TEM (LOC) phase, a clear emergence of a peak at the TEM frequencies is seen. This is due to reduced nonlinear frequency broadening of the underlying linear modes in the TEM regime compared with the ITG regime. A synthetic diagnostic of the nonlinearly simulated frequency spectra reproduces the features observed in the reflectometry measurements. These results support the identification of core QCMs as an experimental marker for TEM turbulence.

Can high fields save the tokamak? The challenge of steady-state operation for low cost compact reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freidberg, Jeffrey; Dogra, Akshunna; Redman, William; Cerfon, Antoine

2016-10-01

The development of high field, high temperature superconductors is thought to be a game changer for the development of fusion power based on the tokamak concept. We test the validity of this assertion for pilot plant scale reactors (Q 10) for two different but related missions: pulsed operation and steady-state operation. Specifically, we derive a set of analytic criteria that determines the basic design parameters of a given fusion reactor mission. As expected there are far more constraints than degrees of freedom in any given design application. However, by defining the mission of the reactor under consideration, we have been able to determine the subset of constraints that drive the design, and calculate the values for the key parameters characterizing the tokamak. Our conclusions are as follows: 1) for pulsed reactors, high field leads to more compact designs and thus cheaper reactors - high B is the way to go; 2) steady-state reactors with H-mode like transport are large, even with high fields. The steady-state constraint is hard to satisfy in compact designs - high B helps but is not enough; 3) I-mode like transport, when combined with high fields, yields relatively compact steady-state reactors - why is there not more research on this favorable transport regime?

Nonlinear Plasma Response to Resonant Magnetic Perturbation in Rutherford Regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Ping; Yan, Xingting; Huang, Wenlong

2017-10-01

Recently a common analytic relation for both the locked mode and the nonlinear plasma response in the Rutherford regime has been developed based on the steady-state solution to the coupled dynamic system of magnetic island evolution and torque balance equations. The analytic relation predicts the threshold and the island size for the full penetration of resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP). It also rigorously proves a screening effect of the equilibrium toroidal flow. In this work, we test the theory by solving for the nonlinear plasma response to a single-helicity RMP of a circular-shaped limiter tokamak equilibrium with a constant toroidal flow, using the initial-value, full MHD simulation code NIMROD. Time evolution of the parallel flow or ``slip frequency'' profile and its asymptotic approach to steady state obtained from the NIMROD simulations qualitatively agree with the theory predictions. Further comparisons are carried out for the saturated island size, the threshold for full mode penetration, as well as the screening effects of equilibrium toroidal flow in order to understand the physics of nonlinear plasma response in the Rutherford regime. Supported by National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Science Program of China Grants 2014GB124002 and 2015GB101004, the 100 Talent Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and U.S. Department of Energy Grants DE-FG02-86ER53218 and DE-FC02-08ER54975.

Modelling ion cyclotron emission from KSTAR tokamak and LHD helical device plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dendy, Richard; Chapman, Ben; Reman, Bernard; Chapman, Sandra; Akiyama, Tsuyoshi; Yun, Gunsu

2017-10-01

New high quality measurements of ion cyclotron emission (ICE) from KSTAR and LHD greatly extend the scope and diversity of plasma conditions under which ICE is observed. Variables include the origin (fusion reactions or neutral beam injection) and energy (sub- or super-Alfvénic) of the minority energetic ions that drive ICE; the composition of the bulk plasma (hydrogen or deuterium) which supports the modes excited; plasma density in the emitting region, and the timescale on which it changes; and toroidal magnetic field geometry (tokamak or helical device). Future exploitation of ICE as a diagnostic for energetic ion populations in JET D-T plasmas and in ITER rests on quantitative understanding of the physics of the emission. This is tested and extended by current KSTAR and LHD measurements of ICE. We report progress on direct numerical simulation using full orbit ion kinetic codes that solve the Maxwell-Lorentz equations for hundreds of millions of particles. In the saturated regime, these simulations yield excited field spectra that correspond directly to the measured ICE spectra under diverse KSTAR and LHD regimes. At early times, comparison of simulation outputs with linear analytical theory confirms the magnetoacoustic cyclotron instability as the basic driver of ICE. Supported by RCUK Energy Programme Grant EP/P012450/1, NRF Korea Grant 2014M1A7A1A03029881, NIFS budget ULHH029 and Euratom.

Experiments with lithium limiter on T-11M tokamak and applications of the lithium capillary-pore system in future fusion reactor devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirnov, S. V.; Azizov, E. A.; Evtikhin, V. A.; Lazarev, V. B.; Lyublinski, I. E.; Vertkov, A. V.; Prokhorov, D. Yu

2006-06-01

The paper is an overview of recent results of Li limiter testing in T-11M tokamak. The lithium limiter is based on the capillary-pore system (CPS) concept. The Li erosion process and deuterium (D2) and helium (He) sorption by Li first wall were investigated. The ability of capillary forces to confine the liquid Li in the CPS limiter during disruption was demonstrated. The idea of combined lithium limiter with thin (0.6 mm) CPS coating as a solution of the heat removal problem was realized. As a result the quasi steady-state tokamak regime with duration up to 0.3 s and clean (Zeff = 1) deuterium plasma has been achieved. The temporal evolution of the lithium surface temperature during discharge was measured by a IR radiometer and then was recalculated to the surface power load. For the estimation of the Li limiter erosion the Li neutral and ions spectral line emission were observed. The increase in lithium erosion as a result of limiter heating was discovered. The radial distribution of plasma column radiation measurements showed up to 90% of the total radiation losses in a relatively thin (5 cm) boundary layer and only 10% in a plasma centre during discharges with high Li influx. Oscillations of Li emission and saw-tooth-like oscillations of the limiter surface temperature have been detected in discharge regimes with highest Li limiter temperature (>600 °C). A version of Li CPS first wall of DEMO reactor and Li CPS limiter experiment in the International Thermonuclear Energy Reactor are suggested.

Response to 'Comment on 'Continuum modes in rotating plasmas: General equations and continuous spectra for large aspect ratio tokamaks' '[Phys. Plasmas 19, 064701 (2012)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lakhin, V. P.; Ilgisonis, V. I.; Peoples' Friendship University, 3 Ordzhonikidze St., Moscow 117198

2012-06-15

The equations for the continuous spectra derived in our paper [V. P. Lakhin and V. I. Ilgisonis, Phys. Plasmas 18, 092103 (2011)] can be reduced to the matrix form used by Goedbloed et al.[Phys. Plasmas 11, 28 (2004)]. It is shown that the assumptions made in our paper provide the elliptic flow regime and guarantee the existence of plasma equilibrium with nested magnetic surfaces of circular cross-section. The new results on magnetohydrodynamic instabilities of such tokamak equilibria obtained in our paper but absent in the paper by Goedbloed et al. are emphasized.

Preliminary investigation of the effects of lower hybrid power on asymmetric behaviors in the scrape-off layer in experimental advanced superconducting tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, L.; Ding, B. J., E-mail: bjding@ipp.ac.cn; Li, M. H.

2014-02-15

The striations in front of the lower hybrid (LH) launcher have been observed during LH injection by a visible video camera in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak. Edge density at the top of the LH launcher tends to be much larger in reversed magnetic field (B{sub t}) than that in the normal B{sub t}. To study the mechanisms of the observations, the diffusive-convective model is employed. Simulations show that the LH power makes the density in scrape-off layer asymmetric in poloidal direction with five density peaks. The locations of the striations are approximately in agreement with the locations of themore » density peaks in different directions of B{sub t}. Higher LH power strengths the asymmetry of the density and leads to a bad coupling which is in conflict with the experimental results showing a good coupling with a higher power. Furthermore, an ionization term is introduced into this model and the increase of edge density with LH power can be qualitatively explained. The simulations also show that the density peaks in front of the waveguides become clearer when taking into account gas puffing.« less

The Spherical Tokamak MEDUSA for Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, C.; Salvador, M.; Gonzalez, J.; Munoz, O.; Tapia, A.; Arredondo, V.; Chavez, R.; Nieto, A.; Gonzalez, J.; Garza, A.; Estrada, I.; Jasso, E.; Acosta, C.; Briones, C.; Cavazos, G.; Martinez, J.; Morones, J.; Almaguer, J.; Fonck, R.

2011-10-01

The former spherical tokamak MEDUSA (Madison EDUcation Small Aspect.ratio tokamak, R < 0.14m, a < 0.10m, BT < 0.5T, Ip < 40kA, 3ms pulse) is currently being recomissioned at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Mexico, as part of an agreement between the Faculties of Mech.-Elect. Eng. and Phy. Sci.-Maths. The main objective for having MEDUSA is to train students in plasma physics & technical related issues, aiming a full design of a medium size device (e.g. Tokamak-T). Details of technical modifications and a preliminary scientific programme will be presented. MEDUSA-MX will also benefit any developments in the existing Mexican Fusion Network. Strong liaison within national and international plasma physics communities is expected. New activities on plasma & engineering modeling are expected to be developed in parallel by using the existing facilities such as a multi-platform computer (Silicon Graphics Altix XE250, 128G RAM, 3.7TB HD, 2.7GHz, quad-core processor), ancillary graph system (NVIDIA Quadro FE 2000/1GB GDDR-5 PCI X16 128, 3.2GHz), and COMSOL Multiphysics-Solid Works programs.

A survey of electron Bernstein wave heating and current drive potential for spherical tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urban, Jakub; Decker, Joan; Peysson, Yves; Preinhaelter, Josef; Shevchenko, Vladimir; Taylor, Gary; Vahala, Linda; Vahala, George

2011-08-01

The electron Bernstein wave (EBW) is typically the only wave in the electron cyclotron (EC) range that can be applied in spherical tokamaks for heating and current drive (H&CD). Spherical tokamaks (STs) operate generally in high-β regimes, in which the usual EC O- and X-modes are cut off. In this case, EBWs seem to be the only option that can provide features similar to the EC waves—controllable localized H&CD that can be used for core plasma heating as well as for accurate plasma stabilization. The EBW is a quasi-electrostatic wave that can be excited by mode conversion from a suitably launched O- or X-mode; its propagation further inside the plasma is strongly influenced by the plasma parameters. These rather awkward properties make its application somewhat more difficult. In this paper we perform an extensive numerical study of EBW H&CD performance in four typical ST plasmas (NSTX L- and H-mode, MAST Upgrade, NHTX). Coupled ray-tracing (AMR) and Fokker-Planck (LUKE) codes are employed to simulate EBWs of varying frequencies and launch conditions, which are the fundamental EBW parameters that can be chosen and controlled. Our results indicate that an efficient and universal EBW H&CD system is indeed viable. In particular, power can be deposited and current reasonably efficiently driven across the whole plasma radius. Such a system could be controlled by a suitably chosen launching antenna vertical position and would also be sufficiently robust.

Correlation of the tokamak H-mode density limit with ballooning stability at the separatrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eich, T.; Goldston, R. J.; Kallenbach, A.; Sieglin, B.; Sun, H. J.; ASDEX Upgrade Team; Contributors, JET

2018-03-01

We show for JET and ASDEX Upgrade, based on Thomson-scattering measurements, a clear correlation of the density limit of the tokamak H-mode high-confinement regime with the approach to the ideal ballooning instability threshold at the periphery of the plasma. It is shown that the MHD ballooning parameter at the separatrix position α_sep increases about linearly with the separatrix density normalized to Greenwald density, n_e, sep/n_GW for a wide range of discharge parameters in both devices. The observed operational space is found to reach at maximum n_e, sep/n_GW≈ 0.4 -0.5 at values for α_sep≈ 2 -2.5, in the range of theoretical predictions for ballooning instability. This work supports the hypothesis that the H-mode density limit may be set by ballooning stability at the separatrix.

Developing physics basis for the snowflake divertor in the DIII-D tokamak

DOE PAGES

Soukhanovskii, V. A.; Allen, S. L.; Fenstermacher, M. E.; ...

2018-02-01

Recent DIII-D results demonstrate that the snowflake (SF) divertor geometry (cf. standard divertor) enables significant manipulation of divertor heat transport for heat spreading and reduction in attached and radiative divertor regimes, between and during edge localized modes (ELMs), while maintaining good H-mode confinement. Snowflake divertor configurations have been realized in the DIII-D tokamak for several seconds in H-mode discharges with heating power PNBImore » $$\\leqslant$$ 4-5 MW and a range of plasma currents Ip = 0.8-1.2 MA. In this work, inter-ELM transport and radiative SF divertor properties are studied. Significant impact of geometric properties on SOL and divertor plasma parameters, including increased poloidal magnetic flux expansion, divertor magnetic field line length and divertor volume, is confirmed. In the SF-minus configuration, heat deposition is affected by the geometry, and peak divertor heat fluxes are significantly reduced. In the SF-plus and near-exact SF configurations, divertor peak heat flux reduction and outer strike point heat flux profile broadening are observed. Inter-ELM sharing of power and particle fluxes between the main and additional snowflake divertor strike points has been demonstrated. The additional strike points typically receive up to 10-15% of total outer divertor power. Measurements of electron pressure and poloidal beta !p support the theoretically proposed churning mode that is driven by toroidal curvature and vertical pressure gradient in the weak poloidal field region. A comparison of the 4-4.5 MW NBI-heated H-mode plasmas with radiative SF divertor and the standard radiative divertor (both induced with additional gas puffing) shows a nearly complete power detachment and broader divertor radiated power distribution in the SF, as compared to a partial detachment and peaked localized radiation in the standard divertor. However, insignificant difference in the detachment onset w.r.t. density between the SF and

Developing physics basis for the snowflake divertor in the DIII-D tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Soukhanovskii, V. A.; Allen, S. L.; Fenstermacher, M. E.

Recent DIII-D results demonstrate that the snowflake (SF) divertor geometry (cf. standard divertor) enables significant manipulation of divertor heat transport for heat spreading and reduction in attached and radiative divertor regimes, between and during edge localized modes (ELMs), while maintaining good H-mode confinement. Snowflake divertor configurations have been realized in the DIII-D tokamak for several seconds in H-mode discharges with heating power PNBImore » $$\\leqslant$$ 4-5 MW and a range of plasma currents Ip = 0.8-1.2 MA. In this work, inter-ELM transport and radiative SF divertor properties are studied. Significant impact of geometric properties on SOL and divertor plasma parameters, including increased poloidal magnetic flux expansion, divertor magnetic field line length and divertor volume, is confirmed. In the SF-minus configuration, heat deposition is affected by the geometry, and peak divertor heat fluxes are significantly reduced. In the SF-plus and near-exact SF configurations, divertor peak heat flux reduction and outer strike point heat flux profile broadening are observed. Inter-ELM sharing of power and particle fluxes between the main and additional snowflake divertor strike points has been demonstrated. The additional strike points typically receive up to 10-15% of total outer divertor power. Measurements of electron pressure and poloidal beta !p support the theoretically proposed churning mode that is driven by toroidal curvature and vertical pressure gradient in the weak poloidal field region. A comparison of the 4-4.5 MW NBI-heated H-mode plasmas with radiative SF divertor and the standard radiative divertor (both induced with additional gas puffing) shows a nearly complete power detachment and broader divertor radiated power distribution in the SF, as compared to a partial detachment and peaked localized radiation in the standard divertor. However, insignificant difference in the detachment onset w.r.t. density between the SF and

Li Experiments at the Tokamak T-11M Toward PFC Concept of Steady State Tokamak-Reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirnov, S. V.

2009-11-01

As practical method of using a liquid lithium as a renewable plasma-facing component (PCF) for steady state tokamak-reactor the concept of lithium emitter-collector is considered [1]. It is based on lithium filled capillary porous system proposed by V.A. Evtikhin et al. (1996). The lithium circulation process consists of four steps: (1) Li emission from the PFC emitter into the plasma; (2) plasma boundary cooling by non-coronal Li radiation; (3) Li ion capture by the collector (before they are lost to the tokamak chamber wall); (4) Li return from the collector to the emitter. T-11M tokamak experiments have used three local rail limiters made from lithium, molybdenum and graphite as lithium collectors. The lithium behavior was studied by analysis of the witness samples, and by a mobile graphite probe. The key findings are: (1) lithium collection on the ion side of the lithium limiter is 2-3 times larger than on the electron side; (2) total efficiency of Li collection integrated over all three rail limiters can reach 50-70% of the lithium emission during the discharge pulse, while the theoretical limit is about 90%. [1] S.V. Mirnov, J. Nucl. Mat., 390-391, 876 (2009).

Plasma Confinement in the UCLA Electric Tokamak.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Robert J.

2001-10-01

The main goal of the newly constructed large Electric Tokamak (R = 5 m, a = 1 m, BT < 0.25 T) is to access an omnigeneous, unity beta(S.C. Cowley, P.K. Kaw, R.S. Kelly, R.M. Kulsrud, Phys. fluids B 3 (1991) 2066.) plasma regime. The design goal was to achieve good confinement at low magnetic fields, consistent with the high beta goal. To keep the program cost down, we adopted the use of ICRF as the primary heating source. Consequently, antenna surfaces covering 1/2 of the surface of the tokamak has been prepared for heating and current drive. Very clean hydrogenic plasmas have been achieved with loop voltage below 0.7 volt and densities 3 times above the Murakami limit, n(0) > 8 x 10^12 cm-3 when there is no MHD activity. The electron temperature, derived from the plasma conductivity is > 250 eV with a central electron energy confinement time > 350 msec in ohmic conditions. The sawteeth period is 50 msec. Edge plasma rotation is induced by plasma biasing via electron injection in an analogous manner to that seen in CCT(R.J. Taylor, M.L. Brown, B.D. Fried, H. Grote, J.R. Liberati, G.J. Morales, P. Pribyl, D. Darrow, and M. Ono. Phys. Rev Lett. 63 2365 1989.) and the neoclassical bifurcation is close to that described by Shaing et al(K.C. Shaing and E.C. Crume, Phys. Rev. Lett. 63 2369 (1989).). In the ohmic phase the confinement tends to be MHD limited. The ICRF heating eliminates the MHD disturbances. Under second harmonic heating conditions, we observe an internal confinement peaking characterized by doubling of the core density and a corresponding increase in the central electron temperature. Charge exchange data, Doppler data in visible H-alpha light, and EC radiation all indicate that ICRF heating works much better than expected. The major effort is focused on increasing the power input and controlling the resulting equilibrium. This task appears to be easy since our current pulses are approaching the 3 second mark without RF heating or current drive. Our

Electromagnetic Torque in Tokamaks with Toroidal Asymmetries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Logan, Nikolas Christopher

Toroidal rotation and rotation shear strongly influences stability and confinement in tokamaks. Breaking of the toroidal symmetry by fields orders of magnitude smaller than the axisymmetric field can, however, produce electromagnetic torques that significantly affect the plasma rotation, stability and confinement. These electromagnetic torques are the study of this thesis. There are two typical types of electromagnetic torques in tokamaks: 1) "resonant torques" for which a plasma current defined by a single toroidal and single poloidal harmonic interact with external currents and 2) "nonresonant torques" for which the global plasma response to nonaxisymmetric fields is phase shifted by kinetic effects that drive the rotation towards a neoclassical offset. This work describes the diagnostics and analysis necessary to evaluate the torque by measuring the rate of momentum transfer per unit area in the vacuum region between the plasma and external currents using localized magnetic sensors to measure the Maxwell stress. These measurements provide model independent quantification of both the resonant and nonresonant electromagnetic torques, enabling direct verification of theoretical models. Measured values of the nonresonant torque are shown to agree well with the perturbed equilibrium nonambipolar transport (PENT) code calculation of torque from cross field transport in nonaxisymmetric equilibria. A combined neoclassical toroidal viscosity (NTV) theory, valid across a wide range of kinetic regimes, is fully implemented for the first time in general aspect ratio and shaped plasmas. The code captures pitch angle resonances, reproducing previously inaccessible collisionality limits in the model. The complete treatment of the model enables benchmarking to the hybrid kinetic MHD stability codes MARS-K and MISK, confirming the energy-torque equivalency principle in perturbed equilibria. Experimental validations of PENT results confirm the torque applied by nonaxisymmetric

The generalized accessibility and spectral gap of lower hybrid waves in tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takahashi, Hironori

1994-03-01

The generalized accessibility of lower hybrid waves, primarily in the current drive regime of tokamak plasmas, which may include shifting, either upward or downward, of the parallel refractive index (n{sub {parallel}}), is investigated, based upon a cold plasma dispersion relation and various geometrical constraint (G.C.) relations imposed on the behavior of n{sub {parallel}}. It is shown that n{sub {parallel}} upshifting can be bounded and insufficient to bridge a large spectral gap to cause wave damping, depending upon whether the G.C. relation allows the oblique resonance to occur. The traditional n{sub {parallel}} upshifting mechanism caused by the pitch angle of magneticmore » field lines is shown to lead to contradictions with experimental observations. An upshifting mechanism brought about by the density gradient along field lines is proposed, which is not inconsistent with experimental observations, and provides plausible explanations to some unresolved issues of lower hybrid wave theory, including generation of {open_quote}seed electrons.{close_quote}« less

Multi-frequency ICRF diagnostic of Tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lafonteese, David James

This thesis explores the diagnostic possibilities of a fast wave-based method for measuring the ion density and temperature profiles of tokamak plasmas. In these studies fast waves are coupled to the plasma at frequencies at the second harmonic of the ion gyrofrequency, at which wave energy is absorbed by the finite-temperature ions. As the ion gyrofrequency is dependent upon the local magnetic field, which varies as l/R in a tokamak, this power absorption is radially localized. The simultaneous launching of multiple frequencies, all resonating at different plasma positions, allows local measurements of the ion density and temperature. To investigate the profile applications of wave damping measurements in a simulated tokamak, an inhouse slab-model ICRF code is developed. A variety of analysis methods are presented, and ion density and temperature profiles are reconstructed for hydrogen plasmas for the Electric Tokamak (ET) and ITER parameter spaces. These methods achieve promising results in simulated plasmas featuring bulk ion heating, off-axis RF heating, and density ramps. The experimental results of similar studies on the Electric Tokamak, a high aspect ratio (R/a = 5), low toroidal field (2.2 kG) device are then presented. In these studies, six fast wave frequencies were coupled using a single-strap, low-field-side antenna to ET plasmas. The frequencies were variable, and could be tuned to resonate at different radii for different experiments. Four magnetic pickup loops were used to measure of the toroidal component of the wave magnetic field. The expected greater eigenmode damping of center-resonant frequencies versus edge-resonant frequencies is consistently observed. Comparison of measured aspects of fast wave behavior in ET is made with the slab code predictions, which validate the code simulations under weakly-damped conditions. A density profile is measured for an ET discharge through analysis of the fast wave measurements, and is compared to an

Advanced divertor configurations with large flux expansion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soukhanovskii, V. A.; Bell, R. E.; Diallo, A.; Gerhardt, S.; Kaye, S.; Kolemen, E.; LeBlanc, B. P.; McLean, A.; Menard, J. E.; Paul, S. F.; Podesta, M.; Raman, R.; Ryutov, D. D.; Scotti, F.; Kaita, R.; Maingi, R.; Mueller, D. M.; Roquemore, A. L.; Reimerdes, H.; Canal, G. P.; Labit, B.; Vijvers, W.; Coda, S.; Duval, B. P.; Morgan, T.; Zielinski, J.; De Temmerman, G.; Tal, B.

2013-07-01

Experimental studies of the novel snowflake divertor concept (D. Ryutov, Phys. Plasmas 14 (2007) 064502) performed in the NSTX and TCV tokamaks are reviewed in this paper. The snowflake divertor enables power sharing between divertor strike points, as well as the divertor plasma-wetted area, effective connection length and divertor volumetric power loss to increase beyond those in the standard divertor, potentially reducing heat flux and plasma temperature at the target. It also enables higher magnetic shear inside the separatrix, potentially affecting pedestal MHD stability. Experimental results from NSTX and TCV confirm the predicted properties of the snowflake divertor. In the NSTX, a large spherical tokamak with a compact divertor and lithium-coated graphite plasma-facing components (PFCs), the snowflake divertor operation led to reduced core and pedestal impurity concentration, as well as re-appearance of Type I ELMs that were suppressed in standard divertor H-mode discharges. In the divertor, an otherwise inaccessible partial detachment of the outer strike point with an up to 50% increase in divertor radiation and a peak divertor heat flux reduction from 3-7 MW/m2 to 0.5-1 MW/m2 was achieved. Impulsive heat fluxes due to Type-I ELMs were significantly dissipated in the high magnetic flux expansion region. In the TCV, a medium-size tokamak with graphite PFCs, several advantageous snowflake divertor features (cf. the standard divertor) have been demonstrated: an unchanged L-H power threshold, enhanced stability of the peeling-ballooning modes in the pedestal region (and generally an extended second stability region), as well as an H-mode pedestal regime with reduced (×2-3) Type I ELM frequency and slightly increased (20-30%) normalized ELM energy, resulting in a favorable average energy loss comparison to the standard divertor. In the divertor, ELM power partitioning between snowflake divertor strike points was demonstrated. The NSTX and TCV experiments are

Protection of tokamak plasma facing components by a capillary porous system with lithium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyublinski, I.; Vertkov, A.; Mirnov, S.; Lazarev, V.

2015-08-01

Development of plasma facing material (PFM) based on the Capillary-Porous System (CPS) with lithium and activity on realization of lithium application strategy are addressed to meet the challenges under the creation of steady-state tokamak fusion reactor and fusion neutron source. Presented overview of experimental study of lithium CPS in plasma devices demonstrates the progress in protection of tokamak plasma facing components (PFC) from damage, stabilization and self-renewal of liquid lithium surface, elimination of plasma pollution and lithium accumulation in tokamak chamber. The possibility of PFC protection from the high power load related to cooling of the tokamak boundary plasma by radiation of non-fully stripped lithium ions supported by experimental results. This approach demonstrated in scheme of closed loops of Li circulation in the tokamak vacuum chamber and realized in a series of design of tokamak in-vessel elements.

What sets the minimum tokamak scrape-off layer width?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joseph, Ilon

2016-10-01

The heat flux width of the tokamak scrape-off layer is on the order of the poloidal ion gyroradius, but the ``heuristic drift'' physics model is still not completely understood. In the absence of anomalous transport, neoclassical transport sets the minimum width. For plateau collisionality, the ion temperature width is set by qρi , while the electron temperature width scales as the geometric mean q(ρeρi) 1 / 2 and is close to qρi in magnitude. The width is enhanced because electrons are confined by the sheath potential and have a much longer time to radially diffuse before escaping to the wall. In the Pfirsch-Schluter regime, collisional diffusion increases the width by the factor (qR / λ) 1 / 2 where qR is the connection length and λ is the mean free path. This qualitatively agrees with the observed transition in the scaling law for detached plasmas. The radial width of the SOL electric field is determined by Spitzer parallel and ``neoclassical'' radial electric conductivity and has a similar scaling to that for thermal transport. Prepared under US DOE contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Dust-Particle Transport in Tokamak Edge Plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pigarov, A Y; Krasheninnikov, S I; Soboleva, T K

2005-09-12

Dust particulates in the size range of 10nm-100{micro}m are found in all fusion devices. Such dust can be generated during tokamak operation due to strong plasma/material-surface interactions. Some recent experiments and theoretical estimates indicate that dust particles can provide an important source of impurities in the tokamak plasma. Moreover, dust can be a serious threat to the safety of next-step fusion devices. In this paper, recent experimental observations on dust in fusion devices are reviewed. A physical model for dust transport simulation, and a newly developed code DUSTT, are discussed. The DUSTT code incorporates both dust dynamics due to comprehensivemore » dust-plasma interactions as well as the effects of dust heating, charging, and evaporation. The code tracks test dust particles in realistic plasma backgrounds as provided by edge-plasma transport codes. Results are presented for dust transport in current and next-step tokamaks. The effect of dust on divertor plasma profiles and core plasma contamination is examined.« less

Probing spherical tokamak plasmas using charged fusion products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boeglin, Werner U.; Perez, Ramona V.; Darrow, Douglass S.; Cecconello, Marco; Klimek, Iwona; Allan, Scott Y.; Akers, Rob J.; Jones, Owen M.; Keeling, David L.; McClements, Ken G.; Scannell, Rory

2015-11-01

The detection of charged fusion products, such as protons and tritons resulting from D(d,p)t reactions, can be used to determine the fusion reaction rate profile in large spherical tokamak plasmas with neutral beam heating. The time resolution of a diagnostic of this type makes it possible to study the slowly-varying beam density profile, as well as rapid changes resulting from MHD instabilities. A 4-channel prototype proton detector (PD) was installed and operated on the MAST spherical tokamak in August/September 2013, and a new 6-channel system for the NSTX-U spherical tokamak is under construction. PD and neutron camera measurements obtained on MAST will be compared with TRANSP calculations, and the design of the new NSTX-U system will be presented, together with the first results from this diagnostic, if available. Supported in part by DOE DE-SC0001157.

Sub-Alfvénic reduced magnetohydrodynamic equations for tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sengupta, W.; Hassam, A. B.; Antonsen, T. M.

2017-06-01

A reduced set of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations is derived, applicable to large aspect ratio tokamaks and relevant for dynamics that is sub-Alfvénic with respect to ideal ballooning modes. This ordering optimally allows sound waves, Mercier modes, drift modes, geodesic-acoustic modes (GAM), zonal flows and shear Alfvén waves. Wavelengths long compared to the gyroradius but comparable to the minor radius of a typical tokamak are considered. With the inclusion of resistivity, tearing modes, resistive ballooning modes, Pfirsch-Schluter cells and the Stringer spin-up are also included. A major advantage is that the resulting system is two-dimensional in space, and the system incorporates self-consistent and dynamic Shafranov shifts. A limitation is that the system is valid only in radial domains where the tokamak safety factor, , is close to rational. In the tokamak core, the system is well suited to study the sawtooth discharge in the presence of Mercier modes. The systematic ordering scheme and methodology developed are versatile enough to reduce the more general collisional two-fluid equations or possibly the Vlasov-Maxwell system in the MHD ordering.

First neutral beam injection experiments on KSTAR tokamak.

PubMed

Jeong, S H; Chang, D H; Kim, T S; In, S R; Lee, K W; Jin, J T; Chang, D S; Oh, B H; Bae, Y S; Kim, J S; Park, H T; Watanabe, K; Inoue, T; Kashiwagi, M; Dairaku, M; Tobari, H; Hanada, M

2012-02-01

The first neutral beam (NB) injection system of the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) tokamak was partially completed in 2010 with only 1∕3 of its full design capability, and NB heating experiments were carried out during the 2010 KSTAR operation campaign. The ion source is composed of a JAEA bucket plasma generator and a KAERI large multi-aperture accelerator assembly, which is designed to deliver a 1.5 MW, NB power of deuterium at 95 keV. Before the beam injection experiments, discharge, and beam extraction characteristics of the ion source were investigated. The ion source has good beam optics in a broad range of beam perveance. The optimum perveance is 1.1-1.3 μP, and the minimum beam divergence angle measured by the Doppler shift spectroscopy is 0.8°. The ion species ratio is D(+):D(2)(+):D(3)(+) = 75:20:5 at beam current density of 85 mA/cm(2). The arc efficiency is more than 1.0 A∕kW. In the 2010 KSTAR campaign, a deuterium NB power of 0.7-1.5 MW was successfully injected into the KSTAR plasma with a beam energy of 70-90 keV. L-H transitions were observed within a wide range of beam powers relative to a threshold value. The edge pedestal formation in the T(i) and T(e) profiles was verified through CES and electron cyclotron emission diagnostics. In every deuterium NB injection, a burst of D-D neutrons was recorded, and increases in the ion temperature and plasma stored energy were found.

Alfvén oscillations in ohmic discharges with runaway electrons in the TUMAN-3M tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tukachinsky, A. S.; Askinazi, L. G.; Balachenkov, I. M.; Belokurov, A. A.; Gin, D. B.; Zhubr, N. A.; Kornev, V. A.; Lebedev, S. V.; Khil'kevich, E. M.; Chugunov, I. N.; Shevelev, A. E.

2016-12-01

Studying the mechanism of Alfvén wave generation in plasma is important, since the interaction of these waves with energetic particles in tokamak-type reactors can increase the losses of energy and particles with the corresponding decrease in the efficiency of plasma heating and, under certain conditions, lead to the damage of structural elements of the system. Despite the previous detailed investigations of the excitation of Alfvén waves by superthermal particles in regimes with additional heating, the physics of Alfvén mode generation in discharges with ohmic heating of plasma is still not sufficiently studied. We have established that a significant factor inf luencing the development of Alfvén oscillations in ohmic discharge is the presence of runaway electrons. A physical mechanism explaining this relationship is proposed.

Global two-fluid turbulence simulations of L-H transitions and edge localized mode dynamics in the COMPASS-D tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thyagaraja, A.; Valovič, M.; Knight, P. J.

2010-04-01

It is shown that the transition from L-mode to H-mode regimes in tokamaks can be reproduced using a two-fluid, fully electromagnetic, plasma model when a suitable particle sink is added at the edge. Such a model is implemented in the CUTIE code [A. Thyagaraja et al., Eur. J. Mech. B/Fluids 23, 475 (2004)] and is illustrated on plasma parameters that mimic those in the COMPASS-D tokamak with electron cyclotron resonance heating [Fielding et al., Plasma Phys. Contr. Fusion 42, A191 (2000)]. In particular, it is shown that holding the heating power, current, and magnetic field constant and increasing the fuelling rate to raise the plasma density leads spontaneously to the formation of an edge transport barrier (ETB) which occurs going from low to higher density experimentally. In the following quiescent period in which the stored energy of the plasma rises linearly with time, a dynamical transition occurs in the simulation with the appearance of features resembling strong edge localized modes. The simulation qualitatively reproduces many features observed in the experiment. Its relative robustness suggests that some, at least of the observed characteristics of ETBs and L-H transitions, can be captured in the global electromagnetic turbulence model.

Analysis of plasma particle and energy fluxes to material surfaces from tokamak edge turbulence simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umansky, M. V.; Cohen, B. I.; Rognlien, T. D.; Boedo, J. A.; Rudakov, D. L.

2012-10-01

Recent BOUT simulations of edge plasma turbulence in L-mode regime in the boundary region of DIII-D tokamak have demonstrated reasonable match with key edge diagnostics [1]. Order-of-magnitude level agreement has been found in the characteristic amplitude, wavenumber, and frequency of turbulent fluctuations, as compared with experimental data from reciprocating edge Langmuir probe and Beam Emission Spectroscopy systems. Owing to this encouraging agreement, output data from these simulations are analyzed to get insights on physical mechanisms and properties of plasma particle and energy fluxes to material surfaces. Of particular interest is plasma turbulence propagating into, or generated in, the far scrape-off layer region where plasma interacts with material walls. Results of statistical analyses of simulated turbulence plasma transport will be presented and physical implications will be discussed. [4pt] [1] B.I. Cohen et al., APS-DPP 2012

Bootstrap Current for the Edge Pedestal Plasma in a Diverted Tokamak Geometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koh, S.; Chang, C. S.; Ku, S.

The edge bootstrap current plays a critical role in the equilibrium and stability of the steep edge pedestal plasma. The pedestal plasma has an unconventional and difficult neoclassical property, as compared with the core plasma. It has a narrow passing particle region in velocity space that can be easily modified or destroyed by Coulomb collisions. At the same time, the edge pedestal plasma has steep pressure and electrostatic potential gradients whose scale-lengths are comparable with the ion banana width, and includes a magnetic separatrix surface, across which the topological properties of the magnetic field and particle orbits change abruptly. Amore » driftkinetic particle code XGC0, equipped with a mass-momentum-energy conserving collision operator, is used to study the edge bootstrap current in a realistic diverted magnetic field geometry with a self-consistent radial electric field. When the edge electrons are in the weakly collisional banana regime, surprisingly, the present kinetic simulation confirms that the existing analytic expressions [represented by O. Sauter et al. , Phys. Plasmas 6 , 2834 (1999)] are still valid in this unconventional region, except in a thin radial layer in contact with the magnetic separatrix. The agreement arises from the dominance of the electron contribution to the bootstrap current compared with ion contribution and from a reasonable separation of the trapped-passing dynamics without a strong collisional mixing. However, when the pedestal electrons are in plateau-collisional regime, there is significant deviation of numerical results from the existing analytic formulas, mainly due to large effective collisionality of the passing and the boundary layer trapped particles in edge region. In a conventional aspect ratio tokamak, the edge bootstrap current from kinetic simulation can be significantly less than that from the Sauter formula if the electron collisionality is high. On the other hand, when the aspect ratio is close

Bootstrap current for the edge pedestal plasma in a diverted tokamak geometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koh, S.; Choe, W.; Chang, C. S.

The edge bootstrap current plays a critical role in the equilibrium and stability of the steep edge pedestal plasma. The pedestal plasma has an unconventional and difficult neoclassical property, as compared with the core plasma. It has a narrow passing particle region in velocity space that can be easily modified or destroyed by Coulomb collisions. At the same time, the edge pedestal plasma has steep pressure and electrostatic potential gradients whose scale-lengths are comparable with the ion banana width, and includes a magnetic separatrix surface, across which the topological properties of the magnetic field and particle orbits change abruptly. Amore » drift-kinetic particle code XGC0, equipped with a mass-momentum-energy conserving collision operator, is used to study the edge bootstrap current in a realistic diverted magnetic field geometry with a self-consistent radial electric field. When the edge electrons are in the weakly collisional banana regime, surprisingly, the present kinetic simulation confirms that the existing analytic expressions [represented by O. Sauter et al., Phys. Plasmas 6, 2834 (1999)] are still valid in this unconventional region, except in a thin radial layer in contact with the magnetic separatrix. The agreement arises from the dominance of the electron contribution to the bootstrap current compared with ion contribution and from a reasonable separation of the trapped-passing dynamics without a strong collisional mixing. However, when the pedestal electrons are in plateau-collisional regime, there is significant deviation of numerical results from the existing analytic formulas, mainly due to large effective collisionality of the passing and the boundary layer trapped particles in edge region. In a conventional aspect ratio tokamak, the edge bootstrap current from kinetic simulation can be significantly less than that from the Sauter formula if the electron collisionality is high. On the other hand, when the aspect ratio is close to

Upgrade of Langmuir probe diagnostic in ITER-like tungsten mono-block divertor on experimental advanced superconducting tokamak.

PubMed

Xu, J C; Wang, L; Xu, G S; Luo, G N; Yao, D M; Li, Q; Cao, L; Chen, L; Zhang, W; Liu, S C; Wang, H Q; Jia, M N; Feng, W; Deng, G Z; Hu, L Q; Wan, B N; Li, J; Sun, Y W; Guo, H Y

2016-08-01

In order to withstand rapid increase in particle and power impact onto the divertor and demonstrate the feasibility of the ITER design under long pulse operation, the upper divertor of the EAST tokamak has been upgraded to actively water-cooled, ITER-like tungsten mono-block structure since the 2014 campaign, which is the first attempt for ITER on the tokamak devices. Therefore, a new divertor Langmuir probe diagnostic system (DivLP) was designed and successfully upgraded on the tungsten divertor to obtain the plasma parameters in the divertor region such as electron temperature, electron density, particle and heat fluxes. More specifically, two identical triple probe arrays have been installed at two ports of different toroidal positions (112.5-deg separated toroidally), which can provide fundamental data to study the toroidal asymmetry of divertor power deposition and related 3-dimension (3D) physics, as induced by resonant magnetic perturbations, lower hybrid wave, and so on. The shape of graphite tip and fixed structure of the probe are designed according to the structure of the upper tungsten divertor. The ceramic support, small graphite tip, and proper connector installed make it possible to be successfully installed in the very narrow interval between the cassette body and tungsten mono-block, i.e., 13.5 mm. It was demonstrated during the 2014 and 2015 commissioning campaigns that the newly upgraded divertor Langmuir probe diagnostic system is successful. Representative experimental data are given and discussed for the DivLP measurements, then proving its availability and reliability.

Upgrade of Langmuir probe diagnostic in ITER-like tungsten mono-block divertor on experimental advanced superconducting tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, J. C.; Jia, M. N.; Feng, W.

2016-08-15

In order to withstand rapid increase in particle and power impact onto the divertor and demonstrate the feasibility of the ITER design under long pulse operation, the upper divertor of the EAST tokamak has been upgraded to actively water-cooled, ITER-like tungsten mono-block structure since the 2014 campaign, which is the first attempt for ITER on the tokamak devices. Therefore, a new divertor Langmuir probe diagnostic system (DivLP) was designed and successfully upgraded on the tungsten divertor to obtain the plasma parameters in the divertor region such as electron temperature, electron density, particle and heat fluxes. More specifically, two identical triplemore » probe arrays have been installed at two ports of different toroidal positions (112.5-deg separated toroidally), which can provide fundamental data to study the toroidal asymmetry of divertor power deposition and related 3-dimension (3D) physics, as induced by resonant magnetic perturbations, lower hybrid wave, and so on. The shape of graphite tip and fixed structure of the probe are designed according to the structure of the upper tungsten divertor. The ceramic support, small graphite tip, and proper connector installed make it possible to be successfully installed in the very narrow interval between the cassette body and tungsten mono-block, i.e., 13.5 mm. It was demonstrated during the 2014 and 2015 commissioning campaigns that the newly upgraded divertor Langmuir probe diagnostic system is successful. Representative experimental data are given and discussed for the DivLP measurements, then proving its availability and reliability.« less

Source-to-incident-flux relation in a Tokamak blanket module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imel, G. R.

