Edge Localized Modes Behaviour Research Articles

Calibration improvements expand filterscope diagnostic use.

The filterscope diagnostic on DIII-D utilizes photomultiplier tubes to measure visible light emission from the plasma. The system has undergone a substantial upgrade since previous attempts to cross-calibrate the filterscope with other spectroscopic diagnostics were unsuccessful. The optics now utilize a dichroic mirror to initially split the light at nearly 99% transmission or reflectance for light below or above 550nm. This allows the system to measure Dα emission without degrading visible light emission from the plasma for wavelengths below 550nm (to measure Dβ, Dγ, W-I, C-III, etc.). Additional optimization of the optical components and calibration techniques reduce the error in the signal up to 10% in some channels compared to previous methods. Cross-calibration measurements with two other high resolution spectroscopic diagnostics now show excellent agreement for the first time. This expands the capabilities of the filterscope system allowing measurement of divertor detachment, emission profiles, edge-localized mode behavior, and plasma-wall interactions. It also enables direct comparisons against calculations from boundary plasma simulations. These were not possible before.

Overview of initial negative triangularity plasma studies on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak

An overview of results of negative triangularity (NT) studies from the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak (AUG) is given. Moderate values of the triangularity in the range of δ average ≈ −0.2 have been obtained. Results from both unfavorable and favorable magnetic configuration in terms of high-confinement mode (H-mode) access are presented. In unfavorable configuration, the ion grad B drift points away from the active x-point, which usually results in a factor of 2 higher power thresholds to enter H-mode. In unfavorable configuration, low-confinement mode (L-mode) operation is confirmed at high auxiliary heating input powers MW at low collisionality. Under these conditions, plasmas with positive triangularity (PT) are usually in H-mode. Highest plasma energies have been obtained using a combination of neutral beam injection, electron- and ion cyclotron resonance heating, where values of the plasma beta of β N ≈ 1.7 have been reached in L-mode. While discharges with mixed auxiliary heating power input show moderate confinement on L-mode levels, plasmas heated with electron cyclotron resonance heating show H-mode like confinement. Operation in favorable configuration, however, leads to H-mode with type-I edge localized modes (ELMs). The power required for the L–H transition is comparable to the typical L–H power threshold in PT cases ( MW), and good confinement of typical PT H-modes is obtained. The ELM frequency is demonstrated to reach 700 Hz. These results show a clear effect of the NT configuration on the ELM behavior in H-modes, and that on AUG, unfavorable configuration is an essential ingredient if H-mode operation is to be avoided in NT plasmas. So far, in all AUG NT plasmas, power degradation is observed. Initial gyrokinetic simulations of the edge plasma in unfavorable configuration reveal the ion-temperature gradient mode as the fastest growing mode with a subdominant trapped-electron-mode.

Effective current drive in the pedestal region of high-confinement tokamak plasma using electron cyclotron waves

Large-amplitude edge-localized modes (ELMs) are a major concern in the development of tokamak fusion energy. According to the peeling–ballooning theoretical model, effective current drive in the pedestal region of high-confinement (H-mode) tokamak plasmas can alter the current profile in this region and hence affect ELM instabilities. Using ray-tracing and Fokker–Planck quasilinear codes, effective and localized current drive by electron cyclotron (EC) waves in the H-mode pedestal region is studied in this paper. Numerical investigations are performed under present-day medium-sized tokamaks with an aspect ratio (A = R/a) covering a typical range of [2.7, 4.0]. Localized non-inductive current can be generated effectively by the Ohkawa mechanism of EC waves in the low-electron collisionality H-mode pedestal region. The Ohkawa mechanism-dominated current drive (OKCD) is much more effective than traditional electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD), which is the Fisch–Boozer mechanism-dominated one. Under 1–2 MW EC power, the current density of both co-OKCD and counter-OKCD has the same magnitude as edge bootstrap current density, which is calculated using the Sauter model. However, edge ECCD is much smaller than the bootstrap current. Consequently, the use of edge ECCD to control ELM failed in experiments, and only the EC heating can affect ELM behavior. Simulations on OKCD are performed in the H-mode pedestal region of realistic DIII-D tokamak plasma, and the results also support the above conclusions. The dependence of effective edge OKCD on the ratio of magnetic field and EC frequency is also found in tokamaks with a typical aspect ratio range. This work opens up a new possible field for active control of ELMs (triggering or suppressing an ELM) by edge current drive in present-day medium-sized tokamaks.

