Localized Electron Cyclotron Heating Research Articles

Slow crash in modified sawtooth patterns driven by localized electron cyclotron heating and current drive in KSTAR

Fast sawtooth crash of m = 1 mode (tens of µs) is a common MHD phenomenon in the core of tokamak plasma. In KSTAR plasmas with localized heating and current drive close to the sawtooth inversion radius (ρinv), very slow sawtooth crashes are observed with time scales of a few ms. Scan of heating deposition along with power modulation revealed two different mechanisms of the slow crash with the help of detailed 2D imaging diagnostics. The slow crash appears with slow heat transport of the remained m = 1 mode after the partial crash of outer multiple m/n = 1 modes, or with the growth of an island formed on ρinv when the heating deposition locates just inside ρinv or just outside ρinv. In the heating power modulation experiment, the slow crash with the island was sustained for the redistribution time scale of the driven current by a very short blip of heating.

Control of sawtooth periods by pulsed ECH/ECCD in the FTU tokamak

It is well known that fusion plasma operations can be limited in standard scenarios at high β by resistive instabilities, called neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs), which degrade the plasma confinement leading to a loss of plasma energy, and in some cases to disruption. The avoidance of their onset is a very important issue that has been largely investigated in many tokamaks. In particular, it has been shown that these modes, shaped as magnetic islands, can be triggered by finite seed perturbations associated with long sawtooth crashes. The control of the sawtooth periods is then a key step in the physics of plasma confinement in fusion devices: the shortening of these periods can reduce any triggered large seed island below the NTMs' growth threshold allowing maximum β values and high plasma performances to be achieved. A powerful tool for sawtooth control is the use of high localized electron cyclotron heating (ECH) and current drive (ECCD), capable of modifying the plasma current density and effecting the sawtooth period. Modulated ECH and ECCD have been used as triggers of sawtooth crashes to test conditions for an a priori constant sawtooth period. In the FTU high magnetic field compact tokamak (R0 = 0.93 m, a = 0.3 m, B0 = 4–8 T) similar experiments have been performed with an ECRH system of four gyrotrons operating at 140 GHz and delivering 0.5 MW each. Repetitive pulses of EC power from 1 to 2 gyrotrons up to 0.8 MW for 500 ms have been used to investigate the sensitivity of sawtooth periods during long and short EC switching on and off phases in view of a real time EC control system soon to be working in FTU. A new type of locking of the sawtooth periods to the EC modulation has been observed for deposition inside the q = 1 radius for EC on phase smaller than the ohmic period. In this paper, sawtooth period shortening and locking by ECH and co-ECCD inside the q = 1 radius is investigated and reproduced by numeric simulations.

Measurements, modelling and electron cyclotron heating modification of Alfvén eigenmode activity in DIII-D

Neutral beam injection into reversed magnetic shear DIII-D plasmas produces a variety of Alfvénic activity including toroidicity and ellipticity induced Alfvén eigenmodes (TAE/EAE, respectively) and reversed shear Alfvén eigenmodes (RSAE) as well as their spatial coupling. These modes are studied during the discharge current ramp phase when incomplete current penetration results in a high central safety factor and strong drive due to multiple higher order resonances. It is found that ideal MHD modelling of eigenmode spectral evolution, coupling and structure are in excellent agreement with experimental measurements. It is also found that higher radial envelope harmonic RSAEs are clearly observed and agree with modelling. Some discrepancies with modelling such as that due to up/down eigenmode asymmetries are also pointed out. Concomitant with the Alfvénic activity, fast ion (FIDA) spectroscopy shows large reductions in the central fast ion profile, the degree of which depends on the Alfvén eigenmode amplitude. Interestingly, localized electron cyclotron heating (ECH) near the mode location stabilizes RSAE activity and results in significantly improved fast ion confinement relative to discharges with ECH deposition on axis. In these discharges, RSAE activity is suppressed when ECH is deposited near the radius of the shear reversal point and enhanced with deposition near the axis. The sensitivity of this effect to deposition power and current drive phasing as well as ECH modulation are presented.

