H. Salzmann

Identification of plasma-edge-related operational regime boundaries and the effect of edge instability on confinement in ASDEX Upgrade

Local edge parameters on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak are investigated at the L-mode to H-mode transition, during phases with various types of edge-localized modes (ELMs), and at the density limit. A scaling law for the boundary electron temperature, , is found which describes the H-mode threshold for deuterium-puffed discharges with favourable ion -drift direction. The region of stable operation is bounded by type I ELMs near the ideal ballooning limit and by a minimum temperature necessary to avoid thermal instability of the plasma edge. Stationary operation with type III ELMs imposes an upper limit on the edge temperature. Within the entire range of boundary densities investigated , both L-mode and H-mode are found to be accessible. During type I ELMy H-mode, a relation of global confinement with the edge pressure gradient is found which is connected with a loss of the favourable density dependence predicted by the ITER-92P and ITER-93H ELMy H-mode scalings. At high density, better confinement is achieved in H-modes with an edge pressure gradient below the ideal ballooning limit, e.g. during type III ELMy H-mode with impurity-seeded radiation.

Experimental investigation of marfes and the density limit in the ASDEX Upgrade

In the ASDEX Upgrade, X-point marfe formation and its behaviour up to the density limit is investigated in gas-fuelled ohmically-heated single-null discharges over a wide range of parameters: Ip=0.6-1.2 MA, BTF=1.35-2.4 T, a plasma elongation of 1.6 and Zeff<2. The standard-ion Del B drift is directed towards the X-point. At medium electron densities inevitably a marfe develops in the vicinity of the active X-point. The marfe formation is consistent with a model of thermal instabilities in the radiating edge plasma. Moreover, stable steady-state operation is demonstrated with marfes which can extend significantly into the bulk plasma. The density limit is always connected with quick marfe expansion and movement followed by mode-locking leading to a major disruption. The limit scales linearly with Ip and is in good agreement with the Greenwald density limit scaling. The resulting experimental Hugill limit is neRq95/BTF=2.8*1020) m-2 T-1. Reversal of the ion Del B drift direction away from the target has a detrimental effect on the density limit.

Response of Internal Transport Barriers to Central Electron Heating and Current Drive on ASDEX Upgrade

Internal transport barriers with the central electron temperature as large as the central ion temperature both in excess of 10 keV have been achieved in the Axi-symmetric divertor experiment (ASDEX Upgrade) [H. Vernickel et al., J. Nucl. Mater. 128, 71 (1984)]. By applying central electron cyclotron heating and current drive to negative central shear discharges, established by neutral beam heating in the current ramp, the core electron temperatures could be raised by more than a factor of 2. Despite the fivefold increase of the central electron heat flux, the ion and electron energy and also angular momentum transport did not deteriorate. For neutral beam injection alone and also with additional central electron cyclotron counter-current drive, a double tearing mode and the associated detrimental effect on the plasma confinement is destabilized only transiently, when the minimum of the safety factor (qmin) passes through 2. For co-current drive, however, the confinement does not recover after qmin has dro...

Measurement and modelling of neon radiation profiles in radiating boundary discharges in ASDEX upgrade

The radiation and transport characteristics of ASDEX Upgrade discharges with a neon-driven radiative mantle are modelled using a one-dimensional radial impurity transport code that has been coupled to a simple divertor model describing particle recycling and pumping. The code is well suited to describing the measured impurity line radiation, total, soft x-ray and bremsstrahlung radiation in regions of the plasma that are not dominated by two-dimensional effects. The recycling and pumping behaviour of neon as well as the bulk transport of neon for radiative boundary scenarios are discussed.

The relation of edge confinement to global confinement in ASDEX upgrade (Axially Symmetric Divertor Experiment)

Experimental evidence is presented from the ASDEX Upgrade (Axially Symmetric Divertor Experiment) tokamak [Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research 1993 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1994), Vol. I, p. 127] of a robust relation between the edge radial pressure gradient and the global confinement of the plasma. This relation transcends the power flowing across flux surfaces near the edge and thus suggests that the usual model of cross-field heat transport, where local gradients increase with increasing local power flow, is not appropriate.

Comparison of scrape-off layer behaviour between DIV-I and DIV-II operations on ASDEX-Upgrade

The divertor geometry on ASDEX-Upgrade has changed from an open to a more closed configuration. The effects of this change on midplane scrape-off layer profiles for temperature and density are discussed. Investigations concerning the accuracy of separatrix positions are described. The relation between neutral gas flux density in the divertor and midplane density is analysed and scalings are presented. No decrease in the maximum achievable density in the H-mode with the new closed divertor in comparison to the former open one has been found. For comparable discharges the scrape-off layer density for the closed divertor has been found to be higher or at least as high as for the open divertor.

Tokamak Edge Profile Analysis Employing Bayesian Statistics

Temperature measurements in tokamak edge plasmas suffer frequently from outliers of unknown origin. Such outliers have an important unwanted influence on the estimation of parameters for edge temperature model functions in conventional least squares fits. Bayesian probability theory is applied to deal with such outliers and develop a robust procedure which performs highly satisfactorily.

Heat Transport at the Boundary of ASDEX-Upgrade

The flow of heat in the scrape-off layer (SOL) region of ASDEX Upgrade is investigated and compared with simple modelling. Parallel heat transport is found to be consistent with electron heat conduction based on Spitzer - H?rm conductivity. Cross-field heat transport is characterized using radial e-folding distances for power, temperature and plasma pressure, which are all found to vary weakly over a wide range of discharge conditions. Type I ELMs, also characterized, introduce a discreteness to the power flow into the SOL and carry approximately half of the power exhaust from the discharge. The divertor plates are effectively screened from the ELM energy, even in low-radiation discharges, suggesting enhanced radiation rates during ELMs.

First Results of Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating on ASDEX Upgrade

ASDEX Upgrade is equipped with an ICRH system consisting of 4 generators of 2 MW power each and 4 double loop antennas. The generators, tuneable in frequency from 30 to 120 MHz, cover several heating scenarios over a wide range of magnetic fields (1 T<Bt<3.9 T): minority heating of H and He3 and second harmonic heating of H and D. ICRH‐heated discharges in ASDEX Upgrade were so far carried out mainly at 30 MHz and a magnetic field of 2 T (H minority in D and He). Peak powers of 2.4 MW and pulse length up to 2.5 s were achieved (total energy 3.75 MJ). In L‐mode, the density on turn‐on of the ICRH stays constant, or even decreases. The ratio of radiated power to total input power is unchanged (60% in an unboronized machine, 30% in a freshly boronized machine) between Ohmic and ICRH phases. The electron temperature increases with 0.9 MW from 1 to 1.25 keV, the loop voltage drops. Transitions to the H‐mode were easily and reliably achieved with ICRH alone (necessary ICRH power as low as 0.9 MW) and the length of the ELMy H‐mode phases was limited only by the applied ICRH pulse length (ELMy H‐mode phases of up to 2 s were achieved). The paper presents further results on heating and confinement in L and H‐mode, antenna and edge studies and on divertor measurements. Preliminary experiments, performed with a combination of H minority heating (30 MHz) and H second harmonic (60 MHz) in 600 kA He and D discharges (H minority in the 5 to 20% range) at 2 T, and with non‐resonant heating (30 MHz and 60 MHz at 1.35 T) are briefly discussed.