Two-dimensional measurements of the ELM filament using a multi-channel electrical probe array with high time resolution at the far SOL region in the KSTAR

For the first time, two-dimensional temporal behavior of the edge localized mode (ELM) filament is measured in the edge tokamak plasma with a multi-channel electrical probe array (MCEP). MCEP, which has 16 floating probes (4 × 4), is mounted at the far scrape-off layer (SOL) region in the KSTAR. An electron temperature and an ion flux are measured by sideband method (SBM), which can achieve two-dimensional measurements with high time resolution. Furthermore, temporal evolutions of the electron temperature and the ion flux are obtained during the ELM occurrence. In the H-mode period, short spikes from ELM bursts are observed in measured plasma parameters, and the trend is similar to that of typical Hα signal. Interestingly, when blob-like ELM filaments crash the probe, the heat flux is significantly higher in a local region of the probe array. The results show that our probe array using the SBM can measure the ELM behavior and the plasma parameters without the effect of the stray current caused by the huge device. This study can provide valuable data needed to understand the interaction between the SOL plasma and the plasma facing components (PFCs).

Comparison of natural grassy ELM behavior in favorable/unfavorable B t in EAST

The properties of grassy edge-localized modes (ELMs) in EAST in the favorable and unfavorable B t are statistically studied. Statistical analysis indicates that there is no systematical difference in the frequencies of grassy ELMs under the two different magnetic configurations in the similar parameter spaces. The high-frequency grassy ELM (f ELM > 1 kHz) in unfavorable B t is dependent on the high poloidal beta β p and high triangularity δ u, while the high-frequency grassy ELM (f ELM > 1 kHz) in favorable B t appears to rely on the high plasma density. A frequently occurring phenomenon in favorable B t defined as ‘clustered ELM’ seems to be the most evident difference in ELM behavior between favorable and unfavorable B t. Statistical analysis shows that larger plasma-wall outer gap, longer plasma elongation, lower low-hybrid wave heating power and electron cyclotron resonance heating power favor the occurrence of clustered grassy ELMs. Further studies indicate that the generation of clustered grassy ELMs could be correlated with the lower electron temperature in the bulk plasma.

Experiment and simulation of ELM in NBI heated plasma on EAST tokamak

By scanning toroidal rotation with a combination of co- and counter-current direction neutral beam injection (NBI) on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, it is found the size of edge localized mode (ELM) decreases with increasing toroidal rotation in counter-current direction. The synergistic effect of plasma rotation and collisionality on ELM behavior is also studied by statistical analysis. Three-field module in BOUT++ framework is employed to study the impacts of toroidal rotation/E × B flow shear on ELM behaviors. The BOUT++ simulation results show that both Co- and Ctr-NBI induced net flow have stabilization effects on the peeling-ballooning modes, especially for counter NBI case, high-n ballooning mode can be totally stabilized. With larger E × B shear, the mode number of most unstable mode downshifts in the counter NBI case, with larger E × B shear, the mode number of most downshifts in the counter NBI case, correlated with reduced ELM size.

