Small ELM regimes with good confinement on JET and comparison to those on ASDEX Upgrade, Alcator C-mod and JT-60U

Abstract

Since it is uncertain if ITER operation is compatible with type-I edge localized modes (ELMs), the study of alternative ELM regimes is an urgent issue. This paper reports on experiments on JET aiming to find scenarios with small ELMs and good confinement, such as the type-II ELMs in ASDEX Upgrade, the enhanced D-alpha H-mode in Alcator C-mod or the grassy ELMs in JT-60U. The study includes shape variations, especially the closeness to a double-null configuration, variations of q95, density and beta poloidal. H-mode pedestals without type-I ELMs have been observed only at the lowest currents (≤1.2 MA), showing similarities to the observations in the devices mentioned above. These are discussed in detail on the basis of edge fluctuation analysis. For higher currents, only the mixed type-I/II scenario is observed. Although the increased inter-ELM transport reduces the type-I ELM frequency, a single type-I ELM is not significantly reduced in size. Obviously, these results do question the accessibility of such small ELM scenarios on ITER, except perhaps the high beta-poloidal scenario at higher q95, which could not be tested at higher currents at JET due to limitations in heating power.