Reversed shear Alfvén eigenmode stabilization by localized electron cyclotron heating

Reversed shear Alfvén eigenmode (RSAE) activity in DIII-D is stabilized by electron cyclotron heating (ECH) applied near the minimum of the magnetic safety factor (qmin) in neutral beam heated discharges with reversed-magnetic shear. The degree of RSAE stabilization, fast ion density and the volume averaged neutron production (Sn) are highly dependent on ECH deposition location relative to qmin. While discharges with ECH stabilization of RSAEs have higher Sn and more peaked fast ion profiles than discharges with significant RSAE activity, neutron production remains strongly reduced (up to 60% relative to TRANSP predictions assuming classical fast ion transport) even when RSAEs are stabilized.

Current profile tailoring using localized electron cyclotron heating in highly elongated TCV plasmas

Radially localized electron cyclotron heating (ECH) at the 2nd harmonic (X2) is used to tailor the current profile through the modification of the temperature, and hence conductivity, profiles. The optimal conditions for current profile broadening are investigated and applied to decrease the plasma internal inductance at constant plasma current. Highly elongated plasmas are thus created at low current, where they are vertically unstable with peaked Ohmic current profiles, using active current profile broadening by far off-axis X2 ECH to ensure the vertical stability of the plasma. Central 3rd harmonic (X3) ECH is also applied and its impact on the current profile is described. The magnetohydrodynamic activity and in particular the replacement of the sawtooth by a multi-harmonics mode, resonant on the q = 1 surface and observed at high density and low internal inductance, is investigated.

Electron heat transport in shaped TCV L-mode plasmas

Electron heat transport experiments are performed in L-mode discharges at various plasma triangularities, using radially localized electron cyclotron heating to vary independently both the electron temperature Te and the normalized electron temperature gradient over a large range. Local gyro-fluid (GLF23) and global collisionless gyro-kinetic (LORB5) linear simulations show that, in the present experiments, trapped electron mode (TEM) is the most unstable mode. Experimentally, the electron heat diffusivity χe is shown to decrease with increasing collisionality, and no dependence of χe on is observed at high values. These two observations are consistent with the predictions of TEM simulations, which supports the fact that TEM plays a crucial role in electron heat transport. In addition, over the broad range of positive and negative triangularities investigated, the electron heat diffusivity is observed to decrease with decreasing plasma triangularity, leading to a strong increase of plasma confinement at negative triangularity.

Nonlinear pertubative electron heat transport study in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak

Electron heat transport properties have been investigated by means of localized steady-state and modulated electron cyclotron heating in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak. The experimental findings have been successfully compared with the model assumption of a threshold gradient length, LTc, (1/LT = −∇Te0/Te0), in the electron temperature Te0 below which the electron thermal conductivity measured under steady-state conditions, χePB, shows a sudden increase and the heat conduction ‘seen’ by a temperature perturbation, χeHP, switches from low to high values.In this work electron cyclotron heating (ECH) power is used both to modify the steady-state gradient length and to induce a nonlinear transition from low to high electron heat transport at the position where the temperature gradient crosses its critical (or threshold) value. Steady-state ECH has been injected at different radial positions and the changes induced in electron heat transport have been studied by means of cold pulses launched from the plasma boundary. Cold pulses, obtained by injecting radiating impurities by means of laser blow off of silicon, have proved to be a flexible tool for investigating both the radial position of the step in χeHP and the dependence on local plasma parameters of the underlying physical mechanism.

Effect of suprathermal electrons on central plasma relaxation oscillations during localized electron cyclotron heating on the HL-1M Tokamak

In this paper we discuss the typical behavior of HL-1M tokamak plasmas during ECRH. A large variety ofsawtooth types have been observed at different ECH power deposition locations. The observed central MHD activities detected by the soft x-ray diode array include saturated sawtooth, partially saturated sawtooth, double sawtooth, and strong m=1 bursts superimposed on the ramp phase of sawtooth. Complete suppression of sawtooth is achieved during ECRH, when the heating power is applied on the high-field side of low-density plasmas, and exceeds a threshold value of power. The m=1 bursts riding on the ramp phase of sawtooth can only be excited when the ECRH location is near the q=1 surface at the high field side. The conditions under which the various relaxation activities are produced, or suppressed, are described. Experimental results imply that the energetic electrons, generated during ECRH, are responsible for the modification or stabilization or excitation of the instability. Near the q=1 surface, while the passing electrons play a roleto reduce the shear and tend to stabilize the sawtooth activity, the barely-trapped electrons play a role to enhance or drive aninternal kink instability.