The next-generation Tokamak experiments, including the Tokamak fusion test reactor (TFTR), will utilize small blanket modules to measure performance parameters such as tritium breeding profiles, power deposition profiles, and neutron flux profiles. Specifically, a neutron calorimeter (simply a neutron moderating blanket module) which permits inferring the incident 14 MeV flux based on measured temperature profiles was proposed for TFTR. The problem of how to relate this total scalar flux to the fusion neutron source is addressed. This relation is necessary since the calorimeter is proposed as a total fusion energy monitor. The methods and assumptions presented was valid for the TFTR Lithium Breeding Module (LBM), as well as other modules on larger Tokamak reactors.

Plasma production and preliminary results from the ADITYA Upgrade tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

R, L. TANNA; J, GHOSH; Harshita, RAJ; Rohit, KUMAR; Suman, AICH; Vaibhav, RANJAN; K, A. JADEJA; K, M. PATEL; S, B. BHATT; K, SATHYANARAYANA; P, K. CHATTOPADHYAY; M, N. MAKWANA; K, S. SHAH; C, N. GUPTA; V, K. PANCHAL; Praveenlal, EDAPPALA; Bharat, ARAMBHADIYA; Minsha, SHAH; Vismay, RAULJI; M, B. CHOWDHURI; S, BANERJEE; R, MANCHANDA; D, RAJU; P, K. ATREY; Umesh, NAGORA; J, RAVAL; Y, S. JOISA; K, TAHILIANI; S, K. JHA; M, V. GOPALKRISHANA

2018-07-01

The Ohmically heated circular limiter tokamak ADITYA (R 0 = 75 cm, a = 25 cm) has been upgraded to a tokamak named the ADITYA Upgrade (ADITYA-U) with an open divertor configuration with divertor plates. The main goal of ADITYA-U is to carry out dedicated experiments relevant for bigger fusion machines including ITER, such as the generation and control of runaway electrons, disruption prediction, and mitigation studies, along with an improvement in confinement with shaped plasma. The ADITYA tokamak was dismantled and the assembly of ADITYA-U was completed in March 2016. Integration of subsystems like data acquisition and remote operation along with plasma production and preliminary plasma characterization of ADITYA-U plasmas are presented in this paper.

Optimal control of a coupled partial and ordinary differential equations system for the assimilation of polarimetry Stokes vector measurements in tokamak free-boundary equilibrium reconstruction with application to ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faugeras, Blaise; Blum, Jacques; Heumann, Holger; Boulbe, Cédric

2017-08-01

The modelization of polarimetry Faraday rotation measurements commonly used in tokamak plasma equilibrium reconstruction codes is an approximation to the Stokes model. This approximation is not valid for the foreseen ITER scenarios where high current and electron density plasma regimes are expected. In this work a method enabling the consistent resolution of the inverse equilibrium reconstruction problem in the framework of non-linear free-boundary equilibrium coupled to the Stokes model equation for polarimetry is provided. Using optimal control theory we derive the optimality system for this inverse problem. A sequential quadratic programming (SQP) method is proposed for its numerical resolution. Numerical experiments with noisy synthetic measurements in the ITER tokamak configuration for two test cases, the second of which is an H-mode plasma, show that the method is efficient and that the accuracy of the identification of the unknown profile functions is improved compared to the use of classical Faraday measurements.

The Dynamic Mutation Characteristics of Thermonuclear Reaction in Tokamak

PubMed Central

Li, Jing; Quan, Tingting; Zhang, Wei; Deng, Wei

2014-01-01

The stability and bifurcations of multiple limit cycles for the physical model of thermonuclear reaction in Tokamak are investigated in this paper. The one-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau type perturbed diffusion equations for the density of the plasma and the radial electric field near the plasma edge in Tokamak are established. First, the equations are transformed to the average equations with the method of multiple scales and the average equations turn to be a Z 2-symmetric perturbed polynomial Hamiltonian system of degree 5. Then, with the bifurcations theory and method of detection function, the qualitative behavior of the unperturbed system and the number of the limit cycles of the perturbed system for certain groups of parameter are analyzed. At last, the stability of the limit cycles is studied and the physical meaning of Tokamak equations under these parameter groups is given. PMID:24892099

Solenoid-free plasma start-up in spherical tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raman, R.; Shevchenko, V. F.

2014-10-01

The central solenoid is an intrinsic part of all present-day tokamaks and most spherical tokamaks. The spherical torus (ST) confinement concept is projected to operate at high toroidal beta and at a high fraction of the non-inductive bootstrap current as required for an efficient reactor system. The use of a conventional solenoid in a ST-based fusion nuclear facility is generally believed to not be a possibility. Solenoid-free plasma start-up is therefore an area of extensive worldwide research activity. Solenoid-free plasma start-up is also relevant to steady-state tokamak operation, as the central transformer coil of a conventional aspect ratio tokamak reactor would be located in a high radiation environment but would be needed only during the initial discharge initiation and current ramp-up phases. Solenoid-free operation also provides greater flexibility in the selection of the aspect ratio and simplifies the reactor design. Plasma start-up methods based on induction from external poloidal field coils, helicity injection and radio frequency current drive have all made substantial progress towards meeting this important need for the ST. Some of these systems will now undergo the final stages of test in a new generation of large STs, which are scheduled to begin operations during the next two years. This paper reviews research to date on methods for inducing the initial start-up current in STs without reliance on the conventional central solenoid.

OMFIT Tokamak Profile Data Fitting and Physics Analysis

DOE PAGES

Logan, N. C.; Grierson, B. A.; Haskey, S. R.; ...

2018-01-22

Here, One Modeling Framework for Integrated Tasks (OMFIT) has been used to develop a consistent tool for interfacing with, mapping, visualizing, and fitting tokamak profile measurements. OMFIT is used to integrate the many diverse diagnostics on multiple tokamak devices into a regular data structure, consistently applying spatial and temporal treatments to each channel of data. Tokamak data are fundamentally time dependent and are treated so from the start, with front-loaded and logic-based manipulations such as filtering based on the identification of edge-localized modes (ELMs) that commonly scatter data. Fitting is general in its approach, and tailorable in its application inmore » order to address physics constraints and handle the multiple spatial and temporal scales involved. Although community standard one-dimensional fitting is supported, including scale length–fitting and fitting polynomial-exponential blends to capture the H-mode pedestal, OMFITprofiles includes two-dimensional (2-D) fitting using bivariate splines or radial basis functions. These 2-D fits produce regular evolutions in time, removing jitter that has historically been smoothed ad hoc in transport applications. Profiles interface directly with a wide variety of models within the OMFIT framework, providing the inputs for TRANSP, kinetic-EFIT 2-D equilibrium, and GPEC three-dimensional equilibrium calculations. he OMFITprofiles tool’s rapid and comprehensive analysis of dynamic plasma profiles thus provides the critical link between raw tokamak data and simulations necessary for physics understanding.« less

OMFIT Tokamak Profile Data Fitting and Physics Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Logan, N. C.; Grierson, B. A.; Haskey, S. R.

Here, One Modeling Framework for Integrated Tasks (OMFIT) has been used to develop a consistent tool for interfacing with, mapping, visualizing, and fitting tokamak profile measurements. OMFIT is used to integrate the many diverse diagnostics on multiple tokamak devices into a regular data structure, consistently applying spatial and temporal treatments to each channel of data. Tokamak data are fundamentally time dependent and are treated so from the start, with front-loaded and logic-based manipulations such as filtering based on the identification of edge-localized modes (ELMs) that commonly scatter data. Fitting is general in its approach, and tailorable in its application inmore » order to address physics constraints and handle the multiple spatial and temporal scales involved. Although community standard one-dimensional fitting is supported, including scale length–fitting and fitting polynomial-exponential blends to capture the H-mode pedestal, OMFITprofiles includes two-dimensional (2-D) fitting using bivariate splines or radial basis functions. These 2-D fits produce regular evolutions in time, removing jitter that has historically been smoothed ad hoc in transport applications. Profiles interface directly with a wide variety of models within the OMFIT framework, providing the inputs for TRANSP, kinetic-EFIT 2-D equilibrium, and GPEC three-dimensional equilibrium calculations. he OMFITprofiles tool’s rapid and comprehensive analysis of dynamic plasma profiles thus provides the critical link between raw tokamak data and simulations necessary for physics understanding.« less

Geodesic acoustic modes in noncircular cross section tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sorokina, E. A., E-mail: sorokina.ekaterina@gmail.com; Lakhin, V. P.; Konovaltseva, L. V.

2017-03-15

The influence of the shape of the plasma cross section on the continuous spectrum of geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) in a tokamak is analyzed in the framework of the MHD model. An expression for the frequency of a local GAM for a model noncircular cross section plasma equilibrium is derived. Amendments to the oscillation frequency due to the plasma elongation and triangularity and finite tokamak aspect ratio are calculated. It is shown that the main factor affecting the GAM spectrum is the plasma elongation, resulting in a significant decrease in the mode frequency.

Impact of physics and technology innovations on compact tokamak fusion pilot plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menard, Jonathan

2016-10-01

For magnetic fusion to be economically attractive and have near-term impact on the world energy scene it is important to focus on key physics and technology innovations that could enable net electricity production at reduced size and cost. The tokamak is presently closest to achieving the fusion conditions necessary for net electricity at acceptable device size, although sustaining high-performance scenarios free of disruptions remains a significant challenge for the tokamak approach. Previous pilot plant studies have shown that electricity gain is proportional to the product of the fusion gain, blanket thermal conversion efficiency, and auxiliary heating wall-plug efficiency. In this work, the impact of several innovations is assessed with respect to maximizing fusion gain. At fixed bootstrap current fraction, fusion gain varies approximately as the square of the confinement multiplier, normalized beta, and major radius, and varies as the toroidal field and elongation both to the third power. For example, REBCO high-temperature superconductors (HTS) offer the potential to operate at much higher toroidal field than present fusion magnets, but HTS cables are also beginning to access winding pack current densities up to an order of magnitude higher than present technology, and smaller HTS TF magnet sizes make low-aspect-ratio HTS tokamaks potentially attractive by leveraging naturally higher normalized beta and elongation. Further, advances in kinetic stabilization and feedback control of resistive wall modes could also enable significant increases in normalized beta and fusion gain. Significant reductions in pilot plant size will also likely require increased plasma energy confinement, and control of turbulence and/or low edge recycling (for example using lithium walls) would have major impact on fusion gain. Reduced device size could also exacerbate divertor heat loads, and the impact of novel divertor solutions on pilot plant configurations is addressed. For

A Prospective Comparative Study of the Toxicity Profile of 5-Flurouracil, Adriamycin, Cyclophosphamide Regime VS Adriamycin, Paclitaxel Regime in Patients with Locally Advanced Breast Carcinoma

PubMed Central

Pillai, Pradeep Sadasivan; Jayakumar, Krishnan Nair Lalithamma

2015-01-01

Introduction A 5-flurouracil, Adriamycin, Cyclophosphamide (FAC) and Adriamycin, Paclitaxel (AT) are two popular chemotherapeutic regimens for treatment of breast carcinoma. The most time tested and popular regimen is FAC. It is extensively studied for efficacy and toxicity. But data regarding toxicity profile and efficacy of AT regimen is sparse. Aim To study the toxicity profile, severity of toxicities and clinical response rate of FAC and AT regimens in patients with locally advanced breast carcinoma. Materials and Methods A prospective observational study with 50 patients in each treatment arm. Study duration was 12 months from November 2012 to October 2013. Consecutive patients with locally advanced breast carcinoma receiving treatment with either FAC or AT regimen, satisfying inclusion criteria were enrolled into the study after getting informed written consent. Prior to initiation of treatment detailed medical history was taken from all patients. General clinical examination, examination of organ systems and local examination of breast lump were done. After each cycle of chemotherapy and after completion of treatment patients were interviewed and examined for clinical response and toxicities. Toxicities were graded with WHO toxicity grading criteria. All data were entered in a structured proforma. At least 50% reduction in tumour size was taken as adequate clinical response. Statistical Analysis Data was analysed using Chi-square test with help of Excel 2007 and SPSS-16 statistical software. Results Different pattern of toxicities were seen with FAC and AT regimens. Anaemia, thrombocytopenia, stomatitis, hyperpigmentation, photosensitivity and diarrhoea were more common with patients receiving FAC regimen. Leucopenia, peripheral neuropathy, myalgia, arthralgia, vomiting and injection site reactions were more common in AT regimen. Both FAC and AT regimens gave 100% clinical response. Conclusion FAC and AT regimens are equally efficacious but have different

Kinetic simulations of scrape-off layer physics in the DIII-D tokamak

DOE PAGES

Churchill, Randy M.; Canik, John M.; Chang, C. S.; ...

2016-12-27

Simulations using the fully kinetic code XGCa were undertaken to explore the impact of kinetic effects on scrape-off layer (SOL) physics in DIII-D H-mode plasmas. XGCa is a total- f, gyrokinetic code which self-consistently calculates the axisymmetric electrostatic potential and plasma dynamics, and includes modules for Monte Carlo neutral transport. Fluid simulations are normally used to simulate the SOL, due to its high collisionality. However, depending on plasma conditions, a number of discrepancies have been observed between experiment and leading SOL fluid codes (e.g. SOLPS), including underestimating outer target temperatures, radial electric field in the SOL, parallel ion SOL flowsmore » at the low field side, and impurity radiation. Many of these discrepancies may be linked to the fluid treatment, and might be resolved by including kinetic effects in SOL simulations. The XGCa simulation of the DIII-D tokamak in a nominally sheath-limited regime show many noteworthy features in the SOL. The density and ion temperature are higher at the low-field side, indicative of ion orbit loss. The SOL ion Mach flows are at experimentally relevant levels ( Mi ~0.5), with similar shapes and poloidal variation as observed in various tokamaks. Surprisingly, the ion Mach flows close to the sheath edge remain subsonic, in contrast to the typical fluid Bohm criterion requiring ion flows to be above sonic at the sheath edge. Related to this are the presence of elevated sheath potentials, eΔΦ/T e ~ 3–4, over most of the SOL, with regions in the near-SOL close to the separatrix having eΔΦ/Te > 4. Finally, these two results at the sheath edge are a consequence of non-Maxwellian features in the ions and electrons there.« less

Confinement improvement in the high poloidal beta regime on DIII-D and application to steady-state H-mode on EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, S.; Garofalo, A. M.; Qian, J.; Cui, L.; McClenaghan, J. T.; Pan, C.; Chen, J.; Zhai, X.; McKee, G.; Ren, Q.; Gong, X.; Holcomb, C. T.; Guo, W.; Lao, L.; Ferron, J.; Hyatt, A.; Staebler, G.; Solomon, W.; Du, H.; Zang, Q.; Huang, J.; Wan, B.

2017-05-01

Systematic experimental and modeling investigations on DIII-D show attractive transport properties of fully non-inductive high βp plasmas. Experiments on DIII-D show that the large-radius internal transport barrier (ITB), a key feature providing excellent confinement in the high βp regime, is maintained when the scenario is extended from q95 ˜ 12 to 7 and from rapid to near-zero toroidal rotation. The robustness of confinement versus rotation was predicted by gyrofluid modeling showing dominant neoclassical ion energy transport even without the E × B shear effect. The physics mechanism of turbulence suppression, we found, is the Shafranov shift, which is essential and sets a βp threshold for large-radius ITB formation in the high βp scenario on DIII-D. This is confirmed by two different parameter-scan experiments, one for a βN scan and the other for a q95 scan. They both give the same βp threshold at 1.9 in the experiment. The experimental trend of increasing thermal transport with decreasing βp is consistent with transport modeling. The progress toward the high βp scenario on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) is reported. The very first step of extending the high βp scenario on DIII-D to long pulse on EAST is to establish a long pulse H-mode with ITB on EAST. This paper shows the first 61 s fully non-inductive H-mode with stationary ITB feature and actively cooled ITER-like tungsten divertor in the very recent EAST experiment. The successful use of lower hybrid wave as a key tool to optimize the current profile in the EAST experiment is also introduced. Results show that as the electron density is increased, the fully non-inductive current profile broadens on EAST. The improved understanding and modeling capability are also used to develop advanced scenarios for the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor. Overall, these results provide encouragement that the high βp regime can be extended to a lower safety factor and very low rotation

ECRH Studies on Tokamak Plasmas.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-10-10

r.I*cru.Dtrtibution uUnliited 300 Unicorn Pork Drive Woburn, Massachusetts 04801 ECRH STUDIES ON TOKAMAK PLASMAS JAYCOR Project No. 6183 Final Report...up techniques now in use or being suggested, include growing the plasma from a small minor radius or applying a negative voltage spike immediately

Combined magnetic and kinetic control of advanced tokamak steady state scenarios based on semi-empirical modelling

DOE PAGES

Moreau, Didier; Artaud, J. F.; Ferron, John R.; ...

2015-05-01

This paper shows that semi-empirical data-driven models based on a twotime- scale approximation for the magnetic and kinetic control of advanced tokamak (AT) scenarios can be advantageously identified from simulated rather than real data, and used for control design. The method is applied to the combined control of the safety factor profile, q(x), and normalized pressure parameter, β N, using DIII-D parameters and actuators (on-axis co-current neutral beam injection (NBI) power, off axis co-current NBI power, electron cyclotron current drive power, and ohmic coil). The approximate plasma response model was identified from simulated data obtained using a rapidly converging plasmamore » transport code, METIS, which includes an MHD equilibrium and current diffusion solver, and combines plasma transport nonlinearity with 0-D scaling laws and 1.5-D ordinary differential equations. A number of open loop simulations were performed, in which the heating and current drive (H&CD) sources were randomly modulated around the typical values of a reference AT discharge on DIIID. Using these simulated data, a two-time-scale state space model was obtained for the coupled evolution of the poloidal flux profile and βN parameter, and a controller was synthesized based on the near-optimal ARTAEMIS algorithm [D. Moreau et al., Nucl. Fusion 53 (2013) 063020]. The paper discusses the results of closed-loop nonlinear simulations, using this controller for steady state AT operation. With feedforward plus feedback control, the steady state target q-profile and β N are satisfactorily tracked with a time scale of about ten seconds, despite large disturbances applied to the feedforward powers and plasma parameters. The effectiveness of the control algorithm is thus demonstrated for long pulse and steady state high-β N AT discharges. Its robustness with respect to disturbances of the H&CD actuators and of plasma parameters such as the H-factor, plasma density and effective charge, is also

Design, simulation and construction of the Taban tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

H, R. MIRZAEI; R, AMROLLAHI

2018-04-01

This paper describes the design and construction of the Taban tokamak, which is located in Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. The Taban tokamak was designed for plasma investigation. The design, simulation and construction of essential parts of the Taban tokamak such as the toroidal field (TF) system, ohmic heating (OH) system and equilibrium field system and their power supplies are presented. For the Taban tokamak, the toroidal magnetic coil was designed to produce a maximum field of 0.7 T at R = 0.45 m. The power supply of the TF was a 130 kJ, 0–10 kV capacitor bank. Ripples of toroidal magnetic field at the plasma edge and plasma center are 0.2% and 0.014%, respectively. For the OH system with 3 kA current, the stray field in the plasma region is less than 40 G over 80% of the plasma volume. The power supply of the OH system consists of two stages, as follows. The fast bank stage is a 120 μF, 0–5 kV capacitor that produces 2.5 kA in 400 μs and the slow bank stage is 93 mF, 600 V that can produce a maximum of 3 kA. The equilibrium system can produce uniform magnetic field at plasma volume. This system’s power supply, like the OH system, consists of two stages, so that the fast bank stage is 500 μF, 800 V and the slow bank stage is 110 mF, 200 V.

High-beta, steady-state hybrid scenario on DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Petty, C. C.; Kinsey, J. E.; Holcomb, C. T.; ...

2015-12-17

Here, the potential of the hybrid scenario (first developed as an advanced inductive scenario for high fluence) as a regime for high-beta, steady-state plasmas is demonstrated on the DIII-D tokamak. These experiments show that the beneficial characteristics of hybrids, namely safety factor ≥1 with low central magnetic shear, high stability limits and excellent confinement, are maintained when strong central current drive (electron cyclotron and neutral beam) is applied to increase the calculated non-inductive fraction to ≈100% (≈50% bootstrap current). The best discharges achieve normalized beta of 3.4, IPB98(y,2) confinement factor of 1.4, surface loop voltage of 0.01 V, and nearlymore » equal electron and ion temperatures at low collisionality. A zero-dimensional physics model shows that steady-state hybrid operation with Q fus ~ 5 is feasible in FDF and ITER. The advantage of the hybrid scenario as an Advanced Tokamak regime is that the external current drive can be deposited near the plasma axis where the efficiency is high; additionally, good alignment between the current drive and plasma current profiles is not necessary as the poloidal magnetic flux pumping self-organizes the current density profile in hybrids with an m/n=3/2 tearing mode.« less

Political Regime and Human Capital: A Cross-Country Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klomp, Jeroen; de Haan, Jakob

2013-01-01

We examine the relationship between different dimensions of the political regime in place and human capital using a two-step structural equation model. In the first step, we employ factor analysis on 16 human capital indicators to construct two new human capital measures (basic and advanced human capital). In the second step, we estimate the…

Advanced X-ray Imaging Crystal Spectrometer for Magnetic Fusion Tokamak Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, S. G.; Bak, J. G.; Bog, M. G.; Nam, U. W.; Moon, M. K.; Cheon, J. K.

2008-03-01

An advanced X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer is currently under development using a segmented position sensitive detector and time-to-digital converter (TDC) based delay-line readout electronics for burning plasma diagnostics. The proposed advanced XICS utilizes an eight-segmented position sensitive multi-wire proportional counter and supporting electronics to increase the spectrometer performance includes the photon count-rate capability and spatial resolution.

Neoclassical poloidal and toroidal rotation in tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Y.B.; Diamond, P.H.; Groebner, R.J.

1991-08-01

Explicit expressions for the neoclassical poloidal and toroidal rotation speeds of primary ion and impurity species are derived via the Hirshman and Sigmar moment approach. The rotation speeds of the primary ion can be significantly different from those of impurities in various interesting cases. The rapid increase of impurity poloidal rotation in the edge region of H-mode discharges in tokamaks can be explained by a rapid steepening of the primary ion pressure gradient. Depending on ion collisionality, the poloidal rotation speed of the primary ions at the edge can be quite small and the flow direction may be opposite tomore » that of the impurities. This may cast considerable doubts on current L to H bifurcation models based on primary ion poloidal rotation only. Also, the difference between the toroidal rotation velocities of primary ions and impurities is not negligible in various cases. In Ohmic plasmas, the parallel electric field induces a large impurity toroidal rotation close to the magnetic axis, which seems to agree with experimental observations. In the ion banana and plateau regime, there can be non-negligible disparities between primary ion and impurity toroidal rotation velocities due to the ion density and temperature gradients. Detailed analytic expressions for the primary ion and impurity rotation speeds are presented, and the methodology for generalization to the case of several impurity species is also presented for future numerical evaluation.« less

Modular coils and finite-β operation of a quasi-axially symmetric tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drevlak, M.

1998-09-01

Quasi-axially symmetric tokamaks (QA tokamaks) are an extension of the conventional tokamak concept. In these devices the magnetic field strength is independent of the generalized toroidal magnetic co-ordinate even though the cross-sectional shape changes. An optimized plasma equilibrium belonging to the class of QA tokamaks has been proposed by Nührenberg. It features the small aspect ratio of a tokamak while allowing part of the rotational transform to be generated by the external field. In this article, two particular aspects of the viability of QA tokamaks are explored, namely the feasibility of modular coils and the possibility of maintaining quasi-axial symmetry in the free-boundary equilibria obtained with the coils found. A set of easily feasible modular coils for the configuration is presented. It was designed using the extended version of the NESCOIL code (Merkel, P., Nucl. Fusion 27 (1987) 867). Using this coil system, free-boundary calculations of the plasma equilibrium were carried out using the NEMEC code (Hirshman, S.P., Van Rij, W.I., Merkel, P., Comput. Phys. Commun. 43 (1986) 143). It is observed that the effects of finite β and net toroidal plasma current can be compensated for with good precision by applying a vertical magnetic field and by separately adjusting the currents of the modular coils. A set of fully three dimensional (3-D) auxiliary coils is proposed to exert control on the rotational transform in the plasma. Deterioration of the quasi-axial symmetry induced by the auxiliary coils can be avoided by adequate adjustment of the currents in the primary coils. Finally, the neoclassical transport properties of the configuration are examined. It is observed that optimization with respect to confinement of the alpha particles can be maintained at operation with finite toroidal current if the aforementioned corrective measures are used. In this case, the neoclassical behaviour is shown to be very similar to that of a conventional tokamak.

Energetic particles in spherical tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McClements, K. G.; Fredrickson, E. D.

2017-05-01

Spherical tokamaks (STs) typically have lower magnetic fields than conventional tokamaks, but similar mass densities. Suprathermal ions with relatively modest energies, in particular beam-injected ions, consequently have speeds close to or exceeding the Alfvén velocity, and can therefore excite a range of Alfvénic instabilities which could be driven by (and affect the behaviour of) fusion α-particles in a burning plasma. STs heated with neutral beams, including the small tight aspect ratio tokamak (START), the mega amp spherical tokamak (MAST), the national spherical torus experiment (NSTX) and Globus-M, have thus provided an opportunity to study toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes (TAEs), together with higher frequency global Alfvén eigenmodes (GAEs) and compressional Alfvén eigenmodes (CAEs), which could affect beam current drive and channel fast ion energy into bulk ions in future devices. In NSTX GAEs were correlated with a degradation of core electron energy confinement. In MAST pulses with reduced magnetic field, CAEs were excited across a wide range of frequencies, extending to the ion cyclotron range, but were suppressed when hydrogen was introduced to the deuterium plasma, apparently due to mode conversion at ion-ion hybrid resonances. At lower frequencies fishbone instabilities caused fast particle redistribution in some MAST and NSTX pulses, but this could be avoided by moving the neutral beam line away from the magnetic axis or by operating the plasma at either high density or elevated safety factor. Fast ion redistribution has been observed during GAE avalanches on NSTX, while in both NSTX and MAST fast ions were transported by saturated kink modes, sawtooth crashes, resonant magnetic perturbations and TAEs. The energy dependence of fast ion redistribution due to both sawteeth and TAEs has been studied in Globus-M. High energy charged fusion products are unconfined in present-day STs, but have been shown in MAST to provide a useful diagnostic of beam ion

Energetic particles in spherical tokamak plasmas

DOE PAGES

McClements, K. G.; Fredrickson, E. D.

2017-03-21

Spherical tokamaks (STs) typically have lower magnetic fields than conventional tokamaks, but similar mass densities. Suprathermal ions with relatively modest energies, in particular beam-injected ions, consequently have speeds close to or exceeding the Alfvén velocity, and can therefore excite a range of Alfvénic instabilities which could be driven by (and affect the behaviour of) fusion α-particles in a burning plasma. STs heated with neutral beams, including the small tight aspect ratio tokamak (START), the mega amp spherical tokamak (MAST), the national spherical torus experiment (NSTX) and Globus-M, have thus provided an opportunity to study toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes (TAEs), together withmore » higher frequency global Alfvén eigenmodes (GAEs) and compressional Alfvén eigenmodes (CAEs), which could affect beam current drive and channel fast ion energy into bulk ions in future devices. In NSTX GAEs were correlated with a degradation of core electron energy confinement. In MAST pulses with reduced magnetic field, CAEs were excited across a wide range of frequencies, extending to the ion cyclotron range, but were suppressed when hydrogen was introduced to the deuterium plasma, apparently due to mode conversion at ion–ion hybrid resonances. At lower frequencies fishbone instabilities caused fast particle redistribution in some MAST and NSTX pulses, but this could be avoided by moving the neutral beam line away from the magnetic axis or by operating the plasma at either high density or elevated safety factor. Fast ion redistribution has been observed during GAE avalanches on NSTX, while in both NSTX and MAST fast ions were transported by saturated kink modes, sawtooth crashes, resonant magnetic perturbations and TAEs. The energy dependence of fast ion redistribution due to both sawteeth and TAEs has been studied in Globus-M. High energy charged fusion products are unconfined in present-day STs, but have been shown in MAST to provide a useful diagnostic of

Investigation of beam- and wave-plasma interactions in spherical tokamak Globus-M

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gusev, V. K.; Aminov, R. M.; Berezutskiy, A. A.; Bulanin, V. V.; Chernyshev, F. V.; Chugunov, I. N.; Dech, A. V.; Dyachenko, V. V.; Ivanov, A. E.; Khitrov, S. A.; Khromov, N. A.; Kurskiev, G. S.; Larionov, M. M.; Melnik, A. D.; Minaev, V. B.; Mineev, A. B.; Mironov, M. I.; Miroshnikov, I. V.; Mukhin, E. E.; Novokhatsky, A. N.; Panasenkov, A. A.; Patrov, M. I.; Petrov, A. V.; Petrov, Yu. V.; Podushnikova, K. A.; Rozhansky, V. A.; Rozhdestvensky, V. V.; Sakharov, N. V.; Shevelev, A. E.; Senichenkov, I. Yu.; Shcherbinin, O. N.; Stepanov, A. Yu.; Tolstyakov, S. Yu.; Varfolomeev, V. I.; Voronin, A. V.; Yagnov, V. A.; Yashin, A. Yu.; Zhilin, E. G.

2011-10-01

The experimental and theoretical results obtained in the last two years on the interaction of neutral particle beams and high-frequency waves with a plasma using the spherical tokamak Globus-M are discussed. The experiments on the injection of low-energy proton beam of ~300 eV directed particle energy are performed with a plasma gun that produces a hydrogen plasma jet of density up to 3 × 1022 m-3 and a high velocity up to 250 km s-1. A moderate density rise (up to 30%) is achieved in the central plasma region without plasma disruption. Experiments on high-energy (up to 30 keV) neutral beam injection into the D-plasma are analysed. Modelling results on confinement of fast particles inside the plasma column that follows the neutral beam injection are discussed. The influence of the magnetic field on the fast particle losses is argued. A neutral beam injection regime with primary ion heating is obtained and discussed. The new regime with fast current ramp-up and early neutral beam injection shows electron temperature rise and formation of broad Te profiles until the q = 1 flux surface enters the plasma column. An energetic particle mode in the range of frequencies 5-30 kHz and toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes in the range 50-300 kHz are recorded in that regime simultaneously with the Te rise. The energetic particle mode and toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes behaviour are discussed. The toroidal Alfvén eigenmode spectrum appears in Globus-M as a narrow band corresponding to n = 1. The first experimental results on plasma start-up and noninductive current drive generation are presented. The experiments are carried out with antennae providing mostly poloidal slowing down of waves with a frequency of 920 MHz, which is higher than a lower hybrid one existing under the experimental conditions. The high current drive efficiency is shown to be high (of about 0.25 A W-1), and its mechanism is proposed. Some near future plans of the experiments are also discussed.

Floquet prethermalization and regimes of heating in a periodically driven, interacting quantum system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weidinger, Simon; Knap, Michael

We study the regimes of heating in the periodically driven O (N) -model, which represents a generic model for interacting quantum many-body systems. By computing the absorbed energy with a non-equilibrium Keldysh Green's function approach, we establish three dynamical regimes: at short times a single-particle dominated regime, at intermediate times a stable Floquet prethermal regime in which the system ceases to absorb, and at parametrically late times a thermalizing regime. Our simulations suggest that in the thermalizing regime the absorbed energy grows algebraically in time with an the exponent that approaches the universal value of 1 / 2 , and is thus significantly slower than linear Joule heating. Our results demonstrate the parametric stability of prethermal states in a generic many-body system driven at frequencies that are comparable to its microscopic scales. This paves the way for realizing exotic quantum phases, such as time crystals or interacting topological phases, in the prethermal regime of interacting Floquet systems. We acknowledge support from the Technical University of Munich - Institute for Advanced Study, funded by the German Excellence Initiative and the European Union FP7 under Grant agreement 291763, and from the DFG Grant No. KN 1254/1-1.

A self-consistent model of an isothermal tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNamara, Steven; Lilley, Matthew

2014-10-01

Continued progress in liquid lithium coating technologies have made the development of a beam driven tokamak with minimal edge recycling a feasibly possibility. Such devices are characterised by improved confinement due to their inherent stability and the suppression of thermal conduction. Particle and energy confinement become intrinsically linked and the plasma thermal energy content is governed by the injected beam. A self-consistent model of a purely beam fuelled isothermal tokamak is presented, including calculations of the density profile, bulk species temperature ratios and the fusion output. Stability considerations constrain the operating parameters and regions of stable operation are identified and their suitability to potential reactor applications discussed.

What is the fate of runaway positrons in tokamaks?

DOE PAGES

Liu, Jian; Qin, Hong; Fisch, Nathaniel J.; ...

2014-06-19

In this study, massive runaway positrons are generated by runaway electrons in tokamaks. The fate of these positrons encodes valuable information about the runaway dynamics. The phase space dynamics of a runaway position is investigated using a Lagrangian that incorporates the tokamak geometry, loop voltage, radiation and collisional effects. It is found numerically that runaway positrons will drift out of the plasma to annihilate on the first wall, with an in-plasma annihilation possibility less than 0.1%. The dynamics of runaway positrons provides signatures that can be observed as diagnostic tools.

What is the fate of runaway positrons in tokamaks?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Jian; Qin, Hong, E-mail: hongqin@ustc.edu.cn; Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08543

2014-06-15

Massive runaway positrons are generated by runaway electrons in tokamaks. The fate of these positrons encodes valuable information about the runaway dynamics. The phase space dynamics of a runaway position is investigated using a Lagrangian that incorporates the tokamak geometry, loop voltage, radiation and collisional effects. It is found numerically that runaway positrons will drift out of the plasma to annihilate on the first wall, with an in-plasma annihilation possibility less than 0.1%. The dynamics of runaway positrons provides signatures that can be observed as diagnostic tools.

Currents in the DIII-D Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azari, A.; Eidietis, N. W.

2012-10-01

Loss of vertical control of an elongated tokamak plasma results in a vertical displacement event (VDE) which can induce large currents on open field lines and exert high JxB forces on in-vessel components. An array of first-wall tile current monitors on DIII-D provides direct measurement of the poloidal halo currents. These measurements are analyzed to create a database of halo current magnitude and asymmetry, which are found to lie within the ranges seen by numerous other tokamaks in the ITPA Disruption Database. In addition, an analysis of halo asymmetry rotation is presented, as rotation at the resonance frequencies of in-vessel components could lead to significant amplification of the halo forces. Halo current rotation is found to be far more prevalent in old (1997-2002) DIII-D halo current data than recent data (2009), perhaps due to a change in divertor geometry over that time.

The Physics of Tokamak Start-up

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

D. Mueller

Tokamak start-up on present-day devices usually relies on inductively induced voltage from a central solenoid. In some cases inductive startup is assisted with auxiliary power from electron cyclotron radio frequency heating. ITER, the National Spherical Torus eXperiment Upgrade and JT60, now under construction, will make use of the understanding gained from present-day devices to ensure successful start-up. Design of a spherical tokamak (ST) with DT capability for nuclear component testing would require an alternative to a central solenoid because the small central column in an ST has insufficient space to provide shielding for the insulators in the solenoid. Alternative start-upmore » techniques such as induction using outer poloidal field coils, electron Bernstein wave start-up, coaxial helicity injection and point source helicity injection have been used with success, but require demonstration of scaling to higher plasma current.« less

The physics of tokamak start-up

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mueller, D.

Tokamak start-up on present-day devices usually relies on inductively induced voltage from a central solenoid. In some cases, inductive startup is assisted with auxiliary power from electron cyclotron radio frequency heating. International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade and JT60, now under construction, will make use of the understanding gained from present-day devices to ensure successful start-up. Design of a spherical tokamak (ST) with DT capability for nuclear component testing would require an alternative to a central solenoid because the small central column in an ST has insufficient space to provide shielding for the insulators in themore » solenoid. Alternative start-up techniques such as induction using outer poloidal field coils, electron Bernstein wave start-up, coaxial helicity injection, and point source helicity injection have been used with success, but require demonstration of scaling to higher plasma current.« less

Scalable quantum memory in the ultrastrong coupling regime.

PubMed

Kyaw, T H; Felicetti, S; Romero, G; Solano, E; Kwek, L-C

2015-03-02

Circuit quantum electrodynamics, consisting of superconducting artificial atoms coupled to on-chip resonators, represents a prime candidate to implement the scalable quantum computing architecture because of the presence of good tunability and controllability. Furthermore, recent advances have pushed the technology towards the ultrastrong coupling regime of light-matter interaction, where the qubit-resonator coupling strength reaches a considerable fraction of the resonator frequency. Here, we propose a qubit-resonator system operating in that regime, as a quantum memory device and study the storage and retrieval of quantum information in and from the Z2 parity-protected quantum memory, within experimentally feasible schemes. We are also convinced that our proposal might pave a way to realize a scalable quantum random-access memory due to its fast storage and readout performances.

Scalable quantum memory in the ultrastrong coupling regime

PubMed Central

Kyaw, T. H.; Felicetti, S.; Romero, G.; Solano, E.; Kwek, L.-C.

2015-01-01

Circuit quantum electrodynamics, consisting of superconducting artificial atoms coupled to on-chip resonators, represents a prime candidate to implement the scalable quantum computing architecture because of the presence of good tunability and controllability. Furthermore, recent advances have pushed the technology towards the ultrastrong coupling regime of light-matter interaction, where the qubit-resonator coupling strength reaches a considerable fraction of the resonator frequency. Here, we propose a qubit-resonator system operating in that regime, as a quantum memory device and study the storage and retrieval of quantum information in and from the Z2 parity-protected quantum memory, within experimentally feasible schemes. We are also convinced that our proposal might pave a way to realize a scalable quantum random-access memory due to its fast storage and readout performances. PMID:25727251

Height Dependency of Aerosol-Cloud Interaction Regimes: Height Dependency of ACI Regime

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Jingyi; Liu, Yangang; Zhang, Minghua

This study investigates the height dependency of aerosol-cloud interaction regimes in terms of the joint dependence of the key cloud microphysical properties (e.g. cloud droplet number concentration, cloud droplet relative dispersion, etc.) on aerosol number concentration (N a) and vertical velocity (w). The three distinct regimes with different microphysical features are the aerosol-limited regime, the updraft-limited regime, and the transitional regime. The results reveal two new phenomena in updraft-limited regime: 1) The “condensational broadening” of cloud droplet size distribution in contrast to the well-known “condensational narrowing” in the aerosol-limited regime; 2) Above the level of maximum supersaturation, some cloud dropletsmore » are deactivated into interstitial aerosols in the updraft-limited regime whereas all droplets remain activated in the aerosol-limited regime. Further analysis shows that the particle equilibrium supersaturation plays important role in understanding these unique features. Also examined is the height of warm rain initiation and its dependence on N a and w. The rain initiation height is found to depend primarily on either N a or w or both in different N a-w regimes, thus suggesting a strong regime dependence of the second aerosol indirect effect.« less

Height Dependency of Aerosol-Cloud Interaction Regimes: Height Dependency of ACI Regime

DOE PAGES

Chen, Jingyi; Liu, Yangang; Zhang, Minghua; ...

2018-01-10

This study investigates the height dependency of aerosol-cloud interaction regimes in terms of the joint dependence of the key cloud microphysical properties (e.g. cloud droplet number concentration, cloud droplet relative dispersion, etc.) on aerosol number concentration (N a) and vertical velocity (w). The three distinct regimes with different microphysical features are the aerosol-limited regime, the updraft-limited regime, and the transitional regime. The results reveal two new phenomena in updraft-limited regime: 1) The “condensational broadening” of cloud droplet size distribution in contrast to the well-known “condensational narrowing” in the aerosol-limited regime; 2) Above the level of maximum supersaturation, some cloud dropletsmore » are deactivated into interstitial aerosols in the updraft-limited regime whereas all droplets remain activated in the aerosol-limited regime. Further analysis shows that the particle equilibrium supersaturation plays important role in understanding these unique features. Also examined is the height of warm rain initiation and its dependence on N a and w. The rain initiation height is found to depend primarily on either N a or w or both in different N a-w regimes, thus suggesting a strong regime dependence of the second aerosol indirect effect.« less

Simulations of Tokamak Edge Turbulence Including Self-Consistent Zonal Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Bruce; Umansky, Maxim

2013-10-01

Progress on simulations of electromagnetic drift-resistive ballooning turbulence in the tokamak edge is summarized in this mini-conference talk. A more detailed report on this work is presented in a poster at this conference. This work extends our previous work to include self-consistent zonal flows and their effects. The previous work addressed the simulation of L-mode tokamak edge turbulence using the turbulence code BOUT. The calculations used realistic single-null geometry and plasma parameters of the DIII-D tokamak and produced fluctuation amplitudes, fluctuation spectra, and particle and thermal fluxes that compare favorably to experimental data. In the effect of sheared ExB poloidal rotation is included with an imposed static radial electric field fitted to experimental data. In the new work here we include the radial electric field self-consistently driven by the microturbulence, which contributes to the sheared ExB poloidal rotation (zonal flow generation). We present simulations with/without zonal flows for both cylindrical geometry, as in the UCLA Large Plasma Device, and for the DIII-D tokamak L-mode cases in to quantify the influence of self-consistent zonal flows on the microturbulence and the concomitant transport. This work was performed under the auspices of the US Department of Energy under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Three-dimensional analysis of tokamaks and stellarators

PubMed Central

Garabedian, Paul R.

