Tokamak Divertor Plasma Research Articles

Lyman line opacities in tokamak divertor plasmas under high-recycling and detached conditions

Radiation transport simulations of the deuterium Lyman series using EIRENE predict a factor of 2 increase of Balmer-α emission in the JET-ILW low confinement divertor plasmas in high-recycling and detached conditions caused by the re-absorption of Lyman-β emission. The photon tracing model in the EIRENE code is applied to SOLPS-ITER pure deuterium plasma solutions of JET-ILW to evaluate the contribution of Lyman-β capture towards the population density of D(p=3) and consequently the Balmer-α emission. The local population escape factors of Lyman-α and Lyman-β lines in the JET-ILW divertor show steep spatial gradients and indicate local regions with high opacity in high-recycling and detached conditions. The relative contribution of Lyman-β capture towards the population density of D(p=3) is significant in high-recycling and detached conditions. This observation is further corroborated by line-integrated calculations using Balmer-α diagnostic line-of-sights.

Experimental and simulation study of argon helicon discharge in multiple plasma simulation linear device (MPS-LD)

Abstract To obtain a high-parameter plasma in the target region of a multiple plasma simulation linear device and to realize the experimental simulation environment of tokamak divertor plasma, experimental and numerical simulations of argon helicon discharge are carried out. Langmuir probes are used to diagnose the electron density (ne ) in the source and target regions with different experimental parameters (magnetic field, radio frequency power, puffing flow rate). A three-dimensional discharge model is developed using drift-diffusion equations of electron density and electron energy with the aid of COMSOL. Helicon discharge with a long straight plasma beam and a bright blue core is experimentally achieved. The simulation and experimental results are compared, validating the model. The corresponding spatial ne distribution is obtained, and the dependence of ne on the main experimental parameters is confirmed. The energy conversion relationship between the helicon and plasma is found. Helicon waves prefer to transfer energy to the plasma in the source region, where ne is significantly increased. This results in a strong ne gradient, which acts as a barrier to prevent the propagation of helicon waves. Therefore, localized standing helicon waves are formed, which limits the increase in plasma density in the target region. By increasing the magnetic field strength (B < 1500 G) and RF power (P < 1500 W), ne in the source region can be increased, but they have little effect on ne in the target region.

Tokamak divertor plasma emulation with machine learning

Future tokamak devices that aim to create conditions relevant to power plant operations must consider strategies for mitigating damage to plasma facing components in the divertor. One of the goals of MAST-U tokamak operations is to inform these considerations by researching advanced divertor configurations that aid stable plasma detachment. Machine design, scenario planning and detachment control would all greatly benefit from tools that enable rapid calculation of scenario-relevant quantities given some input parameters. This paper presents a method for generating large, simulated scrape-off layer data sets, which was applied to generate a data set of steady-state Hermes-3 simulations of the MAST-U tokamak. A machine learning model was constructed using a Bayesian approach to hyperparameter optimisation to predict diagnosable output quantities given control-relevant input features. The resulting best-performing model, which is based on a feedforward neural network, achieves high accuracy when predicting electron temperature at the divertor target and carbon impurity radiation front position and runs in around 1 ms in inference mode. Techniques for interpreting the predictions made by the model were applied, and a high-resolution parameter scan of upstream conditions was performed to demonstrate the utility of rapidly generating accurate predictions using the emulator. This work represents a step forward in the design of machine learning-driven emulators of tokamak exhaust simulation codes in operational modes relevant to divertor detachment control and plasma scenario design.