Influence of Superathermal Electrons on Central Plasma Relaxation Oscillations During Localized Electron Cyclotron Heating on the HL-1M Tokamak

During initial studies of ECRH in the HL-1M tokamak, non-standard central MHD activities, such as saturated sawtooth, partially saturated sawtooth, double sawtooth, and the strong m = 1 bursts have been observed while changing the heating location, the ECRH power, the plasma density. Complete suppression of sawtooth is achieved for the duration of the ECRH, when the heating power is applied on the high-field side of low-density plasma, and exceeds a threshold value of power. The m = 1 bursts riding on the ramp phase of sawtooth can only be excited when the ECRH location is near the q = 1 surface on the high field side. The conditions under which the various relaxation activities are produced or suppressed are described. Experimental results imply that the energetic electrons generated during ECRH are responsible for the modification/or stabilization/or excitation of the instability. Near the q = 1 surface, the passing electrons play the role of reducing the shear and tending to stabilize the sawtooth activity, while the barely-trapped electrons play the role of enhancing or driving an internal kink instability.

Electron thermal transport barriers in RTP: experiment and modelling

Experiments in which very localized electron cyclotron heating (ECH) isscanned through the RTP plasma show sharp transitions, in which theelectron temperature profile abruptly changes shape. The phenomenology - theprofiles shapes, the sharp transitions - can be reproduced with atransport model which features electron transport barriers near all (half-)integer q values. This model is tested against ECH deposition scans in sevenseries of typically 60 discharges. Between the series qa and <ne> werevaried: 4<qa<10 and 1.5<<ne>×1019 m-3<4.5. For a single scan, the model parameters are fixed. The model is capable of reproducing alldata sets. A sensitivity analysis shows that the determination of thestrength of the barriers at integer q values is very stable. These barriersshow a trend χe(barrier)~<ne>-1, whilethe dependence on qa is weak. The model reproduces the <ne> and qa components of L-mode scaling of global confinement.

Steady-state fully noninductive operation with electron cyclotron current drive and current profile control in the tokamak à configuration variable (TCV)

Fully noninductive, steady-state electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) has been demonstrated for the first time in experiments carried out in the tokamak à configuration variable (TCV) [O. Sauter et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 3322 (2000)]. By appropriately distributing six 0.45 MW ECCD sources over the discharge cross section, fully noninductive, stable, and stationary plasmas with Ip up to 210 kA were obtained for the full discharge duration of 1.9 s, corresponding to more than 900 energy confinement times and more than 10 current redistribution times at an average current drive efficiency η20CD=0.01[1020 A W−1 m−2]. These experiments have also demonstrated for the first time the steady recharging of the ohmic transformer using ECCD only. The effect of localized off-axis electron cyclotron heating (ECH) and EC current drive (ECCD) (co- and counter-) is investigated showing that locally driven currents amounting to only 1% of Ip significantly alter sawtooth periods and crash amplitudes. An improved quasi-stationary core confinement regime, with little or no sawtooth activity, has been obtained by a combination of off-axis ECH and on-axis CNTR–ECCD.