2008-01-01

The NSTAB equilibrium and stability code and the TRAN Monte Carlo transport code furnish a simple but effective numerical simulation of essential features of present tokamak and stellarator experiments. When the mesh size is comparable to the island width, an accurate radial difference scheme in conservation form captures magnetic islands successfully despite a nested surface hypothesis imposed by the mathematics. Three-dimensional asymmetries in bifurcated numerical solutions of the axially symmetric tokamak problem are relevant to the observation of unstable neoclassical tearing modes and edge localized modes in experiments. Islands in compact stellarators with quasiaxial symmetry are easier to control, so these configurations will become good candidates for magnetic fusion if difficulties with safety and stability are encountered in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project. PMID:18768807

Physics and operation oriented activities in preparation of the JT-60SA tokamak exploitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giruzzi, G.; Yoshida, M.; Artaud, J. F.; Asztalos, Ö.; Barbato, E.; Bettini, P.; Bierwage, A.; Boboc, A.; Bolzonella, T.; Clement-Lorenzo, S.; Coda, S.; Cruz, N.; Day, Chr.; De Tommasi, G.; Dibon, M.; Douai, D.; Dunai, D.; Enoeda, M.; Farina, D.; Figini, L.; Fukumoto, M.; Galazka, K.; Galdon, J.; Garcia, J.; Garcia-Muñoz, M.; Garzotti, L.; Gil, C.; Gleason-Gonzalez, C.; Goodman, T.; Granucci, G.; Hayashi, N.; Hoshino, K.; Ide, S.; Imazawa, R.; Innocente, P.; Isayama, A.; Itami, K.; Joffrin, E.; Kamada, Y.; Kamiya, K.; Kawano, Y.; Kawashima, H.; Kobayashi, T.; Kojima, A.; Kubo, H.; Lang, P.; Lauber, Ph.; de la Luna, E.; Maget, P.; Marchiori, G.; Mastrostefano, S.; Matsunaga, G.; Mattei, M.; McDonald, D. C.; Mele, A.; Miyata, Y.; Moriyama, S.; Moro, A.; Nakano, T.; Neu, R.; Nowak, S.; Orsitto, F. P.; Pautasso, G.; Pégourié, B.; Pigatto, L.; Pironti, A.; Platania, P.; Pokol, G. I.; Ricci, D.; Romanelli, M.; Saarelma, S.; Sakurai, S.; Sartori, F.; Sasao, H.; Scannapiego, M.; Shimizu, K.; Shinohara, K.; Shiraishi, J.; Soare, S.; Sozzi, C.; Stępniewski, W.; Suzuki, T.; Suzuki, Y.; Szepesi, T.; Takechi, M.; Tanaka, K.; Terranova, D.; Toma, M.; Urano, H.; Vega, J.; Villone, F.; Vitale, V.; Wakatsuki, T.; Wischmeier, M.; Zagórski, R.

2017-08-01

The JT-60SA tokamak, being built under the Broader Approach agreement jointly by Europe and Japan, is due to start operation in 2020 and is expected to give substantial contributions to both ITER and DEMO scenario optimisation. A broad set of preparation activities for an efficient start of the experiments on JT-60SA is being carried out, involving elaboration of the Research Plan, advanced modelling in various domains, feasibility and conception studies of diagnostics and other sub-systems in connection with the priorities of the scientific programme, development and validation of operation tools. The logic and coherence of this approach, as well as the most significant results of the main activities undertaken are presented and summarised.

The Aneutronic Rodless Ultra Low Aspect Ratio Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, Celso

2016-10-01

The replacement of the metal centre-post in spherical tokamaks (STs) by a plasma centre-post (PCP, the TF current carrier) is the ideal scenario for a ST reactor. A simple rodless ultra low aspect-ratio tokamak (RULART) using a screw-pinch PCP ECR-assisted with an external solenoid has been proposed in the most compact RULART [Ribeiro C, SOFE-15]. There the solenoid provided the stabilizing field for the PCP and the toroidal electrical field for the tokamak start-up, which will stabilize further the PCP, acting as stabilizing closed conducting surface. Relative low TF will be required. The compactness (high ratio of plasma-spherical vessel volume) may provide passive stabilization and easier access to L-H mode transition. It is presented here: 1) stability analysis of the PCP (initially MHD stable due to the hollow J profile); 2) tokamak equilibrium simulations, and 3) potential use for aneutronic reactions studies via pairs of proton p and boron 11B ion beams in He plasmas. The beams' line-of-sights sufficiently miss the sources of each other, thus allowing a near maximum relative velocities and reactivity. The reactions should occur close to the PCP mid-plane. Some born alphas should cross the PCP and be dragged by the ion flow (higher momentum exchange) towards the anode but escape directly to a direct electricity converter. Others will reach evenly the vessel directly or via thermal diffusion (favourable heating by the large excursion 2a), leading to the lowest power wall load possible. This might be a potential hybrid direct-steam cycle conversion reactor scheme, nearly aneutronic, and with no ash or particle retention problems, as opposed to the D-T thermal reaction proposals.

Simulations of Turbulence in Tokamak Edge and Effects of Self-Consistent Zonal Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Bruce; Umansky, Maxim

2013-10-01

Progress is reported on simulations of electromagnetic drift-resistive ballooning turbulence in the tokamak edge. This extends previous work to include self-consistent zonal flows and their effects. The previous work addressed simulation of L-mode tokamak edge turbulence using the turbulence code BOUT that solves Braginskii-based plasma fluid equations in tokamak edge domain. The calculations use realistic single-null geometry and plasma parameters of the DIII-D tokamak and produce fluctuation amplitudes, fluctuation spectra, and particle and thermal fluxes that compare favorably to experimental data. In the effect of sheared ExB poloidal rotation is included with an imposed static radial electric field fitted to experimental data. In the new work here we include the radial electric field self-consistently driven by the microturbulence, which contributes to the sheared ExB poloidal rotation (zonal flow generation). We present simulations with/without zonal flows for both cylindrical geometry, as in the UCLA Large Plasma Device, and for the DIII-D tokamak L-mode cases in to quantify the influence of self-consistent zonal flows on the microturbulence and the concomitant transport. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Multi-field plasma sandpile model in tokamaks and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, X. D.; Xu, J. Q.

2016-08-01

A multi-field sandpile model of tokamak plasmas is formulated for the first time to simulate the dynamic process with interaction between avalanche events on the fast/micro time-scale and diffusive transports on the slow/macro time-scale. The main characteristics of the model are that both particle and energy avalanches of sand grains are taken into account simultaneously. New redistribution rules of a sand-relaxing process are defined according to the transport properties of special turbulence which allows the uphill particle transport. Applying the model, we first simulate the steady-state plasma profile self-sustained by drift wave turbulences in the Ohmic discharge of a tokamak. A scaling law as f = a q0 b + c for the relation of both center-density n ( 0 ) and electron (ion) temperatures T e ( 0 ) ( T i ( 0 ) ) with the center-safety-factor q 0 is found. Then interesting work about the nonlocal transport phenomenon observed in tokamak experiments proceeds. It is found that the core electron temperature increases rapidly in response to the edge cold pulse and inversely it decreases in response to the edge heat pulse. The results show that the nonlocal response of core electron temperature depending on the amplitudes of background plasma density and temperature is more remarkable in a range of gas injection rate. Analyses indicate that the avalanche transport caused by plasma drift instabilities with thresholds is a possible physical mechanism for the nonlocal transport in tokamaks. It is believed that the model is capable of being applied to more extensive questions occurring in the transport field.

Formation of the internal transport barrier in KSTAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, J.; Kim, H. S.; Jeon, Y. M.; Kim, J.; Choi, M. J.; Ko, J.; Lee, K. D.; Lee, H. H.; Yi, S.; Kwon, J. M.; Hahn, S.-H.; Ko, W. H.; Lee, J. H.; Yoon, S. W.

2018-01-01

One of key objectives of tokamak experiments is the exploration of enhanced confinement regimes, and the access of the internal transport barrier (ITB) formation is dealt with an important physics issue in the most of major tokamaks. Also, the advanced tokamak scenario with ITB is expected to lead to a continuous reactor with high fusion power density. From that point of view, the formation of the ITB in KSTAR which is designed for long pulse operation capability is very important although its heating and current drive systems are not fully equipped yet. We have therefore assumed that an early injection of the full NBI power (∼5.5 MW) during the current ramp-up would give a chance to form an internal barrier if the plasma could stay in the L-mode. To avoid the H-mode transition, we have produced inboard limited plasmas with detaching from the both upper and lower divertors. Using this approach, an ITB formation during L-mode has been observed which shows improved core confinement. Ion and electron temperature profiles show the barrier clearly in the temperature, and it was sustained for about 7 s in the dedicated experiment. This is the first stationary ITB observed in a full superconducting tokamak. This operation scenario with the ITB could be an alternative way to achieve a high performance regime in KSTAR, and the length of the ITB discharge could be extended even longer. In this paper, we present the formation of the ITB using measured and simulated characteristic profiles.

Features of self-organized plasma physics in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razumova, K. A.

2018-01-01

The history of investigations the role of self-organization processes in tokamak plasma confinement is presented. It was experimentally shown that the normalized pressure profile is the same for different tokamaks. Instead of the conventional Fick equation, where the thermal flux is proportional to a pressure gradient, processes in the plasma are well described by the Dyabilanin’s energy balance equation, in which the heat flux is proportional to the difference of normalized gradients for self-consistent and real pressure profiles. The transport coefficient depends on the values of heat flux, which compensates distortion of the pressure profile with external impacts. Radiative cooling of the plasma edge decreases the heat flux and improves the confinement.

Compact Torus Fueling of the STOR-M Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, C.; Hirose, A.; Zawalski, W.; White, D.; Raman, R.; Decoste, R.; Gregory, B. C.; Martin, F.

1996-11-01

Tangential injection of accelerated compact torus (CT) has been performed on the STOR-M tokamak (R/a=46/12 cm, B_t<1 T, I_p<= 50 kA, barn_e=(0.5 - 1)×10^13 cm-3) using the University of Saskatchewan Compact Torus Injector (USCTI). The CT parameters are: m~=1 μg, v=120 km/sec, B=0.1 T and n=(2 - 4)×10^15 cm-3. After CT injection, the electron density in tokamak doubles and the poloidal β-value increases. Indications of reduction in the loop voltage and H_α emission level have also been observed. Currently, following efforts are being made: (a) to coat chromium on the electrode surface, (b) to increase the on-line baking temperature, and (c) to reduce the neutral gas load which follows the CT plasma. In addition, numerical calculation of CT motion in a tokamak magnetic field has been carried out. For horizontal injection, the initial CT magnetic dipole direction should be aligned with the CT velocity for deeper penetration. In the case of vertical injection, the CT trajectory is independent of the initial magnetic dipole direction and central penetration is facilitated by off-axis injection.

The Experiment of Modulated Toroidal Current on HT-7 and HT-6M Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Jian-shan; P, Phillips; Luo, Jia-rong; Xu, Yu-hong; Zhao, Jun-yu; Zhang, Xian-mei; Wan, Bao-nian; Zhang, Shou-yin; Jie, Yin-xian; Wu, Zhen-wei; Hu, Li-qun; Liu, Sheng-xia; Shi, Yue-jiang; Li, Jian-gang; HT-6M; HT-7 Group

2003-02-01

The Experiments of Modulated Toroidal Current were done on the HT-6M tokamak and HT-7 superconducting tokamak. The toroidal current was modulated by programming the Ohmic heating field. Modulation of the plasma current has been used successfully to suppress MHD activity in discharges near the density limit where large MHD m = 2 tearing modes were suppressed by sufficiently large plasma current oscillations. The improved Ohmic confinement phase was observed during modulating toroidal current (MTC) on the Hefei Tokamak-6M (HT-6M) and Hefei superconducting Tokamak-7 (HT-7). A toroidal frequency-modulated current, induced by a modulated loop voltage, was added on the plasma equilibrium current. The ratio of A.C. amplitude of plasma current to the main plasma current ΔIp/Ip is about 12%-30%. The different formats of the frequency-modulated toroidal current were compared.

Electron cyclotron emission from nonthermal tokamak plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harvey, R.W.; O'Brien, M.R.; Rozhdestvensky, V.V.

1993-02-01

Electron cyclotron emission can be a sensitive indicator of nonthermal electron distributions. A new, comprehensive ray-tracing and cyclotron emission code that is aimed at predicting and interpreting the cyclotron emission from tokamak plasmas is described. The radiation transfer equation is solved along Wentzel--Kramers--Brillouin (WKB) rays using a fully relativistic calculation of the emission and absorption from electron distributions that are gyrotropic and toroidally symmetric, but may be otherwise arbitrary functions of the constants of motion. Using a radial array of electron distributions obtained from a bounce-averaged Fokker--Planck code modeling dc electron field and electron cyclotron heating effects, the cyclotron emissionmore » spectra are obtained. A pronounced strong nonthermal cyclotron emission feature that occurs at frequencies relativistically downshifted to second harmonic cyclotron frequencies outside the tokamak is calculated, in agreement with experimental results from the DIII-D [J. L. Luxon and L. G. Davies, Fusion Technol. [bold 8], 441 (1985)] and FT-1 [D. G. Bulyginsky [ital et] [ital al]., in [ital Proceedings] [ital of] [ital the] 15[ital th] [ital European] [ital Conference] [ital on] [ital Controlled] [ital Fusion] [ital and] [ital Plasma] [ital Heating], Dubrovnik, 1988 (European Physical Society, Petit-Lancy, 1988), Vol. 12B, Part II, p. 823] tokamaks. The calculations indicate the presence of a strong loss mechanism that operates on electrons in the 100--150 keV energy range.« less

Physics of GAM-initiated L-H transition in a tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Askinazi, L. G.; Belokurov, A. A.; Bulanin, V. V.; Gurchenko, A. D.; Gusakov, E. Z.; Kiviniemi, T. P.; Lebedev, S. V.; Kornev, V. A.; Korpilo, T.; Krikunov, S. V.; Leerink, S.; Machielsen, M.; Niskala, P.; Petrov, A. V.; Tukachinsky, A. S.; Yashin, A. Yu; Zhubr, N. A.

2017-01-01

Based on experimental observations using the TUMAN-3M and FT-2 tokamaks, and the results of gyrokinetic modeling of the interplay between turbulence and the geodesic acoustic mode (GAM) in these installations, a simple model is proposed for the analysis of the conditions required for L-H transition triggering by a burst of radial electric field oscillations in a tokamak. In the framework of this model, one-dimensional density evolution is considered to be governed by an anomalous diffusion coefficient dependent on radial electric field shear. The radial electric field is taken as the sum of the oscillating term and the quasi-stationary one determined by density and ion temperature gradients through a neoclassical formula. If the oscillating field parameters (amplitude, frequency, etc) are properly adjusted, a transport barrier forms at the plasma periphery and sustains after the oscillations are switched off, manifesting a transition into the high confinement mode with a strong inhomogeneous radial electric field and suppressed transport at the plasma edge. The electric field oscillation parameters required for L-H transition triggering are compared with the GAM parameters observed at the TUMAN-3M (in the discharges with ohmic L-H transition) and FT-2 tokamaks (where no clear L-H transition was observed). It is concluded based on this comparison that the GAM may act as a trigger for the L-H transition, provided that certain conditions for GAM oscillation and tokamak discharge are met.

Scoping study for compact high-field superconducting net energy tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mumgaard, R. T.; Greenwald, M.; Freidberg, J. P.; Wolfe, S. M.; Hartwig, Z. S.; Brunner, D.; Sorbom, B. N.; Whyte, D. G.

2016-10-01

The continued development and commercialization of high temperature superconductors (HTS) may enable the construction of compact, net-energy tokamaks. HTS, in contrast to present generation low temperature superconductors, offers improved performance in high magnetic fields, higher current density, stronger materials, higher temperature operation, and simplified assembly. Using HTS along with community-consensus confinement physics (H98 =1) may make it possible to achieve net-energy (Q>1) or burning plasma conditions (Q>5) in DIII-D or ASDEX-U sized, conventional aspect ratio tokamaks. It is shown that, by operating at high plasma current and density enabled by the high magnetic field (B>10T), the required triple products may be achieved at plasma volumes under 20m3, major radii under 2m, with external heating powers under 40MW. This is at the scale of existing devices operated by laboratories, universities and companies. The trade-offs in the core heating, divertor heat exhaust, sustainment, stability, and proximity to known plasma physics limits are discussed in the context of the present tokamak experience base and the requirements for future devices. The resulting HTS-based design space is compared and contrasted to previous studies on high-field copper experiments with similar missions. The physics exploration conducted with such HTS devices could decrease the real and perceived risks of ITER exploitation, and aid in quickly developing commercially-applicable tokamak pilot plants and reactors.

Robustness of predator-prey models for confinement regime transitions in fusion plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu, H.; Chapman, S. C.; Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Tromso

2013-04-15

Energy transport and confinement in tokamak fusion plasmas is usually determined by the coupled nonlinear interactions of small-scale drift turbulence and larger scale coherent nonlinear structures, such as zonal flows, together with free energy sources such as temperature gradients. Zero-dimensional models, designed to embody plausible physical narratives for these interactions, can help to identify the origin of enhanced energy confinement and of transitions between confinement regimes. A prime zero-dimensional paradigm is predator-prey or Lotka-Volterra. Here, we extend a successful three-variable (temperature gradient; microturbulence level; one class of coherent structure) model in this genre [M. A. Malkov and P. H. Diamond,more » Phys. Plasmas 16, 012504 (2009)], by adding a fourth variable representing a second class of coherent structure. This requires a fourth coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equation. We investigate the degree of invariance of the phenomenology generated by the model of Malkov and Diamond, given this additional physics. We study and compare the long-time behaviour of the three-equation and four-equation systems, their evolution towards the final state, and their attractive fixed points and limit cycles. We explore the sensitivity of paths to attractors. It is found that, for example, an attractive fixed point of the three-equation system can become a limit cycle of the four-equation system. Addressing these questions which we together refer to as 'robustness' for convenience is particularly important for models which, as here, generate sharp transitions in the values of system variables which may replicate some key features of confinement transitions. Our results help to establish the robustness of the zero-dimensional model approach to capturing observed confinement phenomenology in tokamak fusion plasmas.« less

Multi-device studies of pedestal physics and confinement in the I-mode regime

DOE PAGES

Hubbard, A. E.; Osborne, T.; Ryter, F.; ...

2016-07-05

This paper describes joint ITPA studies of the I-mode regime, which features an edge thermal barrier together with L-mode-like particle and impurity transport and no Edge Localized Modes (ELMs). The regime has been demonstrated on the Alcator C-Mod, ASDEX Upgrade and DIII-D tokamaks, over a wide range of device parameters and pedestal conditions. Dimensionless parameters at the pedestal show overlap across devices and extend to low collisionality. When they are matched, pedestal temperature profiles are also similar. Pedestals are stable to peeling ballooning modes, consistent with lack of ELMs. Access to Imode is independent of heating method (neutral beam injection,more » Ion Cyclotron and/or Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating). Normalized energy confinement H 98,y2 ≥ 1 has been achieved for a range of 3 ≤ q 95 ≤ 4.9 and scales favourably with power. Changes in turbulence in the pedestal region accompany the transition from L-mode to I-mode. The L-I threshold increases with plasma density and current, and with device size, but has a weak dependence on toroidal magnetic field B T. The upper limit of power for I-modes, which is set by I-H transitions, increases with B T and the power range is largest on Alcator C-Mod at B > 5 T. Finally, issues for extrapolation to ITER and other future fusion devices are discussed.« less

Inductive flux usage and its optimization in tokamak operation

DOE PAGES

Luce, Timothy C.; Humphreys, David A.; Jackson, Gary L.; ...

2014-07-30

The energy flow from the poloidal field coils of a tokamak to the electromagnetic and kinetic stored energy of the plasma are considered in the context of optimizing the operation of ITER. The goal is to optimize the flux usage in order to allow the longest possible burn in ITER at the desired conditions to meet the physics objectives (500 MW fusion power with energy gain of 10). A mathematical formulation of the energy flow is derived and applied to experiments in the DIII-D tokamak that simulate the ITER design shape and relevant normalized current and pressure. The rate ofmore » rise of the plasma current was varied, and the fastest stable current rise is found to be the optimum for flux usage in DIII-D. A method to project the results to ITER is formulated. The constraints of the ITER poloidal field coil set yield an optimum at ramp rates slower than the maximum stable rate for plasmas similar to the DIII-D plasmas. Finally, experiments in present-day tokamaks for further optimization of the current rise and validation of the projections are suggested.« less

Lower Hybrid Wave Induced SOL Emissivity Variation at High Density on the Alcator C-Mod Tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Faust, I.; Terry, J. L.; Reinke, M. L.

Lower Hybrid Current Drive (LHCD) in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak provides current profile control for the generation of Advanced Tokamak (AT) plasmas. Non-thermal electron bremsstrahlung emission decreases dramatically at n-bar{sub e}>1{center_dot}10{sup 20}[m{sup -3}] for diverted discharges, indicating low current drive efficiency. It is suggested that Scrape-Off-Layer (SOL) collisional absorption of LH waves is the cause for the absence of non-thermal electrons at high density. VUV and visible spectroscopy in the SOL provide direct information on collision excitation processes. Deuterium Balmer-, Lyman- and He-I transition emission measurements were used for initial characterization of SOL electron-neutral collisional absorption. Data from Helium andmore » Deuterium LHCD discharges were characterized by an overall increase in the emissivity as well as an outward radial shift in the emissivity profile with increasing plasma density and applied LHCD power. High-temperature, high-field (T{sub e} = 5keV,B{sub t} = 8T) helium discharges at high density display increased non-thermal signatures as well as reduced SOL emissivity. Variations in emissivity due to LHCD were seen in SOL regions not magnetically connected to the LH Launcher, indicating global SOL effects due to LHCD.« less

Stainless steel blanket concept for tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karbowski, J.S.; Lee, A.Y.; Prevenslik, T.V.

1979-01-25

The purpose of this joint ORNL/Westinghouse Program is to develop a design concept for a tokamak reactor blanket system which satisfies engineering requirements for a utility environment. While previous blanket studies have focused primarily on performance issues (thermal, neutronic, and structural), this study has emphasized consideration of reliability, fabricability, and lifetime.

The radiation asymmetry in MGI rapid shutdown on J-TEXT tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, Ruihai; Chen, Zhongyong; Huang, Duwei; Cheng, Zhifeng; Zhang, Xiaolong; Zhuang, Ge; J-TEXT Team

2017-10-01

Disruptions, the sudden termination of tokamak fusion plasmas by instabilities, have the potential to cause severe material wall damage to large tokamaks like ITER. The mitigation of disruption damage is an essential part of any fusion reactor system. Massive gas injection (MGI) rapid shutdown is a technique in which large amounts of noble gas are injected into the plasma in order to safely radiate the plasma energy evenly over the entire plasma-facing first wall. However, the radiated energy during the thermal quench (TQ) in massive gas injection (MGI) induced disruptions is found toroidal asymmetric, and the degrees of asymmetry correlate with the gas penetration and MGI induced magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) activities. A toroidal and poloidal array of ultraviolet photodiodes (AXUV) has been developed to investigate the radiation asymmetry on J-TEXT tokamak. Together with the upgraded mirnov probe arrays, the relation between MGI triggered MHD activities with radiation asymmetry is studied.

Study of energetic particle physics with advanced ECEI system on the HL-2A tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Zhongbing; Jiang, Min; Yu, Liming; Chen, Wei; Shi, Peiwan; Zhong, Wulyu; Yang, Zengchen; Zhang, Boyu; Ji, Xiaoquan; Li, Yonggao; Zhou, Yan; Song, Shaodong; Huang, Mei; Song, Xianming; Li, Jiaxuan; Yuan, Baoshan; Fu, Bingzhong; Liu, Zetian; Ding, Xuantong; Xu, Yuhong; Yang, Qingwei; Duan, Xuru

2017-07-01

Understanding the physics of energetic particles (EP) is crucial for the burning plasmas in next generation fusion devices such as ITER. In this work, three types of internal kink modes (a saturated internal kink mode (SK), a resonant internal kink mode (RK), and a double e-fishbone) excited by energetic particles in the low density discharges during ECRH/ECCD heating have been studied by the newly developed 24(poloidal) × 16(radial) = 384 channel ECEI system on the HL-2A tokamak. The SK and RK rotate in the electron diamagnetic direction poloidally and are destabilized by the energetic trapped electrons. The SK is destabilized in the case of qmin > 1, while the RK is destabilized in the case of qmin < 1. The double e-fishbone, which has two m/n = 1/1 modes propagating in the opposite directions poloidally, has been observed during plasma current ramp-up with counter-ECCD. Strong thermal transfer and mode coupling between the two m/n = 1/1 modes have been studied.

Millimeter-wave imaging diagnostics systems on the EAST tokamak (invited)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu, Y. L.; Xie, J. L., E-mail: jlxie@ustc.edu.cn; Yu, C. X.

2016-11-15

Millimeter-wave imaging diagnostics, with large poloidal span and wide radial range, have been developed on the EAST tokamak for visualization of 2D electron temperature and density fluctuations. A 384 channel (24 poloidal × 16 radial) Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) system in F-band (90-140 GHz) was installed on the EAST tokamak in 2012 to provide 2D electron temperature fluctuation images with high spatial and temporal resolution. A co-located Microwave Imaging Reflectometry (MIR) will be installed for imaging of density fluctuations by December 2016. This “4th generation” MIR system has eight independent frequency illumination beams in W-band (75-110 GHz) driven bymore » fast tuning synthesizers and active multipliers. Both of these advanced millimeter-wave imaging diagnostic systems have applied the latest techniques. A novel design philosophy “general optics structure” has been employed for the design of the ECEI and MIR receiver optics with large aperture. The extended radial and poloidal coverage of ECEI on EAST is made possible by innovations in the design of front-end optics. The front-end optical structures of the two imaging diagnostics, ECEI and MIR, have been integrated into a compact system, including the ECEI receiver and MIR transmitter and receiver. Two imaging systems share the same mid-plane port for simultaneous, co-located 2D fluctuation measurements of electron density and temperature. An intelligent remote-control is utilized in the MIR electronics systems to maintain focusing at the desired radial region even with density variations by remotely tuning the probe frequencies in about 200 μs. A similar intelligent technique has also been applied on the ECEI IF system, with remote configuration of the attenuations for each channel.« less

Millimeter-wave imaging diagnostics systems on the EAST tokamak (invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Y. L.; Xie, J. L.; Yu, C. X.; Zhao, Z. L.; Gao, B. X.; Chen, D. X.; Liu, W. D.; Liao, W.; Qu, C. M.; Luo, C.; Hu, X.; Spear, A. G.; Luhmann, N. C.; Domier, C. W.; Chen, M.; Ren, X.; Tobias, B. J.

2016-11-01

Millimeter-wave imaging diagnostics, with large poloidal span and wide radial range, have been developed on the EAST tokamak for visualization of 2D electron temperature and density fluctuations. A 384 channel (24 poloidal × 16 radial) Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) system in F-band (90-140 GHz) was installed on the EAST tokamak in 2012 to provide 2D electron temperature fluctuation images with high spatial and temporal resolution. A co-located Microwave Imaging Reflectometry (MIR) will be installed for imaging of density fluctuations by December 2016. This "4th generation" MIR system has eight independent frequency illumination beams in W-band (75-110 GHz) driven by fast tuning synthesizers and active multipliers. Both of these advanced millimeter-wave imaging diagnostic systems have applied the latest techniques. A novel design philosophy "general optics structure" has been employed for the design of the ECEI and MIR receiver optics with large aperture. The extended radial and poloidal coverage of ECEI on EAST is made possible by innovations in the design of front-end optics. The front-end optical structures of the two imaging diagnostics, ECEI and MIR, have been integrated into a compact system, including the ECEI receiver and MIR transmitter and receiver. Two imaging systems share the same mid-plane port for simultaneous, co-located 2D fluctuation measurements of electron density and temperature. An intelligent remote-control is utilized in the MIR electronics systems to maintain focusing at the desired radial region even with density variations by remotely tuning the probe frequencies in about 200 μs. A similar intelligent technique has also been applied on the ECEI IF system, with remote configuration of the attenuations for each channel.

Ultrastrong coupling of a single artificial atom to an electromagnetic continuum in the nonperturbative regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forn-Díaz, P.; García-Ripoll, J. J.; Peropadre, B.; Orgiazzi, J.-L.; Yurtalan, M. A.; Belyansky, R.; Wilson, C. M.; Lupascu, A.

2017-01-01

The study of light-matter interaction has led to important advances in quantum optics and enabled numerous technologies. Over recent decades, progress has been made in increasing the strength of this interaction at the single-photon level. More recently, a major achievement has been the demonstration of the so-called strong coupling regime, a key advancement enabling progress in quantum information science. Here, we demonstrate light-matter interaction over an order of magnitude stronger than previously reported, reaching the nonperturbative regime of ultrastrong coupling (USC). We achieve this using a superconducting artificial atom tunably coupled to the electromagnetic continuum of a one-dimensional waveguide. For the largest coupling, the spontaneous emission rate of the atom exceeds its transition frequency. In this USC regime, the description of atom and light as distinct entities breaks down, and a new description in terms of hybrid states is required. Beyond light-matter interaction itself, the tunability of our system makes it a promising tool to study a number of important physical systems, such as the well-known spin-boson and Kondo models.

Who will save the tokamak - Harry Potter, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Shaquille O'Neil?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freidberg, J.; Mangiarotti, F.; Minervini, J.

2014-10-01

The tokamak is the current leading contender for a fusion power reactor. The reason for the preeminence of the tokamak is its high quality plasma physics performance relative to other concepts. Even so, it is well known that the tokamak must still overcome two basic physics challenges before becoming viable as a DEMO and ultimately a reactor: (1) the achievement of non-inductive steady state operation, and (2) the achievement of robust disruption free operation. These are in addition to the PMI problems faced by all concepts. The work presented here demonstrates by means of a simple but highly credible analytic calculation that a ``standard'' tokamak cannot lead to a reactor - it is just not possible to simultaneously satisfy all the plasma physics plus engineering constraints. Three possible solutions, some more well-known than others, to the problem are analyzed. These visual image generating solutions are defined as (1) the Harry Potter solution, (2) the Arnold Schwarzenegger solution, and (3) the Shaquille O'Neil solution. Each solution will be described both qualitatively and quantitatively at the meeting.

Observation of internal transport barrier in ELMy H-mode plasmas on the EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Y.; Gao, X.; Liu, H. Q.; Li, G. Q.; Zhang, T.; Zeng, L.; Liu, Y. K.; Wu, M. Q.; Kong, D. F.; Ming, T. F.; Han, X.; Wang, Y. M.; Zang, Q.; Lyu, B.; Li, Y. Y.; Duan, Y. M.; Zhong, F. B.; Li, K.; Xu, L. Q.; Gong, X. Z.; Sun, Y. W.; Qian, J. P.; Ding, B. J.; Liu, Z. X.; Liu, F. K.; Hu, C. D.; Xiang, N.; Liang, Y. F.; Zhang, X. D.; Wan, B. N.; Li, J. G.; Wan, Y. X.; EAST Team

2017-08-01

The internal transport barrier (ITB) has been obtained in ELMy H-mode plasmas by neutron beam injection and lower hybrid wave heating on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The ITB structure has been observed in profiles of ion temperature, electron temperature, and electron density within ρ < 0.5. It was also observed that the ITB formation is stepwise. Due to the ITB formation, the confinement quality H 98y2 increases from 1 to 1.1 and the normalized beta, β N, increases from 1.5 to near 2. The fishbone activity observed during the ITB phase suggests the central safety factor q(0) ˜ 1. Transport coefficients are calculated by particle balance and power balance analysis, showing an obvious reduction after the ITB formation.

The Compact Ignition Tokamak and electron cyclotron heating: Description of need; assessment of prospects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ignat, D.W.; Cohn, D.R.; Woskov, P.P.

1989-01-01

The CIT will benefit from auxiliary heating of 10 to 40 MW. The schedules of both the CIT construction project and the operating plan contain adequate time to develop and implement ECH systems based on the gyrotron and the induction free electron laser (IFEL). Each approach has advantages and is the object of R and D at the level of many millions of dollars per year. While the gyrotron is further advanced in terms of power and pulse length achieved, rapid progress is scheduled for the IFEL, including experiments on tokamaks. Plans of CIT, gyrotron, and IFEL make 1992 anmore » appropriate time frame to commit to one or both systems. 12 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Politics, welfare regimes, and population health: controversies and evidence.

PubMed

Muntaner, Carles; Borrell, Carme; Ng, Edwin; Chung, Haejoo; Espelt, Albert; Rodriguez-Sanz, Maica; Benach, Joan; O'Campo, Patricia

2011-09-01

In recent years, a research area has emerged within social determinants of health that examines the role of politics, expressed as political traditions/parties and welfare state characteristics, on population health. To better understand and synthesise this growing body of evidence, the present literature review, informed by a political economy of health and welfare regimes framework, located 73 empirical and comparative studies on politics and health, meeting our inclusion criteria in three databases: PubMed (1948-), Sociological Abstracts (1953-), and ISI Web of Science (1900-). We identified two major research programmes, welfare regimes and democracy, and two emerging programmes, political tradition and globalisation. Primary findings include: (1) left and egalitarian political traditions on population health are the most salutary, consistent, and substantial; (2) the health impacts of advanced and liberal democracies are also positive and large; (3) welfare regime studies, primarily conducted among wealthy countries, find that social democratic regimes tend to fare best with absolute health outcomes yet consistently in terms of relative health inequalities; and (4) globalisation defined as dependency indicators such as trade, foreign investment, and national debt is negatively associated with population health. We end by discussing epistemological, theoretical, and methodological issues for consideration for future research. © 2011 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2011 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Development of DEMO-FNS tokamak for fusion and hybrid technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuteev, B. V.; Azizov, E. A.; Alexeev, P. N.; Ignatiev, V. V.; Subbotin, S. A.; Tsibulskiy, V. F.

2015-07-01

The history of fusion-fission hybrid systems based on a tokamak device as an extremely efficient DT-fusion neutron source has passed through several periods of ample research activity in the world since the very beginning of fusion research in the 1950s. Recently, a new roadmap of the hybrid program has been proposed with the goal to build a pilot hybrid plant (PHP) in Russia by 2030. Development of the DEMO-FNS tokamak for fusion and hybrid technologies, which is planned to be built by 2023, is the key milestone on the path to the PHP. This facility is in the phase of conceptual design aimed at providing feasibility studies for a full set of steady state tokamak technologies at a fusion energy gain factor Q ˜ 1, fusion power of ˜40 MW and opportunities for testing a wide range of hybrid technologies with the emphasis on continuous nuclide processing in molten salts. This paper describes the project motivations, its current status and the key issues of the design.

Integrated Tokamak modeling: When physics informs engineering and research planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poli, Francesca Maria

2018-05-01

Modeling tokamaks enables a deeper understanding of how to run and control our experiments and how to design stable and reliable reactors. We model tokamaks to understand the nonlinear dynamics of plasmas embedded in magnetic fields and contained by finite size, conducting structures, and the interplay between turbulence, magneto-hydrodynamic instabilities, and wave propagation. This tutorial guides through the components of a tokamak simulator, highlighting how high-fidelity simulations can guide the development of reduced models that can be used to understand how the dynamics at a small scale and short time scales affects macroscopic transport and global stability of plasmas. It discusses the important role that reduced models have in the modeling of an entire plasma discharge from startup to termination, the limits of these models, and how they can be improved. It discusses the important role that efficient workflows have in the coupling between codes, in the validation of models against experiments and in the verification of theoretical models. Finally, it reviews the status of integrated modeling and addresses the gaps and needs towards predictions of future devices and fusion reactors.

Two-dimensional vacuum ultraviolet images in different MHD events on the EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhijun, WANG; Xiang, GAO; Tingfeng, MING; Yumin, WANG; Fan, ZHOU; Feifei, LONG; Qing, ZHUANG; EAST Team

2018-02-01

A high-speed vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) imaging telescope system has been developed to measure the edge plasma emission (including the pedestal region) in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The key optics of the high-speed VUV imaging system consists of three parts: an inverse Schwarzschild-type telescope, a micro-channel plate (MCP) and a visible imaging high-speed camera. The VUV imaging system has been operated routinely in the 2016 EAST experiment campaign. The dynamics of the two-dimensional (2D) images of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities, such as edge localized modes (ELMs), tearing-like modes and disruptions, have been observed using this system. The related VUV images are presented in this paper, and it indicates the VUV imaging system is a potential tool which can be applied successfully in various plasma conditions.

Cutoff Probe for Tokamak SOL Measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Na, Byung-Keun; You, Kwang-Ho; Kim, Dae-Woong; You, Shin-Jae; Kim, Jung-Hyung; Chang, Hong-Young

2013-09-01

Since a cutoff probe was developed, there have been a lot of improvements in methodology and analysis for low temperature plasmas. However, in order to apply the cutoff probe to the Tokamak scrape-off layer (SOL), three important issues should be solved - speed, thermal protection, and short-distance (a few mm) wave propagation in magnetized plasmas. In this presentation, the improvement of cutoff probe for Tokamak is shown. The above problems can be solved using the following methods: (a) the cutoff probe can be used with short impulse of a few nano-seconds for speed improvement. (b) Ceramic covers were used for thermal protection. (c) In magnetized plasmas, the cutoff peak can be analyzed using circuit modeling and CST Microwave studio. To verify the proposed methods, the cutoff probe was applied to a Helicon plasma, and the results were compared to laser Thomson scattering results. Based on the result in the Helicon plasma, the cutoff probe will be applied to far-SOL region at the KSTAR 2013 campaign, and SOL region at the later campaign.

Electron Cyclotron Radiation, Related Power Loss, and Passive Current Drive in Tokamaks: A Review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fidone, Ignazio; Giruzzi, Gerardo; Granata, Giovanni

2001-01-15

A critical review on emission of weakly damped, high-harmonics electron cyclotron radiation, the related synchrotron power loss, and passive current drive in tokamaks with a fish-scale first wall is presented. First, the properties of overlapping harmonics are discussed using general analytical formulas and numerical applications. Next, the radiation power loss and efficiency of passive current drive in tokamak reactors are derived for the asymmetric fish-scale first wall. The radiation power loss is determined by the direction-averaged reflection coefficient {sigma}{sub 0} and the passive current drive by the differential reflectivity {delta}{sigma}/(1 - {sigma}{sub 0}). Finally, the problem of experimental investigations ofmore » the high harmonics radiation spectra, of {sigma}{sub 0} and {delta}{sigma}/(1 - {sigma}{sub 0}) in existing and next-step tokamaks, is discussed. Accurate measurements of the radiation spectra and the fish-scale reflectivity can be performed at arbitrary electron temperature using a partial fish-scale structure located near the tokamak equatorial plane.« less

Chaotic density fluctuations in L-mode plasmas of the DIII-D tokamak

DOE PAGES

Maggs, J. E.; Rhodes, Terry L.; Morales, G. J.

2015-03-05

Analysis of the time series obtained with the Doppler backscattering system (DBS) in the DIII-D tokamak shows that intermediate wave number plasma density fluctuations in low confinement (L-mode) tokamak plasmas are chaotic. Here, the supporting evidence is based on the shape of the power spectrum; the location of the signal in the complexity-entropy plane (C-H plane); and the population of the corresponding Bandt-Pompe probability distributions.

Optimization of multi-stage dynamic treatment regimes utilizing accumulated data.

PubMed

Huang, Xuelin; Choi, Sangbum; Wang, Lu; Thall, Peter F

2015-11-20

In medical therapies involving multiple stages, a physician's choice of a subject's treatment at each stage depends on the subject's history of previous treatments and outcomes. The sequence of decisions is known as a dynamic treatment regime or treatment policy. We consider dynamic treatment regimes in settings where each subject's final outcome can be defined as the sum of longitudinally observed values, each corresponding to a stage of the regime. Q-learning, which is a backward induction method, is used to first optimize the last stage treatment then sequentially optimize each previous stage treatment until the first stage treatment is optimized. During this process, model-based expectations of outcomes of late stages are used in the optimization of earlier stages. When the outcome models are misspecified, bias can accumulate from stage to stage and become severe, especially when the number of treatment stages is large. We demonstrate that a modification of standard Q-learning can help reduce the accumulated bias. We provide a computational algorithm, estimators, and closed-form variance formulas. Simulation studies show that the modified Q-learning method has a higher probability of identifying the optimal treatment regime even in settings with misspecified models for outcomes. It is applied to identify optimal treatment regimes in a study for advanced prostate cancer and to estimate and compare the final mean rewards of all the possible discrete two-stage treatment sequences. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Macroscopic erosion of divertor and first wall armour in future tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Würz, H.; Bazylev, B.; Landman, I.; Pestchanyi, S.; Safronov, V.

2002-12-01

Sputtering, evaporation and macroscopic erosion determine the lifetime of the 'in vessel' armour materials CFC, tungsten and beryllium presently under discussion for future tokamaks. For CFC armour macroscopic erosion means brittle destruction and dust formation whereas for metallic armour melt layer erosion by melt motion and droplet splashing. Available results on macroscopic erosion from hot plasma and e-beam simulation experiments and from tokamaks are critically evaluated and a comprehensive discussion of experimental and numerical macroscopic erosion and its extrapolation to future tokamaks is given. Shielding of divertor armour materials by their own vapor exists during plasma disruptions. The evolving plasma shield protects the armour from high heat loads, absorbs the incoming energy and reradiates it volumetrically thus reducing drastically the deposited energy. As a result, vertical target erosion by vaporization turns out to be of the order of a few microns per disruption event and macroscopic erosion becomes the dominant erosion source.

Apollo - An advanced fuel fusion power reactor for the 21st century

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kulcinski, G.L.; Emmert, G.A.; Blanchard, J.P.

