G. Schilling

Fusion neutron production during deuterium neutral-beam injection into the PLT tokamak

Fusion neutron emission of 1.5 × 1014 neutrons s−1 and 2 × 1013 neutrons/pulse has been observed for PLT deuterium discharges with up to 2.5 MW of deuterium neutral-beam injection. The neutron time evolution and magnitude are consistent with theoretical calculations of the fusion reactions caused by energetic injected ions which are confined and slow down classically. The factor-of-two accuracy in the absolute neutron calibration is the major uncertainty in the comparison with theory. Neutron sawtooth oscillations ( 3%) are observed which can also be explained classically.

Overview of TFTR transport studies

A review of TFTR plasma transport studies is presented. Parallel transport and the confinement of suprathermal ions are found to be relatively well described by theory. Cross-field transport of the thermal plasma, however, is anomalous with the momentum diffusivity being comparable to the ion thermal diffusivity and larger than the electron thermal diffusivity in neutral beam heated discharges. Perturbative experiments have studied nonlinear dependencies in the transport coefficients and examined the role of possible nonlocal phenomena. The underlying turbulence has been studied using microwave scattering, beam emission spectroscopy and microwave reflectometry over a much broader range in k perpendicular to than previously possible. Results indicate the existence of large-wavelength fluctuations correlated with enhanced transport.

Correlations of heat and momentum transport in the TFTR tokamak

Measurements of the toroidal rotation speed vφ(r) driven by neutral beam injection in tokamak plasmas and, in particular, simultaneous profile measurements of vφ, Ti, Te, and ne, have provided new insights into the nature of anomalous transport in tokamaks. Low‐recycling plasmas heated with unidirectional neutral beam injection exhibit a strong correlation among the local diffusivities, χφ≊χi>χe. Recent measurements have confirmed similar behavior in broad‐density L‐mode plasmas. These results are consistent with the conjecture that electrostatic turbulence is the dominant transport mechanism in the tokamak fusion test reactor tokamak (TFTR) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 58, 1004 (1987)], and are inconsistent with predictions both from test‐particle models of strong magnetic turbulence and from ripple transport. Toroidal rotation speed measurements in peaked‐density TFTR ‘‘supershots’’ with partially unbalanced beam injection indicate that momentum transport decreases as the density profile becomes more peaked. In hi...

Status and plans for TFTR

AbstractRecent research on TFTR has emphasized optimization of performance in deuterium plasmas, transport studies and studies of energetic ion and fusion product physics in preparation for the D-T experiments that will commence in July of 1993. TFTR has achieved full hardware design parameters, and the best TFTR discharges in deuterium are projected to QDT of 0.3 to 0.5.The physics phenomena that will be studied during the D-T phase will include: tritium particle confinement and fueling, ICRF heating with tritium, species scaling with tritium, collective alpha-particle instabilities, alpha heating of the plasma and helium ash buildup. It is important for the fusion program that these physics issues be addressed to identify regimes of benign alpha behavior, and to develop techniques to actively stabilize or control instabilities driver by collective alpha effects.

High confinement dissipative divertor operation on Alcator C-Mod

Alcator C-Mod [I. H. Hutchinson et al., Phys. Plasmas 1, 1511 (1994)] has operated a High-confinement-mode (H-mode) plasma together with a dissipative divertor and low core Zeff. The initially attached plasma is characterized by steady-state enhancement factor, HITER89P [P. N. Yushmanov et al., Nucl. Fusion 30, 1999 (1990)], of 1.9, central Zeff of 1.1, and a radiative fraction of ∼50%. Feedback control of a nitrogen gas puff is used to increase radiative losses in both the core/edge and divertor plasmas in almost equal amounts. Simultaneously, the core plasma maintains HITER89P of 1.6 and Zeff of 1.4 in this nearly 100% radiative state. The power and particle flux to the divertor plates have been reduced to very low levels while the core plasma is relatively unchanged by the dissipative nature of the divertor.

High power neutral beam heating experiments on TFTR with balanced and unbalanced momemtum input

New long-pulse ion sources have been employed to extend the neutral beam pulse on TFTR from 0.5 sec to 2.0 sec. This made it possible to study the long-term evolution of supershots at constant current and to perform experiments in which the plasma current was ramped up during the heating pulse. Experiments were conducted with co and counter injection as well as with nearly balanced injection of deuterium beams up to a total power of 20 MW. The best results, i.e., central ion temperatures Tio > 25 keV and neo τE Tio values of 3 × 1020 keV sec m-3, were obtained with nearly balanced injection. The central toroidal plasma rotation velocity scales in a linear-offset fashion with beam power and density. The scaling of the inferred global momentum confinement time with plasma parameters is inconsistent with the predictions of the neoclassical theory of gyroviscous damping. An interesting plasma regime with properties similar to the H-mode has been observed for limiter plasmas with edge qa just above 3 and 2.5.