The factors determining the evolution of edge-localized modes in plasmas driven by lower hybrid currents

Modulated lower-hybrid waves (LHWs) are injected into the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak to determine the physical principles responsible for the suppression or mitigation of edge-localized modes (ELMs). There are two cases of modulated-ELM evolution (stable and unstable cases), because of two different modulated pedestal densities. They can be attributed to additional magnetic perturbations induced by the LHWs, similarly to the effect of resonant magnetic perturbations. As regards the case of unstable modulated ELM evolution, the plasma stored energy increases as the LHWs turn on. In contrast, the central line-averaged electron density decreases, which is different from the case of ELM suppression or from the stably modulated case. The effect of LHWs or density ‘pump-out’ effect can pass across the top of the pedestal region and enter the interior of the density pedestal, causing a decrease in the electron density gradient and its value at the top of the pedestal. Simultaneously, the pressure gradient and edge bootstrap current density increase. For ELM suppression (or for the stable) case, LHWs can couple only with the plasma outside the top region of pedestal, because of the higher top value of density pedestal. Thus, LHWs can pump out the electron density significantly only in the pedestal foot region, producing a larger gradient of electron density pedestal. Statistical analysis of the data indicates that there is a threshold value of the central line-averaged electron density for each of the two modulated ELM cases. Furthermore, the ELM amplitude is modulated by LHWs with a time delay of hundreds of microseconds, which may be further evidence that LHWs have a significant impact on the evolution of ELMs and pedestal structures. All these results imply that there is a significant correlation between the ELM behavior and the electron density profiles modulated by LHWs.

The unstable ELM evolution modulated by lower hybrid waves on EAST

Modulated lower hybrid waves, are injected into the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), to investigate the modulated evolutions of pedestal structure and unstable edge-localized modes (ELMs). The spectrum patterns of show that the ELM amplitude only slightly decreases while the ELM frequency becomes almost 3–5 times larger as the lower hybrid radio frequency (LHRF) jumps into the lower power level. Pedestal structure analysis indicates that higher LHRF power injection can increase the plasma stored energy and core plasma parameters, accompanying with the pedestal shift and gradient increase. Ion saturation contour current plots suggest that LHRF power can deposit in the plasma edge region to profoundly change the three-dimensional (3D) magnetic topology, similarly to the effect of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs), by inducing the helical current filaments (HCFs) following along the magnetic field lines in the scrape-off layer (SOL), which may cause the density pump-out effect by increasing the radial plasma transport. The modulated higher temperature and lower density of pedestal top-values can reduce the pedestal collisionality, which will strongly increase the bootstrap current density and gradually shift the Peeling-Ballooning mode (PBM) boundary. ELITE code stability analysis indicates that LHRF injection can lead to the relatively unstable ELMs with a higher pedestal gradient, simultaneously accompanying with the normalized pressure gradient and edge bootstrap current density increase. All of these results imply that there is a significant correlation between the ELM behavior and pedestal structure modulation because of LHRF dissipation at the plasma edge for the unstable ELM modulated case.

Numerical simulation of the effect of pellet injection on ELMs

We report on numerical simulation studies of the dynamical behavior of edge localized modes (ELMs) under the influence of repetitive injection of pellets. In our nonlinear 2-fluid model the ELMs are excited by introducing a particle source in the confinement region and a particle sink in the edge region. The injection of pellets is simulated by periodically raising the edge density in a pulsed manner. We find that when the edge density is raised to twice the normal edge density with a duty cycle (on time:off time) of 1:2, the ELMs are generated on an average at a faster rate and with reduced amplitudes. These changes lead to significant improvements in the plasma beta indicative of an improvement in the energy confinement due to pellet injection. Concurrently, the plasma density and temperature profiles also get significantly modified. A comparative study is made of the nature of ELM dynamics for different magnitudes of edge density enhancements. We also discuss the relative impact on ELMs from resonant magnetic perturbations compared to pellet injection in terms of changes in the plasma temperature, density, location of the ELMs and the nonlinear spectral transfer of energies.