Recent development of LIF diagnostics in ASIPP

In this article, recent research progress of laser induced fluorescence (LIF) diagnostics in ASIPP is reviewed. The fundamental goal of ASIPP's effort on the LIF diagnostics is to develop a working velocity distribution function (VDF) diagnostic to monitor helium ash removal in burning plasmas. Real-time monitoring of helium ash VDF requires consideration in radiation safety, measurement response time, and compatibility of tokamak operation, as well as ion/neutral VDFs with a temperature at possibly >20 eV. These considerations, almost unique to large-scale instruments or specifically to tokamak plasmas, require renewed research and development (R&D) efforts in optical design, automation, and expansion of laser functionality for the LIF diagnostics that were often not considered in conventional applications of the LIF diagnostics. To this end, ASIPP invested a series of research effort into the development of LIF techniques. Signal evaluation has been performed on a diagnostics-test device (LTS), and the obtained signal strength has been extrapolated to tokamak edge and divertor relevant environments with promising results. The extrapolations compared the available solid angle and plasma density between the test device and the design scenario where the LIF diagnostics will potentially be implemented in a tokamak edge and divertor plasma. The estimation neglects the higher density of energetic electrons in the edge and divertor regions, making it a conservative assessment. Automated post-DAQ processing of LIF signals using both “conventional” methods and an AI-augmented method were also explored. Both approaches yielded usable results, but the AI-trained method showed a faster response, which is advantageous for real-time plasma diagnostics. Basic mechanisms of LIF diagnostics were also explored. Specifically, the limitations of lock-in modulation was demonstrated to determine the limitation of time-resolved measurements using such methods. De-modulation and degradation of the LIF signal occurred as the modulation frequency exceeded 1/10th of the fluorescence frequency. This finding sets a practical limit of the modulation frequency up to which we can benefit from lock-in amplification. These published works along with other unpublished progress will be thoroughly discussed in this article to illustrate ASIPP's effort towards the implementation of LIF diagnostics in future tokamak devices and to promote the application of LIF diagnostics in other fields of research.

Effects of magnetic geometry on dynamics of current-convective turbulence in tokamak divertor plasma

The current-convective instability is one of the physical mechanisms that can drive fluctuating transport of plasma in the tokamak divertor. The impact of the tokamak magnetic geometry on spatial and temporal properties of saturated turbulence, driven by the instability, is investigated. The analysis is performed by employing the basic model of the instability [A. A. Stepanenko and S. I. Krasheninnikov, Phys. Plasmas 25, 012305 (2018)] extended to include contributions from the interchange drive. Turbulence simulations are carried out in BOUT++ under DIII-D-like conditions. The dependencies of amplitudes, spatial and frequency spectra of saturated plasma fluctuations on the curvature radius, and connection and shear lengths of magnetic field lines are found. It is demonstrated that taking the finite curvature of the magnetic field into account leads to a large increase in the turbulence amplitude, whereas the shear and connection lengths mainly affect the temporal dynamics of fluctuations and their spatial localization. In all cases shown, the turbulence frequency and wave-number spectra demonstrate better agreement with the experimentally observed ones, compared to the results of previous simulations based on the basic model of the current-convective instability.

The physics of turbulence localised to the tokamak divertor volume

Fusion power plant designs based on magnetic confinement, such as the tokamak design, offer a promising route to sustainable fusion power but require robust exhaust solutions capable of tolerating intense heat and particle fluxes from the plasma at the core of the device. Turbulent plasma transport in the region where the interface between the plasma and the materials of the device is handled - called the divertor volume - is poorly understood, yet impacts several key factors ultimately affecting device performance. In this article a comprehensive study of the underlying physics of turbulence in the divertor volume is conducted using data collected in the final experimental campaign of the Mega Ampere Spherical Tokamak device, compared to high fidelity nonlinear simulations. The physics of the turbulence is shown to be strongly dependant on the geometry of the divertor volume - a potentially important result as the community looks to advanced divertor designs with complex geometry for future fusion power plants. These results lay the foundations of a first-principles physics basis for turbulent transport in the tokamak divertor, providing a critical step towards a predictive understanding of tokamak divertor plasma solutions.

Quantification of the effect of uncertainty on impurity migration in PISCES-A simulated with GITR

A Bayesian inference strategy has been used to estimate uncertain inputs to global impurity transport code (GITR) modeling predictions of tungsten erosion and migration in the linear plasma device, PISCES-A. This allows quantification of GITR output uncertainty based on the uncertainties in measured PISCES-A plasma electron density and temperature profiles (n e, T e) used as inputs to GITR. The technique has been applied for comparison to dedicated experiments performed for high (4 × 1022 m−2 s−1) and low (5 × 1021 m−2 s−1) flux 250 eV He–plasma exposed tungsten (W) targets designed to assess the net and gross erosion of tungsten, and corresponding W impurity transport. The W target design and orientation, impurity collector, and diagnostics, have been designed to eliminate complexities associated with tokamak divertor plasma exposures (inclined target, mixed plasma species, re-erosion, etc) to benchmark results against the trace impurity transport model simulated by GITR. The simulated results of the erosion, migration, and re-deposition of W during the experiment from the GITR code coupled to materials response models are presented. Specifically, the modeled and experimental W I emission spectroscopy data for a 429.4 nm line and net erosion through the target and collector mass difference measurements are compared. The methodology provides predictions of observable quantities of interest with quantified uncertainty, allowing estimation of moments, together with the sensitivities to plasma temperature and density.