1989-03-01

A preconceptual design of a tokamak reactor fueled by a D-He-3 plasma is presented. A low aspect ratio (A=2-4) device is studied here but high aspect ratio devices (A > 6) may also be quite attractive. The Apollo D-He-3 tokamak capitalizes on recent advances in high field magnets (20 T) and utilizes rectennas to convert the synchrotron radiation directly to electricity. The overall efficiency ranges from 37 to 52% depending on whether the bremsstrahlung energy is utilized. The low neutron wall loading (0.1 MW/m/sup 2/) allows a permanent first wall to be designed and the low nuclear decay heat enablesmore » the reactor to be classed as inherently safe. The cost of electricity from Apollo is > 40% lower than electricity from a similar sized DT reactor.« less

Millennial-scale plankton regime shifts in the subtropical North Pacific Ocean.

PubMed

McMahon, Kelton W; McCarthy, Matthew D; Sherwood, Owen A; Larsen, Thomas; Guilderson, Thomas P

2015-12-18

Climate change is predicted to alter marine phytoplankton communities and affect productivity, biogeochemistry, and the efficacy of the biological pump. We reconstructed high-resolution records of changing plankton community composition in the North Pacific Ocean over the past millennium. Amino acid-specific δ(13)C records preserved in long-lived deep-sea corals revealed three major plankton regimes corresponding to Northern Hemisphere climate periods. Non-dinitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria dominated during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (950-1250 Common Era) before giving way to a new regime in which eukaryotic microalgae contributed nearly half of all export production during the Little Ice Age (~1400-1850 Common Era). The third regime, unprecedented in the past millennium, began in the industrial era and is characterized by increasing production by dinitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria. This picoplankton community shift may provide a negative feedback to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Resonance localization in tokamaks excited with ICRF waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerbel, G. D.; McCoy, M. G.

1985-06-01

Advanced wave model used to evaluate ICRH in tokamaks typically used warm plasma theory and allow inhomogeneity in one dimension. The majority of these calculations neglect the fact that gyrocenters experience the inhomogeneity via their motion parallel to the magnetic field. In strongly driven systems, wave damping can distort the particle distribution function supporting the wave and this produces changes in the absorption. A bounce-averaged Fokker-Planck quasilinear computational model which evolves the population of particles on more realistic orbits is presented. Each wave-particle resonance has its own specific interaction amplitude within any given volume element; these data need only be generated once, and appropriately stored for efficient retrieval. The wave-particle resonant interaction then serves as a mechanism by which the diffusion of particle populations can proceed among neighboring orbits. The local specific spectral energy absorption rate is directly calculable once the orbit geometry and populations are determined. The code is constructed in such fashion as to accommodate wave propagation models which provide the wave spectral energy density on a poloidal cross-section. Information provided by the calculation includes the local absorption properties of the medium which can then be exploited to evolve the wave field.

Regimes of dry convection above wildfires: Idealized numerical simulations and dimensional analysis

Treesearch

Michael T. Kiefer; Matthew D. Parker; Joseph J. Charney

2009-01-01

Wildfires are capable of inducing atmospheric circulations that result predominantly from large temperature anomalies produced by the fire. The fundamental dynamics through which a forest fire and the atmosphere interact to yield different convective regimes is still not well understood. This study uses the Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) model to...

Preliminary measurements of neutrons from the D-D reaction in the COMPASS tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dankowski, J., E-mail: jan.dankowski@ifj.edu.pl; Kurowski, A.; Twarog, D.

Recent results of measured fast neutrons created in the D-D reaction on the COMPASS tokamak during ohmic discharges are presented in this paper. Two different type detectors were used during experiment. He-3 detectors and bubble detectors as a support. The measurements are an introduction for neutron diagnostic on tokamak COMPASS and monitoring neutrons during discharges with Neutral Beam Injection (NBI). The He-3 counters and bubble detectors were located in two positions near tokamak vacuum chamber at a distance less than 40 cm to the centre of plasma. The neutrons flux was observed in ohmic discharges. However, analysis of our resultsmore » does not indicate any clear source of neutrons production during ohmic discharges.« less

Simulation of MST tokamak discharges with resonant magnetic perturbations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cornille, B. S.; Sovinec, C. R.; Chapman, B. E.; Dubois, A.; McCollam, K. J.; Munaretto, S.

2016-10-01

Nonlinear MHD modeling of MST tokamak plasmas with an applied resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) reveals degradation of flux surfaces that may account for the experimentally observed suppression of runaway electrons with the RMP. Runaway electrons are routinely generated in MST tokamak discharges with low plasma density. When an m = 3 RMP is applied these electrons are strongly suppressed, while an m = 1 RMP of comparable amplitude has little effect. The computations are performed using the NIMROD code and use reconstructed equilibrium states of MST tokamak plasmas with q (0) < 1 and q (a) = 2.2 . Linear computations show that the (1 , 1) -kink and (2 , 2) -tearing modes are unstable, and nonlinear simulations produce sawtoothing with a period of approximately 0.5 ms, which is comparable to the period of MHD activity observed experimentally. Adding an m = 3 RMP in the computation degrades flux surfaces in the outer region of the plasma, while no degradation occurs with an m = 1 RMP. The outer flux surface degradation with the m = 3 RMP, combined with the sawtooth-induced distortion of flux surfaces in the core, may account for the observed suppression of runaway electrons. Work supported by DOE Grant DE-FC02-08ER54975.

Resistive Wall Modes Identification and Control in RFX-mod low qedge tokamak discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baruzzo, Matteo; Bolzonella, Tommaso; Cavazzana, Roberto; Marchiori, Giuseppe; Marrelli, Lionello; Martin, Piero; Paccagnella, Roberto; Piovesan, Paolo; Piron, Lidia; Soppelsa, Anton; Zanca, Paolo; in, Yongkyoon; Liu, Yueqiang; Okabayashi, Michio; Takechi, Manabu; Villone, Fabio

2011-10-01

In this work the MHD stability of RFX mode tokamak discharges with qedge < 3 will be studied. The target plasma scenario is characterized by a plasma current 100kA regime is limited by the onset of a slowly rotating m = 2 n = 1 kink mode, which eventually locks to the wall and induces a disruption. The mode growth rates have been characterized with regard to the main plasma parameters and have been compared with predictions by the linear MHD code MARS-F, and the 3D finite elements code CARMA, permitting a full Resistive Wall Mode identification. The stability of the mode in the vicinity of the unstable operational space has been studied using MHD spectroscopy on the (2/1) mode. A good discharge behaviour with qedge < 2 has been routinely obtained using the RFX-mod MHD active control system, which is capable of fully stabilizing the mode acting on the radial magnetic field at the plasma edge.

Control of bootstrap current in the pedestal region of tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shaing, K. C.; Department of Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53796; Lai, A. L.

2013-12-15

The high confinement mode (H-mode) plasmas in the pedestal region of tokamaks are characterized by steep gradient of the radial electric field, and sonic poloidal U{sub p,m} flow that consists of poloidal components of the E×B flow and the plasma flow velocity that is parallel to the magnetic field B. Here, E is the electric field. The bootstrap current that is important for the equilibrium, and stability of the pedestal of H-mode plasmas is shown to have an expression different from that in the conventional theory. In the limit where ‖U{sub p,m}‖≫ 1, the bootstrap current is driven by themore » electron temperature gradient and inductive electric field fundamentally different from that in the conventional theory. The bootstrap current in the pedestal region can be controlled through manipulating U{sub p,m} and the gradient of the radial electric. This, in turn, can control plasma stability such as edge-localized modes. Quantitative evaluations of various coefficients are shown to illustrate that the bootstrap current remains finite when ‖U{sub p,m}‖ approaches infinite and to provide indications how to control the bootstrap current. Approximate analytic expressions for viscous coefficients that join results in the banana and plateau-Pfirsch-Schluter regimes are presented to facilitate bootstrap and neoclassical transport simulations in the pedestal region.« less

Constrained ripple optimization of Tokamak bundle divertors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hively, L.M.; Rome, J.A.; Lynch, V.E.

1983-02-01

Magnetic field ripple from a tokamak bundle divertor is localized to a small toroidal sector and must be treated differently from the usual (distributed) toroidal field (TF) coil ripple. Generally, in a tokamak with an unoptimized divertor design, all of the banana-trapped fast ions are quickly lost due to banana drift diffusion or to trapping between the 1/R variation in absolute value vector B ..xi.. B and local field maxima due to the divertor. A computer code has been written to optimize automatically on-axis ripple subject to these constraints, while varying up to nine design parameters. Optimum configurations have lowmore » on-axis ripple (<0.2%) so that, now, most banana-trapped fast ions are confined. Only those ions with banana tips near the outside region (absolute value theta < or equal to 45/sup 0/) are lost. However, because finite-sized TF coils have not been used in this study, the flux bundle is not expanded.« less

Gyrokinetics with Advanced Collision Operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belli, E. A.; Candy, J.

2014-10-01

For gyrokinetic studies in the pedestal region, collisions are expected to play a more critical role than in the core and there is concern that more advanced collision operators, as well as numerical methods optimized for the strong collisionality regime, are needed. For this purpose, a new gyrokinetic solver CGYRO has been developed for precise studies of high collisionality regimes. Building on GYRO and NEO, CGYRO uses the NEO pitch angle and energy velocity-space coordinate system to optimize the accuracy of the collision dynamics, particularly for multi-species collisions and including energy diffusion. With implementation of the reduced Hirshman-Sigmar collision operator with full cross-species coupling, CGYRO recovers linear ITG growth rates and the collisional GAM test at moderate collision frequency. Methods to improve the behavior in the collisionless regime, particularly for the trapped/passing particle boundary physics for kinetic electrons, are studied. Extensions to advanced model operators with finite-k⊥ corrections, e.g., the Sugama operator, and the impact of high collisionality on linear gyrokinetic stability in the edge are explored. Work supported by the US DOE under DE-FG02-95ER54309.

Space-Time Variability in River Flow Regimes of Northeast Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saris, F.; Hannah, D. M.; Eastwood, W. J.

2011-12-01

that April-May and May-June peak shape classes together with low and intermediate magnitude classes are the most frequent and persistent flow regimes. This research has advanced understanding of hydroclimatological processes in northeast Turkey by identifying river flow regimes and together with explanations regarding the controlling factors on river flow variability.

Design of the radiation shielding for the time of flight enhanced diagnostics neutron spectrometer at Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Du, T. F.; Chen, Z. J.; Peng, X. Y.

A radiation shielding has been designed to reduce scattered neutrons and background gamma-rays for the new double-ring Time Of Flight Enhanced Diagnostics (TOFED). The shielding was designed based on simulation with the Monte Carlo code MCNP5. Dedicated model of the EAST tokamak has been developed together with the emission neutron source profile and spectrum; the latter were simulated with the Nubeam and GENESIS codes. Significant reduction of background radiation at the detector can be achieved and this satisfies the requirement of TOFED. The intensities of the scattered and direct neutrons in the line of sight of the TOFED neutron spectrometermore » at EAST are studied for future data interpretation.« less

$$\\mathscr{H}_2$$ optimal control techniques for resistive wall mode feedback in tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clement, Mitchell; Hanson, Jeremy; Bialek, Jim

DIII-D experiments show that a new, advanced algorithm improves resistive wall mode (RWM) stability control in high performance discharges using external coils. DIII-D can excite strong, locked or nearly locked external kink modes whose rotation frequencies and growth rates are on the order of the magnetic ux di usion time of the vacuum vessel wall. The VALEN RWM model has been used to gauge the e ectiveness of RWM control algorithms in tokamaks. Simulations and experiments have shown that modern control techniques like Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control will perform better, using 77% less current, than classical techniques when usingmore » control coils external to DIII-D's vacuum vessel. Experiments were conducted to develop control of a rotating n = 1 perturbation using an LQG controller derived from VALEN and external coils. Feedback using this LQG algorithm outperformed a proportional gain only controller in these perturbation experiments over a range of frequencies. Results from high N experiments also show that advanced feedback techniques using external control coils may be as e ective as internal control coil feedback using classical control techniques.« less

$$\\mathscr{H}_2$$ optimal control techniques for resistive wall mode feedback in tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Clement, Mitchell; Hanson, Jeremy; Bialek, Jim; ...

2018-02-28

DIII-D experiments show that a new, advanced algorithm improves resistive wall mode (RWM) stability control in high performance discharges using external coils. DIII-D can excite strong, locked or nearly locked external kink modes whose rotation frequencies and growth rates are on the order of the magnetic ux di usion time of the vacuum vessel wall. The VALEN RWM model has been used to gauge the e ectiveness of RWM control algorithms in tokamaks. Simulations and experiments have shown that modern control techniques like Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control will perform better, using 77% less current, than classical techniques when usingmore » control coils external to DIII-D's vacuum vessel. Experiments were conducted to develop control of a rotating n = 1 perturbation using an LQG controller derived from VALEN and external coils. Feedback using this LQG algorithm outperformed a proportional gain only controller in these perturbation experiments over a range of frequencies. Results from high N experiments also show that advanced feedback techniques using external control coils may be as e ective as internal control coil feedback using classical control techniques.« less

First measurements of Hiro currents in vertical displacement event in tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xiong, Hao; Xu, Guosheng; Wang, Huiqian

Specially designed tiles were setup in the 2012 campaign of the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), to directly measure the toroidal surface currents during the disruptions. Hiro currents with direction opposite to the plasma currents have been observed, confirming the sign prediction by the Wall Touching Vertical Mode (WTVM) theory and numerical simulations. During the initial phase of the disruption, when the plasma begins to touch the wall, the surface currents can be excited by WTVM along the plasma facing tile surface, varying with the mode magnitude. The currents are not observed in the cases when the plasma moves awaymore » from the tile surface. This discovery addresses the importance of the plasma motion into the wall in vertical disruptions. WTVM, acting as a current generator, forces the Hiro currents to flow through the gaps between tiles. This effect, being overlooked so far in disruption analysis, may damage the edges of the tiles and is important for the ITER device.« less

Modeling of Resistive Wall Modes in Tokamak and Reversed Field Pinch Configurations of KTX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Rui; Zhu, Ping; Bai, Wei; Lan, Tao; Liu, Wandong

2016-10-01

Resistive wall mode is believed to be one of the leading causes for macroscopic degradation of plasma confinement in tokamaks and reversed field pinches (RFP). In this study, we evaluate the linear RWM instability of Keda Torus eXperiment (KTX) in both tokamak and RFP configurations. For the tokamak configuration, the extended MHD code NIMROD is employed for calculating the dependence of the RWM growth rate on the position and conductivity of the vacuum wall for a model tokamak equilibrium of KTX in the large aspect-ratio approximation. For the RFP configuration, the standard formulation of dispersion relation for RWM based on the MHD energy principle has been evaluated for a cylindrical α- Θ model of KTX plasma equilibrium, in an effort to investigate the effects of thin wall on the RWM in KTX. Full MHD calculations of RWM in the RFP configuration of KTX using the NIMROD code are also being developed. Supported by National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Science Program of China Grant Nos. 2014GB124002, 2015GB101004, 2011GB106000, and 2011GB106003.

Optimization study of normal conductor tokamak for commercial neutron source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujita, T.; Sakai, R.; Okamoto, A.

2017-05-01

The optimum conceptual design of tokamak with normal conductor coils was studied for minimizing the cost for producing a given neutron flux by using a system code, PEC. It is assumed that the fusion neutrons are used for burning transuranics from the fission reactor spent fuel in the blanket and a fraction of the generated electric power is circulated to opearate the tokamak with moderate plasma fusion gain. The plasma performance was assumed to be moderate ones; {β\\text{N}}~∼ ~3{--}4 in the aspect ratio A~=~2{--}3 and {{H}98y2}~=~1 . The circulating power is an important factor affecting the cost. Though decreasing the aspect ratio is useful to raise the plasma beta and decrease the toroidal field, the maximum field in the coil starts to rise in the very low aspect ratio range and then the circulating power increases with decrease in the plasma aspect ratio A below A~∼ ~2 , while the construction cost increases with A . As a result, the cost per neutron has its minimum around A~∼ ~2.2 , namely, between ST and the conventional tokamak. The average circulating power fraction is expected to be ~51%.

Integrated Tokamak modeling: When physics informs engineering and research planning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Poli, Francesca Maria

Modeling tokamaks enables a deeper understanding of how to run and control our experiments and how to design stable and reliable reactors. We model tokamaks to understand the nonlinear dynamics of plasmas embedded in magnetic fields and contained by finite size, conducting structures, and the interplay between turbulence, magneto-hydrodynamic instabilities, and wave propagation. This tutorial guides through the components of a tokamak simulator, highlighting how high-fidelity simulations can guide the development of reduced models that can be used to understand how the dynamics at a small scale and short time scales affects macroscopic transport and global stability of plasmas. Itmore » discusses the important role that reduced models have in the modeling of an entire plasma discharge from startup to termination, the limits of these models, and how they can be improved. It discusses the important role that efficient workflows have in the coupling between codes, in the validation of models against experiments and in the verification of theoretical models. Finally, it reviews the status of integrated modeling and addresses the gaps and needs towards predictions of future devices and fusion reactors.« less

Integrated Tokamak modeling: When physics informs engineering and research planning

DOE PAGES

Poli, Francesca Maria

2018-05-01

Modeling tokamaks enables a deeper understanding of how to run and control our experiments and how to design stable and reliable reactors. We model tokamaks to understand the nonlinear dynamics of plasmas embedded in magnetic fields and contained by finite size, conducting structures, and the interplay between turbulence, magneto-hydrodynamic instabilities, and wave propagation. This tutorial guides through the components of a tokamak simulator, highlighting how high-fidelity simulations can guide the development of reduced models that can be used to understand how the dynamics at a small scale and short time scales affects macroscopic transport and global stability of plasmas. Itmore » discusses the important role that reduced models have in the modeling of an entire plasma discharge from startup to termination, the limits of these models, and how they can be improved. It discusses the important role that efficient workflows have in the coupling between codes, in the validation of models against experiments and in the verification of theoretical models. Finally, it reviews the status of integrated modeling and addresses the gaps and needs towards predictions of future devices and fusion reactors.« less

Plasma shaping effects on tokamak scrape-off layer turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riva, Fabio; Lanti, Emmanuel; Jolliet, Sébastien; Ricci, Paolo

2017-03-01

The impact of plasma shaping on tokamak scrape-off layer (SOL) turbulence is investigated. The drift-reduced Braginskii equations are written for arbitrary magnetic geometries, and an analytical equilibrium model is used to introduce the dependence of turbulence equations on tokamak inverse aspect ratio (ε ), Shafranov’s shift (Δ), elongation (κ), and triangularity (δ). A linear study of plasma shaping effects on the growth rate of resistive ballooning modes (RBMs) and resistive drift waves (RDWs) reveals that RBMs are strongly stabilized by elongation and negative triangularity, while RDWs are only slightly stabilized in non-circular magnetic geometries. Assuming that the linear instabilities saturate due to nonlinear local flattening of the plasma gradient, the equilibrium gradient pressure length {L}p=-{p}e/{{\

Arctic circulation regimes

PubMed Central

Proshutinsky, Andrey; Dukhovskoy, Dmitry; Timmermans, Mary-Louise; Krishfield, Richard; Bamber, Jonathan L.

2015-01-01

Between 1948 and 1996, mean annual environmental parameters in the Arctic experienced a well-pronounced decadal variability with two basic circulation patterns: cyclonic and anticyclonic alternating at 5 to 7 year intervals. During cyclonic regimes, low sea-level atmospheric pressure (SLP) dominated over the Arctic Ocean driving sea ice and the upper ocean counterclockwise; the Arctic atmosphere was relatively warm and humid, and freshwater flux from the Arctic Ocean towards the subarctic seas was intensified. By contrast, during anticylonic circulation regimes, high SLP dominated driving sea ice and the upper ocean clockwise. Meanwhile, the atmosphere was cold and dry and the freshwater flux from the Arctic to the subarctic seas was reduced. Since 1997, however, the Arctic system has been under the influence of an anticyclonic circulation regime (17 years) with a set of environmental parameters that are atypical for this regime. We discuss a hypothesis explaining the causes and mechanisms regulating the intensity and duration of Arctic circulation regimes, and speculate how changes in freshwater fluxes from the Arctic Ocean and Greenland impact environmental conditions and interrupt their decadal variability. PMID:26347536

Tungsten coating by ATC plasma spraying on CFC for WEST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Firdaouss, M.; Desgranges, C.; Hernandez, C.; Mateus, C.; Maier, H.; Böswirth, B.; Greuner, H.; Samaille, F.; Bucalossi, J.; Missirlian, M.

2017-12-01

In the field of fusion experiments using a tokamak, the plasma facing components (PFC) are the closest object to the hot plasma. Due to the plasma-wall interaction, the material composing the PFC may enter the plasma and disturb the experiments. In the past, the main material for PFC was carbon (CFC, graphite), while the future reactors like ITER will be fully metallic, in particular tungsten. The Tore Supra tokamak has been transformed in an x-point divertor fusion device within the frame of the WEST (W (tungsten) Environment in Steady-state Tokamak) project in order to have plasma conditions close to those expected in ITER. The PFC other than the divertor has been coated with W to transform Tore Supra into a fully metallic environment. Different coating techniques have been selected for different kind of PFC. This paper gives an overview on the coating process used for the antennae protection limiter, the associated validation programme and concludes on the adequacy of the W coating with the WEST experimental programme requirements and gives perspectives on the development to be pursued.

Effects of Hot Limiter Biasing on Tokamak Runaway Discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salar Elahi, A.; Ghoranneviss, M.; Ghanbari, M. R.

2013-10-01

In this research hot limiter biasing effects on the Runaway discharges were investigated. First wall of the tokamak reactors can affects serious damage due to the high energy runaway electrons during a major disruption and therefore its life time can be reduced. Therefore, it is important to find methods to decrease runaway electron generation and their energy. Tokamak limiter biasing is one of the methods for controlling the radial electric field and can induce a transition to an improved confinement state. In this article generation of runaway electrons and the energy they can obtain will be investigated theoretically. Moreover, in order to apply radial biasing an emissive limiter biasing is utilized. The biased limiter can apply +380 V in the status of cold and hot to the plasma and result in the increase of negative bias current in hot status. In fact, in this experiment we try to decrease the generation of runaway electrons and their energy by using emissive limiter biasing inserted on the IR-T1 tokamak. The mean energy of these electrons was obtained by spectroscopy of hard X-ray. Also, the plasma current center shift was measured from the vertical field coil characteristics in presence of limiter biasing. The calculation is made focusing on the vertical field coil current and voltage changes due to a horizontal displacement of plasma column.

Stationary Flowing Liquid Lithium (SFLiLi) systems for tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakharov, Leonid; Gentile, Charles; Roquemore, Lane

2013-10-01

The present approach to magnetic fusion which relies on high recycling plasma-wall interaction has exhausted itself at the level of TFTR, JET, JT-60 devices with no realistic path to the burning plasma. Instead, magnetic fusion needs a return to its original idea of insulation of the plasma from the wall, which was the dominant approach in the 1970s and upon implementations has a clear path to the DEMO device with PDT ~= 100 MW and Qelectric > 1 . The SFLiLi systems of this talk is the technology tool for implementation of the guiding idea of magnetic fusion. It utilizes the unique properties of flowing LiLi to pump plasma particles and, thus, insulate plasma from the walls. The necessary flow rate, ~= 1 g3/s, is very small, thus, making the use of lithium practical and consistent with safety requirements. The talk describes how chemical activity of LiLi, which is the major technology challenge of using LiLi in tokamaks, is addressed by SFLiLi systems at the level of already performed (HT-7) experiment, and in ongoing implementations for a prototype of SFLiLi for tokamak divertors and the mid-plane limiter for EAST tokamak (to be tested in the next experimental campaign). This work is supported by US DoE contract No. DE-AC02-09-CH11466.

Isotope effects on L-H threshold and confinement in tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maggi, C. F.; Weisen, H.; Hillesheim, J. C.; Chankin, A.; Delabie, E.; Horvath, L.; Auriemma, F.; Carvalho, I. S.; Corrigan, G.; Flanagan, J.; Garzotti, L.; Keeling, D.; King, D.; Lerche, E.; Lorenzini, R.; Maslov, M.; Menmuir, S.; Saarelma, S.; Sips, A. C. C.; Solano, E. R.; Belonohy, E.; Casson, F. J.; Challis, C.; Giroud, C.; Parail, V.; Silva, C.; Valisa, M.; Contributors, JET

2018-01-01

The dependence of plasma transport and confinement on the main hydrogenic ion isotope mass is of fundamental importance for understanding turbulent transport and, therefore, for accurate extrapolations of confinement from present tokamak experiments, which typically use a single hydrogen isotope, to burning plasmas such as ITER, which will operate in deuterium-tritium mixtures. Knowledge of the dependence of plasma properties and edge transport barrier formation on main ion species is critical in view of the initial, low-activation phase of ITER operations in hydrogen or helium and of its implications on the subsequent operation in deuterium-tritium. The favourable scaling of global energy confinement time with isotope mass, which has been observed in many tokamak experiments, remains largely unexplained theoretically. Moreover, the mass scaling observed in experiments varies depending on the plasma edge conditions. In preparation for upcoming deuterium-tritium experiments in the JET tokamak with the ITER-like Be/W Wall (JET-ILW), a thorough experimental investigation of isotope effects in hydrogen, deuterium and tritium plasmas is being carried out, in order to provide stringent tests of plasma energy, particle and momentum transport models. Recent hydrogen and deuterium isotope experiments in JET-ILW on L-H power threshold, L-mode and H-mode confinement are reviewed and discussed in the context of past and more recent isotope experiments in tokamak plasmas, highlighting common elements as well as contrasting observations that have been reported. The experimental findings are discussed in the context of fundamental aspects of plasma transport models.

H-mode achievement and edge features in RFX-mod tokamak operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spolaore, M.; Cavazzana, R.; Marrelli, L.; Carraro, L.; Franz, P.; Spagnolo, S.; Zaniol, B.; Zuin, M.; Cordaro, L.; Dal Bello, S.; De Masi, G.; Ferro, A.; Finotti, C.; Grando, L.; Grenfell, G.; Innocente, P.; Kudlacek, O.; Marchiori, G.; Martines, E.; Momo, B.; Paccagnella, R.; Piovesan, P.; Piron, C.; Puiatti, M. E.; Recchia, M.; Scarin, P.; Taliercio, C.; Vianello, N.; Zanotto, L.

2017-11-01

The RFX-mod experiment is a fusion device designed to operate as a reversed field pinch (RFP), with a major radius R = 2 m and a minor radius a = 0.459 m. Its high versatility recently allowed operating it also as an ohmic tokamak, allowing comparative studies between the two configurations in the same device. The device is equipped with a state of the art MHD mode feedback control system providing a magnetic boundary effective control, by applying resonant or non-resonant magnetic perturbations (MP), both in RFP and in tokamak configurations. In the fusion community the application of MPs is widely studied as a promising tool to limit the impact of plasma filaments and ELMs (edge localized modes) on plasma facing components. An important new research line is the exploitation of the RFX-mod active control system for ELM mitigation studies. As a first step in this direction, this paper presents the most recent achievements in term of RFX-mod tokamak explored scenarios, which allowed the first investigation of the ohmic and edge biasing induced H-mode. The production of D-shaped tokamak discharges and the design and deployment of an insertable polarized electrode were accomplished. Reproducible H-mode phases were obtained with insertable electrode negative biasing in single null discharges, representing an unexplored scenario with this technique. Important modifications of the edge plasma density and flow properties are observed. During the achieved H-mode ELM-like electromagnetic composite filamentary structures are observed. They are characterized by clear vorticity and parallel current density patterns.

Plasma density injection and flow during coaxial helicity injection in a tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hooper, E. B.

2018-02-01

Whole device, resistive MHD simulations of spheromaks and tokamaks have used a large diffusion coefficient that maintains a nearly constant density throughout the device. In the present work, helicity and plasma are coinjected into a low-density plasma in a tokamak with a small diffusion coefficient. As in previous simulations [Hooper et al., Phys. Plasmas 20, 092510 (2013)], a flux bubble is formed, which expands to fill the tokamak volume. The injected plasma is non-uniform inside the bubble. The flow pattern is analyzed; when the simulation is not axisymmetric, an n = 1 mode on the surface of the bubble generates leakage of plasma into the low-density volume. Closed flux is generated following injection, as in experiments and previous simulations. The result provides a more detailed physics analysis of the injection, including density non-uniformities in the plasma that may affect its use as a startup plasma [Raman et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 175002 (2006)].

Neoclassical Simulation of Tokamak Plasmas using Continuum Gyrokinetc Code TEMPEST

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, X Q

We present gyrokinetic neoclassical simulations of tokamak plasmas with self-consistent electric field for the first time using a fully nonlinear (full-f) continuum code TEMPEST in a circular geometry. A set of gyrokinetic equations are discretized on a five dimensional computational grid in phase space. The present implementation is a Method of Lines approach where the phase-space derivatives are discretized with finite differences and implicit backwards differencing formulas are used to advance the system in time. The fully nonlinear Boltzmann model is used for electrons. The neoclassical electric field is obtained by solving gyrokinetic Poisson equation with self-consistent poloidal variation. Withmore » our 4D ({psi}, {theta}, {epsilon}, {mu}) version of the TEMPEST code we compute radial particle and heat flux, the Geodesic-Acoustic Mode (GAM), and the development of neoclassical electric field, which we compare with neoclassical theory with a Lorentz collision model. The present work provides a numerical scheme and a new capability for self-consistently studying important aspects of neoclassical transport and rotations in toroidal magnetic fusion devices.« less

Edge Thomson scattering diagnostic on COMPASS tokamak: Installation, calibration, operation, improvements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bohm, P., E-mail: bohm@ipp.cas.cz; Bilkova, P.; Melich, R.

2014-11-15

The core Thomson scattering diagnostic (TS) on the COMPASS tokamak was put in operation and reported earlier. Implementation of edge TS, with spatial resolution along the laser beam up to ∼1/100 of the tokamak minor radius, is presented now. The procedure for spatial calibration and alignment of both core and edge systems is described. Several further upgrades of the TS system, like a triggering unit and piezo motor driven vacuum window shutter, are introduced as well. The edge TS system, together with the core TS, is now in routine operation and provides electron temperature and density profiles.

Recent Doppler Backscattering results from EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Chu; Liu, Adi; Zhang, Xiaohui; Hu, Jianqiang; Wang, Mingyuan; Yu, Changxuan; Liu, Wandong; Li, Hong; Lan, Tao; Sun, Xuan; Xie, Jinlin; Ding, Weixing; CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment, University of Science and Technology of China Team; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California at Los Angeles Collaboration

2013-10-01

A Doppler reflectometer system has recently been installed in the EAST tokamak. It includes two separated systems, one for Q-band and the other for V-band. The optical system consists of a fixed flat mirror and a steerable parabolic mirror, which enabling the measurement of perpendicular wave number in the range of 4-22/cm, with the wave number resolution around 2/cm, while the radial location can cover the whole minor radius for L mode and the whole pedestal for H mode on EAST. A 2D Gaussion Ray tracing code is used to calculate the scattering location, the perpendicular wave number and the resolution. In EAST last experimental campaign the Doppler shifted signals have been obtained and the radial profiles of the perpendicular propagation velocity during L-mode and H-mode are calculated. The Er evolution during L-H and H-L transition have also been measured. The two separated systems are also used as a poloidal coherent system together to study the GAM in EAST tokamak.

E × B flow shear drive of the linear low- n modes of EHO in the QH-mode regime [ E × B flow shear drive of EHO in the QH-mode regime

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, G. S.; Wan, B. N.; Wang, Y. F.

A new mechanism is identified for driving the edge harmonic oscillations (EHOs) in the quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) regime, where a strong E × B flow shear destabilizes low-n kink/peeling modes, separately from the previously found Kelvin-Helmholtz drive. We find that the differential advection of mode vorticity by sheared E × B flows modifies the two-dimensional pattern of mode electrostatic potential perpendicular to the magnetic field lines, which in turn causes a radial expansion of the mode structure, an increase of field line bending away from the mode rational surface, and a reduction of inertial stabilization. This enhances the kink drivemore » as the parallel wavenumber increases significantly away from the rational surface where the magnetic shear is also strong. A newly developed model reproduces the observations that at high E × B flow shear only a few low-n modes remain unstable, consistent with the EHO behavior, while at low E × B flow shear the unstable mode spectrum is significantly broadened, consistent with the low-n broadband electromagnetic turbulence behavior observed recently in the DIII-D tokamak. This destabilization is also shown to be independent of the sign of the flow shear, as observed experimentally, and has not been taken into 2 / 46 account in previous pedestal linear stability analyses. Verification of the veracity of this EHO mechanism will require analysis of the nonlinear evolution of low-n kink/peeling modes so destabilized in the linear regime.« less

E × B flow shear drive of the linear low- n modes of EHO in the QH-mode regime [ E × B flow shear drive of EHO in the QH-mode regime

DOE PAGES

Xu, G. S.; Wan, B. N.; Wang, Y. F.; ...

2017-07-18

A new mechanism is identified for driving the edge harmonic oscillations (EHOs) in the quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) regime, where a strong E × B flow shear destabilizes low-n kink/peeling modes, separately from the previously found Kelvin-Helmholtz drive. We find that the differential advection of mode vorticity by sheared E × B flows modifies the two-dimensional pattern of mode electrostatic potential perpendicular to the magnetic field lines, which in turn causes a radial expansion of the mode structure, an increase of field line bending away from the mode rational surface, and a reduction of inertial stabilization. This enhances the kink drivemore » as the parallel wavenumber increases significantly away from the rational surface where the magnetic shear is also strong. A newly developed model reproduces the observations that at high E × B flow shear only a few low-n modes remain unstable, consistent with the EHO behavior, while at low E × B flow shear the unstable mode spectrum is significantly broadened, consistent with the low-n broadband electromagnetic turbulence behavior observed recently in the DIII-D tokamak. This destabilization is also shown to be independent of the sign of the flow shear, as observed experimentally, and has not been taken into 2 / 46 account in previous pedestal linear stability analyses. Verification of the veracity of this EHO mechanism will require analysis of the nonlinear evolution of low-n kink/peeling modes so destabilized in the linear regime.« less

Detection regimes of the cosmological gravitational wave background from astrophysical sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coward, David; Regimbau, Tania

2006-09-01

Key targets for gravitational wave (GW) observatories, such as LIGO and the next generation interferometric detector, Advanced LIGO, include core-collapse of massive stars and the final stage of coalescence of compact stellar remnants. The combined GW signal from such events occurring throughout the Universe will produce an astrophysical GW background (AGB), one that is fundamentally different from the GW background by very early Universe processes. One can classify contributions to the AGB for different classes of sources based on the strength of the GW emissions from the individual sources, their peak emission frequency, emission duration and their event rate density distribution. This article provides an overview of the detectability regimes of the AGB in the context of current and planned gravitational wave observatories. We show that there are two important AGB signal detection regimes, which we define as 'continuous' and 'popcorn noise'. We describe how the 'popcorn noise' AGB regime evolves with observation time and we discuss how this feature distinguishes it from the GW background produced from very early Universe processes.

Far-infrared laser diagnostics on the HT-6M tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, X.; Lu, H. J.; Guo, Q. L.; Wan, Y. X.; Tong, X. D.

1995-01-01

A multichannel far-infrared (FIR) hydrogen cyanide (HCN) laser interferometer was developed to measure plasma electron density profile on the HT-6M tokamak. The structure of the seven-channel FIR laser interferometer is described. The laser source used in the interferometer was a continuous-wave glow discharge HCN laser with a cavity length of 3.4 m and power output of about 100 mW at 337 μm. The detection sensitivity was 1/15 fringe with a temporal resolution of 0.1 ms. Experimental results were measured by the seven-channel FIR HCN laser interferometer with edge Ohmic heating, a pumping limiter, and ion cyclotron resonant heating on the HT-6M tokamak are reported.

Measurement of eddy-current distribution in the vacuum vessel of the Sino-UNIted Spherical Tokamak.

PubMed

Li, G; Tan, Y; Liu, Y Q

2015-08-01

Eddy currents have an important effect on tokamak plasma equilibrium and control of magneto hydrodynamic activity. The vacuum vessel of the Sino-UNIted Spherical Tokamak is separated into two hemispherical sections by a toroidal insulating barrier. Consequently, the characteristics of eddy currents are more complex than those found in a standard tokamak. Thus, it is necessary to measure and analyze the eddy-current distribution. In this study, we propose an experimental method for measuring the eddy-current distribution in a vacuum vessel. By placing a flexible printed circuit board with magnetic probes onto the external surface of the vacuum vessel to measure the magnetic field parallel to the surface and then subtracting the magnetic field generated by the vertical-field coils, the magnetic field due to the eddy current can be obtained, and its distribution can be determined. We successfully applied this method to the Sino-UNIted Spherical Tokamak, and thus, we obtained the eddy-current distribution despite the presence of the magnetic field generated by the external coils.

A novel flexible field-aligned coordinate system for tokamak edge plasma simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leddy, J.; Dudson, B.; Romanelli, M.; Shanahan, B.; Walkden, N.

2017-03-01

Tokamak plasmas are confined by a magnetic field that limits the particle and heat transport perpendicular to the field. Parallel to the field the ionised particles can move freely, so to obtain confinement the field lines are "closed" (i.e. form closed surfaces of constant poloidal flux) in the core of a tokamak. Towards, the edge, however, the field lines intersect physical surfaces, leading to interaction between neutral and ionised particles, and the potential melting of the material surface. Simulation of this interaction is important for predicting the performance and lifetime of future tokamak devices such as ITER. Field-aligned coordinates are commonly used in the simulation of tokamak plasmas due to the geometry and magnetic topology of the system. However, these coordinates are limited in the geometry they allow in the poloidal plane due to orthogonality requirements. A novel 3D coordinate system is proposed herein that relaxes this constraint so that any arbitrary, smoothly varying geometry can be matched in the poloidal plane while maintaining a field-aligned coordinate. This system is implemented in BOUT++ and tested for accuracy using the method of manufactured solutions. A MAST edge cross-section is simulated using a fluid plasma model and the results show expected behaviour for density, temperature, and velocity. Finally, simulations of an isolated divertor leg are conducted with and without neutrals to demonstrate the ion-neutral interaction near the divertor plate and the corresponding beneficial decrease in plasma temperature.

Application of an empirical saturation rule to TGLF to unify low-k and high-k turbulence dominated regimes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jian, Xiang; Chan, Vincent S.; Chen, Jiale

Here, we propose a phenomenological turbulence saturation model and apply it to the TGLF turbulence transport model, which captures the physics of interaction between low-k and high-k turbulence consistent with the multi-scale gyro-kinetic simulation result. The new model, TGLF-VX is tested with three discharges from DIII-D and EAST tokamak, which cover both low-k and high-k turbulence dominated regimes. It is found that the profile match can be substantially improved over previous models when evolving Te, Ti and ne simultaneously. Good agreement for all three discharges is obtained with one fixed parameter in the model when taking experimental uncertainties into consideration.more » Finally, TGLF-VX is applied to explore the sensitivity of the predicted CFETR steady-state performance to different transport models. Our result shows that a scenario using only RF auxiliary heating could be significantly affected.« less

Application of an empirical saturation rule to TGLF to unify low-k and high-k turbulence dominated regimes

DOE PAGES

Jian, Xiang; Chan, Vincent S.; Chen, Jiale; ...

2017-09-28

Here, we propose a phenomenological turbulence saturation model and apply it to the TGLF turbulence transport model, which captures the physics of interaction between low-k and high-k turbulence consistent with the multi-scale gyro-kinetic simulation result. The new model, TGLF-VX is tested with three discharges from DIII-D and EAST tokamak, which cover both low-k and high-k turbulence dominated regimes. It is found that the profile match can be substantially improved over previous models when evolving Te, Ti and ne simultaneously. Good agreement for all three discharges is obtained with one fixed parameter in the model when taking experimental uncertainties into consideration.more » Finally, TGLF-VX is applied to explore the sensitivity of the predicted CFETR steady-state performance to different transport models. Our result shows that a scenario using only RF auxiliary heating could be significantly affected.« less

Understanding L-H transition in tokamak fusion plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Guosheng; Wu, Xingquan

2017-03-01

This paper reviews the current state of understanding of the L-H transition phenomenon in tokamak plasmas with a focus on two central issues: (a) the mechanism for turbulence quick suppression at the L-H transition; (b) the mechanism for subsequent generation of sheared flow. We briefly review recent advances in the understanding of the fast suppression of edge turbulence across the L-H transition. We uncover a comprehensive physical picture of the L-H transition by piecing together a number of recent experimental observations and insights obtained from 1D and 2D simulation models. Different roles played by diamagnetic mean flow, neoclassical-driven mean flow, turbulence-driven mean flow, and turbulence-driven zonal flows are discussed and clarified. It is found that the L-H transition occurs spontaneously mediated by a shift in the radial wavenumber spectrum of edge turbulence, which provides a critical evidence for the theory of turbulence quench by the flow shear. Remaining questions and some key directions for future investigations are proposed. This work was supported by National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Science Program of China under Contracts No. 2015GB101000, No. 2013GB106000, and No. 2013GB107000 and National Natural Science Foundation of China under Contracts No. 11575235 and No. 11422546.