Impact of ELM control techniques on tungsten sputtering in the DIII-D divertor and extrapolations to ITER

The free-streaming plus recycling model (FSRM) has recently been developed to understand and predict tungsten gross erosion rates from the divertor during edge localized modes (ELMs). In this work, the FSRM was tested against the experimental measurements of W sputtering during ELMs, conducted via fast neutral tungsten (WI) spectroscopy. Good agreement is observed using a variety of controlling techniques, including gas puffing, neutral beam heating, and plasma shaping to modify the pedestal stability boundary and, thus, the ELM behavior. ELM mitigation by pellet pacing was observed to strongly reduce W sputtering by flushing C impurities from the pedestal and reducing the divertor target electron temperature. No reduction of W sputtering was observed during the application of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs), in contrast to the prediction of the FSRM. Potential sources of this discrepancy are discussed. Finally, the framework of the FSRM is utilized to predict intra-ELM W sputtering rates in ITER. It is concluded that W erosion during ELMs in ITER will be caused mainly by free-streaming fuel ions, but free-streaming seeded impurities (N or Ne) may increase the erosion rate significantly if present in the pedestal at even the 1% level. Impurity recycling is not expected to cause significant W erosion in ITER due to the very low target electron temperature.

Recurrence Plots for Dynamic Analysis of Type-I ELMs at JET With a Carbon Wall

In this paper, the dynamic characteristics of type-I edge-localized modes (ELM) time series from the JET tokamak, the world’s largest magnetic confinement plasma physics experiment, have been investigated through recurrence plots (RPs). The analysis has been focused on RPs of pedestal temperature, line averaged electron density, and outer divertor $D_{ {\alpha }}$ time series during experiments with a carbon wall. The analysis of RPS shows the patterns similar to those characteristics of signals exhibiting type-2 intermittency, in particular, a characteristic kite-like shape; this gives useful hints to model the temperature signal as well as the $D_{ {\alpha }}$ radiation time series, with simple nonlinear maps capturing the nearly periodic behavior of type-I ELMs.

Ideal MHD stability and characteristics of edge localized modes on CFETR

Investigation on the equilibrium operation regime, its ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) stability and edge localized modes (ELM) characteristics is performed for the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). The CFETR operation regime study starts with a baseline scenario (R = 5.7 m, BT = 5 T) derived from multi-code integrated modeling, with key parameters varied to build a systematic database. These parameters, under profile and pedestal constraints, provide the foundation for the engineering design. The long wavelength low-n global ideal MHD stability of the CFETR baseline scenario, including the wall stabilization effect, is evaluated by GATO. It is found that the low-n core modes are stable with a wall at r/a = 1.2. An investigation of intermediate wavelength ideal MHD modes (peeling ballooning modes) is also carried out by multi-code benchmarking, including GATO, ELITE, BOUT++ and NIMROD. A good agreement is achieved in predicting edge-localized instabilities. Nonlinear behavior of ELMs for the baseline scenario is simulated using BOUT++. A mix of grassy and type I ELMs is identified. When the size and magnetic field of CFETR are increased (R = 6.6 m, BT = 6 T), collisionality correspondingly increases and the instability is expected to shift to grassy ELMs.

Observations of the effect of lower hybrid waves on ELM behaviour in EAST

Dedicated experiments focusing on the influence of lower hybrid waves (LHWs) on edge-localized modes (ELMs) were first performed during the 2012 experimental campaign of EAST, via modulating the input power of LHWs in the high-confinement-mode (H-mode) plasma mainly sustained by ion cyclotron resonant heating. Natural ELMs are effectively mitigated (ELM frequency increases, while its intensity decreases dramatically) as the LHW is applied, observed over a fairly wide range of plasma current or edge safety factor. By scanning the modulation frequency (fm) of LHW injected power in a target plasma dominated by the so-called small ELMs, we conclude that large ELMs with markedly larger amplitudes and lower frequencies are reproduced at low modulation frequencies (fm < 100 Hz). Analysis of the evolution of edge extreme ultraviolet radiation signals further indicates that plasma fluctuations at the pedestal region indistinctively respond to rapid modulation (fm ⩾ 100 Hz) of LHW injected power. This is proposed as the mechanism responsible for the observed fm dependence of the mitigation effect induced by LHWs on large ELMs. In addition, a critical threshold of LHW input power PLHW is estimated as , beyond which the impact of applied LHWs on ELM behaviours can be achieved. Finally, Langmuir probe measurements suggest that, rather than the concentration of free energy into a narrowband quasi-coherent precursor commonly observed growing until the ELM crash, the continuous development of broadband turbulence during the ELM-absent phase with the application of LHWs might contribute to the avoidance of ELM crashes. These results present new insights into existing experiments, and also provide some foundations and references for the next-step research about exploring in more depth and improving this new attractive method to effectively control the ELM-induced very large transient heat and particle flux.

