G. Pucella

Runaway electron generation and control

We present an overview of FTU experiments on runaway electron (RE) generation and control carried out through a comprehensive set of real-time (RT) diagnostics/control systems and newly installed RE diagnostics. An RE imaging spectrometer system detects visible and infrared synchrotron radiation. A Cherenkov probe measures RE escaping the plasma. A gamma camera provides hard x-ray radial profiles from RE bremsstrahlung interactions in the plasma. Experiments on the onset and suppression of RE show that the threshold electric field for RE generation is larger than that expected according to a purely collisional theory, but consistent with an increase due to synchrotron radiation losses. This might imply a lower density to be targeted with massive gas injection for RE suppression in ITER. Experiments on active control of disruption-generated RE have been performed through feedback on poloidal coils by implementing an RT boundary-reconstruction algorithm evaluated on magnetic moments. The results indicate that the slow plasma current ramp-down and the simultaneous reduction of the reference plasma external radius are beneficial in dissipating the RE beam energy and population, leading to reduced RE interactions with plasma facing components. RE active control is therefore suggested as a possible alternative or complementary technique to massive gas injection.

Diagnostic application of magnetic islands rotation in JET

Measurements of the propagation frequency of magnetic islands in JET are compared with diamagnetic drift frequencies, in view of a possible diagnostic application to the determination of markers fo ...

Cherenkov emission provides detailed picture of non-thermal electron dynamics in the presence of magnetic islands

Results from a Cherenkov probe recently installed in FTU are presented on non-thermal electron losses. A range of scenarios are investigated to prove the versatility of the diagnostics by correlation with several other diagnostics, including electron cyclotron emission (ECE), neutron and gamma ray detectors, Mirnov coils and soft x-ray cameras. The data analysed provide useful insights into the dynamics of runaway electron (RE) losses in the presence of magnetic islands, demonstrating the distinct and broad potential of this relatively new diagnostic system. The analysis focuses on the sensitivity of the Cherenkov probe to RE losses in connection with magnetohydrodynamic activity and, generally, with magnetic perturbations and reconnection events. In those cases, the Cherenkov probe signals show that the RE expulsion mechanisms are due to the magnetic perturbation of a magnetic island and its amplitude fluctuations. Importantly, the microsecond resolution of the Cherenkov diagnostics reveals an internal structure of the signal peaks, permitting, for the first time with non-magnetic diagnostics, the detection of high frequency signals linked to perturbations of the magnetic island width, known as beta-induced Alfven eigenmodes.

Peaked density profiles due to neon injection on FTU

Neon injection in FTU can cause a spontaneous increase of the line-average density by a factor 2. The recent experiments were devoted to characterize the plasma response to the neon injection at different densities and plasma currents.A qualitative estimate from UV spectroscopy measurements indicates that the density behaviour cannot be attributed simply to the stripped electrons from the puffed impurity, but a modification of particle transport should be invoked in order to explain the spontaneous rise and the higher peaking.JETTO transport and GENE gyrokinetic codes analyses, as well as a calculation of the electron diffusion coefficients D and pinch velocity U, contribute to feature the peaking effect.

Experiments on magneto-hydrodynamics instabilities with ECH/ECCD in FTU using a minimal real-time control system

Experiments on real time control of magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities using injection of electron cyclotron waves (ECW) are being performed with a control system based on only three real time key items: an equilibrium estimator based on a statistical regression, a MHD instability marker (SVDH) using a three-dimensional array of pick-up coils and a fast ECW launcher able to poloidally steer the EC absorption volume with dρ/dt = 0.1/30 ms maximum radial speed. The MHD instability, usually a tearing mode with poloidal mode number m and toroidal mode number n such that m/n = 2/1 or 3/2 is deliberately induced either by neon gas injection or by a density ramp hitting the density limit. No diagnostics providing the radial localization of the instabilities have been used. The sensitivity of the used MHD marker allows to close the control loop solely on the effect of the actuators action with little elaboration. The nature of the instability triggering mechanism in these plasma prevents that the stabilization lasts longer than the ECW pulse. However when the ECW power is switched on, the instability amplitude shows a marked sensitivity to the position of the absorption volume with an increase or decrease of its growth rate. Moreover the suppression of the dominant mode by ECRH performed at high plasma density even at relatively low power level facilitates the development of a secondary mode. This minimized set of control tools aim to explore some of the difficulties which can be expected in a fusion reactor where reduced diagnostic capabilities and reduced actuator flexibility can be expected.

A unified model of density limit in fusion plasmas

A limit for the edge density, ruled by radiation losses from light impurities, is established by a minimal cylindrical magneto-thermal equilibrium model. For ohmic tokamak and reversed field pinch the limit scales linearly with the plasma current, as the empirical Greenwald limit. The auxiliary heating adds a further dependence, scaling with the 0.4 power, in agreement with L-mode tokamak experiments. For a purely externally heated configuration the limit takes on a Sudo-like form, depending mainly on the input power, and is compatible with recent Stellarator scalings.

EFD-C(13)03/32 ITER Like Wall Impact on MHD Instabilities in JET Discharges

1Consorzio RFX, EURATOM-ENEA Association, Corso Stati Uniti 4, 35127 Padova, Italy 2Euratom/CCFE Fusion Association, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, OX14 3DB, UK 3Associazione EURATOM-ENEA sulla Fusione, C.R. Frascati, Roma, Italy 4Association EURATOM-CEA, CEA/DSM/IRFM, Cadarache 13108 Saint Paul Lez Durance, France 5Associacao EURATOM/IST, Instituto de Plasmas e Fusao Nuclear, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Av Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal 6FOM institute DIFFER, EURATOM association, P.O. Box 1207, Nieuwegein, Netherlands 7Max-Planck-Institut fur Plasmaphysik, EURATOM-Assoziation, D-85748 Garching, Germany 8Associazione EURATOM-ENEA sulla Fusione, Universita di Roma, Italy