ICRF heating of TFTR deuterium supershot plasmas in the 3He minority regime

The increased core electron temperature produced by ICRF heating of TFTR, D-T neutral-beam-heated supershot plasmas is expected to extend the alpha-particle slowing down time and hence enhance the central alpha-particle pressure. In preparation for the TFTR D-T operational phase, which started in late 1993, a series of experiments were conducted on TFTR to explore the effect of ICRF heating on the performance and stability of low-recycling, deuterium supershot plasmas in the 3He minority heating regime. The coupling of up to 7.4 MW of 47 MHz ICRF power to full size (R approximately 2.62 m, a approximately 0.96 m), 3He minority, deuterium supershots heated with up to 30 MW of deuterium neutral beam injection has resulted in a significant increase in core electron temperature ( Delta Te=3-4 keV). Simulations of equivalent D-T supershots predict that such ICRF heating should result in approximately a 60% increase in the alpha-particle slowing down time and an enhancement of about 30% in the central alpha pressure. Future experiments to be conducted at ICRF powers up to 12.5 MW during the upcoming TFTR D-T campaign may result in even greater enhancements in core alpha parameters. This paper presents results from experiments performed at an axial toroidal magnetic field of about 4.8 T, where the minority resonance was within 0.1-0.15 m of the plasma core. Combined ICRF and neutral beam heating powers in these experiments reached TFTR record levels of over 37 MW, which allowed an exploration of the power loading limits on the carbon limiter tiles. The plasma current was operated at 1.85 and 2.2 MA and sawtooth suppression was observed at the higher plasma current.

Ion cyclotron range of frequency experiments in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor with fast waves and mode converted ion Bernstein waves

Recent experiments in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor [Fusion Technol. 21, 13 (1992)] are discussed. These experiments include mode conversion heating and current drive, fast wave current drive, and heating of low (L)‐ mode deuterium–tritium (D–T) plasmas in both the hydrogen minority and second harmonic tritium regimes. In mode conversion heating, a central electron temperature of 10 keV was attained with 3.3 MW of radio‐frequency power. In mode conversion current drive experiments, up to 130 kA of current was noninductively driven, on and off axis, and the current profiles were modified. Fast wave current drive experiments have produced 70–80 kA of noninductively driven current. Heating of L‐mode deuterium and D–T plasmas by hydrogen minority ICRF has been compared. Finally, heating of L‐mode D–T plasmas at the second harmonic of the tritium cyclotron frequency has been demonstrated.

Ion cyclotron range of frequencies mode conversion electron heating in deuterium–hydrogen plasmas in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak

Localized direct electron heating (EH) by mode-converted (MC) ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) waves in D(H) tokamak plasmas has been clearly observed for the first time in Alcator C-Mod. Both on- and off-axis (high field side) mode conversion EH (MCEH) have been observed. The MCEH profile was obtained from a break-in-slope analysis of electron temperature signals in the presence of radio frequency shut-off. The temperature was measured by a 32-channel high spatial resolution (≤7 mm) 2nd harmonic heterodyne electron cyclotron emission system. The experimental profiles were compared with the predictions from a toroidal full-wave ICRF code TORIC. Using the hydrogen concentration measured by a high-resolution optical spectrometer, TORIC predictions were shown qualitatively in agreement with the experimental results for both on- and off-axis MC cases. From the simulations, the EH from MC ion cyclotron wave and ion Bernstein wave is examined.

Mode conversion electron heating in Alcator C-Mod: Theory and experiment

Localized electron heating [full width at half maximum of Δ(r/a)≈0.2] by mode converted ion Bernstein waves (IBW) has been observed in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak [I. H. Hutchinson et al., Phys. Plasmas 1, 1511 (1994)]. These experiments were performed in D(3He) plasmas at high magnetic field (B0=7.9 T), high-plasma density (ne0⩾1.5×1020 m−3), and for 0.05⩽nHe-3/ne⩽0.30. Electron heating profiles of the mode converted IBW were measured using a break in slope analysis of the electron temperature versus time in the presence of rf (radio frequency) modulation. The peak position of electron heating was found to be well-correlated with 3He concentration, in agreement with the predictions of cold plasma theory. Recently, a toroidal full-wave ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) code TORIC [M. Brambilla, Nucl. Fusion 38, 1805 (1998)] was modified to include the effects of IBW electron Landau damping at (k⊥ρi)2≫1, This model was used in combination with a 1D (one-dimensional) integral wave equation code METS [...