E. A. Saettone

Magnetic field structure in the TCABR tokamak due to ergodic limiters with a non-uniform current distribution : theoretical and experimental results

The ergodic magnetic limiter is a device designed to generate a cold boundary layer of chaotic magnetic field lines at the peripheral region of a tokamak, with the main purpose of reducing the deleterious effects of the plasma–wall interaction. In the TCABR tokamak an ergodic limiter was constructed and recently installed inside the vacuum chamber. We developed a theoretical model for the action of an ergodic magnetic limiter in a large aspect-ratio tokamak taking into account the finite width of the limiter. The theoretical results are in good agreement with measurements of the vacuum magnetic field created by the limiter. Poincare maps of field line flow are computed to reveal the resulting magnetic field line structure due to the ergodic limiter and show that the operation of the ergodic limiter in the TCABR tokamak is feasible and results in a chaotic boundary layer for limiter currents of about 6% of the plasma current.

Runaway discharges in TCABR

It is found in experiments carried out in Tokamak Chauffage Alfven Bresilien (TCABR) that two regimes of runaway discharges (RADs) with very different characteristics are possible. The RAD-I regime, which is similar to that observed in other tokamaks, can be obtained by a gradual transfer from a normal resistive to a RAD by decreasing the plasma density. This regime can be well understood using the Dreicer theory of runaway generation. The total toroidal current contains a substantial resistive component and the discharge retains some features of standard tokamak discharges. The second runaway regime, RAD-II, was recently discovered in the TCABR tokamak (Galvao R.M.O. et al 2001 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 43 1181). The RAD-II regime starts just from the beginning of the discharge, provided that certain initial conditions are fulfilled and, in this case, the runaway tail carries almost the full toroidal current. The background plasma is cold and detached from the limiter due to the recombination process. The primary Dreicer process is suppressed in the RAD-II and the secondary avalanche process dominates, even at the start-up phase, in the generation of the toroidal current. It is possible to trigger a transition from the RAD-I to the RAD-II regime using plasma cooling by gas puffing. The experimental results are shown to be in reasonable agreement with theoretical predictions based on the runaway avalanche process.

Alfvén wave heating and runaway discharges maintained by the avalanche effect in TCABR

Recent results of Alfven wave heating experiments and the characteristics of a new regime of runaway discharges found in Tokamak Chauffage Alfven Bresilien (TCABR) are discussed. (1) Wave excitation was carried out with one module of the antenna system, with and without a Faraday screen. Evidence of plasma heating was obtained in both cases, for coupled wave powers up to half of the Ohmic power, approximately, without uncontrollable density rise during the RF pulse. The antenna coupling with the plasma seems to have increased when the Faraday screen was removed. (2) The new regime of runaway discharges is produced by initiating the main plasma breakdown without pre-ionization and strongly increasing the neutral gas fuelling at the end of the current ramp-up phase. Consequently, the plasma cools down substantially and switches to a runaway mode in conditions under which the primary (Dreicer) mechanism is strongly suppressed. This new regime of runaway discharges is characterized by strong enhancement of the relaxation oscillations, which are seen in the H α and ECE emissions, coupled with large spikes in the line density, loop voltage, bolometer, and other diagnostic signals.

Magnetic islands and plasma rotation in the Tokamak Chauffage Alfven Bresilien tokamak

Collisional plasma rotation in the Tokamak Chauffage Alfven Bresilien (TCABR) tokamak [J. H. F. Severo, I. C. Nascimento, V. S. Tsypin, and R. M. O. Galvao, Nucl. Fusion 43, 1047 (2003)] has been experimentally studied. It was found that the measured plasma poloidal rotation velocity agrees within error limits with neoclassical theoretical predictions, and toroidal velocity with experimental results obtained in analogous tokamaks, almost everywhere along the minor radius r, except for measurements at r/a≃0.56 and r/a≃0.89 (the minor radius of TCABR tokamak a=18 cm). For the first point, the measured plasma rotation velocities are higher than the velocity of the background plasma, respectively ∼30% and ∼10% for the poloidal and toroidal rotation velocities. Using a set of 22 Mirnov coils displaced poloidally, magnetic field perturbations were measured in shots adjusted to reproduce the ones of the previous plasma rotation measurements, and the results confirm that in the region r/a≃0.89 the plasma rotates ...

