Line-averaged Density Research Articles

Experimental study on the magnetic coherent mode in the H-mode pedestal of EAST

Here we report the experimental analysis on the low-n (mostly n = 1, sometimes n = 2) magnetic coherent mode (MCM) at a characteristic frequency 20–, which has been frequently observed in various H-mode discharges on EAST. This mode can be easily identified in the magnetic fluctuations measured by the fast Mirnov coils mounted on the vacuum vessel wall, but is detected by the local measurements of edge electrostatic fluctuations only when the mode is sufficiently strong. The apperance of the MCM is summarized covering broad ranges of discharge parameters, in particular, the different heating schemes including pure neutral beams injected in either co- or counter-current direction as well as pure ratio-frequency waves. This may rule out the possibility of fast particle driven modes. Radial distribution and poloidal propagation of the MCM are investigated using the Doppler backscattering system and Langmuir probes inserted at the outer midplane, respectively. Temporal evolution of MCM amplitude during large ELM crashes is evaluated in detail, may suggesting the mode is closely correlated with pedestal buildup. Dedicated experiments reveal the possible correlations of MCM’s frequencies with edge line-averaged density and edge safety factor q95. We also present the observation of multi MCMs at relatively high q95, which are speculated locating at different rational surfaces in the pedestal via analyzing their mode structures and nonlinear interactions. Finally, effect of the MCM on edge particle transport is explored via surveying the correlation between the intermittent events of the mode and the particle fluxes deposited on the divertor target plates, utilizing the conditional analysis method. Corresponding results suggest that the MCM seems to primarily result in a notable poloidal redistribution of the divertor particle flux, rather than a considerable net increase of the total flux.

Assessment of the baseline scenario at q95 ~ 3 for ITER

The International Tokamak Physics Activity topical group on integrated operational scenarios has compiled a database of stationary H-mode discharges at q95 ~ 3 from AUG, C-Mod, DIII-D, JET and JT-60U, for both carbon wall and high-Z metal wall experiments with ~3300 entries. The analyses focus on discharges that are stationary for ⩾5 thermal energy confinement times to evaluate the baseline scenario proposed for ITER at 15 MA for achieving its goals of Q = 10, fusion power of 500 MW at normalised pressure, βN = 1.8 and normalised confinement as predicted by the standard H-mode scaling, H98y2 = 1. With the data restricted to stationary H-modes at q95 ~ 3, the database shows significant variation of thermal energy confinement compared to the standard H-mode scaling (IPB98(y,2)) in dimensionless form. The data show similar scaling with normalised gyro-radius, but more favourable scaling towards lower collision frequency and more favourable scaling with plasma beta. Using all the engineering variables employed in IPB98(y,2), results in an overfit due to correlations among the data. Moreover, there are significant residual trends in the confinement for plasma current, device size, loss power, and in particular for the plasma density. Significant differences between results obtained for devices with a carbon wall and high-Z metal wall are observed in the data, with data from carbon wall devices providing a larger operating space, encompassing ITER parameters or even exceeding them. H-modes in high-Z metal wall devices have, so-far, not accessed conditions at low collision frequencies, have lower normalised confinement (H98y2 ~ 0.8–0.9) at low input power or beta, achieving H98y2 ~ 1.0 only at input powers two times the L- to H-mode transition scaling predictions and at βN ~ 2.0. Hence, only the best H-modes with high-Z metal walls reach ITER baseline performance requirements. The data show that operating at high plasma density, with line-averaged density at 85% of Greenwald density is achievable for H98y2 > 0.95 for a range of plasma configurations, and that operation at low plasma inductance with li(3) ~ 0.7–0.75 is feasible. Scenario simulations employed for projecting the plasma performance in ITER should incorporate a lower thermal confinement at low plasma beta for the entry to burn and provide projections using higher levels of plasma core radiation by plasma impurities. Moreover, ITER projections should not subtract the core radiation in the evaluation of the thermal confinement time and H98y2, to allow a fair comparison with experimental data currently available. From the data presented here, it is likely that in ITER the energy confinement time will not increase with plasma density and will have no degradation with plasma beta. The analyses indicate that the data at q95 ~ 3 are consistent with achievement of the ITER mission goals at 15 MA.