Energy confinement and MHD activity in shaped TCV plasmas with localized electron cyclotron heating

Confinement in TCV electron cyclotron heated discharges was studied as a function of plasma shape, i.e. as a function of elongation, 1.1 < κ< 2.15, and triangularity, -0.65 ⩽ δ ⩽ 0.55. The electron energy confinement time was found to increase with elongation, owing in part to the increase of plasma current with elongation. The beneficial effect of negative triangularities was most effective at low power and tended to decrease at the higher powers used. The large variety of sawtooth types observed in TCV for different power deposition locations, from on-axis to the q = 1 region, was simulated with a model that included local power deposition, a growing m/n = 1 island (convection and reconnection), plasma rotation and finite heat diffusivity across flux surfaces. Furthermore, a model with local magnetic shear reproduced the experimental observation that the sawtooth period is at a maximum when the heating is close to the q = 1 surface.

Behaviour of central plasma relaxation oscillations during localized electron cyclotron heating on the TCV tokamak

During initial studies of ECRH in the TCV tokamak, non-standard central MHD activities, such as humpbacksand saturated and inverted sawteeth, have been observed while changing the heating location, the ECRH power, theplasma shape and the safety factor. For edge safety factors qa > 4.5, safety factors on-axis q(0) < 1and small plasmas, complete sawtooth stabilization was achieved with the present 1 MW gyrotron power, and it islikely that sawtooth stabilization can be achieved for all conditions at higher ECRH power. The conditions underwhich the various relaxation activities are produced or suppressed are reported, and the origins for such non-standardbehaviour are discussed.

Electron thermal transport in RTP: filaments, barriers and bifurcations

Experiments with strong localized electron cyclotron heating (ECH) in the RTP tokamak show that electron heat transport is governed by alternating layers of good and bad thermal conduction. For central deposition hot filaments are observed inside the q = 1 radius. Moving the ECH resonance from the centre to the edge of the plasma results in discrete steps of the central electron temperature. The transitions occur when the minimum q value crosses q = 1,2,5/2 or 3, and correspond to the loss of a transport barrier situated close to the rational q value. Close to the transitions a new type of sawtooth activity is observed, characterized by the formation of sharp off-axis maxima on the profile, which collapse abruptly. The formation of the off-axis maxima is attributed to heat deposition precisely `on top of' a transport barrier.

Control of magnetohydrodynamic activities by electron cyclotron heating in WT-3

Abstract Control of the m = 2, n = 1, magnetohydrodynamic mode in an ohmically heated plasma by localized electron cyclotron heating is studied systematically in the WT-3 tokamak. It is found that both m = 2 and m = 2 modes can be simultaneously suppressed by electron cyclotron heating near the q = 1 surface as well as the q = 2 surface, where q is the safety factor.

Sawtooth stabilization by localized electron cyclotron heating in the WT-3 tokamak

The effect on sawtooth oscillations (STO) by localized electron-cyclotron-resonance heating (ECH) on the WT-3 tokamak [Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research, 1988 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1989), Vol. 1, p. 563] is studied. STO are strongly modified or stabilized by ECH near the q=1 surface, where q refers to the safety factor. The effect of ECH is much stronger when it is applied on the high-field side as compared to the low-field side. Further, even when ECH is applied outside the q=1 surface, the amplitude of STO decreases and STO stabilizes. In the very high qL discharge, the excitation of STO can be obtained by applying ECH.

Sawtooth stabilization by localized electron cyclotron heating in a tokamak plasma.

Sawtooth oscillations (STO) in the Ohmically heated WT-3 tokamak are strongly modified or suppressed by localized-electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECH) near the q=1 surface, where q refers to the safety factor. The efect of ECH is much stronger when it is applied on the high-field side as compared to the low-field side. Complete suppression of the STO is achieved for the duration of the ECH, in most cases, when it is applied on the high-field side of a low-density plasma, provided the ECH power exceeds a threshold value. The STO stabilization is attributed to a modification of the current-density profile by hot electrons generated by ECH, which reduces the shear in the q=1 region.

Control of tearing mode instabilities by localized electron-cyclotron wave heating

Resistive tearing mode instabilities are driven by unfavorable current gradients at the position where the safety factor q is rational. Their dynamics in the presence of radio-frequency (rf) power absorption in the electron-cyclotron wavelength range is investigated by means of a hybrid transport-magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code and analytic considerations. A panorama of possibilities of stabilization and control of disruptions in tokamaks is presented.