Enhanced preconditioner for JOREK MHD solver

The JOREK extended magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) code is a widely used simulation tool for studying the non-linear dynamics of large-scale instabilities in divertor tokamak plasmas. The code is usually run with a fully implicit time integration allowing to use large time steps independent of a CFL criterion. This is particularly important due to the strong scale separation between transport processes and slowly growing resistive modes in contrast to fast time scales associated with MHD waves and fast parallel heat transport. For solving the resulting large sparse-matrix system iteratively in each time step, a preconditioner based on the assumption of weak coupling between the toroidal harmonics is applied. The solution for each harmonic matrix is determined independently in this preconditioner using a direct solver. In this article, a set of developments regarding the JOREK solver and preconditioner is described, which lead to overall significant benefits for large production simulations. The developments include the implementation of a complex solver interface for the preconditioner leading to the general reduction of memory consumption. The most significant development presented consists in a generalization of the physics based preconditioner to ‘mode groups’, which allows to account for the dominant interactions between toroidal Fourier modes in highly non-linear simulations. At the cost of a moderate increase of memory consumption, the technique can strongly enhance convergence in suitable cases allowing to use significantly larger time steps, and thus improving the overall time performance by more than a factor of 3.

Scaling of impurity fractions for divertor detachment in high-density high-power operation scenarios

For future reactor designs and for planning of operational scenarios in the present and future machines, impurity fractions in the tokamak divertor plasma, c Z , is an essential input for predictive scalings of divertor detachment. A new quantitative scaling law for c Z , averaged over the scrape-off layer (SOL), required to attain detachment is developed for high power H-mode plasmas operated at high densities close to the density limit. It is based on a simple SOL radiation model which uses the combination of the empirical scaling laws for the H-mode power threshold and the separatrix density limit imposed by MHD instabilities. Additionally, it assumes, in agreement with experimental observations that the width of the power conducting layer outside of the separatrix scales approximately with the ion poloidal gyro-radius. The derived expression for c Z scales strongly with toroidal magnetic field, B, major radius R, the factor of access of the power flow through the separatrix over that required for the L–H transition, f LH, and isotope mass A: . Estimates of required impurity fractions for divertor detachment for an number of impurity species (N2, Ne and Ar) in future tokamak reactors ITER and DEMO are made in the paper.

Real-time feedback control of the impurity emission front in tokamak divertor plasmas

In magnetic confinement thermonuclear fusion the exhaust of heat and particles from the core remains a major challenge. Heat and particles leaving the core are transported via open magnetic field lines to a region of the reactor wall, called the divertor. Unabated, the heat and particle fluxes may become intolerable and damage the divertor. Controlled ‘plasma detachment’, a regime characterized by both a large reduction in plasma pressure and temperature at the divertor target, is required to reduce fluxes onto the divertor. Here we report a systematic approach towards achieving this critical need through feedback control of impurity emission front locations and its experimental demonstration. Our approach comprises a combination of real-time plasma diagnostic utilization, dynamic characterization of the plasma in proximity to the divertor, and efficient, reliable offline feedback controller design.