Development of Numerical Methods to Estimate the Ohmic Breakdown Scenarios of a Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoo, Min-Gu; Kim, Jayhyun; An, Younghwa; Hwang, Yong-Seok; Shim, Seung Bo; Lee, Hae June; Na, Yong-Su

2011-10-01

The ohmic breakdown is a fundamental method to initiate the plasma in a tokamak. For the robust breakdown, ohmic breakdown scenarios have to be carefully designed by optimizing the magnetic field configurations to minimize the stray magnetic fields. This research focuses on development of numerical methods to estimate the ohmic breakdown scenarios by precise analysis of the magnetic field configurations. This is essential for the robust and optimal breakdown and start-up of fusion devices especially for ITER and its beyond equipped with low toroidal electric field (ET <= 0.3 V/m). A field-line-following analysis code based on the Townsend avalanche theory and a particle simulation code are developed to analyze the breakdown characteristics of actual complex magnetic field configurations including the stray magnetic fields in tokamaks. They are applied to the ohmic breakdown scenarios of tokamaks such as KSTAR and VEST and compared with experiments.

Toroidal gyrofluid equations for simulations of tokamak turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beer, M. A.; Hammett, G. W.

1996-11-01

A set of nonlinear gyrofluid equations for simulations of tokamak turbulence are derived by taking moments of the nonlinear toroidal gyrokinetic equation. The moment hierarchy is closed with approximations that model the kinetic effects of parallel Landau damping, toroidal drift resonances, and finite Larmor radius effects. These equations generalize the work of Dorland and Hammett [Phys. Fluids B 5, 812 (1993)] to toroidal geometry by including essential toroidal effects. The closures for phase mixing from toroidal ∇B and curvature drifts take the basic form presented in Waltz et al. [Phys. Fluids B 4, 3138 (1992)], but here a more rigorous procedure is used, including an extension to higher moments, which provides significantly improved accuracy. In addition, trapped ion effects and collisions are incorporated. This reduced set of nonlinear equations accurately models most of the physics considered important for ion dynamics in core tokamak turbulence, and is simple enough to be used in high resolution direct numerical simulations.

Transition boiling heat transfer and the film transition regime

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramilison, J. M.; Lienhard, J. H.

1987-01-01

The Berenson (1960) flat-plate transition-boiling experiment has been recreated with a reduced thermal resistance in the heater, and an improved access to those portions of the transition boiling regime that have a steep negative slope. Tests have been made in Freon-113, acetone, benzene, and n-pentane boiling on horizontal flat copper heaters that have been mirror-polished, 'roughened', or teflon-coated. The resulting data reproduce and clarify certain features observed by Berenson: the modest surface finish dependence of boiling burnout, and the influence of surface chemistry on both the minimum heat flux and the mode of transition boiling, for example. A rational scheme of correlation yields a prediction of the heat flux in what Witte and Lienhard (1982) previously identified as the 'film-transition boiling' region. It is also shown how to calculate the heat flux at the boundary between the pure-film, and the film-transition, boiling regimes, as a function of the advancing contact angle.

Study of Globus-M Tokamak Poloidal System and Plasma Position Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dokuka, V. N.; Korenev, P. S.; Mitrishkin, Yu. V.; Pavlova, E. A.; Patrov, M. I.; Khayrutdinov, R. R.

2017-12-01

In order to provide efficient performance of tokamaks with vertically elongated plasma position, control systems for limited and diverted plasma configuration are required. The accuracy, stability, speed of response, and reliability of plasma position control as well as plasma shape and current control depend on the performance of the control system. Therefore, the problem of the development of such systems is an important and actual task in modern tokamaks. In this study, the measured signals from the magnetic loops and Rogowski coils are used to reconstruct the plasma equilibrium, for which linear models in small deviations are constructed. We apply methods of the H∞-optimization theory to the synthesize control system for vertical and horizontal position of plasma capable to working with structural uncertainty of the models of the plant. These systems are applied to the plasma-physical DINA code which is configured for the tokamak Globus-M plasma. The testing of the developed systems applied to the DINA code with Heaviside step functions have revealed the complex dynamics of plasma magnetic configurations. Being close to the bifurcation point in the parameter space of unstable plasma has made it possible to detect an abrupt change in the X-point position from the top to the bottom and vice versa. Development of the methods for reconstruction of plasma magnetic configurations and experience in designing plasma control systems with feedback for tokamaks provided an opportunity to synthesize new digital controllers for plasma vertical and horizontal position stabilization. It also allowed us to test the synthesized digital controllers in the closed loop of the control system with the DINA code as a nonlinear model of plasma.

CXSFIT Code Application to Process Charge-Exchange Recombination Spectroscopy Data at the T-10 Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serov, S. V.; Tugarinov, S. N.; Klyuchnikov, L. A.; Krupin, V. A.; von Hellermann, M.

2017-12-01

The applicability of the CXSFIT code to process experimental data from Charge-eXchange Recombination Spectroscopy (CXRS) diagnostics at the T-10 tokamak is studied with a view to its further use for processing experimental data at the ITER facility. The design and operating principle of the CXRS diagnostics are described. The main methods for processing the CXRS spectra of the 5291-Å line of C5+ ions at the T-10 tokamak (with and without subtraction of parasitic emission from the edge plasma) are analyzed. The method of averaging the CXRS spectra over several shots, which is used at the T-10 tokamak to increase the signal-to-noise ratio, is described. The approximation of the spectrum by a set of Gaussian components is used to identify the active CXRS line in the measured spectrum. Using the CXSFIT code, the ion temperature in ohmic discharges and discharges with auxiliary electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) at the T-10 tokamak is calculated from the CXRS spectra of the 5291-Å line. The time behavior of the ion temperature profile in different ohmic heating modes is studied. The temperature profile dependence on the ECRH power is measured, and the dynamics of ECR removal of carbon nuclei from the T-10 plasma is described. Experimental data from the CXRS diagnostics at T-10 substantially contribute to the implementation of physical programs of studies on heat and particle transport in tokamak plasmas and investigation of geodesic acoustic mode properties.

Identifying microturbulence regimes in a TCV discharge making use of physical constraints on particle and heat fluxes

DOE PAGES

Mariani, Alberto; Brunner, S.; Dominski, J.; ...

2018-01-17

Reducing the uncertainty on physical input parameters derived from experimental measurements is essential towards improving the reliability of gyrokinetic turbulence simulations. This can be achieved by introducing physical constraints. Amongst them, the zero particle flux condition is considered here. A first attempt is also made to match as well the experimental ion/electron heat flux ratio. This procedure is applied to the analysis of a particular Tokamak à Configuration Variable discharge. A detailed reconstruction of the zero particle flux hyper-surface in the multi-dimensional physical parameter space at fixed time of the discharge is presented, including the effect of carbon as themore » main impurity. Both collisionless and collisional regimes are considered. Hyper-surface points within the experimental error bars are found. In conclusion, the analysis is done performing gyrokinetic simulations with the local version of the GENE code, computing the fluxes with a Quasi-Linear (QL) model and validating the QL results with non-linear simulations in a subset of cases.« less

Identifying microturbulence regimes in a TCV discharge making use of physical constraints on particle and heat fluxes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mariani, Alberto; Brunner, S.; Dominski, J.

Reducing the uncertainty on physical input parameters derived from experimental measurements is essential towards improving the reliability of gyrokinetic turbulence simulations. This can be achieved by introducing physical constraints. Amongst them, the zero particle flux condition is considered here. A first attempt is also made to match as well the experimental ion/electron heat flux ratio. This procedure is applied to the analysis of a particular Tokamak à Configuration Variable discharge. A detailed reconstruction of the zero particle flux hyper-surface in the multi-dimensional physical parameter space at fixed time of the discharge is presented, including the effect of carbon as themore » main impurity. Both collisionless and collisional regimes are considered. Hyper-surface points within the experimental error bars are found. In conclusion, the analysis is done performing gyrokinetic simulations with the local version of the GENE code, computing the fluxes with a Quasi-Linear (QL) model and validating the QL results with non-linear simulations in a subset of cases.« less

Estimation of Electron Temperature on Glass Spherical Tokamak (GLAST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussain, S.; Sadiq, M.; Shah, S. I. W.; GLAST Team

2015-03-01

Glass Spherical Tokamak (GLAST) is a small spherical tokamak indigenously developed in Pakistan with an insulating vacuum vessel. A commercially available 2.45 GHz magnetron is used as pre-ionization source for plasma current startup. Different diagnostic systems like Rogowski coils, magnetic probes, flux loops, Langmuir probe, fast imaging and emission spectroscopy are installed on the device. The plasma temperature inside of GLAST, at the time of maxima of plasma current, is estimated by taking into account the Spitzer resistivity calculations with some experimentally determined plasma parameters. The plasma resistance is calculated by using Ohm's law with plasma current and loop voltage as experimentally determined inputs. The plasma resistivity is then determined by using length and area of the plasma column. Finally, the average plasma electron temperature is predicted to be 12.65eV for taking neon (Ne) as a working gas.

High performance discharges in the Lithium Tokamak eXperiment with liquid lithium walls

DOE PAGES

Schmitt, J. C.; Bell, R. E.; Boyle, D. P.; ...

2015-05-15

The first-ever successful operation of a tokamak with a large area (40% of the total plasma surface area) liquid lithium wall has been achieved in the Lithium Tokamak eXperiment (LTX). These results were obtained with a new, electron beam-based lithium evaporation system, which can deposit a lithium coating on the limiting wall of LTX in a five-minute period. Preliminary analyses of diamagnetic and other data for discharges operated with a liquid lithium wall indicate that confinement times increased by 10 x compared to discharges with helium-dispersed solid lithium coatings. Ohmic energy confinement times with fresh lithium walls, solid and liquid,more » exceed several relevant empirical scaling expressions. Spectroscopic analysis of the discharges indicates that oxygen levels in the discharges limited on liquid lithium walls were significantly reduced compared to discharges limited on solid lithium walls. Finally, Tokamak operations with a full liquid lithium wall (85% of the total plasma surface area) have recently started.« less

Dynamic regime marginal structural mean models for estimation of optimal dynamic treatment regimes, Part I: main content.

PubMed

Orellana, Liliana; Rotnitzky, Andrea; Robins, James M

2010-01-01

Dynamic treatment regimes are set rules for sequential decision making based on patient covariate history. Observational studies are well suited for the investigation of the effects of dynamic treatment regimes because of the variability in treatment decisions found in them. This variability exists because different physicians make different decisions in the face of similar patient histories. In this article we describe an approach to estimate the optimal dynamic treatment regime among a set of enforceable regimes. This set is comprised by regimes defined by simple rules based on a subset of past information. The regimes in the set are indexed by a Euclidean vector. The optimal regime is the one that maximizes the expected counterfactual utility over all regimes in the set. We discuss assumptions under which it is possible to identify the optimal regime from observational longitudinal data. Murphy et al. (2001) developed efficient augmented inverse probability weighted estimators of the expected utility of one fixed regime. Our methods are based on an extension of the marginal structural mean model of Robins (1998, 1999) which incorporate the estimation ideas of Murphy et al. (2001). Our models, which we call dynamic regime marginal structural mean models, are specially suitable for estimating the optimal treatment regime in a moderately small class of enforceable regimes of interest. We consider both parametric and semiparametric dynamic regime marginal structural models. We discuss locally efficient, double-robust estimation of the model parameters and of the index of the optimal treatment regime in the set. In a companion paper in this issue of the journal we provide proofs of the main results.

Destruction of tungsten limiters in the T-10 Tokamak under high plasma heat loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grashin, S. A.; Arkhipov, I. I.; Budaev, V. P.; Giniyatulin, R. N.; Karpov, A. V.; Klyuchnikov, L. A.; Krupin, V. A.; Litunovskiy, N. V.; Masul, I. V.; Makhankov, F. N.; Martynenko, Yu V.; Sarytchev, D. V.; Solomatin, R. Yu; Khimchenko, L. N.

2017-10-01

Tungsten limiters were tested in the T-10 tokamak. The limiters were made from the ITER-grade WMP “POLEMA” tungsten. The influence of the edge tokamak plasma on tungsten limiters leads to significant cracking of tungsten. The heat load of up to 2 MW · m-2 leads to the micro-crack development at the grain boundaries accompanied by the loss of grains. The heat loads that exceed 5 MW · m-2 lead to the macro crack development. Under the present T-10 tokamak conditions, the heat and particle fluxes in the edge plasma lead to the significant destruction of tungsten limiters during the experimental campaign. During the disruption and runaway electron formation, extreme heat loads of more than 1 GW/m2 cause strong melting of tungsten on the inner and outer part of the ring limiter.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Y.; Tobias, B.; Chang, Y. -T.

Electron cyclotron emission (ECE) imaging is a passive radiometric technique that measures electron temperature fluctuations; and microwave imaging reflectometry (MIR) is an active radar imaging technique that measures electron density fluctuations. The microwave imaging diagnostic instruments employing these techniques have made important contributions to fusion science and have been adopted at major fusion facilities worldwide including DIII-D, EAST, ASDEX Upgrade, HL-2A, KSTAR, LHD, and J-TEXT. In this paper, we describe the development status of three major technological advancements: custom mm-wave integrated circuits (ICs), digital beamforming (DBF), and synthetic diagnostic modeling (SDM). These also have the potential to greatly advance microwavemore » fusion plasma imaging, enabling compact and low-noise transceiver systems with real-time, fast tracking ability to address critical fusion physics issues, including ELM suppression and disruptions in the ITER baseline scenario, naturally ELM-free states such as QH-mode, and energetic particle confinement (i.e. Alfven eigenmode stability) in high-performance regimes that include steady-state and advanced tokamak scenarios. Furthermore, these systems are fully compatible with today's most challenging non-inductive heating and current drive systems and capable of operating in harsh environments, making them the ideal approach for diagnosing long-pulse and steady-state tokamaks.« less

Runaway electrons in tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Chang

The generation of runaway electrons is a complex and important phenomenon that impacts many areas of plasma physics. Due to the decrease of electron collision frequency with increasing velocity, electrons under strong electric field can experience unlimited “runaway” acceleration. In tokamaks, runaway electrons can be produced in disruptions, due to the strong inductive electric field formed as the thermal energy of plasma gets rapidly lost. This population of runaway electrons can undergo an exponential growth, denoted the runaway electron avalanche, due to hard collisions between relativistic runaway electrons and low energy electrons. It is predicted that in a large tokamakmore » device like the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a runway electron beam generated in a disruption event can potentially cause severe damage to the device, which poses a significant challenge for ITER to achieve its mission. It is therefore extremely important to seek an effective mitigation mechanism for runaway electrons. Experimental efforts have been made to study the properties of runaway electrons in tokamaks, including their generation, diffusion, and radiation. In order to understand these experimental results, extensive theoretical and simulation studies of runaway electron physics are required. The main topic of this thesis is to study the wave particle interaction associated with runaway electron beams in tokamaks. The runaway electrons can emit and absorb electromagnetic waves through resonances, and can be diffused in momentum space by the waves. Initially, we address the Cherenkov radiation of runaway electrons, which originates from the polarization of the plasma medium. The energy and momentum loss of the Cherenkov radiation can be modeled by adding a correction to the Coulomb logarithm in the collisional drag force. Subsequently, we address pitch angle scattering caused by normal modes in the plasma, which are driven unstable by the

Neoclassical simulation of tokamak plasmas using the continuum gyrokinetic code TEMPEST.

PubMed

Xu, X Q

2008-07-01

We present gyrokinetic neoclassical simulations of tokamak plasmas with a self-consistent electric field using a fully nonlinear (full- f ) continuum code TEMPEST in a circular geometry. A set of gyrokinetic equations are discretized on a five-dimensional computational grid in phase space. The present implementation is a method of lines approach where the phase-space derivatives are discretized with finite differences, and implicit backward differencing formulas are used to advance the system in time. The fully nonlinear Boltzmann model is used for electrons. The neoclassical electric field is obtained by solving the gyrokinetic Poisson equation with self-consistent poloidal variation. With a four-dimensional (psi,theta,micro) version of the TEMPEST code, we compute the radial particle and heat fluxes, the geodesic-acoustic mode, and the development of the neoclassical electric field, which we compare with neoclassical theory using a Lorentz collision model. The present work provides a numerical scheme for self-consistently studying important dynamical aspects of neoclassical transport and electric field in toroidal magnetic fusion devices.

Neoclassical simulation of tokamak plasmas using the continuum gyrokinetic code TEMPEST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, X. Q.

2008-07-01

We present gyrokinetic neoclassical simulations of tokamak plasmas with a self-consistent electric field using a fully nonlinear (full- f ) continuum code TEMPEST in a circular geometry. A set of gyrokinetic equations are discretized on a five-dimensional computational grid in phase space. The present implementation is a method of lines approach where the phase-space derivatives are discretized with finite differences, and implicit backward differencing formulas are used to advance the system in time. The fully nonlinear Boltzmann model is used for electrons. The neoclassical electric field is obtained by solving the gyrokinetic Poisson equation with self-consistent poloidal variation. With a four-dimensional (ψ,θ,γ,μ) version of the TEMPEST code, we compute the radial particle and heat fluxes, the geodesic-acoustic mode, and the development of the neoclassical electric field, which we compare with neoclassical theory using a Lorentz collision model. The present work provides a numerical scheme for self-consistently studying important dynamical aspects of neoclassical transport and electric field in toroidal magnetic fusion devices.

Largescale Long-term particle Simulations of Runaway electrons in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jian; Qin, Hong; Wang, Yulei

2016-10-01

To understand runaway dynamical behavior is crucial to assess the safety of tokamaks. Though many important analytical and numerical results have been achieved, the overall dynamic behaviors of runaway electrons in a realistic tokamak configuration is still rather vague. In this work, the secular full-orbit simulations of runaway electrons are carried out based on a relativistic volume-preserving algorithm. Detailed phase-space behaviors of runaway electrons are investigated in different timescales spanning 11 orders. A detailed analysis of the collisionless neoclassical scattering is provided when considering the coupling between the rotation of momentum vector and the background field. In large timescale, the initial condition of runaway electrons in phase space globally influences the runaway distribution. It is discovered that parameters and field configuration of tokamaks can modify the runaway electron dynamics significantly. Simulations on 10 million cores of supercomputer using the APT code have been completed. A resolution of 107 in phase space is used, and simulations are performed for 1011 time steps. Largescale simulations show that in a realistic fusion reactor, the concern of runaway electrons is not as serious as previously thought. This research was supported by National Magnetic Connement Fusion Energy Research Project (2015GB111003, 2014GB124005), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC-11575185, 11575186) and the GeoAlgorithmic Plasma Simulator (GAPS) Project.

Anomalous transport scaling in the DIII-D tokamak matched by supercomputer simulation.

PubMed

Candy, J; Waltz, R E

2003-07-25

Gyrokinetic simulation of tokamak transport has evolved sufficiently to allow direct comparison of numerical results with experimental data. It is to be emphasized that only with the simultaneous inclusion of many distinct and complex effects can this comparison realistically be made. Until now, numerical studies of tokamak microturbulence have been restricted to either (a) flux tubes or (b) electrostatic fluctuations. Using a newly developed global electromagnetic solver, we have been able to recover via direct simulation the Bohm-like scaling observed in DIII-D L-mode discharges. We also match, well within experimental uncertainty, the measured energy diffusivities.

The Spherical Tokamak MEDUSA for Costa Rica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, Celso; Vargas, Ivan; Guadamuz, Saul; Mora, Jaime; Ansejo, Jose; Zamora, Esteban; Herrera, Julio; Chaves, Esteban; Romero, Carlos

2012-10-01

The former spherical tokamak (ST) MEDUSA (Madison EDUcation Small Aspect.ratio tokamak, R<0.14m, a<0.10m, BT<0.5T, Ip<40kA, 3ms pulse)[1] is in a process of donation to Costa Rica Institute of Technology. The main objective of MEDUSA is to train students in plasma physics /technical related issues which will help all tasks of the very low aspect ratio stellarator SCR-1(A≡R/>=3.6, under design[2]) and also the ongoing activities in low temperature plasmas. Courses in plasma physics at undergraduate and post-graduate joint programme levels are regularly conducted. The scientific programme is intend to clarify several issues in relevant physics for conventional and mainly STs, including transport, heating and current drive via Alfv'en wave, and natural divertor STs with ergodic magnetic limiter[3,4]. [1] G.D.Garstka, PhD thesis, University of Wisconsin at Madison, 1997 [2] L.Barillas et al., Proc. 19^th Int. Conf. Nucl. Eng., Japan, 2011 [3] C.Ribeiro et al., IEEJ Trans. Electrical and Electronic Eng., 2012(accepted) [4] C.Ribeiro et al., Proc. 39^th EPS Conf. Contr. Fusion and Plasma Phys., Sweden, 2012

Alpha-channeling simulation experiment in the DIII-D tokamak.

PubMed

Wong, K L; Budny, R; Nazikian, R; Petty, C C; Greenfield, C M; Heidbrink, W W; Ruskov, E

2004-08-20

Alfvén instabilities can reduce the central magnetic shear via redistribution of energetic ions. They can sustain a steady state internal transport barrier as demonstrated in this DIII-D tokamak experiment. Improvement in burning plasma performance based on this mechanism is discussed.

Phase Contrast Imaging on the HL-2A Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Yi; Gong, Shaobo; Xu, Min; Jiang, Wei; Zhong, Wulv; Shi, Zhongbin; Wang, Huajie; Wu, Yifan; Yuan, Boda; Lan, Tao; Ye, Minyou; Duan, Xuru; HL-2A Team

2016-10-01

In this article we present the design of a phase contrast imaging (PCI) system on the HL-2A tokamak. This diagnostic is developed to infer line integrated plasma density fluctuations by measuring the phase shift of an expanded CO2 laser beam passing through magnetically confined high temperature plasmas. This system is designed to diagnose plasma density fluctuations with the maximum wavenumber of 66 cm-1. The designed wavenumber resolution is 2.09cm-1, and the time resolution is higher than 0.2 μs. The broad kρs ranging from 0.34 to 13.37 makes it suitable for turbulence measurement. An upgraded PCI system is also discussed, which is designed for the HL-2M tokamak. Supported by the National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Energy Research Project (Grant No. 2015GB120002), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11375053, 11105144, 10905057, 11535013).

Georgia Tech Studies of Sub-Critical Advanced Burner Reactors with a D-T Fusion Tokamak Neutron Source for the Transmutation of Spent Nuclear Fuel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stacey, W. M.

2009-09-01

The possibility that a tokamak D-T fusion neutron source, based on ITER physics and technology, could be used to drive sub-critical, fast-spectrum nuclear reactors fueled with the transuranics (TRU) in spent nuclear fuel discharged from conventional nuclear reactors has been investigated at Georgia Tech in a series of studies which are summarized in this paper. It is found that sub-critical operation of such fast transmutation reactors is advantageous in allowing longer fuel residence time, hence greater TRU burnup between fuel reprocessing stages, and in allowing higher TRU loading without compromising safety, relative to what could be achieved in a similar critical transmutation reactor. The required plasma and fusion technology operating parameter range of the fusion neutron source is generally within the anticipated operational range of ITER. The implications of these results for fusion development policy, if they hold up under more extensive and detailed analysis, is that a D-T fusion tokamak neutron source for a sub-critical transmutation reactor, built on the basis of the ITER operating experience, could possibly be a logical next step after ITER on the path to fusion electrical power reactors. At the same time, such an application would allow fusion to contribute to meeting the nation's energy needs at an earlier stage by helping to close the fission reactor nuclear fuel cycle.

Advances in stellarator gyrokinetics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helander, P.; Bird, T.; Jenko, F.; Kleiber, R.; Plunk, G. G.; Proll, J. H. E.; Riemann, J.; Xanthopoulos, P.

2015-05-01

Recent progress in the gyrokinetic theory of stellarator microinstabilities and turbulence simulations is summarized. The simulations have been carried out using two different gyrokinetic codes, the global particle-in-cell code EUTERPE and the continuum code GENE, which operates in the geometry of a flux tube or a flux surface but is local in the radial direction. Ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) and trapped-electron modes are studied and compared with their counterparts in axisymmetric tokamak geometry. Several interesting differences emerge. Because of the more complicated structure of the magnetic field, the fluctuations are much less evenly distributed over each flux surface in stellarators than in tokamaks. Instead of covering the entire outboard side of the torus, ITG turbulence is localized to narrow bands along the magnetic field in regions of unfavourable curvature, and the resulting transport depends on the normalized gyroradius ρ* even in radially local simulations. Trapped-electron modes can be significantly more stable than in typical tokamaks, because of the spatial separation of regions with trapped particles from those with bad magnetic curvature. Preliminary non-linear simulations in flux-tube geometry suggest differences in the turbulence levels in Wendelstein 7-X and a typical tokamak.

Impact of helical boundary conditions in MHD modeling of RFP and tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonfiglio, D.; Cappello, S.; Escande, D. F.; Piovesan, P.; Veranda, M.; Chacón, L.

2012-10-01

Helical boundary conditions imposed by the active control system of the RFX-mod device provide a handle to govern the plasma dynamics in both RFP and Ohmic tokamak discharges [1]. By applying an edge radial magnetic field with proper helicity, it is possible to increase the persistence of the spontaneous helical RFP states at high current,and to stimulate them also at low current or high density. Helical BCs even allow to access helical states with different helicity than the spontaneous one [2]. In Ohmic tokamak operation at q(a)<2, the presence of the 2/1 RWM reduces the sawtoothing activity of the 1/1 internal kink, which takes a stationary snake-like character instead. Many of these features are qualitatively reproduced in 3D nonlinear MHD modeling. We study the impact of helical BCs on the MHD dynamics in both RFP and tokamak with two successfully benchmarked numerical tools, SpeCyl and PIXIE3D [3]. We recover the bifurcation from a sawtooth to a snake solution when imposing a 2/1 BC in the tokamak case and we interpret this as a toroidal/nonlinear coupling effect. We show that the bifurcation is more easily stimulated with a 1/1 BC.[4pt] [1] P. Piovesan, invited talk this meeting[0pt] [2] M. Veranda et al EPS-ICPP Conference (2012) P4.004[0pt] [3] D. Bonfiglio et al Phys. Plasmas (2010)

High Adjustable Shear Map for a Single-null Divertor Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitten, Michaelangelo; Lam, Maria; Punjabi, Alkesh

1996-11-01

An explicit map that has an adjustable shear s is x1 = x0 - k y0 [ ( 1 - y0 ) ( 1 + s y0 ) + s x ^21 ] y1 = y0 + k x1 [ 1 + s ( x^21 + y^20 ) ] Tokamak shear corresponds to negative s. Thus we can construct maps for variable shear for a single-null divertor tokamak (Punjabi A, Verma A and Boozer A, Phys Rev Lett), 3322, 69 (1992) ^, (Punjabi A, Verma A and Boozer A, J Plasma Phys), 52, 91 (1994). Here we present the results from an initial study of this map. This work is supported by US DOE OFES. Michelangelo Whitten is a HU CFRT Summer Fusion High School Workshop scholar from Bowie High School in El Paso, Texas. He is supported by NASA SHARP Plus Program.

Sensitivity to spatial and temporal scale and fire regime inputs in deriving fire regime condition class

Treesearch

Linda Tedrow; Wendel J. Hann

2015-01-01

The Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) is a composite departure measure that compares current vegetation structure and fire regime to historical reference conditions. FRCC is computed as the average of: 1) Vegetation departure (VDEP) and 2) Regime (frequency and severity) departure (RDEP). In addition to the FRCC rating, the Vegetation Condition Class (VCC) and Regime...

On the breakdown modes and parameter space of Ohmic Tokamak startup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Yanli; Jiang, Wei; Zhang, Ya; Hu, Xiwei; Zhuang, Ge; Innocenti, Maria; Lapenta, Giovanni

2017-10-01

Tokamak plasma has to be hot. The process of turning the initial dilute neutral hydrogen gas at room temperature into fully ionized plasma is called tokamak startup. Even with over 40 years of research, the parameter ranges for the successful startup still aren't determined by numerical simulations but by trial and errors. However, in recent years it has drawn much attention due to one of the challenges faced by ITER: the maximum electric field for startup can't exceed 0.3 V/m, which makes the parameter range for successful startup narrower. Besides, this physical mechanism is far from being understood either theoretically or numerically. In this work, we have simulated the plasma breakdown phase driven by pure Ohmic heating using a particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo code, with the aim of giving a predictive parameter range for most tokamaks, even for ITER. We have found three situations during the discharge, as a function of the initial parameters: no breakdown, breakdown and runaway. Moreover, breakdown delay and volt-second consumption under different initial conditions are evaluated. In addition, we have simulated breakdown on ITER and confirmed that when the electric field is 0.3 V/m, the optimal pre-filling pressure is 0.001 Pa, which is in good agreement with ITER's design.

Compact Torus Injection Experiments on the H.I.T. teststand and the JFT-2M tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukumoto, Naoyuki; Fujiwara, Makoto; Kuramoto, Keiji; Ageishi, Masaya; Nagata, Masayoshi; Uyama, Tadao; Ogawa, Hiroaki; Kasai, Satoshi; Hasegawa, Kouichi; Shibata, Takatoshi

1997-11-01

A spheromak-type compact torus (CT) acceleration and injection experiment has been carried out using the Himeji Institute of Technology Compact Torus Injector (HIT-CTI). We investigate the possibility of refueling, density control, current drive, and edge electric field control of tokamak plasmas by means of CT injection. The HIT-CTI produces a CT with a speed of 200 km/s and a density of 1× 10^21m-3. We have constructed new electrodes and power supplies, and will install the HIT-CTI on the JFT-2M tokamak at JAERI in Autumn 1997. The outer electrode serves as a common ground for both the formation bank (144μF, 20kV) and the acceleration bank (92.4μF, 40kV). If the external toroidal field of the tokamak is applied across the CT acceleration region, the CT kinetic energy might decrease during penetration into the field lines joining the inner and outer electrode. This could result in the CT not being able to reach the core of the tokamak plasma. Determining the optimum position of the inner electrode is one of the near term goals of this research. We will present magnetic probe, He-Ne interferometer and fast framing camera data from experiments at H.I.T., where a CT was accelerated into a transverse field. We will also present initial results from the operation of the HIT-CTI on the JFT-2M tokamak.

Dust measurements in tokamaks (invited).

PubMed

Rudakov, D L; Yu, J H; Boedo, J A; Hollmann, E M; Krasheninnikov, S I; Moyer, R A; Muller, S H; Pigarov, A Yu; Rosenberg, M; Smirnov, R D; West, W P; Boivin, R L; Bray, B D; Brooks, N H; Hyatt, A W; Wong, C P C; Roquemore, A L; Skinner, C H; Solomon, W M; Ratynskaia, S; Fenstermacher, M E; Groth, M; Lasnier, C J; McLean, A G; Stangeby, P C

2008-10-01

Dust production and accumulation present potential safety and operational issues for the ITER. Dust diagnostics can be divided into two groups: diagnostics of dust on surfaces and diagnostics of dust in plasma. Diagnostics from both groups are employed in contemporary tokamaks; new diagnostics suitable for ITER are also being developed and tested. Dust accumulation in ITER is likely to occur in hidden areas, e.g., between tiles and under divertor baffles. A novel electrostatic dust detector for monitoring dust in these regions has been developed and tested at PPPL. In the DIII-D tokamak dust diagnostics include Mie scattering from Nd:YAG lasers, visible imaging, and spectroscopy. Laser scattering is able to resolve particles between 0.16 and 1.6 microm in diameter; using these data the total dust content in the edge plasmas and trends in the dust production rates within this size range have been established. Individual dust particles are observed by visible imaging using fast framing cameras, detecting dust particles of a few microns in diameter and larger. Dust velocities and trajectories can be determined in two-dimension with a single camera or three-dimension using multiple cameras, but determination of particle size is challenging. In order to calibrate diagnostics and benchmark dust dynamics modeling, precharacterized carbon dust has been injected into the lower divertor of DIII-D. Injected dust is seen by cameras, and spectroscopic diagnostics observe an increase in carbon line (CI, CII, C(2) dimer) and thermal continuum emissions from the injected dust. The latter observation can be used in the design of novel dust survey diagnostics.

Design and Fabrication of the Lithium Tokamak Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozub, Thomas; Majeski, Richard; Kaita, Robert; Priniski, Craig; Zakharov, Leonid

2006-10-01

The design objective of the lithium tokamak experiment (LTX) is to investigate the equilibrium and stability of tokamak discharges with near-zero recycling. The construction of LTX incorporates the conversion of the existing current drive experiment (CDX) vessel into one with a nearly complete plasma facing surface of liquid lithium This paper will describe the design, fabrication, and installation activities required to convert CDX into LTX. The most significant new feature is the addition of a plasma facing liner on a shell that will be operated at 300 C to 400 C and covered with an evaporated layer of liquid lithium. The shell has been fabricated in-house from explosively bonded stainless steel on copper to a rather unique geometry to match the outer flux surface. Other significant device modifications include the construction of a new ohmic heating power system, rebuilding of the vacuum vessel, new lithium evaporators, additional diagnostics, modifications to the poloidal field coil geometry and their associated power supplies. Details on the progress of this conversion will be reported.

A Research Program of Spherical Tokamak in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Ye-xi

2002-08-01

The mission of this program is to explore the spherical torus plasma with a SUNIST spherical tokamak. Main experiments in the start phase will be involved with breakdown and plasma current set-up with a mode of saving volt-second and without ohmic heating system, equilibrium and instability, current driving, heating and profile modification. The SUNIST is a university-scale conceptual spherical tokamak, with R = 0.3 m, A 1.3, Ip ~ 50 kA, BT < 0.15 T, and PRF = 100 kW. The only peculiarity of SUNIST is that there is a toroidal insulating break along the outer wall of vacuum vessel. The expected that advantages of this arrangement are helpful not only for saving flux swing, but also for having a deep understanding of what will influence the discharge startup and globe performances of plasma under different conditions of strong vessel eddy and ECR power assistance. Of course, the vessel structure of cross seal will be at a great risk of controlling vacuum quality, although we have achieved positive results on simulation test and vacuum vessel test.

The Research Progress of the J-TEXT Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, Ge; Wang, Zhijiang; Ding, Yonghua; Zhang, Ming; Yang, Zhoujun; Gao, Li; Zhang, Xiaoqing; Hu, Xiwei; Pan, Yuan

2010-11-01

In 2004, the TEXT-U tokamak was disassembled and shipped to China, and later on settle down in Huazhong University of Science and Technology. The machine was renamed as the Joint TEXT (J-TEXT) tokamak and obtained its first plasma in 2007. The typical J-TEXT Ohmic discharge was performed in the limiter configuration with the main parameters as follows: major radius R=1.05 m, minor radius a=0.27m, toroidal magnetic field BT=2.2T, plasma current Ip>200kA, line-averaged density ne˜ 2-3 . 1019/m^3, and electron temperature Te0˜ 700eV. Up till now, a few diagnostic systems used to facilitate routine operation and experimental studies were designed and developed. Benefiting from these diagnostic tools, the observation of MHD activities and the statistical analysis of disruption events were done. And measurements of the electrostatic fluctuations in the edge region and conditional analysis of the intermittent burst events near the LCFS were also made as well. The preliminary results will be presented in detail in the meeting.

Effect of the scrape-off layer in AORSA full wave simulations of fast wave minority, mid/high harmonic, and helicon heating regimes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bertelli, N., E-mail: nbertell@pppl.gov; Gerhardt, S.; Hosea, J. C.

2015-12-10

Several experiments on different machines and in different fast wave (FW) heating regimes, such as hydrogen minority heating and high harmonic fast waves, have found strong interactions between radio-frequency (RF) waves and the scrape-off layer (SOL) region. This paper examines the propagation and the power loss in the SOL by using the full wave code AORSA, in which the edge plasma beyond the last closed flux surface (LCFS) is included in the solution domain and a collisional damping parameter is used as a proxy to represent the real, and most likely nonlinear, damping processes. 3D AORSA results for the Nationalmore » Spherical Torus eXperiment (NSTX), where a full antenna spectrum is reconstructed, are shown, confirming the same behavior found for a single toroidal mode results in Bertelli et al, Nucl. Fusion, 54 083004, 2014, namely, a strong transition to higher SOL power losses (driven by the RF field) when the FW cut-off is moved away from in front of the antenna by increasing the edge density. Additionally, full wave simulations have been extended to “conventional” tokamaks with higher aspect ratios, such as the DIII-D, Alcator C-Mod, and EAST devices. DIII-D results show similar behavior found in NSTX and NSTX-U, consistent with previous DIII-D experimental observations. In contrast, a different behavior has been found for Alcator C-Mod and EAST, which operate in the minority heating regime unlike NSTX/NSTX-U and DIII-D, which operate in the mid/high harmonic regime. A substantial discussion of some of the main aspects, such as (i) the pitch angle of the magnetic field; (ii) minority heating vs. mid/high harmonic regimes is presented showing the different behavior of the RF field in the SOL region for NSTX-U scenarios with different plasma current. Finally, the preliminary results of the impact of the SOL region on the evaluation of the helicon current drive efficiency in DIII-D is presented for the first time and briefly compared with the different

Effect of the scrape-off layer in AORSA full wave simulations of fast wave minority, mid/high harmonic, and helicon heating regimes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bertelli, Nicola; Jaeger, E. F.; Lau, Cornwall H

2015-01-01

Several experiments on different machines and in different fast wave (FW) heating regimes, such as hydrogen minority heating and high harmonic fast waves, have found strong interactions between radio-frequency (RF) waves and the scrape-off layer (SOL) region. This paper examines the propagation and the power loss in the SOL by using the full wave code AORSA, in which the edge plasma beyond the last closed flux surface (LCFS) is included in the solution domain and a collisional damping parameter is used as a proxy to represent the real, and most likely nonlinear, damping processes. 3D AORSA results for the Nationalmore » Spherical Torus eXperiment (NSTX), where a full antenna spectrum is reconstructed, are shown, confirming the same behavior found for a single toroidal mode results in Bertelli et al, Nucl. Fusion, 54 083004, 2014, namely, a strong transition to higher SOL power losses (driven by the RF field) when the FW cut-off is moved away from in front of the antenna by increasing the edge density. Additionally, full wave simulations have been extended to "conventional" tokamaks with higher aspect ratios, such as the DIII-D, Alcator C-Mod, and EAST devices. DIII-D results show similar behavior found in NSTX and NSTX-U, consistent with previous DIII-D experimental observations. In contrast, a different behavior has been found for Alcator C-Mod and EAST, which operate in the minority heating regime unlike NSTX/NSTX-U and DIII-D, which operate in the mid/high harmonic regime. A substantial discussion of some of the main aspects, such as (i) the pitch angle of the magnetic field; (ii) minority heating vs. mid/high harmonic regimes is presented showing the different behavior of the RF field in the SOL region for NSTX-U scenarios with different plasma current. Finally, the preliminary results of the impact of the SOL region on the evaluation of the helicon current drive efficiency in DIII-D is presented for the first time and briefly compared with the different

Self-Organized Stationary States of Tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Jardin, S. C.; Ferraro, N.; Krebs, I.

2015-11-17

We demonstrate that in a 3D resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation, for some parameters it is possible to form a stationary state in a tokamak where a saturated interchange mode in the center of the discharge drives a near helical flow pattern that acts to non-linearly sustain the configuration by adjusting the central loop voltage through a dynamo action. This could explain the physical mechanism for maintaining stationary non-sawtoothing “hybrid” discharges, often referred to as “flux-pumping”.