ELM pacing and high-density operation using pellet injection in the ASDEX Upgrade all-metal-wall tokamak

Edge-localized mode (ELM) triggering and pacing in an all-metal wall environment shows significant differences to a first-wall configuration containing carbon. Here we report on experiments performed at ASDEX Upgrade revisiting the issue with all plasma-facing surfaces now fully replaced by tungsten. This investigation was motivated by experimental findings indicating that ELM triggering becomes more intricate when the carbon is replaced by a metal wall. ELM pacing could no longer be achieved by magnetic triggering in ASDEX Upgrade under conditions that previously showed a positive response. Also, recent investigations at JET indicate that a lag time occurs in pellet ELM triggering when operating with the new ITER-like wall. The ASDEX Upgrade centrifuge-based launching system was revitalized and upgraded for this study, now allowing detailed analysis of the ELM trigger response. The appearance of a lag time for pellet ELM triggering in an all-metal wall environment was confirmed. While different lag time durations were found for several type-I ELMy H-mode scenarios, the magnitude of the pellet perturbation was found to cause no difference. Reducing the auxiliary heating power for ELM triggering clearly makes the pellet tool less efficient for ELM control purposes; however, this affords a major benefit when applied for fuelling. Plasma operation with benign ELM behaviour at core densities far beyond the Greenwald limit was demonstrated, this being fully reversible and not affecting the energy confinement.

Three-dimensional linear peeling-ballooning theory in magnetic fusion devices

Ideal magnetohydrodynamics theory is extended to fully 3D magnetic configurations to investigate the linear stability of intermediate to high n peeling-ballooning modes, with n the toroidal mode number. These are thought to be important for the behavior of edge localized modes and for the limit of the size of the pedestal that governs the high confinement H-mode. The end point of the derivation is a set of coupled second order ordinary differential equations with appropriate boundary conditions that minimize the perturbed energy and that can be solved to find the growth rate of the perturbations. This theory allows of the evaluation of 3D effects on edge plasma stability in tokamaks such as those associated with the toroidal ripple due to the finite number of toroidal field coils, the application of external 3D fields for elm control, local modification of the magnetic field in the vicinity of ferromagnetic components such as the test blanket modules in ITER, etc.

H-mode characterization for dominant ECRH and comparison to dominant NBI and ICRF heating at ASDEX Upgrade

The influence of pure electron heating versus combined electron and ion heating on a high collisionality H-mode plasma has been investigated in ASDEX Upgrade. This was done by replacing both neutral beam injection (NBI) and ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating in small steps with electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) while keeping the total heating power constant. The stability of the global plasma parameters and the response of the kinetic profiles on the changed heating mix and torque input is shown. The differences in edge localized mode behaviour between the different heating mixes is reported. The data were analysed with an interpretative transport model and linear gyrokinetic simulations were performed to evaluate the underlying transport mechanism.