The Coulomb Symmetry and a Universal Representation of Rydberg Spectral Line Shapes in Magnetized Plasmas

A new method of line shape calculations of hydrogen-like atoms in magnetized plasmas is presented. This algorithm makes it possible to solve two fundamental problems in the broadening theory: the analytical description of the radiation transition array between excited atomic states and an account of a thermal ion motion effect on the line shapes formation. The solution to the first problem is based on the semiclassical approach to dipole matrix elements calculations and the usage of the specific symmetry properties of the Coulomb field. The second one is considered in terms of the kinetic treatment of the frequency fluctuation model (FFM). As the result, one has a universal description of line shapes under the action of the dynamic of ion’s microfield. The final line shape is obtained by the convolution of the ionic line shape with the Voigt electron Doppler profile. The method is applicable formally for large values of principal quantum numbers. However, the efficiency of the results is demonstrated even for well known first members of the hydrogen Balmer series Dα and Dβ lines. The comparison of obtained results with accurate quantum calculations is presented. The new method may be of interest for investigations of spectral line shapes of hydrogen-like ions presented in different kinds of hot ionized environments with the presence of a magnetic field, including So L and divertor tokamak plasmas.

Time-dependent modeling of dust outburst into tokamak divertor plasma

The first self-consistent simulation studies of the impact of transient injection of tungsten dust on ITER-like edge plasma are presented. The simulations are performed using DUSTT and UEDGE codes coupled in a fully time-dependent manner. The evolution of the divertor and upstream plasma conditions, following the injection of tungsten dust of various quantities and sizes at the outer strike point, is investigated. The estimates of the core plasma impurity fraction and the core impurity screening factor associated with the dust injection are also obtained. The simulations show that the bursts of even modest amounts of tungsten dust injected into the divertor plasmas can result in large perturbations of the divertor power load and unacceptable levels of the core plasma contamination with tungsten impurities.

Lithium deposits from the T-10 tokamak after experiments with lithium capillary-porous system

The structure of lithium deposited specimens at the T-10 tokamak vessel after examination of lithium capillary porous system were analysed. Scanning electron microscopy have been used to analyse the deposits. Composites of lithium carbonate LixCOy have been found by analysis. Plasma irradiation of these lithium specimens have been carried out in the PLM plasma device with plasma parameters similar to the tokamak divertor plasma. Stationary plasma load up to 1 MW/m2 during 200 minutes in the PLM provided the change of surface morphology revealed by post-mortem analysis.

An assessment of nitrogen concentrations from spectroscopic measurements in the JET and ASDEX upgrade divertor

The impurity concentration in the tokamak divertor plasma is a necessary input for predictive scaling of divertor detachment, however direct measurements from existing tokamaks in different divertor plasma conditions are limited. To address this, we have applied a recently developed spectroscopic N II line ratio technique for measuring the N concentration in the divertor to a range of H-mode and L-mode plasma from the ASDEX Upgrade and JET tokamaks, respectively. The results from both devices show that as the power crossing the separatrix, Psep, is increased under otherwise similar core conditions (e.g. density), a higher N concentration is required to achieve the same detachment state. For example, the N concentrations at the start of detachment increase from ≈ 2% to ≈ 9% as Psep is increased from ≈ 2.5 MW to ≈ 7 MW. These results tentatively agree with scaling law predictions (e.g. Goldston et al.) motivating a further study examining the parameters which affect the N concentration required to reach detachment. Finally, the N concentrations from spectroscopy and the ratio of D and N gas valve fluxes agree within experimental uncertainty only when the vessel surfaces are fully-loaded with N.

Determination of volumetric plasma parameters from spectroscopic N II and N III line ratio measurements in the ASDEX Upgrade divertor

The diagnosis of tokamak divertor plasmas is limited in the ability to understand the behaviour and role of impurities, central to the overall understanding of how the divertor plasma can be utilised to control the power exhaust. New methods have been developed to extract the N concentration as well as plasma characteristics; the use of three visible N II lines has been shown to provide a unique solution of the background plasma density and temperature. Those techniques are applied to data from two sightlines sampling horizontally across the outer divertor plasma. The plasma densities obtained from the N II line ratios during a scan of the divertor temperature in a partially detached H-mode plasma suggest that, as the temperature drops, the plasma density decreases further up the divertor leg while closer to the strike point the plasma density increases. The former is consistent with the emission zone moving from the private flux region into the scrape-off-layer plasma, and therefore sampling two different density regimes, while the latter is consistent with electron pressure conservation along a field line. With an approximate model of the length of the emission region, the N II divertor concentration is calculated in this discharge to be ≈. The single N III line ratio measurement available within the same spectral range is dependent on temperature and density and therefore cannot provide a unique solution of both.