Overview of the TCV tokamak program: scientific progress and facility upgrades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coda, S.; Ahn, J.; Albanese, R.; Alberti, S.; Alessi, E.; Allan, S.; Anand, H.; Anastassiou, G.; Andrèbe, Y.; Angioni, C.; Ariola, M.; Bernert, M.; Beurskens, M.; Bin, W.; Blanchard, P.; Blanken, T. C.; Boedo, J. A.; Bolzonella, T.; Bouquey, F.; Braunmüller, F. H.; Bufferand, H.; Buratti, P.; Calabró, G.; Camenen, Y.; Carnevale, D.; Carpanese, F.; Causa, F.; Cesario, R.; Chapman, I. T.; Chellai, O.; Choi, D.; Cianfarani, C.; Ciraolo, G.; Citrin, J.; Costea, S.; Crisanti, F.; Cruz, N.; Czarnecka, A.; Decker, J.; De Masi, G.; De Tommasi, G.; Douai, D.; Dunne, M.; Duval, B. P.; Eich, T.; Elmore, S.; Esposito, B.; Faitsch, M.; Fasoli, A.; Fedorczak, N.; Felici, F.; Février, O.; Ficker, O.; Fietz, S.; Fontana, M.; Frassinetti, L.; Furno, I.; Galeani, S.; Gallo, A.; Galperti, C.; Garavaglia, S.; Garrido, I.; Geiger, B.; Giovannozzi, E.; Gobbin, M.; Goodman, T. P.; Gorini, G.; Gospodarczyk, M.; Granucci, G.; Graves, J. P.; Guirlet, R.; Hakola, A.; Ham, C.; Harrison, J.; Hawke, J.; Hennequin, P.; Hnat, B.; Hogeweij, D.; Hogge, J.-Ph.; Honoré, C.; Hopf, C.; Horáček, J.; Huang, Z.; Igochine, V.; Innocente, P.; Ionita Schrittwieser, C.; Isliker, H.; Jacquier, R.; Jardin, A.; Kamleitner, J.; Karpushov, A.; Keeling, D. L.; Kirneva, N.; Kong, M.; Koubiti, M.; Kovacic, J.; Krämer-Flecken, A.; Krawczyk, N.; Kudlacek, O.; Labit, B.; Lazzaro, E.; Le, H. B.; Lipschultz, B.; Llobet, X.; Lomanowski, B.; Loschiavo, V. P.; Lunt, T.; Maget, P.; Maljaars, E.; Malygin, A.; Maraschek, M.; Marini, C.; Martin, P.; Martin, Y.; Mastrostefano, S.; Maurizio, R.; Mavridis, M.; Mazon, D.; McAdams, R.; McDermott, R.; Merle, A.; Meyer, H.; Militello, F.; Miron, I. G.; Molina Cabrera, P. A.; Moret, J.-M.; Moro, A.; Moulton, D.; Naulin, V.; Nespoli, F.; Nielsen, A. H.; Nocente, M.; Nouailletas, R.; Nowak, S.; Odstrčil, T.; Papp, G.; Papřok, R.; Pau, A.; Pautasso, G.; Pericoli Ridolfini, V.; Piovesan, P.; Piron, C.; Pisokas, T.; Porte, L.; Preynas, M.; Ramogida, G.; Rapson, C.; Rasmussen, J. Juul; Reich, M.; Reimerdes, H.; Reux, C.; Ricci, P.; Rittich, D.; Riva, F.; Robinson, T.; Saarelma, S.; Saint-Laurent, F.; Sauter, O.; Scannell, R.; Schlatter, Ch.; Schneider, B.; Schneider, P.; Schrittwieser, R.; Sciortino, F.; Sertoli, M.; Sheikh, U.; Sieglin, B.; Silva, M.; Sinha, J.; Sozzi, C.; Spolaore, M.; Stange, T.; Stoltzfus-Dueck, T.; Tamain, P.; Teplukhina, A.; Testa, D.; Theiler, C.; Thornton, A.; Tophøj, L.; Tran, M. Q.; Tsironis, C.; Tsui, C.; Uccello, A.; Vartanian, S.; Verdoolaege, G.; Verhaegh, K.; Vermare, L.; Vianello, N.; Vijvers, W. A. J.; Vlahos, L.; Vu, N. M. T.; Walkden, N.; Wauters, T.; Weisen, H.; Wischmeier, M.; Zestanakis, P.; Zuin, M.; the EUROfusion MST1 Team

2017-10-01

The TCV tokamak is augmenting its unique historical capabilities (strong shaping, strong electron heating) with ion heating, additional electron heating compatible with high densities, and variable divertor geometry, in a multifaceted upgrade program designed to broaden its operational range without sacrificing its fundamental flexibility. The TCV program is rooted in a three-pronged approach aimed at ITER support, explorations towards DEMO, and fundamental research. A 1 MW, tangential neutral beam injector (NBI) was recently installed and promptly extended the TCV parameter range, with record ion temperatures and toroidal rotation velocities and measurable neutral-beam current drive. ITER-relevant scenario development has received particular attention, with strategies aimed at maximizing performance through optimized discharge trajectories to avoid MHD instabilities, such as peeling-ballooning and neoclassical tearing modes. Experiments on exhaust physics have focused particularly on detachment, a necessary step to a DEMO reactor, in a comprehensive set of conventional and advanced divertor concepts. The specific theoretical prediction of an enhanced radiation region between the two X-points in the low-field-side snowflake-minus configuration was experimentally confirmed. Fundamental investigations of the power decay length in the scrape-off layer (SOL) are progressing rapidly, again in widely varying configurations and in both D and He plasmas; in particular, the double decay length in L-mode limited plasmas was found to be replaced by a single length at high SOL resistivity. Experiments on disruption mitigation by massive gas injection and electron-cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) have begun in earnest, in parallel with studies of runaway electron generation and control, in both stable and disruptive conditions; a quiescent runaway beam carrying the entire electrical current appears to develop in some cases. Developments in plasma control have benefited from

Effects of Different Large-Scale Prescribed Burning Regimes of Advance Reproduction in the Missouri Ozarks

Treesearch

Daniel C. Dey; George Hartman

2004-01-01

In 1997, The Nature Conservancy initiated a large-scale prescribed fire management study on approximately 2,500 acres of their Chilton Creek property located in Shannon and Carter counties, Missouri. Since the spring of 1998, five management units, of roughly 500 acres each, have been burned in the dormant season to simulate a range of fire regimes that vary from...

The reconstruction and research progress of the TEXT-U tokamak in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, G.; Pan, Y.; Hu, X. W.; Wang, Z. J.; Ding, Y. H.; Zhang, M.; Gao, L.; Zhang, X. Q.; Yang, Z. J.; Yu, K. X.; Gentle, K. W.; Huang, H.; J-TEXT Team

2011-09-01

The TEXT/(TEXT-U) tokamak, formerly built and operated by the University of Texas at Austin in USA, was dismantled and shipped to China in 2004, and renamed as the Joint TEXT (J-TEXT) tokamak. The reconstruction work, which included reassembly of the machine and development of peripheral devices, was completed in the spring of 2007. Consequently, the first plasma was obtained at the end of 2007. At present, a typical J-TEXT ohmic discharge can produce a plasma with flattop current up to 220 kA and lasting for 300 ms, line-averaged density above 2 × 1019 m-3, and an electron temperature of about 800 eV, with a toroidal magnetic field of 2.2 T. A number of diagnostic devices used to facilitate the routine operation and experimental scenarios were developed on the J-TEXT tokamak. Hence, the measurements of the electrostatic fluctuations in the edge region and conditional analysis of the intermittent burst events near the last closed flux surface were undertaken. The observation and simple analysis of MHD activity and disruption events were also performed. The preliminary experimental results and the future research plan for the J-TEXT are described in detail.

3D Monte-Carlo study of toroidally discontinuous limiter SOL configurations of Aditya tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahoo, Bibhu Prasad; Sharma, Devendra; Jha, Ratneshwar; Feng, Yühe

2017-08-01

The plasma-neutral transport in the scrape-off layer (SOL) region formed by toroidally discontinuous limiters deviates from usual uniform SOL approximations when 3D effects caused by limiter discreteness begin to dominate. In an upgrade version of the Aditya tokamak, originally having a toroidally localized poloidal ring-like limiter, the newer outboard block and inboard belt limiters are expected to have smaller connection lengths and a multiple fold toroidal periodicity. The characteristics of plasma discharges may accordingly vary from the original observations of large diffusivity, and a net improvement and the stability of the discharges are desired. The estimations related to 3D effects in the ring limiter plasma transport are also expected to be modified and are updated by predictive simulations of transport in the new block limiter configuration. A comparison between the ring limiter results and those from new simulations with block limiter SOL shows that for the grids produced using same core plasma equilibrium, the modified SOL plasma flows and flux components have enhanced poloidal periodicity in the block limiter case. These SOL modifications result in a reduced net recycling for the equivalent edge density values. Predictions are also made about the relative level of the diffusive transport and its impact on the factors limiting the operational regime.

Structure of chaotic magnetic field lines in IR-T1 tokamak due to ergodic magnetic limiter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmadi, S.; Salar Elahi, A.; Ghorannevis, M.

2018-03-01

In this paper we have studied an Ergodic Magnetic Limiter (EML) based chaotic magnetic field for transport control in the edge plasma of IR-T1 tokamak. The resonance created by the EML causes perturbation of the equilibrium field line in tokamak and as a result, the field lines are chaotic in the vicinity of the dimerized island chains. Transport barriers are formed in the chaotic field line and actually observe in tokamak with reverse magnetic shear. We used area-preserving non-twist (and twist) Poincaré maps to describe the formation of transport barriers, which are actually features of Hamiltonian systems. This transport barrier is useful in reducing radial diffusion of the field line and thus improving the plasma confinement.

Measurement of H/D ratio and ion temperature on a HT-6M Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Lehan; Lin, Xiaodong

1997-01-01

By combining optical fibers with piezoelectric scanning Fabry-Perot interferometer, the profiles of Hα and Dα have been determined simultaneously in a single Tokamak discharge. Consequently, the ratio of hydrogen to deuterium and ion temperature are obtained. Not only is the uncertainty of shot-to-shot avoided, the results of the experiment indicate that this instrumentation has the advantage of rapid wavelength scanning, large dispersion, high resolution, and good adaptability of working in adverse circumstances such as at a Tokamak site.

Hybrid simulation of fishbone instabilities in the EAST tokamak

DOE PAGES

Shen, Wei; Wang, Feng; Fu, G. Y.; ...

2017-08-11

Hybrid simulations with the global kinetic-magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code M3D-K have been carried out to investigate the linear stability and nonlinear dynamics of beam-driven fishbone in the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST) experiment. Linear simulations show that a low frequency fishbone instability is excited at experimental value of beam ion pressure. The mode is mainly driven by low energy beam ions via precessional resonance. Our results are consistent with the experimental measurement with respect to mode frequency and mode structure. When the beam ion pressure is increased to exceed a critical value, the low frequency mode transits to a beta-induced Alfvenmore » eigenmode (BAE) with much higher frequency. This BAE is driven by higher energy beam ions. Nonlinear simulations show that the frequency of the low frequency fishbone chirps up and down with corresponding hole-clump structures in phase space, consistent with the Berk-Breizman theory. In addition to the low frequency mode, the high frequency BAE is excited during the nonlinear evolution. Furthermore, for the transient case of beam pressure fraction where the low and high frequency modes are simultaneously excited in the linear phase, only one dominant mode appears in the nonlinear phase with frequency jumps up and down during nonlinear evolution.« less

Neoclassical Toroidal Viscosity Torque Induced by Plasma Response in a Low- β Tokamak with Edge Pedestal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Xingting; Zhu, Ping; Sun, Youwen

2016-10-01

The characteristic profile and magnitude are predicted in theory for the neoclassical toroidal viscosity (NTV) torque induced by the plasma response to the resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) in a tokamak with an edge pedestal, using the newly developed module coupling the NIMROD and the NTVTOK codes. For a low β equilibrium, the NTV torque is mainly induced by the dominant toroidal mode of plasma response. The NTV torque profile is radially localized and peaked, which is determined by profiles of both the equilibrium temperature and the plasma response fields. In general, the peak of NTV torque profile is found to trace the pedestal location. The magnitude of NTV torque is extremely sensitive to the β of pedestal top; for a given plasma response, the peak value of NTV torque can increase by three orders of magnitude, when the pedestal β increases by only one order of magnitude. This suggests a more significant role of NTV torque in higher plasma β regimes. Supported by the National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Program of China under Grant Nos. 2014GB124002 and 2015GB101004, and the 100 Talent Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Ageing of structural materials in tokamaks: TEXTOR liner study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weckmann, A.; Petersson, P.; Rubel, M.; Fortuna-Zaleśna, E.; Zielinski, W.; Romelczyk-Baishya, B.; Grigore, E.; Ruset, C.; Kreter, A.

2017-12-01

After the final shut-down of the tokamak TEXTOR, all of its machine parts became accessible for comprehensive studies. This unique opportunity enabled the study of the Inconel 625 liner by a wide range of methods. The aim was to evaluate eventual alteration of surface and bulk characteristics from recessed wall elements that may influence the machine performance. The surface was covered with stratified layers consisting mainly of boron, carbon, oxygen, and in some cases also silicon. Wall conditioning and limiter materials hence predominantly define deposition on the liner. Deposited layers on recessed wall elements reach micrometre thickness within decades, peel off and may contribute to the dust inventory in tokamaks. Deuterium content was about 4,7 at% on average most probably due to wall conditioning with deuterated gas, and very low concentration in the Inconel substrate. Inconel 625 retained its mechanical strength despite 26 years of cyclic heating, stresses and particle bombardment.

Investigation of neutral particle dynamics in Aditya tokamak plasma with DEGAS2 code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dey, Ritu; Ghosh, Joydeep; Chowdhuri, M. B.; Manchanda, R.; Banerjee, S.; Ramaiya, N.; Sharma, Deepti; Srinivasan, R.; Stotler, D. P.; Aditya Team

2017-08-01

Neutral particle behavior in Aditya tokamak, which has a circular poloidal ring limiter at one particular toroidal location, has been investigated using DEGAS2 code. The code is based on the calculation using Monte Carlo algorithms and is mainly used in tokamaks with divertor configuration. This code has been successfully implemented in Aditya tokamak with limiter configuration. The penetration of neutral hydrogen atom is studied with various atomic and molecular contributions and it is found that the maximum contribution comes from the dissociation processes. For the same, H α spectrum is also simulated and matched with the experimental one. The dominant contribution around 64% comes from molecular dissociation processes and neutral particle is generated by those processes have energy of ~2.0 eV. Furthermore, the variation of neutral hydrogen density and H α emissivity profile are analysed for various edge temperature profiles and found that there is not much changes in H α emission at the plasma edge with the variation of edge temperature (7-40 eV).

Investigation of neutral particle dynamics in Aditya tokamak plasma with DEGAS2 code

DOE PAGES

Dey, Ritu; Ghosh, Joydeep; Chowdhuri, M. B.; ...

2017-06-09

Neutral particle behavior in Aditya tokamak, which has a circular poloidal ring limiter at one particular toroidal location, has been investigated using DEGAS2 code. The code is based on the calculation using Monte Carlo algorithms and is mainly used in tokamaks with divertor configuration. This code has been successfully implemented in Aditya tokamak with limiter configuration. The penetration of neutral hydrogen atom is studied with various atomic and molecular contributions and it is found that the maximum contribution comes from the dissociation processes. For the same, H α spectrum is also simulated which was matched with the experimental one. Themore » dominant contribution around 64% comes from molecular dissociation processes and neutral particle is generated by those processes have energy of ~ 2.0 eV. Furthermore, the variation of neutral hydrogen density and H α emissivity profile are analysed for various edge temperature profiles and found that there is not much changes in H α emission at the plasma edge with the variation of edge temperature (7 to 40 eV).« less

Fast island phase identification for tearing mode feedback control on J-TEXT tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rao, B., E-mail: borao@hust.edu.cn; Li, D.; Hu, F. R.

A new method to control the tearing mode (TM) in tokamaks has been proposed [Q. Hu and Q. Yu, Nucl. Fusion 56, 034001 (5pp.) (2016)], according to which, the external resonant magnetic perturbation needs to be applied in certain magnetic island phase regions. Therefore, it is very important to identify the helical phase of magnetic islands in real time. The TM in tokamak plasmas is normally rotating and carries magnetic oscillations, which are known as Mirnov oscillations and can be detected by Mirnov probes. When the O-point or X-point of the magnetic island passes through the probe, the signal willmore » experience a zero-crossing. A poloidal Mirnov probe array and a corresponding island phase identification method are presented. A field-programmable gate array is used to provide the magnetic island helical phase in real time by using multichannel zero crossing detection. This system has been developed on the J-TEXT tokamak and works well. This paper introduces the establishment of the fast magnetic island phase identifying system.« less

Effect of Magnetic Islands on Divertors in Tokamaks and Stellarators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Punjabi, Alkesh; Boozer, Allen

2017-10-01

Divertors are required for handling the plasma particle and heat exhausts on the walls in fusion plasmas. Relatively simple methods, models, and maps from field line Hamiltonian are developed to better understand the interaction of strong plasma shaping and magnetic islands on the size and behavior of the magnetic flux tubes that go from the plasma edge to the wall in non-axisymmetric system. This approach is applicable not only in tokamaks but also in stellarators. Stellarator diverters in which magnetic islands are dominant are called resonant and when shaping is dominant are called non-resonant. Optimized stellarators generally have sharp edges on their surface, but unlike the case for tokamaks these edges do not encircle the entire plasma, so they do not define an edge value for the rotational transform. The approach is used in the DIII-D tokamak. Computation results are consistent with the predictions of the models. Further simulations are being done to understand why the transition from an effective cubic to a linear increase in loss time and area of footprint occurs and whether this increase is discontinuous or not. This work is supported by the US DOE Grants DE-FG02-01ER54624 and DE-FG02-04ER54793 to Hampton University and DE-FG02-95ER54333 to Columbia University. This research used resources of the NERSC, supported by the Office of Science, US DOE, under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

Runaway Electrons Modeling and Nanoparticle Plasma Jet Penetration into Tokamak Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galkin, S. A.; Bogatu, I. N.

2017-10-01

A novel idea to probe runaway electrons (REs) by superfast injection of high velocity nanoparticle plasma jet (NPPJ) from a plasma accelerator needs to be sustained by both RE dynamics modeling and simulation of NPPJ penetration through increasing tokamak magnetic field. We present our recent progress in both areas. RE simulation is based on the model, including Dreicer and ``avalanche'' mechanisms of RE generation, with emphasis on high Zeff effects. The high-density hyper-velocity C60 and BN NPPJ penetration through transversal B-field is conducted with the Hybrid Electro-Magnetic code (HEM-2D) in cylindrical coordinates, with 1/R B-field dependence for both DIII-D and ITER tokamaks. Work is supported in part by US DOE SBIR Grant.

Natural Divertor Spherical Tokamak Plasmas with bean shape and ergodic limiter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, Celso; Herrera, Julio; Chavez, Esteban; Tritz, Kevin

2013-10-01

The former spherical tokamak (ST) MEDUSA (Madison EDUcation Small Aspect.ratio tokamak, R < 0.14 m, a < 0.10 m, BT < 0.5T, Ip < 40 kA, 3 ms pulse) is being recommissioned in Costa Rica Institute of Technology. The main objectives of the MEDUSA-CR project are training and to clarify several issues in relevant physics for conventional and mainly STs, including beta studies in bean-shaped ST plasmas, transport, heating and current drive via Alfvén wave, and natural divertor STs with ergodic magnetic limiter. We report here improvements in the self-consistency of these equilibrium comparisons and a preliminary study of their MHD stability beta limits. VIE-ITCR, IAEA-CRP contract 17592, National Instruments of Costa Rica.

Residual zonal flows in tokamaks and stellarators at arbitrary wavelengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monreal, Pedro; Calvo, Iván; Sánchez, Edilberto; Parra, Félix I.; Bustos, Andrés; Könies, Axel; Kleiber, Ralf; Görler, Tobias

2016-04-01

In the linear collisionless limit, a zonal potential perturbation in a toroidal plasma relaxes, in general, to a non-zero residual value. Expressions for the residual value in tokamak and stellarator geometries, and for arbitrary wavelengths, are derived. These expressions involve averages over the lowest order particle trajectories, that typically cannot be evaluated analytically. In this work, an efficient numerical method for the evaluation of such expressions is reported. It is shown that this method is faster than direct gyrokinetic simulations performed with the Gene and EUTERPE codes. Calculations of the residual value in stellarators are provided for much shorter wavelengths than previously available in the literature. Electrons must be treated kinetically in stellarators because, unlike in tokamaks, kinetic electrons modify the residual value even at long wavelengths. This effect, that had already been predicted theoretically, is confirmed by gyrokinetic simulations.

On current drive by Ohkawa mechanism of electron cyclotron wave in large inverse aspect ratio tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Pingwei; Gong, Xueyu; Lu, Xingqiang; He, Lihua; Cao, Jingjia; Huang, Qianhong; Deng, Sheng

2018-03-01

A localized and efficient current drive method in the outer-half region of the tokamak with a large inverse aspect ratio is proposed via the Ohkawa mechanism of electron cyclotron (EC) waves. Further off-axis Ohkawa current drive (OKCD) via EC waves was investigated in high electron beta β e HL-2M-like tokamaks with a large inverse aspect ratio, and in EAST-like tokamaks with a low inverse aspect ratio. OKCD can be driven efficiently, and the driven current profile is spatially localized in the radial region, ranging from 0.62 to 0.85, where the large fraction of trapped electrons provides an excellent advantage for OKCD. Furthermore, the current drive efficiency increases with an increase in minor radius, and then drops when the minor radius beyond a certain value. The effect of trapped electrons greatly enhances the current driving capability of the OKCD mechanism. The highest current drive efficiency can reach 0.183 by adjusting the steering mirror to change the toroidal and poloidal incident angle, and the total driven current by OKCD can reach 20-32 kA MW-1 in HL-2M-like tokamaks. The current drive is less efficient for the EAST-like scenario due to the lower inverse aspect ratio. The results show that OKCD may be a valuable alternative current drive method in large inverse aspect ratio tokamaks, and the potential capabilities of OKCD can be used to suppress some important magnetohydrodynamics instabilities in the far off-axis region.

Numerical optimization of perturbative coils for tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazerson, Samuel; Park, Jong-Kyu; Logan, Nikolas; Boozer, Allen; NSTX-U Research Team

2014-10-01

Numerical optimization of coils which apply three dimensional (3D) perturbative fields to tokamaks is presented. The application of perturbative 3D magnetic fields in tokamaks is now commonplace for control of error fields, resistive wall modes, resonant field drive, and neoclassical toroidal viscosity (NTV) torques. The design of such systems has focused on control of toroidal mode number, with coil shapes based on simple window-pane designs. In this work, a numerical optimization suite based on the STELLOPT 3D equilibrium optimization code is presented. The new code, IPECOPT, replaces the VMEC equilibrium code with the IPEC perturbed equilibrium code, and targets NTV torque by coupling to the PENT code. Fixed boundary optimizations of the 3D fields for the NSTX-U experiment are underway. Initial results suggest NTV torques can be driven by normal field spectrums which are not pitch-resonant with the magnetic field lines. Work has focused on driving core torque with n = 1 and edge torques with n = 3 fields. Optimizations of the coil currents for the planned NSTX-U NCC coils highlight the code's free boundary capability. This manuscript has been authored by Princeton University under Contract Number DE-AC02-09CH11466 with the U.S. Department of Energy.

Big data analytics : predicting traffic flow regimes from simulated connected vehicle messages using data analytics and machine learning.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-25

The key objectives of this study were to: 1. Develop advanced analytical techniques that make use of a dynamically configurable connected vehicle message protocol to predict traffic flow regimes in near-real time in a virtual environment and examine ...

Wavelength calibration of x-ray imaging crystal spectrometer on Joint Texas Experimental Tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yan, W.; Chen, Z. Y., E-mail: zychen@hust.edu.cn; Jin, W.

2014-11-15

The wavelength calibration of x-ray imaging crystal spectrometer is a key issue for the measurements of plasma rotation. For the lack of available standard radiation source near 3.95 Å and there is no other diagnostics to measure the core rotation for inter-calibration, an indirect method by using tokamak plasma itself has been applied on joint Texas experimental tokamak. It is found that the core toroidal rotation velocity is not zero during locked mode phase. This is consistent with the observation of small oscillations on soft x-ray signals and electron cyclotron emission during locked-mode phase.

Confinement properties of tokamak plasmas with extended regions of low magnetic shear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graves, J. P.; Cooper, W. A.; Kleiner, A.; Raghunathan, M.; Neto, E.; Nicolas, T.; Lanthaler, S.; Patten, H.; Pfefferle, D.; Brunetti, D.; Lutjens, H.

2017-10-01

Extended regions of low magnetic shear can be advantageous to tokamak plasmas. But the core and edge can be susceptible to non-resonant ideal fluctuations due to the weakened restoring force associated with magnetic field line bending. This contribution shows how saturated non-linear phenomenology, such as 1 / 1 Long Lived Modes, and Edge Harmonic Oscillations associated with QH-modes, can be modelled accurately using the non-linear stability code XTOR, the free boundary 3D equilibrium code VMEC, and non-linear analytic theory. That the equilibrium approach is valid is particularly valuable because it enables advanced particle confinement studies to be undertaken in the ordinarily difficult environment of strongly 3D magnetic fields. The VENUS-LEVIS code exploits the Fourier description of the VMEC equilibrium fields, such that full Lorenzian and guiding centre approximated differential operators in curvilinear angular coordinates can be evaluated analytically. Consequently, the confinement properties of minority ions such as energetic particles and high Z impurities can be calculated accurately over slowing down timescales in experimentally relevant 3D plasmas.

Axisymmetric electrostatic magnetohydrodynamic oscillations in tokamaks with general cross-sections and toroidal flow

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chu, M. S.; Guo, Wenfeng

2016-06-15

The frequency spectrum and mode structure of axisymmetric electrostatic oscillations [the zonal flow (ZF), sound waves (SW), geodesic acoustic modes (GAM), and electrostatic mean flows (EMF)] in tokamaks with general cross-sections and toroidal flows are studied analytically using the electrostatic approximation for magnetohydrodynamic modes. These modes constitute the “electrostatic continua.” Starting from the energy principle for a tokamak plasma with toroidal rotation, we showed that these modes are completely stable. The ZF, the SW, and the EMF could all be viewed as special cases of the general GAM. The Euler equations for the general GAM are obtained and are solvedmore » analytically for both the low and high range of Mach numbers. The solution consists of the usual countable infinite set of eigen-modes with discrete eigen-frequencies, and two modes with lower frequencies. The countable infinite set is identified with the regular GAM. The lower frequency mode, which is also divergence free as the plasma rotation tends to zero, is identified as the ZF. The other lower (zero) frequency mode is a pure geodesic E×B flow and not divergence free is identified as the EMF. The frequency of the EMF is shown to be exactly 0 independent of plasma cross-section or its flow Mach number. We also show that in general, sound waves with no geodesic components are (almost) completely lost in tokamaks with a general cross-sectional shape. The exception is the special case of strict up-down symmetry. In this case, half of the GAMs would have no geodesic displacements. They are identified as the SW. Present day tokamaks, although not strictly up-down symmetric, usually are only slightly up-down asymmetric. They are expected to share the property with the up-down symmetric tokamak in that half of the GAMs would be more sound wave-like, i.e., have much weaker coupling to the geodesic components than the other half of non-sound-wave-like modes with stronger coupling to the

Tokamak startup using point-source dc helicity injection.

PubMed

Battaglia, D J; Bongard, M W; Fonck, R J; Redd, A J; Sontag, A C

2009-06-05

Startup of a 0.1 MA tokamak plasma is demonstrated on the ultralow aspect ratio Pegasus Toroidal Experiment using three localized, high-current density sources mounted near the outboard midplane. The injected open field current relaxes via helicity-conserving magnetic turbulence into a tokamaklike magnetic topology where the maximum sustained plasma current is determined by helicity balance and the requirements for magnetic relaxation.

Full orbit computations of ripple-induced fusion {alpha}-particle losses from burning tokamak plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McClements, K.G.

A full orbit code is used to compute collisionless losses of fusion {alpha} particles from three proposed burning plasma tokamaks: the International Tokamak Experimental Reactor (ITER); a spherical tokamak power plant (STPP) [T. C. Hender, A. Bond, J. Edwards, P. J. Karditsas, K. G. McClements, J. Mustoe, D. V. Sherwood, G. M. Voss, and H. R. Wilson, Fusion Eng. Des. 48, 255 (2000)]; and a spherical tokamak components test facility (CTF) [H. R. Wilson, G. M. Voss, R. J. Akers, L. Appel, A. Dnestrovskij, O. Keating, T. C. Hender, M. J. Hole, G. Huysmans, A. Kirk, P. J. Knight, M.more » Loughlin, K. G. McClements, M. R. O'Brien, and D. Yu. Sychugov, Proceedings of the 20th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Invited Paper FT/3-1Ra]. It has been suggested that {alpha} particle transport could be enhanced due to cyclotron resonance with the toroidal magnetic field ripple. However, calculations for inductive operation in ITER yield a loss rate that appears to be broadly consistent with the predictions of guiding center theory, falling monotonically as the number of toroidal field coils N is increased (and hence the ripple amplitude is decreased). For STPP and CTF the loss rate does not decrease monotonically with N, but collisionless losses are generally low in absolute terms. As in the case of ITER, there is no evidence that finite Larmor radius effects would seriously degrade fusion {alpha}-particle confinement.« less

Quasistationary Plasma Predator-Prey System of Coupled Turbulence, Drive, and Sheared E ×B Flow During High Performance DIII-D Tokamak Discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barada, K.; Rhodes, T. L.; Burrell, K. H.; Zeng, L.; Bardóczi, L.; Chen, Xi; Muscatello, C. M.; Peebles, W. A.

2018-03-01

A new, long-lived limit cycle oscillation (LCO) regime has been observed in the edge of near zero torque high performance DIII-D tokamak plasma discharges. These LCOs are localized and composed of density turbulence, gradient drives, and E ×B velocity shear damping (E and B are the local radial electric and total magnetic fields). Density turbulence sequentially acts as a predator (via turbulence transport) of profile gradients and a prey (via shear suppression) to the E ×B velocity shear. Reported here for the first time is a unique spatiotemporal variation of the local E ×B velocity, which is found to be essential for the existence of this system. The LCO system is quasistationary, existing from 3 to 12 plasma energy confinement times (˜30 - 900 LCO cycles) limited by hardware constraints. This plasma system appears to contribute strongly to the edge transport in these high performance and transient-free plasmas, as evident from oscillations in transport relevant edge parameters at LCO time scale.

Kinetic shear Alfvén instability in the presence of impurity ions in tokamak plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lu, Gaimin; Shen, Y.; Xie, T.

2013-10-15

The effects of impurity ions on the kinetic shear Alfvén (KSA) instability in tokamak plasmas are investigated by numerically solving the integral equations for the KSA eigenmode in the toroidal geometry. The kinetic effects of hydrogen and impurity ions, including transit motion, finite ion Larmor radius, and finite-orbit-width, are taken into account. Toroidicity induced linear mode coupling is included through the ballooning-mode representation. Here, the effects of carbon, oxygen, and tungsten ions on the KSA instability in toroidal plasmas are investigated. It is found that, depending on the concentration and density profile of the impurity ions, the latter can bemore » either stabilizing or destabilizing for the KSA modes. The results here confirm the importance of impurity ions in tokamak experiments and should be useful for analyzing experimental data as well as for understanding anomalous transport and control of tokamak plasmas.« less

Explaining Cold-Pulse Dynamics in Tokamak Plasmas Using Local Turbulent Transport Models

DOE PAGES

Rodriguez-Fernandez, P.; White, A. E.; Howard, N. T.; ...

2018-02-16

A long-standing enigma in plasma transport has been resolved by modeling of cold-pulse experiments conducted on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak. Controlled edge cooling of fusion plasmas triggers core electron heating on time scales faster than an energy confinement time, which has long been interpreted as strong evidence of nonlocal transport. Here, this Letter shows that the steady-state profiles, the cold-pulse rise time, and disappearance at higher density as measured in these experiments are successfully captured by a recent local quasilinear turbulent transport model, demonstrating that the existence of nonlocal transport phenomena is not necessary for explaining the behavior and timemore » scales of cold-pulse experiments in tokamak plasmas.« less

Explaining Cold-Pulse Dynamics in Tokamak Plasmas Using Local Turbulent Transport Models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rodriguez-Fernandez, P.; White, A. E.; Howard, N. T.

A long-standing enigma in plasma transport has been resolved by modeling of cold-pulse experiments conducted on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak. Controlled edge cooling of fusion plasmas triggers core electron heating on time scales faster than an energy confinement time, which has long been interpreted as strong evidence of nonlocal transport. Here, this Letter shows that the steady-state profiles, the cold-pulse rise time, and disappearance at higher density as measured in these experiments are successfully captured by a recent local quasilinear turbulent transport model, demonstrating that the existence of nonlocal transport phenomena is not necessary for explaining the behavior and timemore » scales of cold-pulse experiments in tokamak plasmas.« less

Can a Penning ionization discharge simulate the tokamak scrape-off plasma conditions?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finkenthal, M.; Littman, A.; Stutman, D.; Kovnovich, S.; Mandelbaum, P.; Schwob, J. L.; Bhatia, A. K.

1990-01-01

The tokamak scrape-off (the region between the vacuum vessel wall and the magnetically confined fusion plasma edge), represents a source/sink for the hot fusion plasma. The electron densities and temperatures are in the ranges 10 to the 11th - 10 to the 13th/cu cm and 1-40 eV, respectively (depending on the size, magnetic field intensity and configuration, plasma current, etc). In the work reported, the electron temperature and density have been estimated in a Penning ionization discharge by comparing its spectroscopic emission in the VUV with that predicted by a collisional radiative model. An attempt to directly compare this emission with that of the tokamak edge is briefly described.

Explaining Cold-Pulse Dynamics in Tokamak Plasmas Using Local Turbulent Transport Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez-Fernandez, P.; White, A. E.; Howard, N. T.; Grierson, B. A.; Staebler, G. M.; Rice, J. E.; Yuan, X.; Cao, N. M.; Creely, A. J.; Greenwald, M. J.; Hubbard, A. E.; Hughes, J. W.; Irby, J. H.; Sciortino, F.

2018-02-01

A long-standing enigma in plasma transport has been resolved by modeling of cold-pulse experiments conducted on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak. Controlled edge cooling of fusion plasmas triggers core electron heating on time scales faster than an energy confinement time, which has long been interpreted as strong evidence of nonlocal transport. This Letter shows that the steady-state profiles, the cold-pulse rise time, and disappearance at higher density as measured in these experiments are successfully captured by a recent local quasilinear turbulent transport model, demonstrating that the existence of nonlocal transport phenomena is not necessary for explaining the behavior and time scales of cold-pulse experiments in tokamak plasmas.

Institutional change to support regime transformation: Lessons from Australia's water sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werbeloff, Lara; Brown, Rebekah; Cocklin, Chris

2017-07-01

Institutional change is fundamental to regime transformation, and a necessary part of moving toward integrated water management. However, insight into the role of institutional change processes in such transitions is currently limited. A more nuanced understanding of institutional frameworks is necessary, both to advance understanding of institutional change in the context of transitions toward improved water management and to inform strategies for guiding such processes. To this end, we examine two contemporary cases of transformative change in Australia's urban water sector, exploring the evolution of institutional change in each city. This paper offers insights into regime transformation, providing guidance on types of institutional structures and the ways structure-change initiatives can be sequenced to support a transition. The results reveal the importance of regulation in embedding regime change and suggest that engagement with structural frameworks should begin early in transition processes to ensure the timely introduction of supporting regulation. Our findings also highlight the inextricable link between culture-based and structure-based change initiatives, and the importance of using a diverse range of institutional change mechanisms in a mutually reinforcing way to provide a strong foundation for change. These findings provide a foundation for further scholarly examination of institutional change mechanisms, while also serving to inform the strategic activities of transition-oriented organizations and actors.

Measurement of H/D ratio and ion temperature on a HT-6M Tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wei, L.; Lin, X.

1997-01-01

By combining optical fibers with piezoelectric scanning Fabry{endash}Perot interferometer, the profiles of H{sub {alpha}} and D{sub {alpha}} have been determined simultaneously in a single Tokamak discharge. Consequently, the ratio of hydrogen to deuterium and ion temperature are obtained. Not only is the uncertainty of shot-to-shot avoided, the results of the experiment indicate that this instrumentation has the advantage of rapid wavelength scanning, large dispersion, high resolution, and good adaptability of working in adverse circumstances such as at a Tokamak site. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}

Gyrokinetic-Vlasov simulations of the ion temperature gradient turbulence in tokamak and helical systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Watanabe, T.-H.; Sugama, H.; Graduate University for Advanced Studies

2006-11-30

Recent progress of the gyrokinetic-Vlasov simulations on the ion temperature gradient (ITG) turbulence in tokamak and helical systems is reported, where the entropy balance is checked as a reference for the numerical accuracy. The tokamak ITG turbulence simulation carried out on the Earth Simulator clearly captures a nonlinear generation process of zonal flows. The tera-flops and tera-bytes scale simulation is also applied to a helical system with the same poloidal and toroidal periodicities of L = 2 and M = 10 as in the Large Helical Device.

Plasma detachment in divertor tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leonard, A. W.

2018-04-01

Observations of divertor plasma detachment in tokamaks are reviewed. Plasma detachment is characterized in terms of transport and dissipation of power, momentum and particle flux along the open field lines from the midplane to the divertor. Asymmetries in detachment onset and other characteristics between the inboard and outboard divertor plasmas is found to be primarily driven by plasma E× B drifts. The effect of divertor plate geometry and magnetic configuration on divertor detachment is summarized. Control of divertor detachment has progressed with a development of a number of diagnostics to characterize the detached state in real-time. Finally the compatibility of detached divertor operation with high performance core plasmas is examined.

Transport and reconnection in tokamak sawteeth.

PubMed

Gentle, K W; Austin, M E; Phillips, P E

2003-12-19

The core of a tokamak discharge often undergoes periodic relaxation oscillations, sawteeth, as the steepening current and temperature profiles are flattened by fast reconnection events. Careful analysis of the electron temperature evolution over this cycle gives an estimate of the energy dissipated in the electrons during reconnection and a measure of the transport characteristic (energy flux versus temperature gradient) over the range of parameters occurring over the remainder of the cycle. The energy dissipated is consistent with estimates of the loss of poloidal magnetic energy. The transport characteristics exhibit a wide range of behaviors.

RF assisted Glow Discharge Condition experiment for SST-1 Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raval, Dilip; Khan, Ziauddin; George, Siju; Dhanani, Kalpeshkumar R.; Paravastu, Yuvakiran; Semwal, Pratibha; Thankey, Prashant; Shoaib Khan, Mohammad; Kakati, Bharat; Pradhan, Subrata

2017-04-01

Impurity control reduces the radiation loss from plasma and hence enhances the plasma operation. Oxygen and water vapors are the most common impurities in tokamak devices. Water vapour can be reduced with extensive baking while in order to have a significant reduction in oxygen it is necessary to use glow discharge condition (GDC). RF assisted glow discharge cleaning system will be implemented to remove low z impurities at PFC installed SST-1 vacuum vessel. A RF assisted Glow discharge conditioning is studied at laboratory to find the optimum operating parameters in a view to implement at SST-1 tokamak. Helium is used as a fuel gas in the present experiment. It is observed that the ultimate impurity level is reduced significantly below to the accepted level for plasma operation after RF assisted GDC. The experimental findings of RF assisted Glow discharge conditioning is discussed in details in this paper.

Neutral-beam deposition in large, finite-beta noncircular tokamak plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wieland, R.M.; Houlberg, W.A.

1982-02-01

A parametric pencil beam model is introduced for describing the attenuation of an energetic neutral beam moving through a tokamak plasma. The nonnegligible effects of a finite beam cross section and noncircular shifted plasma cross sections are accounted for in a simple way by using a smoothing algorithm dependent linearly on beam radius and by including information on the plasma flux surface geometry explicitly. The model is benchmarked against more complete and more time-consuming two-dimensional Monte Carlo calculations for the case of a large D-shaped tokamak plasma with minor radius a = 120 cm and elongation b/a = 1.6. Depositionmore » profiles are compared for deuterium beam energies of 120 to 150 keV, central plasma densities of 8 x 10/sup 13/ - 2 x 10/sup 14/ cm/sup -3/, and beam orientation ranging from perpendicular to tangential to the inside wall.« less

Control and Data Acquisition for the Spherical Tokamak MEDUSA-CR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soto, Christian; Gonzalez, Jeferson; Carvajal, Johan; Ribeiro, Celso

2013-10-01

The former spherical tokamak (ST) MEDUSA (Madison EDUcation Small Aspect.ratio tokamak, R < 0.14 m, a < 0.10 m, BT < 0.5 T, Ip < 40 kA, 3 ms pulse) is being recommissioned in Costa Rica Institute of Technology. The main objectives of the MEDUSA-CR project are training and to clarify several issues in relevant physics for conventional and mainly STs, including beta studies in bean-shaped ST plasmas, transport, heating and current drive via Alfvén wave, and natural divertor STs with ergodic magnetic limiter. We present here the control and data acquisition systems for MEDUSA-CR device which are based on National Instruments (NI) software (LabView) and hardware on loan to our laboratory via NI-Costa Rica. The interface with the energy, gas fueling, and security systems are also presented. VIE-ITCR, IAEA-CRP contract 17592, National Instruments of Costa Rica.

GEM detector development for tokamak plasma radiation diagnostics: SXR poloidal tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernyshova, Maryna; Malinowski, Karol; Ziółkowski, Adam; Kowalska-Strzeciwilk, Ewa; Czarski, Tomasz; Poźniak, Krzysztof T.; Kasprowicz, Grzegorz; Zabołotny, Wojciech; Wojeński, Andrzej; Kolasiński, Piotr; Krawczyk, Rafał D.

2015-09-01

An increased attention to tungsten material is related to a fact that it became a main candidate for the plasma facing material in ITER and future fusion reactor. The proposed work refers to the studies of W influence on the plasma performances by developing new detectors based on Gas Electron Multiplier GEM) technology for tomographic studies of tungsten transport in ITER-oriented tokamaks, e.g. WEST project. It presents current stage of design and developing of cylindrically bent SXR GEM detector construction for horizontal port implementation. Concept to overcome an influence of constraints on vertical port has been also presented. It is expected that the detecting unit under development, when implemented, will add to the safe operation of tokamak bringing creation of sustainable nuclear fusion reactors a step closer.

Dynamic optimization of open-loop input signals for ramp-up current profiles in tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Zhigang; Xu, Chao; Lin, Qun; Loxton, Ryan; Teo, Kok Lay

2016-03-01

Establishing a good current spatial profile in tokamak fusion reactors is crucial to effective steady-state operation. The evolution of the current spatial profile is related to the evolution of the poloidal magnetic flux, which can be modeled in the normalized cylindrical coordinates using a parabolic partial differential equation (PDE) called the magnetic diffusion equation. In this paper, we consider the dynamic optimization problem of attaining the best possible current spatial profile during the ramp-up phase of the tokamak. We first use the Galerkin method to obtain a finite-dimensional ordinary differential equation (ODE) model based on the original magnetic diffusion PDE. Then, we combine the control parameterization method with a novel time-scaling transformation to obtain an approximate optimal parameter selection problem, which can be solved using gradient-based optimization techniques such as sequential quadratic programming (SQP). This control parameterization approach involves approximating the tokamak input signals by piecewise-linear functions whose slopes and break-points are decision variables to be optimized. We show that the gradient of the objective function with respect to the decision variables can be computed by solving an auxiliary dynamic system governing the state sensitivity matrix. Finally, we conclude the paper with simulation results for an example problem based on experimental data from the DIII-D tokamak in San Diego, California.