ELM control experiments in the KSTAR device

The fourth KSTAR campaign in 2011 concentrated on active edge-localized mode (ELM) control by various methods such as non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations, supersonic molecular beam injection (SMBI), vertical jogs of the plasma column and edge electron heating. The segmented in-vessel control coil (IVCC) system is capable of applying n ⩽ 2 perturbed field with different phasing among top, middle and bottom coils. Application of an n = 1 perturbed field showed a desirable ELM suppression result. Fast vertical jogs of the plasma column achieved ELM pace-making and ELMs locked to 50 Hz vertical jogs were observed with a high probability of phase locking. A newly installed SMBI system was used for ELM control and the state of mitigated ELMs was sustained by the optimized repetitive SMBI pulse for a few tens of ELM periods. A change in ELM behaviour was seen due to edge electron heating although the effect of ECH launch needs supplementary analyses. The ECEI images of suppressed/mitigated ELM states showed apparent differences when compared with natural ELMy states. Further analyses are ongoing to explain the observed ELM control results.

A probabilistic model for the identification of confinement regimes and edge localized mode behavior, with implications to scaling laws

Pattern recognition is becoming an important tool in fusion data analysis. However, fusion diagnostic measurements are often affected by considerable statistical uncertainties, rendering the extraction of useful patterns a significant challenge. Therefore, we assume a probabilistic model for the data and perform pattern recognition in the space of probability distributions. We show the considerable advantage of our method for identifying confinement regimes and edge localized mode behavior, and we discuss the potential for scaling laws.

Momentum losses by charge exchange with neutral particles in H-mode discharges at JET

The effect of a neutral density background on the toroidal angular momentum and kinetic energy profiles has been investigated in JET. Under equivalent conditions but with increasing gas fuelling during the flat top phase, it has been observed that both the edge rotation and temperature decrease. The increase in electron density was not sufficient to compensate the rotation and temperature loss such that both energy and momentum confinement times are significantly reduced. The edge localized mode behaviour is observed to be significantly affected by the increased neutral influx. A simple 1.5D fluid model has been used to qualitative capture the neutral transport response within the plasma, followed by a forward model of the passive charge-exchange (CX) emission of carbon to obtain a corrected radial neutral density profile. It has been found that the neutral density is sharply attenuated over the edge region, with similar edge magnitudes in both the non-fuelled (Γ0/ne ∼ 1.2 m s−1) and maximum fuelled case (Γ0/ne ∼ 2.5 m s−1). Discharges with reversed-B operation exhibited even higher normalized neutral fluxes related to first orbit effects and increased wall interactions. Over the full neutral influx range, a decrease in pedestal thermal Mach number from 0.25 to 0.14 was observed. Increased neutral penetration up to the pedestal top (r/a ∼ 0.9) due to multiple CX interactions is obtained from the interpretive model. Under these multiple neutral–ion interactions, the impact on the CX loss of angular momentum is larger compared with the CX energy loss. The drag torque was seen to increase up to 10% of the total applied torque, while energy losses appeared to be smaller. The accuracy of this global approach method is unfortunately limited; however, the estimated momentum sink was found comparable to the torque required to explain the discrepancy between observed global energy and momentum confinement.

Pedestal stability comparison and ITER pedestal prediction

The pressure at the top of the edge transport barrier (or ‘pedestal height’) strongly impacts fusion performance, while large edge localized modes (ELMs), driven by the free energy in the pedestal region, can constrain material lifetimes. Accurately predicting the pedestal height and ELM behavior in ITER is an essential element of prediction and optimization of fusion performance. Investigation of intermediate wavelength MHD modes (or ‘peeling–ballooning’ modes) has led to an improved understanding of important constraints on the pedestal height and the mechanism for ELMs. The combination of high-resolution pedestal diagnostics, including substantial recent improvements, and a suite of highly efficient stability codes, has made edge stability analysis routine on several major tokamaks, contributing both to understanding, and to experimental planning and performance optimization. Here we present extensive comparisons of observations to predicted edge stability boundaries on several tokamaks, both for the standard (Type I) ELM regime, and for small ELM and ELM-free regimes. We further discuss a new predictive model for the pedestal height and width (EPED1), developed by self-consistently combining a simple width model with peeling–ballooning stability calculations. This model is tested against experimental measurements, and used in initial predictions of the pedestal height for ITER.