Time dependent neutron emission rate analysis for neutral-beam-heated deuterium plasmas in a helical system and tokamaks

A neutron emission rate analysis code called FBURN, based on the classical energetic ion confinement assumption with radial diffusion, is developed for the time-dependent analysis of the total neutron emission rate (Sn) in neutral beam (NB) heated deuterium plasmas. The time trend of Sn evaluated by FBURN shows good agreement with the Sn measured by the neutron flux monitor on the deuterium operation of the Large Helical Device. The dependence of Sn on line-averaged electron density (ne_avg) has a peak at ne_avg of around 2.5 × 1019 m−3 in both experiment and calculation. Here, the absolute value of Sn evaluated by calculation agrees with that obtained in experiments within a factor of two. A time trend analysis of Sn in an electron cyclotron heated plasma with a short pulse NB injection is performed. The analysis shows that the diffusion coefficient of co-going transit beam ions is 0.2 to 0.3 m2 s−1. In addition, the diffusion coefficient of helically trapped beam ions decreases from 5 to 3 m2 s−1 with the inward shift of the magnetic axis position. Time-resolved analysis of the triton burnup experiment shows that the diffusion coefficient of tritons is around 0.15 m2 s−1. It is found that the diffusion coefficients of the beam and tritons are of a similar value as obtained in JT-60U. The trend of the triton burnup ratio on the ne_avg calculated by the FBURN agrees with the experiments. The results suggest that the decrease of the triton burnup ratio with the increase of ne_avg is due to the shorter slowing down time of tritons by the decrease of the electron temperature, and the increase of the triton burnup ratio with the increase of ne_avg is due to the diffusion of tritons. Time trend analysis of Sn in the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research and the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak plasmas with a short pulse NB injection is performed. The time trend of Sn is successfully reproduced by FBURN.

Scaling of the geodesic acoustic mode amplitude on JET

This work aims at establishing the parameter space for the existence of geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) on JET as well as investigating their driving and damping mechanisms predicted by different theoretical models. This was achieved using an experimental dataset of GAM measurements based on reflectometry with variations mainly on plasma current and line-averaged density. We present clear experimental evidence for the different mechanisms determining the GAM amplitude: turbulence drive, collisional and collisionless damping. Collisional damping is predicted to be dominant in the edge plasma across the explored JET parameter range contrary to our observations revealing that it is only effective at low plasma current, high density. Although the observed GAM suppression at high plasma current is in good agreement with the collisionless models, the estimated damping rates appear to be too small to explain our measurements.

Combined Langmuir-magnetic probe measurements of type-I ELMy filaments in the EAST tokamak

Detailed investigations on the filamentary structures associated with the type-I edge-localized modes (ELMs) should be helpful for protecting the materials of a plasma-facing wall on a future large device. Related experiments have been carefully conducted in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) using combined Langmuir-magnetic probes. The experimental results indicate that the radially outward velocity of type-I ELMy filaments can be up to 1.7 km s−1 in the far scrape-off layer (SOL) region. It is remarkable that the electron temperature of these filaments is detected to be ∼50 eV, corresponding to a fraction of 1/6 to the temperature near the pedestal top, while the density of these filaments could be approximate to the line-averaged density. In addition, associated magnetic fluctuations have been clearly observed at the same time, which show good agreement with the density perturbations. A localized current on the order of ∼100 kA could be estimated within the filaments.

Effective ion charge (Zeff) measurements and impurity behavior in KSTAR.