Tokamak turbulence at the scrape-off layer in TCABR with an ergodic magnetic limiter

The influence of an ergodic magnetic limiter (EML) on plasma turbulence is investigated in the Tokamak Chauffage Alfven Bresilien (TCABR), a tokamak with a peculiar natural superposition of the electrostatic and magnetic fluctuation power spectra. Experimental results show that the EML perturbation can reduce both the magnetic oscillation and the electrostatic plasma turbulence. Whenever this occurs, the turbulence-driven particle transport is also reduced. Moreover, a bis-pectral analysis shows that the nonlinear coupling between low- and high-frequency electrostatic fluctuations increases significantly with the EML application.

Not completely flattened radial profile of the electron temperature in the vicinity of magnetic islands in Tokamak Chauffage Alfvén Brésilien

Recent results obtained in TCABR (Tokamak Chauffage Alfven Bresilien) [J. H. F. Severo, I. C. Nascimento, V. S. Tsypin, and R. M. O. Galvao, Nucl. Fusion 43, 1047 (2003)] show a nonmonotonic variation of the poloidal rotation velocity at the position of major magnetic islands. In this paper, the associated effect of the magnetic islands on the radial profile of the electron temperature is discussed. Analytical temperature profiles are used to analyze the experimental data obtained with electron cyclotron emission radiometry. It is shown that the competition between strong anomalous perpendicular diffusive transport and parallel heat convection is the dominant mechanism for the oscillations observed in the radial profile of the electron temperature in TCABR.

The analysis of alfvén wave current drive and plasma heating in TCABR tokamak

The results of experiments on Alfven wave current drive and plasma heating in the TCABR tokamak are analyzed with the help of a numerical code for simulation of the diffusion of the toroidal electric field. It permits to find radial distributions of plasma current density and conductivity, which match the experimentally measured total plasma current and loop voltage changes, and thus to study the performance of the RF system during Alfven wave plasma heating and current drive experiments. Regimes with efficient RF power input in TCABR have been analyzed and revealed the possibility of noninductive current generation with magnitudes up to ~8 kA. The increase of plasma energy content due to RF power input is consistent with the diamagnetic measurements.

Effect of the vacuum vessel on magnetic measurements in TCABR tokamak

Magnetic diagnostics in fusion experiments can be strongly affected by eddy currents induced in the vacuum vessel and in-vessel conducting components. In the present work the effect of the eddy currents on magnetic measurements in the TCABR tokamak with nearly circular plasma shape and rectangular cross section of the vacuum vessel is discussed. A method to find the magnetic field generated by eddy currents, in reply to the magnetic field of plasma currents, is based on expansion of vacuum field in series of toroidal harmonics. The conclusion is that, if the sensors are placed near the vessel, the effect of the vessel is strong and it decreases substantially in the case of sensors located near the plasma boundary at the circular surface.

Magnetic coil system for the TCABR tokamak

In this work, we discuss the preliminary analysis of some disruptive plasma discharges in the TCABR tokamak, operating in the high density limit. The Fourier analysis of the MHD activity was greatly facilitated because the magnetic coils inside the TCABR were installed as to take into consideration the toroidal geometry of the system, in a straight forward manner. What we have observed is that the m = 3, 4 and 7 MHD components dominate during almost the whole discharge duration, whereas the m = 2 MHD mode increased substantially just before the occurrence of a major disruption. Also, we could estimate the angular velocity of the magnetic islands, which was observed to increase up to three times just before the major disruption.