Power deposition on a tungsten leading edge in a DIII-D He plasma

Abstract

Abstract The 2016 DIII-D DiMES tungsten (W) leading edge experiment in support of ITER studied heat loads in helium (He) plasmas with ELMs and compound ELMs (C-ELMs). The regime was close to the threshold for L-mode to H-mode transitions. In shots with ECH, C-ELMs produced in H-L back-transitions dominated the transient particle exhaust. Their duration (10–20 ms) was much longer than regular ELMs, and their heat loads higher by 2–3 times. The C-ELMS reduced the plasma density significantly, and some triggered (automated) gas puffing. This regime, with high particle and heat exhaust, may have relevance for He plasmas in ITER's start-up phase. Regular ELMs occurred during neutral beam (NB) powered shots. This paper describes new analyses on heat loads during and between C-ELMs in ECH-powered shot 166843. The results are generally consistent with a geometric solution for the parallel heat load at the plasma edge striking the leading edge. The power in the C-ELMs is sufficient to cause a temperature rise of ∼