Energy deposition onto HL-2A divertor plates in ELMy H-mode discharges using infrared thermography

Abstract

Using infrared (IR) thermography, power loads onto the divertor plates have been investigated in ELMy H-mode plasmas on HL-2A. In the ELMy H-mode discharges, ELMs are the largest contributors to the divertor target energy load. Analysis of energy balance shows that up to 45% of the energy losses are deposited onto the divertor targets during ELMs and about 30% are found as plasma radiation. Moreover, divertor heat flux mitigation has been achieved during an ELMy H-mode phase by using Supersonic Molecular Beam Injection (SMBI), characterized by a sharp increase of ELM frequency and a reduction in peak heat flux. The increased plasma radiation energy losses, especially the doubled plasma radiation in the divertor region, should be responsible for the reduction of integrated energy deposition onto divertor targets.