Physics of ultimate detachment of a tokamak divertor plasma

The basic physics of the processes playing the most important role in divertor plasma detachment is reviewed. The models used in the two-dimensional edge plasma transport codes that are widely used to address different issues of the edge plasma physics and to simulate the experimental data, as well as the numerical schemes and convergence issues, are described. The processes leading to ultimate divertor plasma detachment, the transition to and the stability of the detached regime, as well as the impact of the magnetic configuration and divertor geometry on detachment, are considered. A consistent, integral physical picture of ultimate detachment of a tokamak divertor plasma is developed.

One-dimensional plasma sheath model in front of the divertor plates

A new model of the stationary electrostatic plasma sheath in front of divertor plates is developed, which takes into account strong inelastic processes. Using particle-in-cell simulations and analytic estimates it is demonstrated, that the properties of the tokamak divertor plasma sheath can significantly deviate from the properties of the classical sheath model. The most significant deviations are the increased energy flux to the plates and non-monotonic potential and ion velocity profiles in the presheath. Two main reasons for these deviations are identified: strong inelastic collisionality of the plasma presheath and the presence of super-thermal plasma particles originating from the upstream scrape-off layer.

High resolution equilibrium calculations of pedestal and SOL plasma in tokamaks

For integrated modeling of equilibrium, stability and dynamics of the divertor tokamak plasma with scrape-off layer (SOL) high resolution equilibrium calculations are needed. A new version of the CAXE equilibrium code computes the tokamak equilibrium on a numerical grid adaptive to magnetic surfaces both in the plasma region with closed flux surfaces and in the SOL region with open magnetic lines. The plasma profiles can be prescribed independently in each region with nested flux surfaces, and realistic SOL profiles with very short pressure drop off length can be accurately treated. The influence of the finite current density in SOL on the connection length is studied. From the point of view of the MHD equilibrium and stability modeling, self-consistent calculations of diverted tokamak configurations with finite current density at the separatrix require taking into account plasma outside the separatrix. Calculated high resolution equilibria provide an input to new versions of the ideal MHD stability codes treating tokamak plasma with SOL. The study of the influence of the pressure gradient profile in the pedestal plasma inside and outside the separatrix on the pedestal height limit set by external kink-ballooning mode stability is presented. Another possible application of the high resolution pedestal and SOL equilibrium code is a coupling to the SOLPS code with a purpose to increase equilibrium accuracy and support self-consistent plasma flow/equilibrium modeling.

Extreme Ultraviolet Spectra of Few-Times Ionized Tungsten for Divertor Plasma Diagnostics

The extreme ultraviolet (EUV) emission from few-times ionized tungsten atoms has been experimentally studied at the Livermore electron beam ion trap facility. The ions were produced and confined during low-energy operations of the EBIT-I electron beam ion trap. By varying the electron-beam energy from around 30–300 eV, tungsten ions in charge states expected to be abundant in tokamak divertor plasmas were excited, and the resulting EUV emission was studied using a survey spectrometer covering 120–320 Å. It is found that the emission strongly depends on the excitation energy; below 150 eV, it is relatively simple, consisting of strong isolated lines from a few charge states, whereas at higher energies, it becomes very complex. For divertor plasmas with tungsten impurity ions, this emission should prove useful for diagnostics of tungsten flux rates and charge balance, as well as for radiative cooling of the divertor volume. Several lines in the 194–223 Å interval belonging to the spectra of five- and seven-times ionized tungsten (Tm-like W VI and Ho-like W VIII) were also measured using a high-resolution spectrometer.

Modeling of tokamak divertor plasma for weakly collisional parallel electron transport

The parallel electron heat transport in a weakly collisional regime can be represented in the framework of the Landau-fluid model (Hammett et al., 1990). Practical implementation of Landau-fluid transport has become possible due to the recent invention of an efficient non-spectral method for the non-local closure operators (Dimits et al., 2014). Here the implementation of a Landau-fluid based model for the parallel plasma transport is described, and the model is tested for different collisionality regimes against Fokker–Planck simulations. The new method appears to represent the weakly collisional electron transport more accurately than the conventional flux-limiter based models, on the other hand it is computationally efficient enough to be incorporated in comprehensive edge plasma simulations.