A visible bremsstrahlung detector array diagnostic system has been developed on the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) to view the whole minor radius in a narrow region of the continuum free of spectral lines. The interference filters coupled with photomultiplier tubes have been employed to determine the effective charge Zeff by using visible bremsstrahlung data during neutral beam injection in the KSTAR plasma. The Zeff profiles are typically flat for L-mode plasmas and evolve to hollow profiles during the H mode in the KSTAR. A comparison of the visible bremsstrahlung emission based on the calculated Zeff profiles is consistent with measured values of Zeff from a visible spectrometer in the core plasma. The electron temperature is measured by X-ray imaging crystal spectrometry, and electron density needed for the analysis is taken by the assumption of parabolic profiles of these parameters. The line of sight averaged local bremsstrahlung emissivity is determined with low uncertainty, and the radial emissivity is obtained by using the Abel inversion technique. In addition, a dependence of effective charge Zeff on the line-averaged electron density is evaluated, and Zeff is also determined to observe the effect of boronization.

Observation of electron driven quasi-coherent modes and their connection with core intrinsic rotation in KSTAR ECH and ohmic L-mode plasmas

Quasi-coherent (QC) modes, known as a type of the trapped electron mode (TEM) turbulence, have been measured in the outboard core region of low-density electron cyclotron resonant heating (ECH) injected and ohmically heated L-mode plasmas on the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) device. It appears that QC modes of 20–60 kHz occur or strengthen with an increase of the electron temperature to ion temperature ratio, but weaken or are fully suppressed by increased density/collisionality. Toroidal rotation shear, which is strongly related to the density/collisionality, also seems to stabilize the QC modes. Linear gyrokinetic simulations indicate that TEM is the most unstable mode at low densities where the QC modes are observed for both the ECH and ohmic plasmas. At high densities where the QC modes are suppressed, the most unstable mode is the ion temperature gradient (ITG) mode for the ECH plasmas but still TEM for the ohmic plasmas. In the ECH plasmas, it is found that the direction of the core toroidal intrinsic rotation is gradually reversed from the co-current to counter-current direction and the QC mode is suppressed as the line-averaged density increases, which can be explained by the transition of dominant micro-turbulence (TEM to ITG). However, in the ohmically heated plasmas, the acceleration of the core toroidal rotation is not fully explained by the TEM-ITG transition since the direction of the core toroidal rotation is counter-current direction when the QC mode is observed. Furthermore, the core toroidal rotation is accelerated to the counter-current direction even the line-averaged density decreases.

Electron energy distribution function in the divertor region of the COMPASS tokamak during neutral beam injection heating

This paper presents the results from swept probe measurements in the divertor region of the COMPASS tokamak in D-shaped, L-mode discharges, with toroidal magnetic field BT = 1.15 T, plasma current Ip = 180 kA and line-average electron densities varying from 2 to 8×1019 m−3. Using neutral beam injection heating, the electron energy distribution function is studied before and during the application of the beam.The current-voltage characteristics data are processed using the first-derivative probe technique. This technique allows one to evaluate the plasma potential and the real electron energy distribution function (respectively, the electron temperatures and densities).At the low average electron density of 2×1019 m−3, the electron energy distribution function is bi-Maxwellian with a low-energy electron population with temperatures 4-6 eV and a high-energy electron group 12-25 eV. As the line-average electron density is increased, the electron temperatures decrease. At line-average electron densities above 7×1019 m−3, the electron energy distribution function is found to be Maxwellian with a temperature of 6-8.5 eV.The effect of the neutral beam injection heating power in the divertor region is also studied.

Stable sustainment of plasmas with electron internal transport barrier by ECH in the LHD

The long pulse experiments in the Large Helical Device has made progress in sustainment of improved confinement states. It was found that steady-state sustainment of the plasmas with improved confinement at the core region, that is, electron internal transport barrier (e-ITB), was achieved with no significant difficulty. Sustainment of a plasma having e-ITB with the line average electron density ne_ave of 1.1 × 1019 m−3 and the central electron temperature Te0 of ∼3.5 keV for longer than 5 min only with 340 kW ECH power was successfully demonstrated.