Radial force on the vacuum chamber wall during thermal quench in tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pustovitov, V. D., E-mail: pustovitov-vd@nrcki.ru

The radial force balance during a thermal quench in tokamaks is analyzed. As a rule, the duration τ{sub tp} of such events is much shorter than the resistive time τ{sub w} of the vacuum chamber wall. Therefore, the perturbations of the magnetic field B produced by the evolving plasma cannot penetrate the wall, which makes different the magnetic pressures on its inner and outer sides. The goal of this work is the analytical estimation of the resulting integral radial force on the wall. The plasma is considered axially symmetric; for the description of radial forces on the wall, the resultsmore » of V.D. Shafranov’s classical work [J. Nucl. Energy C 5, 251 (1963)] are used. Developed for tokamaks, the standard equilibrium theory considers three interacting systems: plasma, poloidal field coils, and toroidal field coils. Here, the wall is additionally incorporated with currents driven by ∂B/∂t≠0 accompanying the fast loss of the plasma thermal energy. It is shown that they essentially affect the force redistribution, thereby leading to large loads on the wall. The estimates prove that these loads have to be accounted for in the disruptive scenarios in large tokamaks.« less

Merging-compression formation of high temperature tokamak plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gryaznevich, M. P.; Sykes, A.

2017-07-01

Merging-compression is a solenoid-free plasma formation method used in spherical tokamaks (STs). Two plasma rings are formed and merged via magnetic reconnection into one plasma ring that then is radially compressed to form the ST configuration. Plasma currents of several hundred kA and plasma temperatures in the keV-range have been produced using this method, however until recently there was no full understanding of the merging-compression formation physics. In this paper we explain in detail, for the first time, all stages of the merging-compression plasma formation. This method will be used to create ST plasmas in the compact (R ~ 0.4-0.6 m) high field, high current (3 T/2 MA) ST40 tokamak. Moderate extrapolation from the available experimental data suggests the possibility of achieving plasma current ~2 MA, and 10 keV range temperatures at densities ~1-5  ×  1020 m-3, bringing ST40 plasmas into a burning plasma (alpha particle heating) relevant conditions directly from the plasma formation. Issues connected with this approach for ST40 and future ST reactors are discussed

ATCA digital controller hardware for vertical stabilization of plasmas in tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Batista, A. J. N.; Sousa, J.; Varandas, C. A. F.

2006-10-15

The efficient vertical stabilization (VS) of plasmas in tokamaks requires a fast reaction of the VS controller, for example, after detection of edge localized modes (ELM). For controlling the effects of very large ELMs a new digital control hardware, based on the Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture trade mark sign (ATCA), is being developed aiming to reduce the VS digital control loop cycle (down to an optimal value of 10 {mu}s) and improve the algorithm performance. The system has 1 ATCA trade mark sign processor module and up to 12 ATCA trade mark sign control modules, each one with 32 analogmore » input channels (12 bit resolution), 4 analog output channels (12 bit resolution), and 8 digital input/output channels. The Aurora trade mark sign and PCI Express trade mark sign communication protocols will be used for data transport, between modules, with expected latencies below 2 {mu}s. Control algorithms are implemented on a ix86 based processor with 6 Gflops and on field programmable gate arrays with 80 GMACS, interconnected by serial gigabit links in a full mesh topology.« less

High-Q plasmas in the TFTR tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jassby, D. L.; Barnes, C. W.; Bell, M. G.; Bitter, M.; Boivin, R.; Bretz, N. L.; Budny, R. V.; Bush, C. E.; Dylla, H. F.; Efthimion, P. C.; Fredrickson, E. D.; Hawryluk, R. J.; Hill, K. W.; Hosea, J.; Hsuan, H.; Janos, A. C.; Jobes, F. C.; Johnson, D. W.; Johnson, L. C.; Kamperschroer, J.; Kieras-Phillips, C.; Kilpatrick, S. J.; LaMarche, P. H.; LeBlanc, B.; Mansfield, D. K.; Marmar, E. S.; McCune, D. C.; McGuire, K. M.; Meade, D. M.; Medley, S. S.; Mikkelsen, D. R.; Mueller, D.; Owens, D. K.; Park, H. K.; Paul, S. F.; Pitcher, S.; Ramsey, A. T.; Redi, M. H.; Sabbagh, S. A.; Scott, S. D.; Snipes, J.; Stevens, J.; Strachan, J. D.; Stratton, B. C.; Synakowski, E. J.; Taylor, G.; Terry, J. L.; Timberlake, J. R.; Towner, H. H.; Ulrickson, M.; von Goeler, S.; Wieland, R. M.; Williams, M.; Wilson, J. R.; Wong, K.-L.; Young, K. M.; Zarnstorff, M. C.; Zweben, S. J.

1991-08-01

In the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 26, 11 (1984)], the highest neutron source strength Sn and D-D fusion power gain QDD are realized in the neutral-beam-fueled and heated ``supershot'' regime that occurs after extensive wall conditioning to minimize recycling. For the best supershots, Sn increases approximately as P1.8b. The highest-Q shots are characterized by high Te (up to 12 keV), Ti (up to 34 keV), and stored energy (up to 4.7 MJ), highly peaked density profiles, broad Te profiles, and lower Zeff. Replacement of critical areas of the graphite limiter tiles with carbon-fiber composite tiles and improved alignment with the plasma have mitigated the ``carbon bloom.'' Wall conditioning by lithium pellet injection prior to the beam pulse reduces carbon influx and particle recycling. Empirically, QDD increases with decreasing pre-injection carbon radiation, and increases strongly with density peakedness [ne(0)/] during the beam pulse. To date, the best fusion results are Sn=5×1016 n/sec, QDD=1.85×10-3, and neutron yield=4.0×1016 n/pulse, obtained at Ip=1.6-1.9 MA and beam energy Eb=95-103 keV, with nearly balanced co- and counter-injected beam power. Computer simulations of supershot plasmas show that typically 50%-60% of Sn arises from beam-target reactions, with the remainder divided between beam-beam and thermonuclear reactions, the thermonuclear fraction increasing with Pb. The simulations predict that QDT=0.3-0.4 would be obtained for the best present plasma conditions, if half the deuterium neutral beams were to be replaced by tritium beams. Somewhat higher values are calculated if D beams are injected into a predominantly tritium target plasma. The projected central beta of fusion alphas is 0.4%-0.6%, a level sufficient for the study of alpha-induced collective effects.

Computational micromechanics of fatigue of microstructures in the HCF–VHCF regimes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Castelluccio, Gustavo M.; Musinski, William D.; McDowell, David L.

Advances in higher resolution experimental techniques have shown that metallic materials can develop fatigue cracks under cyclic loading levels significantly below the yield stress. Indeed, the traditional notion of a fatigue limit can be recast in terms of limits associated with nucleation and arrest of fatigue cracks at the microstructural scale. Though fatigue damage characteristically emerges from irreversible dislocation processes at sub-grain scales, the specific microstructure attributes, environment, and loading conditions can strongly affect the apparent failure mode and surface to subsurface transitions. This paper discusses multiple mechanisms that occur during fatigue loading in the high cycle fatigue (HCF) tomore » very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) regimes. We compare these regimes, focusing on strategies to bridge experimental and modeling approaches exercised at multiple length scales and discussing particular challenges to modeling and simulation regarding microstructure-sensitive fatigue driving forces and thresholds. Finally, we discuss some of the challenges in predicting the transition of failure mechanisms at different stress and strain amplitudes.« less

Computational micromechanics of fatigue of microstructures in the HCF–VHCF regimes

DOE PAGES

Castelluccio, Gustavo M.; Musinski, William D.; McDowell, David L.

2016-05-19

Advances in higher resolution experimental techniques have shown that metallic materials can develop fatigue cracks under cyclic loading levels significantly below the yield stress. Indeed, the traditional notion of a fatigue limit can be recast in terms of limits associated with nucleation and arrest of fatigue cracks at the microstructural scale. Though fatigue damage characteristically emerges from irreversible dislocation processes at sub-grain scales, the specific microstructure attributes, environment, and loading conditions can strongly affect the apparent failure mode and surface to subsurface transitions. This paper discusses multiple mechanisms that occur during fatigue loading in the high cycle fatigue (HCF) tomore » very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) regimes. We compare these regimes, focusing on strategies to bridge experimental and modeling approaches exercised at multiple length scales and discussing particular challenges to modeling and simulation regarding microstructure-sensitive fatigue driving forces and thresholds. Finally, we discuss some of the challenges in predicting the transition of failure mechanisms at different stress and strain amplitudes.« less

Control system of neoclassical tearing modes in real time on HL-2A tokamak.

PubMed

Yan, Longwen; Ji, Xiaoquan; Song, Shaodong; Xia, Fan; Xu, Yuan; Ye, Jiruo; Jiang, Min; Chen, Wenjin; Sun, Tengfei; Liang, Shaoyong; Ling, Fei; Ma, Rui; Huang, Mei; Qu, Hongpeng; Song, Xianming; Yu, Deliang; Shi, Zhongbin; Liu, Yi; Yang, Qingwei; Xu, Min; Duan, Xuru; Liu, Yong

2017-11-01

The stability and performance of tokamak plasmas are routinely limited by various magneto-hydrodynamic instabilities, such as neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs). This paper presents a rather simple method to control the NTMs in real time (RT) on a tokamak, including the control principle of a feedback approach for RT suppression and stabilization for the NTMs. The control system combines Mirnov, electron cyclotron emission, and soft X-ray diagnostics used for determining the NTM positions. A methodology for fast detection of 2/1 or 3/2 NTM positions with 129 × 129 grid reconstruction is elucidated. The forty poloidal angles for steering the electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH)/electron cyclotron current drive launcher are used to establish the alignment of antenna mirrors with the center of the NTM and to ensure launcher emission intersecting with the rational surface of a magnetic island. Pilot experiments demonstrate the RT control capability to trace the conventional tearing modes (CTMs) in the HL-2A tokamak. The 2/1 CTMs have been suppressed or stabilized by the ECRH power deposition on site or with the steerable launcher.

Control system of neoclassical tearing modes in real time on HL-2A tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Longwen; Ji, Xiaoquan; Song, Shaodong; Xia, Fan; Xu, Yuan; Ye, Jiruo; Jiang, Min; Chen, Wenjin; Sun, Tengfei; Liang, Shaoyong; Ling, Fei; Ma, Rui; Huang, Mei; Qu, Hongpeng; Song, Xianming; Yu, Deliang; Shi, Zhongbin; Liu, Yi; Yang, Qingwei; Xu, Min; Duan, Xuru; Liu, Yong

2017-11-01

The stability and performance of tokamak plasmas are routinely limited by various magneto-hydrodynamic instabilities, such as neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs). This paper presents a rather simple method to control the NTMs in real time (RT) on a tokamak, including the control principle of a feedback approach for RT suppression and stabilization for the NTMs. The control system combines Mirnov, electron cyclotron emission, and soft X-ray diagnostics used for determining the NTM positions. A methodology for fast detection of 2/1 or 3/2 NTM positions with 129 × 129 grid reconstruction is elucidated. The forty poloidal angles for steering the electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH)/electron cyclotron current drive launcher are used to establish the alignment of antenna mirrors with the center of the NTM and to ensure launcher emission intersecting with the rational surface of a magnetic island. Pilot experiments demonstrate the RT control capability to trace the conventional tearing modes (CTMs) in the HL-2A tokamak. The 2/1 CTMs have been suppressed or stabilized by the ECRH power deposition on site or with the steerable launcher.

Magnetic evaluation of hydrogen pressures changes on MHD fluctuations in IR-T1 tokamak plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alipour, Ramin; Ghanbari, Mohamad R.

2018-04-01

Identification of tokamak plasma parameters and investigation on the effects of each parameter on the plasma characteristics is important for the better understanding of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) activities in the tokamak plasma. The effect of different hydrogen pressures of 1.9, 2.5 and 2.9 Torr on MHD fluctuations of the IR-T1 tokamak plasma was investigated by using of 12 Mirnov coils, singular value decomposition and wavelet analysis. The parameters such as plasma current, loop voltage, power spectrum density, energy percent of poloidal modes, dominant spatial structures and temporal structures of poloidal modes at different plasma pressures are plotted. The results indicate that the MHD activities at the pressure of 2.5 Torr are less than them at other pressures. It also has been shown that in the stable area of plasma and at the pressure of 2.5 Torr, the magnetic force and the force of plasma pressure are in balance with each other and the MHD activities are at their lowest level.

Measurement of LHCD antenna position in Aditya tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ambulkar, K. K.; Sharma, P. K.; Virani, C. G.; Parmar, P. R.; Thakur, A. L.; Kulkarni, S. V.

2010-02-01

To drive plasma current non-inductively in ADITYA tokamak, 120 kW pulsed Lower Hybrid Current Drive (LHCD) system at 3.7 GHz has been designed, fabricated and installed on ADITYA tokamak. In this system, the antenna consists of a grill structure, having two rows, each row comprising of four sub-waveguides. The coupling of LHCD power to the plasma strongly depends on the plasma density near the mouth of grill antenna. Thus the grill antenna has to be precisely positioned for efficient coupling. The movement of mechanical bellow, which contracts or expands up to 50mm, governs the movement of antenna. In order to monitor the position of the antenna precisely, the reference position of the antenna with respect to the machine/plasma position has to be accurately determined. Further a mechanical system or an electronic system to measure the relative movement of the antenna with respect to the reference position is also desired. Also due to poor accessibility inside the ADITYA machine, it is impossible to measure physically the reference position of the grill antenna with respect to machine wall, taken as reference position and hence an alternative method has to be adopted to establish these measurements reliably. In this paper we report the design and development of a mechanism, using which the antenna position measurements are made. It also describes a unique method employing which the measurements of the reference position of the antenna with respect to the inner edge of the tokamak wall is carried out, which otherwise was impossible due to poor accessibility and physical constraints. The position of the antenna is monitored using an electronic scale, which is developed and installed on the bellow. Once the reference position is derived, the linear potentiometer, attached to the bellow, measures the linear distance using position transmitter. The accuracy of measurement obtained in our setup is within +/- 0.5 % and the linearity, along with repeatability is excellent.

Plasma potential and electron temperature evaluated by ball-pen and Langmuir probes in the COMPASS tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimitrova, M.; Popov, Tsv K.; Adamek, J.; Kovačič, J.; Ivanova, P.; Hasan, E.; López-Bruna, D.; Seidl, J.; Vondráček, P.; Dejarnac, R.; Stöckel, J.; Imríšek, M.; Panek, R.; the COMPASS Team

2017-12-01

The radial distributions of the main plasma parameters in the scrape-off-layer of the COMPASS tokamak are measured during L-mode and H-mode regimes by using both Langmuir and ball-pen probes mounted on a horizontal reciprocating manipulator. The radial profile of the plasma potential derived previously from Langmuir probes data by using the first derivative probe technique is compared with data derived using ball-pen probes. A good agreement can be seen between the data acquired by the two techniques during the L-mode discharge and during the H-mode regime within the inter-ELM periods. In contrast with the first derivative probe technique, the ball-pen probe technique does not require a swept voltage and, therefore, the temporal resolution is only limited by the data acquisition system. In the electron temperature evaluation, in the far scrape-off layer and in the limiter shadow, where the electron energy distribution is Maxwellian, the results from both techniques match well. In the vicinity of the last closed flux surface, where the electron energy distribution function is bi-Maxwellian, the ball-pen probe technique results are in agreement with the high-temperature components of the electron distribution only. We also discuss the application of relatively large Langmuir probes placed in parallel and perpendicularly to the magnetic field lines to studying the main plasma parameters. The results obtained by the two types of the large probes agree well. They are compared with Thomson scattering data for electron temperatures and densities. The results for the electron densities are compared also with the results from ASTRA code calculation of the electron source due to the ionization of the neutrals by fast electrons and the origin of the bi-Maxwellian electron energy distribution function is briefly discussed.

Ignition in tokamaks with modulated source of auxiliary heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morozov, D. Kh

2017-12-01

It is shown that the ignition may be achieved in tokamaks with the modulated power source. The time-averaged source power may be smaller than the steady-state source power, which is sufficient for the ignition. Nevertheless, the maximal power must be large enough, because the ignition must be achieved within a finite time interval.

Antecedents of Teachers Fostering Effort within Two Different Management Regimes: An Assessment-Based Accountability Regime and Regime without External Pressure on Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christophersen, Knut-Andreas; Elstad, Eyvind; Turmo, Are

2012-01-01

This article focuses on the comparison of organizational antecedents of teachers' fostering of students' effort in two quite different accountability regimes: one management regime with an external-accountability system and one with no external accountability devices. The methodology involves cross-sectional surveys from two different management…

The GBS code for tokamak scrape-off layer simulations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Halpern, F.D., E-mail: federico.halpern@epfl.ch; Ricci, P.; Jolliet, S.

2016-06-15

We describe a new version of GBS, a 3D global, flux-driven plasma turbulence code to simulate the turbulent dynamics in the tokamak scrape-off layer (SOL), superseding the code presented by Ricci et al. (2012) [14]. The present work is driven by the objective of studying SOL turbulent dynamics in medium size tokamaks and beyond with a high-fidelity physics model. We emphasize an intertwining framework of improved physics models and the computational improvements that allow them. The model extensions include neutral atom physics, finite ion temperature, the addition of a closed field line region, and a non-Boussinesq treatment of the polarizationmore » drift. GBS has been completely refactored with the introduction of a 3-D Cartesian communicator and a scalable parallel multigrid solver. We report dramatically enhanced parallel scalability, with the possibility of treating electromagnetic fluctuations very efficiently. The method of manufactured solutions as a verification process has been carried out for this new code version, demonstrating the correct implementation of the physical model.« less

Development of laser-based technology for the routine first wall diagnostic on the tokamak EAST: LIBS and LIAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Z.; Gierse, N.; Li, C.; Liu, P.; Zhao, D.; Sun, L.; Oelmann, J.; Nicolai, D.; Wu, D.; Wu, J.; Mao, H.; Ding, F.; Brezinsek, S.; Liang, Y.; Ding, H.; Luo, G.; Linsmeier, C.; EAST Team

2017-12-01

A laser based method combined with spectroscopy, such as laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and laser-induced ablation spectroscopy (LIAS), is a promising technology for plasma-wall interaction studies. In this work, we report the development of in situ laser-based diagnostics (LIBS and LIAS) for the assessment of static and dynamic fuel retention on the first wall without removing the tiles between and during plasma discharges in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The fuel retention on the first wall was measured after different wall conditioning methods and daily plasma discharges by in situ LIBS. The result indicates that the LIBS can be a useful tool to predict the wall condition in EAST. With the successful commissioning of a refined timing system for LIAS, an in situ approach to investigate fuel retention is proposed.

Adaptive optimal stochastic state feedback control of resistive wall modes in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Z.; Sen, A. K.; Longman, R. W.

2006-01-01

An adaptive optimal stochastic state feedback control is developed to stabilize the resistive wall mode (RWM) instability in tokamaks. The extended least-square method with exponential forgetting factor and covariance resetting is used to identify (experimentally determine) the time-varying stochastic system model. A Kalman filter is used to estimate the system states. The estimated system states are passed on to an optimal state feedback controller to construct control inputs. The Kalman filter and the optimal state feedback controller are periodically redesigned online based on the identified system model. This adaptive controller can stabilize the time-dependent RWM in a slowly evolving tokamak discharge. This is accomplished within a time delay of roughly four times the inverse of the growth rate for the time-invariant model used.

Adaptive Optimal Stochastic State Feedback Control of Resistive Wall Modes in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Z.; Sen, A. K.; Longman, R. W.

2007-06-01

An adaptive optimal stochastic state feedback control is developed to stabilize the resistive wall mode (RWM) instability in tokamaks. The extended least square method with exponential forgetting factor and covariance resetting is used to identify the time-varying stochastic system model. A Kalman filter is used to estimate the system states. The estimated system states are passed on to an optimal state feedback controller to construct control inputs. The Kalman filter and the optimal state feedback controller are periodically redesigned online based on the identified system model. This adaptive controller can stabilize the time dependent RWM in a slowly evolving tokamak discharge. This is accomplished within a time delay of roughly four times the inverse of the growth rate for the time-invariant model used.

Collision broadened resonance localization in tokamaks excited with ICRF waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerbel, G. D.; McCoy, M. G.

1985-08-01

Advanced wave models used to evaluate ICRH in tokamaks typically use warm plasma theory and allow inhomogeneity in one dimension. The authors have developed a bounce-averaged Fokker-Planck quasilinear computational model which evolves the population of particles on more realistic orbits. Each wave-particle resonance has its own specific interaction amplitude within any given volume element. These data need only be generated once, and appropriately stored for efficient retrieval. The wave-particle resonant interaction then serves as a mechanism by which the diffusion of particle populations can proceed among neighboring orbits. Collisions affect the absorption of RF energy by two quite distinct processes: In addition to the usual relaxation towards the Maxwellian distribution creating velocity gradients which drive quasilinear diffusion, collisions also affect the wave-particle resonance through the mechanism of gyro-phase diffusion. The local specific spectral energy absorption rate is directly calculable once the orbit geometry and populations are determined. The code is constructed in such fashion as to accommodate wave propagation models which provide the wave spectral energy density on a poloidal cross-section. Information provided by the calculation includes the local absorption properties of the medium which can then be exploited to evolve the wave field.

Abrupt climate-independent fire regime changes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pausas, Juli G.; Keeley, Jon E.

2014-01-01

Wildfires have played a determining role in distribution, composition and structure of many ecosystems worldwide and climatic changes are widely considered to be a major driver of future fire regime changes. However, forecasting future climatic change induced impacts on fire regimes will require a clearer understanding of other drivers of abrupt fire regime changes. Here, we focus on evidence from different environmental and temporal settings of fire regimes changes that are not directly attributed to climatic changes. We review key cases of these abrupt fire regime changes at different spatial and temporal scales, including those directly driven (i) by fauna, (ii) by invasive plant species, and (iii) by socio-economic and policy changes. All these drivers might generate non-linear effects of landscape changes in fuel structure; that is, they generate fuel changes that can cross thresholds of landscape continuity, and thus drastically change fire activity. Although climatic changes might contribute to some of these changes, there are also many instances that are not primarily linked to climatic shifts. Understanding the mechanism driving fire regime changes should contribute to our ability to better assess future fire regimes.

Collisionless microtearing modes in hot tokamaks: Effect of trapped electrons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Swamy, Aditya K.; Ganesh, R., E-mail: ganesh@ipr.res.in; Brunner, S.

2015-07-15

Collisionless microtearing modes have recently been found linearly unstable in sharp temperature gradient regions of large aspect ratio tokamaks. The magnetic drift resonance of passing electrons has been found to be sufficient to destabilise these modes above a threshold plasma β. A global gyrokinetic study, including both passing electrons as well as trapped electrons, shows that the non-adiabatic contribution of the trapped electrons provides a resonant destabilization, especially at large toroidal mode numbers, for a given aspect ratio. The global 2D mode structures show important changes to the destabilising electrostatic potential. The β threshold for the onset of the instabilitymore » is found to be generally downshifted by the inclusion of trapped electrons. A scan in the aspect ratio of the tokamak configuration, from medium to large but finite values, clearly indicates a significant destabilizing contribution from trapped electrons at small aspect ratio, with a diminishing role at larger aspect ratios.« less

Hybrid model for simulation of plasma jet injection in tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galkin, Sergei A.; Bogatu, I. N.

2016-10-01

Hybrid kinetic model of plasma treats the ions as kinetic particles and the electrons as charge neutralizing massless fluid. The model is essentially applicable when most of the energy is concentrated in the ions rather than in the electrons, i.e. it is well suited for the high-density hyper-velocity C60 plasma jet. The hybrid model separates the slower ion time scale from the faster electron time scale, which becomes disregardable. That is why hybrid codes consistently outperform the traditional PIC codes in computational efficiency, still resolving kinetic ions effects. We discuss 2D hybrid model and code with exact energy conservation numerical algorithm and present some results of its application to simulation of C60 plasma jet penetration through tokamak-like magnetic barrier. We also examine the 3D model/code extension and its possible applications to tokamak and ionospheric plasmas. The work is supported in part by US DOE DE-SC0015776 Grant.

Potential vorticity regimes over East Asia during winter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wenyu; Chen, Ruyan; Wang, Bin; Wright, Jonathon S.; Yang, Zifan; Ma, Wenqian

2017-02-01

Nine potential vorticity (PV) regimes over East Asia are identified by applying a Self-Organizing Map and Hierarchical Ascendant Classification regime analysis to the daily PV reanalysis fields on the 300 K isentropic surface for December-March 1948-2014. According to the surface temperature anomalies over East Asia, these nine regimes are further classified into three classes, i.e., cold class (three regimes), warm class (four regimes), and neutral class (two regimes). The PV-based East Asian winter monsoon index (EAWMI) is used to study the relationship between PV distributions and the temperature anomalies. The magnitude of cold (warm) anomalies over the land areas of East Asia increases (decreases) quasi-linearly with the EAWMI. Regression analysis reveals that cold temperature anomalies preferentially occur when the EAWMI exceeds a threshold at ˜0.2 PVU (where 1 PVU ≡ 10-6 m2 K kg-1 s-1). PV inversion uncovers the mechanisms behind the relationships between the PV regimes and surface temperature anomalies and reveals that cold (warm) PV regimes are associated with significant warming (cooling) in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. On average, cold regimes have longer durations than warm regimes. Interclass transition probabilities are much higher for paths from warm/neutral regimes to cold regimes than for paths from cold regimes to warm/neutral regimes. Besides, intraclass transitions are rare within the warm or neutral regimes. The PV regime analysis provides insight into the causes of severe cold spells over East Asia, with blocking circulation patterns identified as the primary factor in initiating and maintaining these cold spells.

Climate-driven regime shift of a temperate marine ecosystem.

PubMed

Wernberg, Thomas; Bennett, Scott; Babcock, Russell C; de Bettignies, Thibaut; Cure, Katherine; Depczynski, Martial; Dufois, Francois; Fromont, Jane; Fulton, Christopher J; Hovey, Renae K; Harvey, Euan S; Holmes, Thomas H; Kendrick, Gary A; Radford, Ben; Santana-Garcon, Julia; Saunders, Benjamin J; Smale, Dan A; Thomsen, Mads S; Tuckett, Chenae A; Tuya, Fernando; Vanderklift, Mathew A; Wilson, Shaun

2016-07-08

Ecosystem reconfigurations arising from climate-driven changes in species distributions are expected to have profound ecological, social, and economic implications. Here we reveal a rapid climate-driven regime shift of Australian temperate reef communities, which lost their defining kelp forests and became dominated by persistent seaweed turfs. After decades of ocean warming, extreme marine heat waves forced a 100-kilometer range contraction of extensive kelp forests and saw temperate species replaced by seaweeds, invertebrates, corals, and fishes characteristic of subtropical and tropical waters. This community-wide tropicalization fundamentally altered key ecological processes, suppressing the recovery of kelp forests. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

An efficient transport solver for tokamak plasmas

DOE PAGES

Park, Jin Myung; Murakami, Masanori; St. John, H. E.; ...

2017-01-03

A simple approach to efficiently solve a coupled set of 1-D diffusion-type transport equations with a stiff transport model for tokamak plasmas is presented based on the 4th order accurate Interpolated Differential Operator scheme along with a nonlinear iteration method derived from a root-finding algorithm. Here, numerical tests using the Trapped Gyro-Landau-Fluid model show that the presented high order method provides an accurate transport solution using a small number of grid points with robust nonlinear convergence.

Tokamak with liquid metal toroidal field coil

DOEpatents

Ohkawa, Tihiro; Schaffer, Michael J.

1981-01-01

Tokamak apparatus includes a pressure vessel for defining a reservoir and confining liquid therein. A toroidal liner disposed within the pressure vessel defines a toroidal space within the liner. Liquid metal fills the reservoir outside said liner. Electric current is passed through the liquid metal over a conductive path linking the toroidal space to produce a toroidal magnetic field within the toroidal space about the major axis thereof. Toroidal plasma is developed within the toroidal space about the major axis thereof.

A neoclassical drift-magnetohydrodynamical fluid model of the interaction of a magnetic island chain with a resonant error-field in a high temperature tokamak plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fitzpatrick, Richard

2018-04-01

A two-fluid, neoclassical theory of the interaction of a single magnetic island chain with a resonant error-field in a quasi-cylindrical, low-β, tokamak plasma is presented. The plasmas typically found in large hot tokamaks lie in the so-called weak neoclassical flow-damping regime in which the neoclassical ion stress tensor is not the dominant term in the ion parallel equation of motion. Nevertheless, flow-damping in such plasmas dominates ion perpendicular viscosity, and is largely responsible for determining the phase velocity of a freely rotating island chain (which is in the ion diamagnetic direction relative to the local E × B frame at the rational surface). The critical vacuum island width required to lock the island chain is mostly determined by the ion neoclassical poloidal flow damping rate at the rational surface. The stabilizing effect of the average field-line curvature, as well as the destabilizing effect of the perturbed bootstrap current, is the same for a freely rotating, a non-uniformly rotating, and a locked island chain. The destabilizing effect of the error-field averages to zero when the chain is rotating and only manifests itself when the chain locks. The perturbed ion polarization current has a small destabilizing effect on a freely rotating island chain, but a large destabilizing effect on both a non-uniformly rotating and a locked island chain. This behavior may account for the experimentally observed fact that locked island chains are much more unstable than corresponding freely rotating chains.

Progress of recent experimental research on the J-TEXT tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, G.; Gentle, K. W.; Chen, Z. Y.; Chen, Z. P.; Yang, Z. J.; Zheng, Wei; Hu, Q. M.; Chen, J.; Rao, B.; Zhong, W. L.; Zhao, K. J.; Gao, L.; Cheng, Z. F.; Zhang, X. Q.; Wang, L.; Jiang, Z. H.; Xu, T.; Zhang, M.; Wang, Z. J.; Ding, Y. H.; Yu, K. X.; Hu, X. W.; Pan, Y.; Huang, H.; the J-TEXT Team

2017-10-01

The progress of experimental research over the last two years on the J-TEXT tokamak is reviewed and reported in this paper, including: investigations of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) on the J-TEXT operation region show that moderate amplitude of applied RMPs either increases the density limit from less than 0.7n G to 0.85n G (n G is the Greenwald density, {{n}\\text{G}}={{I}\\text{p}}/π {{a}2} ) or lowers edge safety factor q a from 2.15 to nearly 2.0; observations of influence of RMPs with a large m/n  =  3/1 dominant component (where m and n are the toroidal and poloidal mode numbers respectively) on electron density indicate electron density first increases (decreases) inside (around/outside) of the 3/1 rational surface, and it is increased globally later together with enhanced edge recycling; investigations of the effect of RMPs on the behavior of runaway electrons/current show that application of RMPs with m/n  =  2/1 dominant component during disruptions can reduce runaway production. Furthermore, its application before the disruption can reduce both the amplitude and the length of runaway current; experimental results in the high-density disruption plasmas confirm that local current shrinkage during a multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge can directly terminate the discharge; measurements by a multi-channel Doppler reflectometer show that the quasi-coherent modes in the electron diamagnetic direction occur in the J-TEXT ohmic confinement regime in a large plasma region (r/a ~ 0.3-0.8) with frequency of 30-140 kHz.

Design of geometric phase measurement in EAST Tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lan, T.; Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031; Liu, H. Q., E-mail: hqliu@ipp.ac.cn

2016-07-15

The optimum scheme for geometric phase measurement in EAST Tokamak is proposed in this paper. The theoretical values of geometric phase for the probe beams of EAST Polarimeter-Interferometer (POINT) system are calculated by path integration in parameter space. Meanwhile, the influences of some controllable parameters on geometric phase are evaluated. The feasibility and challenge of distinguishing geometric effect in the POINT signal are also assessed in detail.

Homoclinic tangle of the ideal separatrix in the DIII-D tokamak from (30, 10) + (40, 10) perturbation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Punjabi, Alkesh

2014-12-01

Trajectories of magnetic field lines are a 1½ degree of freedom Hamiltonian system. The perturbed separatrix in a divertor tokamak is radically different from the unperturbed one. This is because magnetic asymmetries cause the separatrix to form extremely complicated structures called homoclinic tangles. The shape of flux surfaces in the edge region of divertor tokamaks such as the DIII (J. L. Luxon and L. G. Davis, Fusion Technol. 8, 441 (1985)) is fundamentally different from near-circular. Recently, a new method is developed to calculate the homoclinic tangle and lobes of the separatrix of divertor tokamaks in physical space (A. Punjabi and A. Boozer, Phys. Lett. A 378, 2410 (2014)). This method is based on three elements: preservation of the two invariants—symplectic and topological neighborhood—and a new set of canonical coordinates called the natural canonical coordinates. The very complicated shape of edge surfaces can be represented very accurately and very realistically in these new coordinates (A. Punjabi and H. Ali, Phys. Plasmas 15, 122502 (2008); A. Punjabi, Nucl. Fusion 49, 115020 (2009)). A symplectic map in the new coordinates can advance the separatrix manifold forward and backward in time. Every time the two manifolds meet in a fixed poloidal plane, they intersect and form homoclinic tangle to preserve the two invariants. The new coordinates can be mapped to physical space and the dynamical evolution of the homoclinic tangle can be seen and pictured in physical space. Here, the new method is applied to the DIII-D tokamak to study the basic features of the homoclinic tangle of the unperturbed separatrix from two Fourier components, which represent the peeling-ballooning modes of equal amplitude and no radial dependence, and the results are analyzed. Homoclinic tangle has a very complicated structure and becomes extremely complicated for as the lines take more toroidal turns, especially near the X-point. Homoclinic tangle is the most

Electron Injection by E-Field Drift and its Application in Starting-up Tokamaks at Low Loop Voltage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Yuan; Yan, Xiao-Lin; Liu, Bao-Hua

2003-05-01

We propose an innovative method of electron injection by E-field drift into a plasma device and discuss its application in starting-up tokamak plasmas at low loop voltage. The experimental results obtained from HT-6M Tokamak are also presented. The breakdown loop voltage is obviously reduced and the discharge performance is improved by using the electron injection method. It could be applied to some other types of plasma device.

Design of the 2D electron cyclotron emission imaging instrument for the J-TEXT tokamak.

PubMed

Pan, X M; Yang, Z J; Ma, X D; Zhu, Y L; Luhmann, N C; Domier, C W; Ruan, B W; Zhuang, G

2016-11-01

A new 2D Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) diagnostic is being developed for the J-TEXT tokamak. It will provide the 2D electron temperature information with high spatial, temporal, and temperature resolution. The new ECEI instrument is being designed to support fundamental physics investigations on J-TEXT including MHD, disruption prediction, and energy transport. The diagnostic contains two dual dipole antenna arrays corresponding to F band (90-140 GHz) and W band (75-110 GHz), respectively, and comprises a total of 256 channels. The system can observe the same magnetic surface at both the high field side and low field side simultaneously. An advanced optical system has been designed which permits the two arrays to focus on a wide continuous region or two radially separate regions with high imaging spatial resolution. It also incorporates excellent field curvature correction with field curvature adjustment lenses. An overview of the diagnostic and the technical progress including the new remote control technique are presented.

Conceptual design study of the moderate size superconducting spherical tokamak power plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gi, Keii; Ono, Yasushi; Nakamura, Makoto; Someya, Youji; Utoh, Hiroyasu; Tobita, Kenji; Ono, Masayuki

2015-06-01

A new conceptual design of the superconducting spherical tokamak (ST) power plant was proposed as an attractive choice for tokamak fusion reactors. We reassessed a possibility of the ST as a power plant using the conservative reactor engineering constraints often used for the conventional tokamak reactor design. An extensive parameters scan which covers all ranges of feasible superconducting ST reactors was completed, and five constraints which include already achieved plasma magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) and confinement parameters in ST experiments were established for the purpose of choosing the optimum operation point. Based on comparison with the estimated future energy costs of electricity (COEs) in Japan, cost-effective ST reactors can be designed if their COEs are smaller than 120 mills kW-1 h-1 (2013). We selected the optimized design point: A = 2.0 and Rp = 5.4 m after considering the maintenance scheme and TF ripple. A self-consistent free-boundary MHD equilibrium and poloidal field coil configuration of the ST reactor were designed by modifying the neutral beam injection system and plasma profiles. The MHD stability of the equilibrium was analysed and a ramp-up scenario was considered for ensuring the new ST design. The optimized moderate-size ST power plant conceptual design realizes realistic plasma and fusion engineering parameters keeping its economic competitiveness against existing energy sources in Japan.

What determines transitions between energy- and moisture-limited evaporative regimes?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haghighi, E.; Gianotti, D.; Akbar, R.; Salvucci, G.; Entekhabi, D.

2017-12-01

The relationship between evaporative fraction (EF) and soil moisture (SM) has traditionally been used in atmospheric and land-surface modeling communities to determine the strength of land-atmosphere coupling in the context of the dominant evaporative regime (energy- or moisture-limited). However, recent field observations reveal that EF-SM relationship is not unique and could vary substantially with surface and/or meteorological conditions. This implies that conventional EF-SM relationships (exclusive of surface and meteorological conditions) are embedded in more complex dependencies and that in fact it is a multi-dimensional function. To fill the fundamental knowledge gaps on the important role of varying surface and meteorological conditions not accounted for by the traditional evaporative regime conceptualization, we propose a generalized EF framework using a mechanistic pore-scale model for evaporation and energy partitioning over drying soil surfaces. Nonlinear interactions among the components of the surface energy balance are reflected in a critical SM that marks the onset of transition between energy- and moisture-limited evaporative regimes. The new generalized EF framework enables physically based estimates of the critical SM, and provides new insights into the origin of land surface EF partitioning linked to meteorological input data and the evolution of land surface temperature during surface drying that affect the relative efficiency of surface energy balance components. Our results offer new opportunities to advance predictive capabilities quantifying land-atmosphere coupling for a wide range of present and projected meteorological input data.

The aerodynamic design of an advanced rotor airfoil

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blackwell, J. A., Jr.; Hinson, B. L.

1978-01-01

An advanced rotor airfoil, designed utilizing supercritical airfoil technology and advanced design and analysis methodology is described. The airfoil was designed subject to stringent aerodynamic design criteria for improving the performance over the entire rotor operating regime. The design criteria are discussed. The design was accomplished using a physical plane, viscous, transonic inverse design procedure, and a constrained function minimization technique for optimizing the airfoil leading edge shape. The aerodynamic performance objectives of the airfoil are discussed.

Comparison of 2D simulations of detached divertor plasmas with divertor Thomson measurements in the DIII-D tokamak

DOE PAGES

Rognlien, Thomas D.; McLean, Adam G.; Fenstermacher, Max E.; ...

2017-01-27

A modeling study is reported using new 2D data from DIII-D tokamak divertor plasmas and improved 2D transport model that includes large cross-field drifts for the numerically difficult H-mode regime. The data set, which spans a range of plasmas densities for both forward and reverse toroidal magnetic field (B t) over a range of plasma densities, is provided by divertor Thomson scattering (DTS). Measurements utilizing X-point sweeping give corresponding 2D profiles of electron temperature (T e) and density (n e) across both divertor legs for individual discharges. The calculations show the same features of in/out plasma asymmetries as measured inmore » the experiment, with the normal B t direction (ion ∇B drift toward the X-point) having higher n e and lower T e in the inner divertor leg than outer. Corresponding emission data for total radiated power shows a strong inner-divertor/outer-divertor asymmetry that is reproduced by the simulations. Furthermore, these 2D UEDGE transport simulations are enabled for steep-gradient H-mode conditions by newly implemented algorithms to control isolated grid-scale irregularities.« less

Quasistationary Plasma Predator-Prey System of Coupled Turbulence, Drive, and Sheared E × B Flow During High Performance DIII-D Tokamak Discharges [A New, Quasi-stationary Plasma Predator-Prey System of Coupled Turbulence, Drive, and Sheared E × B Flow During High Performance DIII-D Tokamak Discharges

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barada, Kshitish; Rhodes, Terry L.; Burrell, Keith H.

A new, long-lived limit cycle oscillation (LCO) regime has been observed in the edge of near zero torque high-performance DIII-D tokamak plasma discharges. These LCOs are localized and comprised of density turbulence, gradient drives, and E X B velocity shear damping ( E and B are the local radial electric and total magnetic fields). Density turbulence sequentially acts as a predator (via turbulence transport) of profile gradients and a prey (via shear suppression) to the E X B velocity shear. Reported here for the first time, a unique spatiotemporal variation of the local E X B velocity which is foundmore » to be essential for the existence of this system. The LCO system is quasi-stationary, existing from 3 to 12 plasma energy confinement times (~30 to 900 LCO cycles) limited by hardware constraints. In conclusion, this plasma system appears to contribute strongly to the edge transport in these high-performance and transient-free plasmas as evident from oscillations in transport relevant edge parameters at LCO timescale.« less

Quasistationary Plasma Predator-Prey System of Coupled Turbulence, Drive, and Sheared E × B Flow During High Performance DIII-D Tokamak Discharges [A New, Quasi-stationary Plasma Predator-Prey System of Coupled Turbulence, Drive, and Sheared E × B Flow During High Performance DIII-D Tokamak Discharges

DOE PAGES

Barada, Kshitish; Rhodes, Terry L.; Burrell, Keith H.; ...

