Ioan N. Bogatu

Magnetohydrodynamic mode identification from magnetic probe signals via a matched filter method

A matched filter analysis has been developed to identify the amplitude and phase of magnetohydrodynamic modes in DIII-D tokamak plasmas using magnetic probe signals (δB p ). As opposed to conventional Fourier spatial analysis of toroidally spaced probes, this analysis includes data from both toroidally and poloidally spaced magnetic probe arrays. Using additional probes both improves the statistics of the analysis and more importantly incorporates poloidal information into the mode analysis. The matched filter is a numeric filter that matches signals from the magnetic probes with numerically predicted signals for the mode. The numerical predictions are developed using EFIT equilibrium reconstruction data as input to the stability code GATO and the vacuum field code VACUUM. Changes is the plasma equilibrium that occur on the same time scale as the mode are taken into account by modeling simple matched filter vectors corresponding to changes in total plasma current, plus vertical and horizontal plasma shifts. The matched filter method works well when there is good understanding of a mode and good modeling of its structure. Matched filter analysis results for a fast growing ideal kink mode, where equilibrium change effects are minimal, show the effectiveness of this method. A slow growing resistive-wall mode (RWM) is also analyzed using the matched filter method. The method gives good results for identifying the amplitude and phase of the RWM but the simple equilibrium vectors are insufficient for complete elimination of equilibrium changes on this time scale. An analysis of the computational requirements of the scheme indicates that real-time application of the matched filter for RWM identification will be possible.

Electron cyclotron resonance ion source one-dimensional fluid modeling

A one-dimensional (1D) fluid computer model for multiple ion species in an electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) plasma has been developed. The ions species are assumed to be highly collisionally coupled and are treated using 1D fluid equations. The non-Maxwellian anisotropic electron distribution function is modeled by a 1D bounce-averaged Fokker–Planck code. ECR heating is included in the model as a quasilinear rf-diffusion term including relativistic detuning, rf pitch-angle scattering, and multiple resonance frequencies/locations. In a typical ECRIS, the electrons are very noncollisional and confined magnetically. The ions follow this electron confinement via the electrostatic potential. The 1D axial electrostatic potential profile predicted by the model shows an ion confining core electrostatic well as expected in ECRIS plasmas. Modeling results for the Argonne National Laboratory ECR-I ECRIS configuration are presented along with a discussion of the difficulties in benchmarking the model w...

Resistive wall mode identification by contrast enhancing technique of soft x-ray measurements on DIII-D

A contrast enhancing technique (CET) for soft x-ray (SXR) measurements has been developed and tested for the early identification of the low amplitude resistive wall mode (RWM) on the DIII-D tokamak. The technique is simple and fast. It utilizes the chord-by-chord difference of low-pass digitally filtered time derivatives of the signals from the twelve-chord fan-shape soft x-ray arrays located at toroidal angles of 195° and 45°. The two arrays allow a demonstration of the CET method principle, although they cannot completely resolve the RWM structure. The time derivative of the x-ray signal amplifies the effect of the temperature perturbation convected by the RWM, while naturally incorporating the equilibrium evolution effect. The correlation with the parameters measured by other diagnostics, such as the radial magnetic field δBr from the magnetic probes, the radial profiles of plasma current density j, pressure p, and safety factor q from the motional Stark effect, the radial profile of the temperature p...

X-ray Ross filter method for impurity transport studies on DIII-D (abstract)

The injection of Ar into the region of the DIII-D divertor is a promising technique for energy dissipation (through radiation and collisions) and consequently for reduction of the heat load on the plates. An important problem related to this technique, is the inherent poisoning of the core plasma by migrating Ar. The Ar core contamination seems also to improve the thermal transport in an advanced operating mode of the tokamak. It is therefore of great importance to measure the evolution of the impurity concentration profile within the core plasma. This goal could be achieved by using the Ross filter method in conjunction with the existing x-ray diagnostics on DIII-D. A basic Ross filter system consists of two identical detectors placed behind two different x-ray absorbing foils looking at the same plasma volume. The foils are made of different elements or compounds with adjacent or nearly adjacent atomic numbers. Their accurate thickness causes the x-ray transmission curves of the two foils to be effectiv...

Argon Kα measurement on DIII–D by Ross filters technique (abstract)

Techniques to reduce the heat flux to the divertor plates in tokamak power plants and the consequent erosion of, and subsequent damage to the divertor target plates include the injection of impurities such as argon, that can dissipate the energy (through radiative or collisional processes) before it reaches the target plates. An important issue with this type of scheme is poisoning of the plasma core by the impurities introduced in the divertor region. Subsequently, there is a desire to measure the profiles of the injected impurities in the core. X-ray Ross filters with an effective narrow band pass centered on the argon Kα line at 3.2 keV, have been installed on two of the existing x-ray arrays on DIII–D in order to help determine the argon concentration profiles. Emissivity profiles of the Kα lines and the emissivity profiles for the argon enhanced continuum can be inferred from the inverted filtered x-ray brightness signals if Te, ne, and Ar18+ profiles are known. The MISTReference 1 code is used to co...