Edge shear flows and particle transport near the density limit of the HL-2A tokamak

Edge shear flow and its effect on regulating turbulent transport have long been suspected to play an important role in plasmas operating near the Greenwald density limit nG. In this study, equilibrium profiles as well as the turbulent particle flux and Reynolds stress across the separatrix in the HL-2A tokamak are examined as is approached in ohmic L-mode discharges. As the normalized line-averaged density is raised, the shearing rate of the mean poloidal flow drops, and the turbulent drive for the low-frequency zonal flow (the Reynolds power ) collapses. Correspondingly, the turbulent particle transport increases drastically with increasing collision rates. The geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) gain more energy from the ambient turbulence at higher densities, but have smaller shearing rate than low-frequency zonal flows. The increased density also introduces decreased adiabaticity which not only enhances the particle transport but is also related to reduction in the eddy-tilting and the Reynolds power. Both effects may lead to cooling of edge plasmas and therefore the onset of MHD instabilities that limit the plasma density.

Spatially translatable optical fiber-coupled heterodyne interferometer.

An interferometer is a useful diagnostic tool for measuring line-averaged electron density but is limited in its use because it generally measures at a fixed location. We report here a spatially translatable fiber-coupled interferometer that measures the density of a high-speed MHD-driven plasma jet colliding with a target cloud. The interferometer uses a He-Ne laser coupled to a polarization-maintaining single mode optical fiber having a vacuum feedthrough. The interferometer provides a measure of the spatial-temporal profile of the line-averaged electron density from which the change in jet velocity as a result of its collision with the target cloud can be deduced.

Comparison of cryogenic (hydrogen) and TESPEL (polystyrene) pellet particle deposition in a magnetically confined plasma

A cryogenic pellet injector (PI) and tracer encapsulated solid pellet (TESPEL) injector system has been operated in combination on the stellarator TJ-II. This unique arrangement has been created by piggy-backing a TESPEL injector onto the backend of a pipe-gun–type PI. The combined injector provides a powerful new tool for comparing ablation and penetration of polystyrene TESPEL pellets and solid hydrogen pellets, as well as for contrasting subsequent pellet particle deposition and plasma perturbation under analogous plasma conditions. For instance, a significantly larger increase in plasma line-averaged electron density, and electron content, is observed after a TESPEL pellet injection compared with an equivalent cryogenic pellet injection. Moreover, for these injections from the low-magnetic-field side of the plasma cross-section, TESPEL pellets deposit electrons deeper into the plasma core than cryogenic pellets. Finally, the physics behind these observations and possible implications for pellet injection studies are discussed.

Pellet Injection in ITER with ∇B-induced Drift Effect using TASK/TR and HPI2 Codes

The impact of pellet injection in International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) are investigated using integrated predictive modeling codes TASK/TR and HPI2 . In the core, the plasma profiles are predicted by the TASK/TR code in which the core transport models consist of a combination of the MMM95 anomalous transport model and NCLASS neoclassical transport. The pellet ablation in the plasma is described using neutral gas shielding (NGS) model with inclusion of the ∇B-induced drift of the ionized ablated pellet particles. It is found that the high-field-side injection can deposit the pellet mass deeper than the injection from the low-field-side due to the advantage of the ∇B-induced drift. When pellets with deuterium-tritium mixing ratio of unity are launched with speed of 200 m/s, radius of 3 mm and injected at frequency of 2 Hz, the line average density and the plasma stored energy are increased by 80% and 25% respectively. The pellet material is mostly deposited at the normalized minor radius of 0.5 from the edge.