2018-03-27

A new, long-lived limit cycle oscillation (LCO) regime has been observed in the edge of near zero torque high-performance DIII-D tokamak plasma discharges. These LCOs are localized and comprised of density turbulence, gradient drives, and E X B velocity shear damping ( E and B are the local radial electric and total magnetic fields). Density turbulence sequentially acts as a predator (via turbulence transport) of profile gradients and a prey (via shear suppression) to the E X B velocity shear. Reported here for the first time, a unique spatiotemporal variation of the local E X B velocity which is foundmore » to be essential for the existence of this system. The LCO system is quasi-stationary, existing from 3 to 12 plasma energy confinement times (~30 to 900 LCO cycles) limited by hardware constraints. In conclusion, this plasma system appears to contribute strongly to the edge transport in these high-performance and transient-free plasmas as evident from oscillations in transport relevant edge parameters at LCO timescale.« less

Setup for potential bias experiments on the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, J.; Pal, R.; Chattopadhyay, P. K.

1999-12-01

An experimental setup for studying the influence of the radial electric field on very low qa plasma on the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics tokamak is presented. A high current, high voltage pulsed power supply, using a semiconductor controlled rectifier (SCR) as a dc switch is developed and used to bias a tungsten electrode inserted inside the plasma. The electrode's exposed length and its position inside the plasma are controlled by a double bellows assembly to optimize the electrode-exposed length. We show that using the force commutation method to turn the SCR off to get the power pulse desired has good potential for carrying out similar kinds of studies, especially in a low budget small tokamak.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ahn, J. -W.; Briesemester, A. R.; Kobayashi, M.

Enhanced perpendicular heat and momentum transport induces parallel pressure loss leading to divertor detachment, which can be produced by the increase of density in 2D tokamaks. However, in the 3D configurations such as tokamaks with 3D fields and stellarators, the fraction of perpendicular transport can be higher even in a lower density regime, which could lead to the early transition to detachment without passing through the high-recycling regime. 3D fields applied to the limiter tokamak plasmas produce edge stochastic layers close to the last closed flux surface (LCFS), which can allow for enhanced perpendicular transport and indeed the absence ofmore » high recycling regime and early detachment have been observed in TEXTOR and Tore Supra. However, in the X-point divertor tokamaks with the applied 3D fields, the parallel transport is still dominant and the detachment facilitation has not been observed yet. Rather, 3D fields affected detachment adversely under certain conditions, either by preventing detachment onset as seen in DIII-D or by re-attaching the existing detached plasma as shown in NSTX. The possible way for strong 3D effects to induce access to the early detachment in divertor tokamaks appears to be via significant perpendicular loss of parallel momentum by frictional force for the counter-streaming flows between neighboring flow channels in the divertor. In principle, the adjacent lobes in the 3D divertor tokamak may generate the counter-streaming flow channels. However, an EMC3-EIRENE simulation for ITER H-mode plasmas demonstrated that screened RMP leads to significantly reduced counter-flows near the divertor target, therefore the momentum loss effect leading to detachment facilitation is expected to be small. This is consistent with the observation in LHD, which showed screening (amplification) of RMP fields in the attachment (stable detachment) case. In conclusion, work for optimal parameter window for best divertor operation scenario is

Control of power, torque, and instability drive using in-shot variable neutral beam energy in tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Pace, D. C.; Collins, C. S.; Crowley, B.; ...

2016-09-28

A first-ever demonstration of controlling power and torque injection through time evolution of neutral beam energy has been achieved in recent experiments at the DIII-D tokamak. Pre-programmed waveforms for the neutral beam energy produce power and torque inputs that can be separately and continuously controlled. Previously, these inputs were tailored using on/off modulation of neutral beams resulting in large perturbations (e.g. power swings of over 1 MW). The new method includes, importantly for experiments, the ability to maintain a fixed injected power while varying the torque. In another case, different beam energy waveforms (in the same plasma conditions) produce significantmore » changes in the observed spectrum of beam ion-driven instabilities. Measurements of beam ion loss show that one energy waveform results in the complete avoidance of coherent losses due to Alfvénic instabilities. This new method of neutral beam operation is intended for further application in a variety of DIII-D experiments including those concerned with high-performance steady state scenarios, fast particle effects, and transport in the low torque regime. As a result, developing this capability would provide similar benefits and improved plasma control for other magnetic confinement fusion facilities.« less

Control of power, torque, and instability drive using in-shot variable neutral beam energy in tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pace, D. C.; Collins, C. S.; Crowley, B.

A first-ever demonstration of controlling power and torque injection through time evolution of neutral beam energy has been achieved in recent experiments at the DIII-D tokamak. Pre-programmed waveforms for the neutral beam energy produce power and torque inputs that can be separately and continuously controlled. Previously, these inputs were tailored using on/off modulation of neutral beams resulting in large perturbations (e.g. power swings of over 1 MW). The new method includes, importantly for experiments, the ability to maintain a fixed injected power while varying the torque. In another case, different beam energy waveforms (in the same plasma conditions) produce significantmore » changes in the observed spectrum of beam ion-driven instabilities. Measurements of beam ion loss show that one energy waveform results in the complete avoidance of coherent losses due to Alfvénic instabilities. This new method of neutral beam operation is intended for further application in a variety of DIII-D experiments including those concerned with high-performance steady state scenarios, fast particle effects, and transport in the low torque regime. As a result, developing this capability would provide similar benefits and improved plasma control for other magnetic confinement fusion facilities.« less

Control of power, torque, and instability drive using in-shot variable neutral beam energy in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pace, D. C.; Collins, C. S.; Crowley, B.; Grierson, B. A.; Heidbrink, W. W.; Pawley, C.; Rauch, J.; Scoville, J. T.; Van Zeeland, M. A.; Zhu, Y. B.; The DIII-D Team

2017-01-01

A first-ever demonstration of controlling power and torque injection through time evolution of neutral beam energy has been achieved in recent experiments at the DIII-D tokamak (Luxon 2002 Nucl. Fusion 42 614). Pre-programmed waveforms for the neutral beam energy produce power and torque inputs that can be separately and continuously controlled. Previously, these inputs were tailored using on/off modulation of neutral beams resulting in large perturbations (e.g. power swings of over 1 MW). The new method includes, importantly for experiments, the ability to maintain a fixed injected power while varying the torque. In another case, different beam energy waveforms (in the same plasma conditions) produce significant changes in the observed spectrum of beam ion-driven instabilities. Measurements of beam ion loss show that one energy waveform results in the complete avoidance of coherent losses due to Alfvénic instabilities. This new method of neutral beam operation is intended for further application in a variety of DIII-D experiments including those concerned with high-performance steady state scenarios, fast particle effects, and transport in the low torque regime. Developing this capability would provide similar benefits and improved plasma control for other magnetic confinement fusion facilities.

The New English Quality Assurance Regime

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Roger

2011-01-01

England is developing a new quality assurance regime that will come into effect in October 2011. A new funding regime will operate from the following year, together with new rules to ease the participation of private higher education providers. This article describes and analyses the new quality and funding regimes. It argues that the greater…

Heat Deposition and Heat Removal in the UCLA Continuous Current Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Michael Lee

1990-01-01

Energy transfer processes in a steady-state tokamak are examined both theoretically and experimentally in order to determine the patterns of plasma heat deposition to material surfaces and the methods of heat removal. Heat transfer experiments involving actively cooled limiters and heat flux probes were performed in the UCLA Continuous Current Tokamak (CCT). The simple exponential model of plasma power deposition was extended to describe the global heat deposition to the first wall of a steady-state tokamak. The heat flux distribution in CCT was determined from measurements of heat flow to 32 large-area water-cooled Faraday shield panels. Significant toroidal and poloidal asymmetries were observed, with the maximum heat fluxes tending to fall on the lower outside panels. Heat deposition to the water-cooled guard limiters of an ion Bernstein wave antenna in CCT was measured during steady-state operation. Very strong asymmetries were observed. The heat distribution varied greatly with magnetic field. Copper heat flux sensors incorporating internal thermocouples were developed to measure plasma power deposition to exterior probe surfaces and heat removal from water -cooled interior surfaces. The resulting inverse heat conduction problem was solved using the function specification method. Cooling by an impinging liquid jet was investigated. One end of a cylindrical copper heat flux sensor was heated by a DC electrical arc and the other end was cooled by a low velocity water jet at 1 atm. Critical heat flux (CHF) values for the 55-80 ^circC sub-cooled free jets were typically 2.5 times published values for saturated free jets. For constrained jets, CHF values were about 20% lower. Heat deposition and heat removal in thick (3/4 inch diameter) cylindrical metal probes (SS304 or copper) inserted into a steady-state tokamak plasma were measured for a broad range of heat loads. The probes were cooled internally by a constrained jet of either air or water. Steady -state heat

Advances in simulation of wave interactions with extended MHD phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batchelor, D.; Abla, G.; D'Azevedo, E.; Bateman, G.; Bernholdt, D. E.; Berry, L.; Bonoli, P.; Bramley, R.; Breslau, J.; Chance, M.; Chen, J.; Choi, M.; Elwasif, W.; Foley, S.; Fu, G.; Harvey, R.; Jaeger, E.; Jardin, S.; Jenkins, T.; Keyes, D.; Klasky, S.; Kruger, S.; Ku, L.; Lynch, V.; McCune, D.; Ramos, J.; Schissel, D.; Schnack, D.; Wright, J.

2009-07-01

The Integrated Plasma Simulator (IPS) provides a framework within which some of the most advanced, massively-parallel fusion modeling codes can be interoperated to provide a detailed picture of the multi-physics processes involved in fusion experiments. The presentation will cover four topics: 1) recent improvements to the IPS, 2) application of the IPS for very high resolution simulations of ITER scenarios, 3) studies of resistive and ideal MHD stability in tokamk discharges using IPS facilities, and 4) the application of RF power in the electron cyclotron range of frequencies to control slowly growing MHD modes in tokamaks and initial evaluations of optimized location for RF power deposition.

Two Phase Flow Modeling: Summary of Flow Regimes and Pressure Drop Correlations in Reduced and Partial Gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balasubramaniam, R.; Rame, E.; Kizito, J.; Kassemi, M.

2006-01-01

The purpose of this report is to provide a summary of state-of-the-art predictions for two-phase flows relevant to Advanced Life Support. We strive to pick out the most used and accepted models for pressure drop and flow regime predictions. The main focus is to identify gaps in predictive capabilities in partial gravity for Lunar and Martian applications. Following a summary of flow regimes and pressure drop correlations for terrestrial and zero gravity, we analyze the fully developed annular gas-liquid flow in a straight cylindrical tube. This flow is amenable to analytical closed form solutions for the flow field and heat transfer. These solutions, valid for partial gravity as well, may be used as baselines and guides to compare experimental measurements. The flow regimes likely to be encountered in the water recovery equipment currently under consideration for space applications are provided in an appendix.

User's manual for COAST 4: a code for costing and sizing tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sink, D. A.; Iwinski, E. M.

1979-09-01

The purpose of this report is to document the computer program COAST 4 for the user/analyst. COAST, COst And Size Tokamak reactors, provides complete and self-consistent size models for the engineering features of D-T burning tokamak reactors and associated facilities involving a continuum of performance including highly beam driven through ignited plasma devices. TNS (The Next Step) devices with no tritium breeding or electrical power production are handled as well as power producing and fissile producing fusion-fission hybrid reactors. The code has been normalized with a TFTR calculation which is consistent with cost, size, and performance data published in themore » conceptual design report for that device. Information on code development, computer implementation and detailed user instructions are included in the text.« less

Stabilization of the Vertical Mode in Tokamaks by Localized Nonaxisymmetric Fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reiman, A.

Vertical instability of a tokamak plasma can be controlled by nonaxisymmetric magnetic fields localized near the plasma edge at the bottom and top of the torus. The required magnetic fields can be produced by a relatively simple set of parallelogram-shaped coils.

Regimes of Coriolis-Centrifugal Convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horn, Susanne; Aurnou, Jonathan M.

2018-05-01

Centrifugal buoyancy affects all rotating turbulent convection phenomena, but is conventionally ignored in rotating convection studies. Here, we include centrifugal buoyancy to investigate what we call Coriolis-centrifugal convection (C3 ), characterizing two so far unexplored regimes, one where the flow is in quasicyclostrophic balance (QC regime) and another where the flow is in a triple balance between pressure gradient, Coriolis and centrifugal buoyancy forces (CC regime). The transition to centrifugally dominated dynamics occurs when the Froude number Fr equals the radius-to-height aspect ratio γ . Hence, turbulent convection experiments with small γ may encounter centrifugal effects at lower Fr than traditionally expected. Further, we show analytically that the direct effect of centrifugal buoyancy yields a reduction of the Nusselt number Nu. However, indirectly, it can cause a simultaneous increase of the viscous dissipation and thereby Nu through a change of the flow morphology. These direct and indirect effects yield a net Nu suppression in the CC regime and a net Nu enhancement in the QC regime. In addition, we demonstrate that C3 may provide a simplified, yet self-consistent, model system for tornadoes, hurricanes, and typhoons.

Regimes of Coriolis-Centrifugal Convection.

PubMed

Horn, Susanne; Aurnou, Jonathan M

2018-05-18

Centrifugal buoyancy affects all rotating turbulent convection phenomena, but is conventionally ignored in rotating convection studies. Here, we include centrifugal buoyancy to investigate what we call Coriolis-centrifugal convection (C^{3}), characterizing two so far unexplored regimes, one where the flow is in quasicyclostrophic balance (QC regime) and another where the flow is in a triple balance between pressure gradient, Coriolis and centrifugal buoyancy forces (CC regime). The transition to centrifugally dominated dynamics occurs when the Froude number Fr equals the radius-to-height aspect ratio γ. Hence, turbulent convection experiments with small γ may encounter centrifugal effects at lower Fr than traditionally expected. Further, we show analytically that the direct effect of centrifugal buoyancy yields a reduction of the Nusselt number Nu. However, indirectly, it can cause a simultaneous increase of the viscous dissipation and thereby Nu through a change of the flow morphology. These direct and indirect effects yield a net Nu suppression in the CC regime and a net Nu enhancement in the QC regime. In addition, we demonstrate that C^{3} may provide a simplified, yet self-consistent, model system for tornadoes, hurricanes, and typhoons.

Scoping and sensitivity analyses for the Demonstration Tokamak Hybrid Reactor (DTHR)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sink, D.A.; Gibson, G.

1979-03-01

The results of an extensive set of parametric studies are presented which provide analytical data of the effects of various tokamak parameters on the performance and cost of the DTHR (Demonstration Tokamak Hybrid Reactor). The studies were centered on a point design which is described in detail. Variations in the device size, neutron wall loading, and plasma aspect ratio are presented, and the effects on direct hardware costs, fissile fuel production (breeding), fusion power production, electrical power consumption, and thermal power production are shown graphically. The studies considered both ignition and beam-driven operations of DTHR and yielded results based onmore » two empirical scaling laws presently used in reactor studies. Sensitivity studies were also made for variations in the following key parameters: the plasma elongation, the minor radius, the TF coil peak field, the neutral beam injection power, and the Z/sub eff/ of the plasma.« less

Workshop on High Power ICH Antenna Designs for High Density Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aamodt, R. E.

1990-02-01

A workshop in high power ICH antenna designs for high density tokamaks was held to: (1) review the data base relevant to the high power heating of high density tokamaks; (2) identify the important issues which need to be addressed in order to ensure the success of the ICRF programs on CIT and Alcator C-MOD; and (3) recommend approaches for resolving the issues in a timely realistic manner. Some specific performance goals for the antenna system define a successful design effort. Simply stated these goals are: couple the specified power per antenna into the desired ion species; produce no more than an acceptable level of RF auxiliary power induced impurities; and have a mechanical structure which safely survives the thermal, mechanical and radiation stresses in the relevant environment. These goals are intimately coupled and difficult tradeoffs between scientific and engineering constraints have to be made.

Can tokamaks PFC survive a single event of any plasma instabilities?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassanein, A.; Sizyuk, V.; Miloshevsky, G.; Sizyuk, T.

2013-07-01

Plasma instability events such as disruptions, edge-localized modes (ELMs), runaway electrons (REs), and vertical displacement events (VDEs) are continued to be serious events and most limiting factors for successful tokamak reactor concept. The plasma-facing components (PFCs), e.g., wall, divertor, and limited surfaces of a tokamak as well as coolant structure materials are subjected to intense particle and heat loads and must maintain a clean and stable surface environment among them and the core/edge plasma. Typical ITER transient events parameters are used for assessing the damage from these four different instability events. HEIGHTS simulation showed that a single event of a disruption, giant ELM, VDE, or RE can cause significant surface erosion (melting and vaporization) damage to PFC, nearby components, and/or structural materials (VDE, RE) melting and possible burnout of coolant tubes that could result in shut down of reactor for extended repair time.

Spatial calibration of a tokamak neutral beam diagnostic using in situ neutral beam emission

DOE PAGES

Chrystal, Colin; Burrell, Keith H.; Grierson, Brian A.; ...

2015-10-20

Neutral beam injection is used in tokamaks to heat, apply torque, drive non-inductive current, and diagnose plasmas. Neutral beam diagnostics need accurate spatial calibrations to benefit from the measurement localization provided by the neutral beam. A new technique has been developed that uses in-situ measurements of neutral beam emission to determine the spatial location of the beam and the associated diagnostic views. This technique was developed to improve the charge exchange recombination diagnostic (CER) at the DIII-D tokamak and uses measurements of the Doppler shift and Stark splitting of neutral beam emission made by that diagnostic. These measurements contain informationmore » about the geometric relation between the diagnostic views and the neutral beams when they are injecting power. This information is combined with standard spatial calibration measurements to create an integrated spatial calibration that provides a more complete description of the neutral beam-CER system. The integrated spatial calibration results are very similar to the standard calibration results and derived quantities from CER measurements are unchanged within their measurement errors. Lastly, the methods developed to perform the integrated spatial calibration could be useful for tokamaks with limited physical access.« less

Spatial calibration of a tokamak neutral beam diagnostic using in situ neutral beam emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chrystal, C.; Burrell, K. H.; Grierson, B. A.; Pace, D. C.

2015-10-01

Neutral beam injection is used in tokamaks to heat, apply torque, drive non-inductive current, and diagnose plasmas. Neutral beam diagnostics need accurate spatial calibrations to benefit from the measurement localization provided by the neutral beam. A new technique has been developed that uses in situ measurements of neutral beam emission to determine the spatial location of the beam and the associated diagnostic views. This technique was developed to improve the charge exchange recombination (CER) diagnostic at the DIII-D tokamak and uses measurements of the Doppler shift and Stark splitting of neutral beam emission made by that diagnostic. These measurements contain information about the geometric relation between the diagnostic views and the neutral beams when they are injecting power. This information is combined with standard spatial calibration measurements to create an integrated spatial calibration that provides a more complete description of the neutral beam-CER system. The integrated spatial calibration results are very similar to the standard calibration results and derived quantities from CER measurements are unchanged within their measurement errors. The methods developed to perform the integrated spatial calibration could be useful for tokamaks with limited physical access.

Plasma current start-up by the outer ohmic heating coils in the Saskatchewan TORus Modified (STOR-M) iron core tokamak

DOE PAGES

Mitarai, O.; Xiao, C.; McColl, D.; ...

2015-03-24

A plasma current up to 15 kA has been driven with outer ohmic heating (OH) coils in the STOR-M iron core tokamak. Even when the inner OH coil is disconnected, the outer OH coils alone can induce the plasma current as primary windings and initial breakdown are even easier in this coil layout. Our results suggest a possibility to use an iron core in a spherical tokamak to start up the plasma current without a central solenoid. Finally, the effect of the iron core saturation on the extension of the discharge pulse length has been estimated for further experiments inmore » the STOR-M tokamak.« less

Plasma current start-up by the outer ohmic heating coils in the Saskatchewan TORus Modified (STOR-M) iron core tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mitarai, O.; Xiao, C.; McColl, D.

A plasma current up to 15 kA has been driven with outer ohmic heating (OH) coils in the STOR-M iron core tokamak. Even when the inner OH coil is disconnected, the outer OH coils alone can induce the plasma current as primary windings and initial breakdown are even easier in this coil layout. Our results suggest a possibility to use an iron core in a spherical tokamak to start up the plasma current without a central solenoid. Finally, the effect of the iron core saturation on the extension of the discharge pulse length has been estimated for further experiments inmore » the STOR-M tokamak.« less

Plasma Physics Lab and the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor, 1989

ScienceCinema

None

2018-01-16

From the Princeton University Archives: Promotional video about the Plasma Physics Lab and the new Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR), with footage of the interior, machines, and scientists at work. This film is discussed in the audiovisual blog of the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, which holds the archives of Princeton University.

Physics conditions for robust control of tearing modes in a rotating tokamak plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazzaro, E.; Borgogno, D.; Brunetti, D.; Comisso, L.; Fevrier, O.; Grasso, D.; Lutjens, H.; Maget, P.; Nowak, S.; Sauter, O.; Sozzi, C.; the EUROfusion MST1 Team

2018-01-01

The disruptive collapse of the current sustained equilibrium of a tokamak is perhaps the single most serious obstacle on the path toward controlled thermonuclear fusion. The current disruption is generally too fast to be identified early enough and tamed efficiently, and may be associated with a variety of initial perturbing events. However, a common feature of all disruptive events is that they proceed through the onset of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities and field reconnection processes developing magnetic islands, which eventually destroy the magnetic configuration. Therefore the avoidance and control of magnetic reconnection instabilities is of foremost importance and great attention is focused on the promising stabilization techniques based on localized rf power absorption and current drive. Here a short review is proposed of the key aspects of high power rf control schemes (specifically electron cyclotron heating and current drive) for tearing modes, considering also some effects of plasma rotation. From first principles physics considerations, new conditions are presented and discussed to achieve control of the tearing perturbations by means of high power ({P}{{EC}}≥slant {P}{{ohm}}) in regimes where strong nonlinear instabilities may be driven, such as secondary island structures, which can blur the detection and limit the control of the instabilities. Here we consider recent work that has motivated the search for the improvement of some traditional control strategies, namely the feedback schemes based on strict phase tracking of the propagating magnetic islands.

Plasma detachment in divertor tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Leonard, A. W.

2018-02-07

In this study, observations of divertor plasma detachment in tokamaks are reviewed. Plasma detachment is characterized in terms of transport and dissipation of power, momentum and particle flux along the open field lines from the midplane to the divertor. Asymmetries in detachment onset and other characteristics between the inboard and outboard divertor plasmas is found to be primarily driven by plasmamore » $$\\vec{E}$$ x $$\\vec{B}$$ drifts. The effect of divertor plate geometry and magnetic configuration on divertor detachment is summarized. Control of divertor detachment has progressed with a development of a number of diagnostics to characterize the detached state in real-time. Finally the compatibility of detached divertor operation with high performance core plasmas is examined.« less

Plasma detachment in divertor tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leonard, A. W.

In this study, observations of divertor plasma detachment in tokamaks are reviewed. Plasma detachment is characterized in terms of transport and dissipation of power, momentum and particle flux along the open field lines from the midplane to the divertor. Asymmetries in detachment onset and other characteristics between the inboard and outboard divertor plasmas is found to be primarily driven by plasmamore » $$\\vec{E}$$ x $$\\vec{B}$$ drifts. The effect of divertor plate geometry and magnetic configuration on divertor detachment is summarized. Control of divertor detachment has progressed with a development of a number of diagnostics to characterize the detached state in real-time. Finally the compatibility of detached divertor operation with high performance core plasmas is examined.« less

Numerical investigation of non-perturbative kinetic effects of energetic particles on toroidicity-induced Alfvén eigenmodes in tokamaks and stellarators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Slaby, Christoph; Könies, Axel; Kleiber, Ralf

2016-09-15

The resonant interaction of shear Alfvén waves with energetic particles is investigated numerically in tokamak and stellarator geometry using a non-perturbative MHD-kinetic hybrid approach. The focus lies on toroidicity-induced Alfvén eigenmodes (TAEs), which are most easily destabilized by a fast-particle population in fusion plasmas. While the background plasma is treated within the framework of an ideal-MHD theory, the drive of the fast particles, as well as Landau damping of the background plasma, is modelled using the drift-kinetic Vlasov equation without collisions. Building on analytical theory, a fast numerical tool, STAE-K, has been developed to solve the resulting eigenvalue problem usingmore » a Riccati shooting method. The code, which can be used for parameter scans, is applied to tokamaks and the stellarator Wendelstein 7-X. High energetic-ion pressure leads to large growth rates of the TAEs and to their conversion into kinetically modified TAEs and kinetic Alfvén waves via continuum interaction. To better understand the physics of this conversion mechanism, the connections between TAEs and the shear Alfvén wave continuum are examined. It is shown that, when energetic particles are present, the continuum deforms substantially and the TAE frequency can leave the continuum gap. The interaction of the TAE with the continuum leads to singularities in the eigenfunctions. To further advance the physical model and also to eliminate the MHD continuum together with the singularities in the eigenfunctions, a fourth-order term connected to radiative damping has been included. The radiative damping term is connected to non-ideal effects of the bulk plasma and introduces higher-order derivatives to the model. Thus, it has the potential to substantially change the nature of the solution. For the first time, the fast-particle drive, Landau damping, continuum damping, and radiative damping have been modelled together in tokamak- as well as in stellarator

Rheological equations in asymptotic regimes of granular flow

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chen, C.-L.; Ling, C.-H.

1998-01-01

This paper assesses the validity of the generalized viscoplastic fluid (GVF) model in light of the established constitutive relations in two asymptotic flow regimes, namely, the macroviscous and grain-inertia regimes. A comprehensive review of the literature on constitutive relations in both regimes reveals that except for some material constants, such as the coefficient of restitution, the normalized shear stress in both regimes varies only with the grain concentration, C. It is found that Krieger-Dougherty's relative viscosity, ??*(C), is sufficiently coherent among the monotonically nondecreasing functions of C used in describing the variation of the shear stress with C in both regimes. It not only accurately represents the C-dependent relative viscosity of a suspension in the macroviscous regime, but also plays a role of the radial distribution function that describes the statistics of particle collisions in the grain-inertia regime. Use of ??*(C) alone, however, cannot link the two regimes. Another parameter, the shear-rate number, N, is needed in modelling the rheology of neutrally buoyant granular flows in transition between the two asymptotic regimes. The GVF model proves compatible with most established relations in both regimes.

Scrambled coherent superposition for enhanced optical fiber communication in the nonlinear transmission regime.

PubMed

Liu, Xiang; Chandrasekhar, S; Winzer, P J; Chraplyvy, A R; Tkach, R W; Zhu, B; Taunay, T F; Fishteyn, M; DiGiovanni, D J

2012-08-13

Coherent superposition of light waves has long been used in various fields of science, and recent advances in digital coherent detection and space-division multiplexing have enabled the coherent superposition of information-carrying optical signals to achieve better communication fidelity on amplified-spontaneous-noise limited communication links. However, fiber nonlinearity introduces highly correlated distortions on identical signals and diminishes the benefit of coherent superposition in nonlinear transmission regime. Here we experimentally demonstrate that through coordinated scrambling of signal constellations at the transmitter, together with appropriate unscrambling at the receiver, the full benefit of coherent superposition is retained in the nonlinear transmission regime of a space-diversity fiber link based on an innovatively engineered multi-core fiber. This scrambled coherent superposition may provide the flexibility of trading communication capacity for performance in future optical fiber networks, and may open new possibilities in high-performance and secure optical communications.

Magnetic diagnostics for equilibrium reconstructions with eddy currents on the lithium tokamak experimenta)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schmitt, J. C.; Bialek, J.; Lazerson, S.

2014-11-01

The Lithium Tokamak eXperiment is a spherical tokamak with a close-fitting low-recycling wall composed of thin lithium layers evaporated onto a stainless steel-lined copper shell. Long-lived non-axisymmetric eddy currents are induced in the shell and vacuum vessel by transient plasma and coil currents and these eddy currents influence both the plasma and the magnetic diagnositc signals that are used as constraints for equilibrium reconstruction. A newly installed set of re-entrant magnetic diagnostics and internal saddle flux loops, compatible with high-temperatures and lithium environments, is discussed. Details of the axisymmetric (2D) and non-axisymmetric (3D) treatments of the eddy currents and themore » equilibrium reconstruction are presented.« less

Magnetic diagnostics for equilibrium reconstructions with eddy currents on the lithium tokamak experiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schmitt, J. C., E-mail: jschmitt@pppl.gov; Lazerson, S.; Majeski, R.

2014-11-15

The Lithium Tokamak eXperiment is a spherical tokamak with a close-fitting low-recycling wall composed of thin lithium layers evaporated onto a stainless steel-lined copper shell. Long-lived non-axisymmetric eddy currents are induced in the shell and vacuum vessel by transient plasma and coil currents and these eddy currents influence both the plasma and the magnetic diagnostic signals that are used as constraints for equilibrium reconstruction. A newly installed set of re-entrant magnetic diagnostics and internal saddle flux loops, compatible with high-temperatures and lithium environments, is discussed. Details of the axisymmetric (2D) and non-axisymmetric (3D) treatments of the eddy currents and themore » equilibrium reconstruction are presented.« less

The High Field Ultra Low Aspect Ratio Tokamak (HF-ULART)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, Celso

2017-10-01

Recently, a medium-size HF-ULART has been proposed. The major objective is to explore the high beta and pressure under the high toroidal field, using present day technology. This might be one of pathway scenarios for a potential ultra-compact pulsed neutron source (UCP-NS) based on the spherical tokamak (ST) concept, which may lead to more steady-state NS or even to a fusion reactor, via realistic design scaling. The HF-ULART pulsed mode operation is created by quasi-simultaneous adiabatic compression (AC) in both minor and major radius of a very high beta plasma, possibly with further help of passive-wall stabilization, as envisaged in the RULART concept. This may help the revival of the studies of the AC technique in tokamaks, alongside the less compact and more complex ST-40 device, currently under construction. In addition, by similarities, studies in HF-ULART as a UCP-NS may also help to test the feasibility of the compact NS via the spheromak concept, which also uses the AC technique. Simulations of AC in HF-ULART plasmas will be presented.

Combined Langmuir-magnetic probe measurements of type-I ELMy filaments in the EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qingquan, YANG; Fangchuan, ZHONG; Guosheng, XU; Ning, YAN; Liang, CHEN; Xiang, LIU; Yong, LIU; Liang, WANG; Zhendong, YANG; Yifeng, WANG; Yang, YE; Heng, ZHANG; Xiaoliang, Li

2018-06-01

Detailed investigations on the filamentary structures associated with the type-I edge-localized modes (ELMs) should be helpful for protecting the materials of a plasma-facing wall on a future large device. Related experiments have been carefully conducted in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) using combined Langmuir-magnetic probes. The experimental results indicate that the radially outward velocity of type-I ELMy filaments can be up to 1.7 km s‑1 in the far scrape-off layer (SOL) region. It is remarkable that the electron temperature of these filaments is detected to be ∼50 eV, corresponding to a fraction of 1/6 to the temperature near the pedestal top, while the density (∼ 3× {10}19 {{{m}}}-3) of these filaments could be approximate to the line-averaged density. In addition, associated magnetic fluctuations have been clearly observed at the same time, which show good agreement with the density perturbations. A localized current on the order of ∼100 kA could be estimated within the filaments.

The non-resonant kink modes triggering strong sawtooth-like crashes in the EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Erzhong; Igochine, V.; Dumbrajs, O.; Xu, L.; Chen, K.; Shi, T.; Hu, L.

2014-12-01

Evolution of the safety factor (q) profile during L-H transitions in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) was accompanied by strong core crashes prior to regular sawtooth behavior. These crashes appeared in the absence of q = 1 (q is the safety factor) rational surface inside the plasma. Analysis indicates that the m/n = 2/1 tearing mode is destabilized and phase-locked with the m/n = 1/1 non-resonant kink mode (the q = 1 rational surface is absent) due to the self-consistent evolution of plasma profiles as the L-H transition occurs (m and n are the poloidal and toroidal mode numbers, respectively). The growing m/n = 1/1 mode destabilizes the m/n = 2/2 kink mode which eventually triggers the strong crash due to an anomalous heat conductivity, as predicted by the transport model of stochastic magnetic fields using experimental parameters. It is also shown that the magnetic topology changes with the amplitude of m/n = 2/2 mode and the value of center safety factor in a reasonable range.

Alpha channeling with high-field launch of lower hybrid waves

DOE PAGES

Ochs, I. E.; Bertelli, N.; Fisch, N. J.

2015-11-04

Although lower hybrid waves are effective at driving currents in present-day tokamaks, they are expected to interact strongly with high-energy particles in extrapolating to reactors. In the presence of a radial alpha particle birth gradient, this interaction can take the form of wave amplification rather than damping. While it is known that this amplification more easily occurs when launching from the tokamak high-field side, the extent of this amplification has not been made quantitative. Here, by tracing rays launched from the high- field-side of a tokamak, the required radial gradients to achieve amplification are calculated for a temperature and densitymore » regime consistent with a hot-ion-mode fusion reactor. As a result, these simulations, while valid only in the linear regime of wave amplification, nonetheless illustrate the possibilities for wave amplification using high-field launch of the lower hybrid wave.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ochs, I. E.; Bertelli, N.; Fisch, N. J.

Although lower hybrid waves are effective at driving currents in present-day tokamaks, they are expected to interact strongly with high-energy particles in extrapolating to reactors. In the presence of a radial alpha particle birth gradient, this interaction can take the form of wave amplification rather than damping. While it is known that this amplification more easily occurs when launching from the tokamak high-field side, the extent of this amplification has not been made quantitative. Here, by tracing rays launched from the high- field-side of a tokamak, the required radial gradients to achieve amplification are calculated for a temperature and densitymore » regime consistent with a hot-ion-mode fusion reactor. As a result, these simulations, while valid only in the linear regime of wave amplification, nonetheless illustrate the possibilities for wave amplification using high-field launch of the lower hybrid wave.« less

Design of charge exchange recombination spectroscopy for the joint Texas experimental tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chi, Y.; Zhuang, G., E-mail: ge-zhuang@hust.edu.cn; Cheng, Z. F.

The old diagnostic neutral beam injector first operated at the University of Texas at Austin is ready for rejoining the joint Texas experimental tokamak (J-TEXT). A new set of high voltage power supplies has been equipped and there is no limitation for beam modulation or beam pulse duration henceforth. Based on the spectra of fully striped impurity ions induced by the diagnostic beam the design work for toroidal charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CXRS) system is presented. The 529 nm carbon VI (n = 8 − 7 transition) line seems to be the best choice for ion temperature and plasma rotationmore » measurements and the considered hardware is listed. The design work of the toroidal CXRS system is guided by essential simulation of expected spectral results under the J-TEXT tokamak operation conditions.« less

Application of automatic gain control for radiometer diagnostic in SST-1 tokamak.

PubMed

Makwana, Foram R; Siju, Varsha; Edappala, Praveenlal; Pathak, S K

2017-12-01

This paper describes the characterisation of a negative feedback type of automatic gain control (AGC) circuit that will be an integral part of the heterodyne radiometer system operating at a frequency range of 75-86 GHz at SST-1 tokamak. The developed AGC circuit is a combination of variable gain amplifier and log amplifier which provides both gain and attenuation typically up to 15 dB and 45 dB, respectively, at a fixed set point voltage and it has been explored for the first time in tokamak radiometry application. The other important characteristics are that it exhibits a very fast response time of 390 ns to understand the fast dynamics of electron cyclotron emission and can operate at very wide input RF power dynamic range of around 60 dB that ensures signal level within the dynamic range of the detection system.

Study of SOL in DIII-D tokamak with SOLPS suite of codes.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pankin, Alexei; Bateman, Glenn; Brennan, Dylan; Coster, David; Hogan, John; Kritz, Arnold; Kukushkin, Andrey; Schnack, Dalton; Snyder, Phil

2005-10-01

The scrape-of-layer (SOL) region in DIII-D tokamak is studied with the SOLPS integrated suite of codes. The SOLPS package includes the 3D multi-species Monte-Carlo neutral code EIRINE and 2D multi-fluid code B2. The EIRINE and B2 codes are cross-coupled through B2-EIRINE interface. The results of SOLPS simulations are used in the integrated modeling of the plasma edge in DIII-D tokamak with the ASTRA transport code. Parameterized dependences for neutral particle fluxes that are computed with the SOLPS code are implemented in a model for the H-mode pedestal and ELMs [1] in the ASTRA code. The effects of neutrals on the H-mode pedestal and ELMs are studied in this report. [1] A. Y. Pankin, I. Voitsekhovitch, G. Bateman, et al., Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 47, 483 (2005).

Physics and Control of Locked Modes in the DIII-D Tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Volpe, Francesco

This Final Technical Report summarizes an investigation, carried out under the auspices of the DOE Early Career Award, of the physics and control of non-rotating magnetic islands (“locked modes”) in tokamak plasmas. Locked modes are one of the main causes of disruptions in present tokamaks, and could be an even bigger concern in ITER, due to its relatively high beta (favoring the formation of Neoclassical Tearing Mode islands) and low rotation (favoring locking). For these reasons, this research had the goal of studying and learning how to control locked modes in the DIII-D National Fusion Facility under ITER-relevant conditions ofmore » high pressure and low rotation. Major results included: the first full suppression of locked modes and avoidance of the associated disruptions; the demonstration of error field detection from the interaction between locked modes, applied rotating fields and intrinsic errors; the analysis of a vast database of disruptive locked modes, which led to criteria for disruption prediction and avoidance.« less

First Direct Observation of Runaway-Electron-Driven Whistler Waves in Tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Spong, D. A.; Heidbrink, W. W.; Paz-Soldan, C.; ...

2018-04-11

DIII-D experiments at low density (n e ~10 19 m -3) have directly measured whistler waves in the 100– 200 MHz range excited by multi-MeV runaway electrons. Whistler activity is correlated with runaway intensity (hard x-ray emission level), occurs in novel discrete frequency bands, and exhibits nonlinear limitcycle- like behavior. The measured frequencies scale with the magnetic field strength and electron density as expected from the whistler dispersion relation. The modes are stabilized with increasing magnetic field, which is consistent with wave-particle resonance mechanisms. The mode amplitudes show intermittent time variations correlated with changes in the electron cyclotron emission thatmore » follow predator-prey cycles. These can be interpreted as wave-induced pitch angle scattering of moderate energy runaways. The tokamak runaway-whistler mechanisms have parallels to whistler phenomena in ionospheric plasmas. The observations also open new directions for the modeling and active control of runaway electrons in tokamaks.« less

First Direct Observation of Runaway-Electron-Driven Whistler Waves in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spong, D. A.; Heidbrink, W. W.; Paz-Soldan, C.; Du, X. D.; Thome, K. E.; Van Zeeland, M. A.; Collins, C.; Lvovskiy, A.; Moyer, R. A.; Austin, M. E.; Brennan, D. P.; Liu, C.; Jaeger, E. F.; Lau, C.

2018-04-01

DIII-D experiments at low density (ne˜1019 m-3 ) have directly measured whistler waves in the 100-200 MHz range excited by multi-MeV runaway electrons. Whistler activity is correlated with runaway intensity (hard x-ray emission level), occurs in novel discrete frequency bands, and exhibits nonlinear limit-cycle-like behavior. The measured frequencies scale with the magnetic field strength and electron density as expected from the whistler dispersion relation. The modes are stabilized with increasing magnetic field, which is consistent with wave-particle resonance mechanisms. The mode amplitudes show intermittent time variations correlated with changes in the electron cyclotron emission that follow predator-prey cycles. These can be interpreted as wave-induced pitch angle scattering of moderate energy runaways. The tokamak runaway-whistler mechanisms have parallels to whistler phenomena in ionospheric plasmas. The observations also open new directions for the modeling and active control of runaway electrons in tokamaks.

First Direct Observation of Runaway-Electron-Driven Whistler Waves in Tokamaks.

PubMed

Spong, D A; Heidbrink, W W; Paz-Soldan, C; Du, X D; Thome, K E; Van Zeeland, M A; Collins, C; Lvovskiy, A; Moyer, R A; Austin, M E; Brennan, D P; Liu, C; Jaeger, E F; Lau, C

2018-04-13

DIII-D experiments at low density (n_{e}∼10^{19}  m^{-3}) have directly measured whistler waves in the 100-200 MHz range excited by multi-MeV runaway electrons. Whistler activity is correlated with runaway intensity (hard x-ray emission level), occurs in novel discrete frequency bands, and exhibits nonlinear limit-cycle-like behavior. The measured frequencies scale with the magnetic field strength and electron density as expected from the whistler dispersion relation. The modes are stabilized with increasing magnetic field, which is consistent with wave-particle resonance mechanisms. The mode amplitudes show intermittent time variations correlated with changes in the electron cyclotron emission that follow predator-prey cycles. These can be interpreted as wave-induced pitch angle scattering of moderate energy runaways. The tokamak runaway-whistler mechanisms have parallels to whistler phenomena in ionospheric plasmas. The observations also open new directions for the modeling and active control of runaway electrons in tokamaks.

First Direct Observation of Runaway-Electron-Driven Whistler Waves in Tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Spong, D. A.; Heidbrink, W. W.; Paz-Soldan, C.

DIII-D experiments at low density (n e ~10 19 m -3) have directly measured whistler waves in the 100– 200 MHz range excited by multi-MeV runaway electrons. Whistler activity is correlated with runaway intensity (hard x-ray emission level), occurs in novel discrete frequency bands, and exhibits nonlinear limitcycle- like behavior. The measured frequencies scale with the magnetic field strength and electron density as expected from the whistler dispersion relation. The modes are stabilized with increasing magnetic field, which is consistent with wave-particle resonance mechanisms. The mode amplitudes show intermittent time variations correlated with changes in the electron cyclotron emission thatmore » follow predator-prey cycles. These can be interpreted as wave-induced pitch angle scattering of moderate energy runaways. The tokamak runaway-whistler mechanisms have parallels to whistler phenomena in ionospheric plasmas. The observations also open new directions for the modeling and active control of runaway electrons in tokamaks.« less