Relationship between frequency power spectra and intermittent, large-amplitude bursts in the Alcator C-Mod scrape-off layer

Fluctuations in the boundary region of the Alcator C-Mod tokamak have been analyzed using gas puff imaging data from a set of Ohmically heated plasma density scan experiments. It is found that the relative fluctuation amplitudes are modest and close to normally distributed at the separatrix but become increasingly larger and skewed towards the main chamber wall. The frequency power spectra are nevertheless similar for all radial positions and line-averaged densities. Predictions of a stochastic model, describing the plasma fluctuations as a super-position of uncorrelated pulses, are shown to be in excellent agreement with the measurements. This implies that the pulse duration is the same, while the degree of pulse overlap decreases radially outwards in the scrape-off layer. The universal frequency power spectral density is thus determined by the shape and duration of the large-amplitude bursts associated with blob-like structures. The model also describes the rate of threshold level crossings, for which the exponential tails underline the intermittency of the fluctuations in the far scarpe-off layer.

MHD limit cycles on FTU

The development of low-order tearing modes during density ramp-up in the high density regime on the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade is characterized by an initial ordinary stage, with a ‘one-to-one’ relation between mode amplitude and frequency, followed by the formation, on the amplitude/frequency plane, of ‘limit cycles’ with increasing area up to disruption for density limit if the density continues to grow. A critical mode amplitude for transition from smooth to cyclic behavior has been observed in experiments performed changing the line-averaged density, and the existence of such a threshold has been confirmed in experiments of real time control of tearing mode in the high density regime by means of electron cyclotron resonance heating.The amplitude and frequency modulations of the observed tearing mode (m and n are the poloidal and toroidal mode number, respectively) occur in few milliseconds, which is not in agreement with the diffusion resistive time of about two hundred milliseconds expected on the resonance from the non-linear theory. The origin of such modulations has been investigated, taking into account that in the high amplitude stages of the mode temporal evolution it is difficult to discriminate between non-linear effects and mode coupling mechanisms. Our analysis suggests that the formation of limit cycles could be due to a recursive island fragmentation, with a sort of self-healing phenomenon; in fact the island distortion increases before amplitude drops. Concerning the interaction with modes of different helicity, our experiments seem to indicate that the presence of the resonance in the plasma is necessary for the occurrence of deep and regular limit cycles for the 2/1 tearing mode.

The energy confinement response of DIII-D plasmas to resonant magnetic perturbations

Resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) are a leading method for edge localized modes (ELMs) Control in fusion plasmas. However they can also cause a rapid degradation in energy confinement. In this paper we show that the energy confinement in low collisionality ( < 0.3) DIII-D ITER similar shape (ISS) plasmas often recovers after several energy confinement times for RMP amplitudes up to the threshold for ELM suppression. Immediately following the application of the RMP, the plasma stored energy decreases in proportion to the decrease in the line-averaged density during density ‘pump-out’. Later in the discharge confinement recovery is observed in the thermal ion channel and is correlated with the increase in the ion temperature at the top of the H-mode pedestal. A correlation between the inverse scale length of the ion temperature () and the shearing rate at the top of the pedestal is seen during the confinement recovery phase. Transport analysis reveals that the confinement improvement in the ion channel results from the self-similarity in the ion temperature profiles in the plasma core combined with the observed increase in in the plasma edge following density pump-out. In contrast the electron temperature scale length () remains essentially unchanged in response to the application of the RMP. At significantly higher RMP levels the edge shearing rate and does not increase and the confinement does not recover following density pump-out.

Modification of SOL profiles and fluctuations with line-average density and divertor flux expansion in TCV

A set of Ohmic density ramp experiments addressing the role of parallel connection length in modifying scrape off layer (SOL) properties has been performed on the TCV tokamak. The parallel connection length has been modified by varying the poloidal flux expansion f x . It will be shown that this modification does not influence neither the detachment density threshold, nor the development of a flat SOL density profile which instead depends strongly on the increase of the core line average density. The modification of the SOL upstream profile, with the appearance of what is generally called a density shoulder, has been related to the properties of filamentary blobs. Blob size increases with density, without any dependence on the parallel connection length both in the near and far SOL. The increase of the density decay length, corresponding to a profile flattening, has been related to the variation of the divertor normalized collisionality (Myra et al 2006 Phys. Plasmas 13 112502, Carralero et al, ASDEX Upgrade Team, JET Contributors and EUROfusion MST1 Team 2015 Phys. Rev. Let. 115 215002), showing that in TCV the increase of is not sufficient to guarantee the SOL upstream profile flattening.

A new high sensitivity far-infrared laser interferometer for the HL-2A tokamak.

A new four-chord Michelson-type formic acid (HCOOH, λ = 432.5 μm) laser interferometer has been successfully commissioned on the HL-2A tokamak to measure the electron density and density fluctuations. Due to the employment of the two-laser heterodyne technique, the time resolution of the interferometer reached 1.0 microseconds (μs). Four chords of line electron densities with a line-averaged density resolution 2 × 1016/m3 were obtained in a recent HL-2A experimental campaign, and detailed electron density fluctuations, caused by events such as edge localized mode, sawtooth precursor-oscillations, and energetic particle driven instabilities, were distinctly measured. In particular, the high-frequency electron density fluctuations (up to 500 kHz) caused by the reversed shear Alfvénic eigenmode were observed by the internal two interferometry channels, and their fluctuation location could be approximately identified from the spectra characteristics of multi-chord line electron densities.

Development of an HCN dual laser for the interferometer on EAST**Contributed paper, published as part of the Proceedings of the 3rd Domestic Electromagnetic Plasma Diagnostics Workshop, September 2016, Hefei, China.

A two-color continuous wave (CW) discharge-pumped far-infrared (FIR) hydrogen cyanide (HCN) laser was developed as the source of an interferometer for measuring the line-averaged electron density in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The output power of the dual laser system was about 120 mW from each laser on the 337 μm (0.89 THz) line. The polarization of each output beam was fixed using thin tungsten filaments and oscillated in the EH11 mode. Different megahertz intermediate frequencies (IF) and a slight frequency offset (∼1 MHz) were generated in this system to replace the traditional rotating grating with ∼10 kHz IF, and this can improve the time resolution of the interferometer significantly. The experimental result showed that different IF signals were obtained by successfully adjusting the cavity length. In particular, the beat frequency was captured at ∼1.3 MHz by a Schottky mixer when the length of the resonant cavities was changed by 5 μm by an automatic adjustment system. In order to study the character of IF, a long time record of the IF signal was carried out, and the IF signal could be stabilized for a few minutes in the range of 2 MHz to 3 MHz. A real-time IF stability control system was initially designed for long pulse discharge experiments on the EAST. The ∼MHz frequency response and good phase sensitivity of the dual laser HCN interferometer will allow the system to track fast density profiles and resolve fast MHD events, such as tearing/neoclassical tearing, disruptions, etc.

Analytical relation between peripheral and central density limit on FTU

The commonly adopted scaling for the maximum achievable plasma density in tokamak fusion devices, the so-called ‘Greenwald limit’, refers to the line-averaged density along a central chord and depends only on the average plasma current density. However, the Greenwald limit has been exceeded in tokamak experiments in the case of peaked density profiles, indicating that the edge density is the real parameter responsible for the density limit. Furthermore, the Greenwald limit has been obtained for fixed density profiles, so that the scaling can be very different when introducing density profile dependencies on plasma parameters. Dedicated density limit experiments were performed in recent years on the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade, exploring the high density domain in a wide range of values of plasma current, toroidal magnetic field and edge safety factor. New data were collected in the latest experimental campaigns, extending the study of the density limit towards lower values of toroidal magnetic field and plasma current. These experiments confirmed the edge nature of the density limit, as a Greenwald-like scaling was obtained for the maximum achievable line-averaged density along a peripheral chord, while a clear scaling of the maximum achievable line-averaged density along a central chord with the toroidal magnetic field only was found and successfully interpreted as due to interplay between the peripheral Greenwald limit and the specific density profile behavior when approaching the density limit. In particular, an analytical relation between the peripheral and the central density limit was derived for the first time, with the introduction of a generalized parabolic density profile with the peaking factor dependent on the plasma parameters.