Jerzy H. Brzozowski

A two-time-scale dynamic-model approach for magnetic and kinetic profile control in advanced tokamak scenarios on JET

Real-time simultaneous control of several radially distributed magnetic and kinetic plasma parameters is being investigated on JET, in view of developing integrated control of advanced tokamak scenarios. This paper describes the new model-based profile controller which has been implemented during the 2006–2007 experimental campaigns. The controller aims to use the combination of heating and current drive (H&CD) systems—and optionally the poloidal field (PF) system—in an optimal way to regulate the evolution of plasma parameter profiles such as the safety factor, q(x), and gyro-normalized temperature gradient, ρ ∗ (x). In the first part of the paper, a technique for the experimental identification of a minimal dynamic plasma model is described, taking into account the physical structure and couplings of the transport equations, but making no quantitative assumptions on the transport coefficients or on their dependences. To cope with the high dimensionality of the state space and the large ratio between the time scales involved, the model identification procedure and the controller design both make use of the theory of singularly perturbed systems by means of a two-time-scale approximation. The second part of the paper provides the theoretical basis for the controller design. The profile controller is articulated around two composite feedback loops operating on the magnetic and kinetic time scales, respectively, and supplemented by a feedforward compensation of density variations. For any chosen set of target profiles, the closest self-consistent state achievable with the available actuators is uniquely defined. It is reached, with no steady state offset, through a near-optimal

Toroidal rotation in RF heated JET plasmas

Observations of bulk plasma rotation in radio frequency (RF) heated JET discharges are reported. This study is concentrated on RF heated L-mode plasmas. In particular, the toroidal rotation profiles in plasmas heated by ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) waves and lower hybrid (LH) waves have been analysed. It is the first time that rotation profiles in JET plasmas with LH waves have been measured in dedicated discharges. It is found that the toroidal plasma rotation in the outer region of the plasmas is in the co-current direction irrespective of the heating scenario. An interesting feature is that the toroidal rotation profile appears to be hollow in many discharges at low plasma current, but a low current in itself does not seem to be a sufficient condition for finding such profiles. Fast ion transport and finite orbit width effects are mechanisms that could explain hollow rotation profiles. This possibility has been investigated by numerical simulations of the torque on the bulk plasma due to fast ICRF accelerated ions. The obtained torque is used in a transport equation for the toroidal momentum density to estimate the effect on the thermal bulk plasma rotation profile.

Expanding the operating space of ICRF on JET with a view to ITER

This paper reports on ITER-relevant ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) physics investigated on JET in 2003 and early 2004. Minority heating of helium three in hydrogen plasmas-(He-3)H-was systematically explored by varying the 3 He concentration and the toroidal phasing of the antenna arrays. The best heating performance (a maximum electron temperature of 6.2 keV with 5 MW of ICRF power) was obtained with a preferential wave launch in the direction of the plasma current. A clear experimental demonstration was made of the sharp and reproducible transition to the mode conversion heating regime when the 3 He concentration increased above similar to 2%. In the latter regime the best heating performance (a maximum electron temperature of 8 keV with 5 MW of ICRF power) was achieved with dipole array phasing, i.e. a symmetric antenna power spectrum. Minority heating of deuterium in hydrogen plasmas-(D)H-was also investigated but was found inaccessible because this scenario is too sensitive to impurity ions with Z/A = 1/2 such as C6+, small amounts of which directly lead into the mode conversion regime. Minority heating of up to 3% of tritium in deuterium plasmas was systematically investigated during the JET trace tritium experimental campaign (TTE). This required operating JET at its highest possible magnetic field (3.9 to 4 T) and the ICRF system at its lowest frequency (23 MHz). The interest of this scenario for ICRF heating at these low concentrations and its efficiency at boosting the suprathermal neutron yield were confirmed, and the measured neutron and gammay ray spectra permit interesting comparisons with advanced ICRF code simulations. Investigations of finite Larmor radius effects on the RF-induced high-energy tails during second harmonic (omega = 2 omega(c)) heating of a hydrogen minority in D plasmas clearly demonstrated a strong decrease in the RF diffusion coefficient at proton energies similar to 1 MeV in agreement with theoretical expectations. Fast wave heating and current drive experiments in deuterium plasmas showed effective direct electron heating with dipole phasing of the antennas, but only small changes of the central plasma current density were observed with the directive phasings, in particular at low single pass damping. New investigations of the heating efficiency of ICRF antennas confirmed its strong dependence on the parallel wavenumber spectrum. Advances in topics of a more technological nature are also summarized: ELM studies using fast RF measurements, the successful experimental demonstration of a new ELM-tolerant antenna matching scheme and technical enhancements planned on the JET ICRF system for 2006, they being equally strongly driven by the preparation for ITER.

Overview of transport, fast particle and heating and current drive physics using tritium in JET plasmas

Results are presented from the JET Trace Tritium Experimental (TTE) campaign using minority tritium (T) plasmas (n(T)/n(D) 2 MA) and monotonic q-profiles. In CH discharges the gamma-ray emission decay times are much lower than classical (tau(Ts) + tau(alpha s)), indicating alpha confinement degradation, due to the orbit losses and particle orbit drift predicted by a 3-D Fokker-Planck numerical code and modelled using TRANSP.

RFP confinement physics studied on the Extrap-T1 device

Experiments have been performed on the high aspect ratio, high current density Extrap-T1 reversed field pinch to study the response in confinement properties to variations in plasma current and pinch parameter. The study includes measurements of energy and particle confinement times as well as radiated power, impurity concentrations and magnetic fluctuations. The ratio of Spitzer to total input power in these experiments is varied over the wide range 0.4 to 0.8. The operational β0 value is found to be primarily a function of plasma current and pinch parameter and scales only weakly with density since an increase in density is found to be accompanied by a decrease in temperature. Changes in Te/ne, however, directly affect the dynamo activity. At high Te/ne, the scaling of the energy confinement time is governed by the enhancement of the dynamo activity, which offsets the decrease in Spitzer input power with temperature. On the other hand, the particle confinement time is not deteriorated by enhanced dynamo activity. Instead, particle confinement is degraded at a high fraction of Spitzer input power. In this limit, convection of thermal particles can account for a major part of the total energy loss

Correlation between internal tearing modes and edge electrostatic fluctuations in a reversed‐field pinch

Edge electrostatic fluctuations, in the Extrap T1 reversed‐field pinch [Nucl. Fusion 34, 427 (1994)], are observed to be correlated to internal tearing mode activity. Bispectral analysis of the edge electrostatic fluctuations shows the occurrence of nonlinear coupling between the low frequency internal tearing‐mode‐related activity and the high frequency, external, electrostatic fluctuations. In addition, the fluctuation levels of both the edge electrostatic fluctuations and the internal tearing modes have comparable scaling with plasma current. These results suggest that suppression of the internal tearing mode activity may decrease the edge electrostatic fluctuations and the related particle loss in the reversed‐field pinch configuration.

Density peaking in low collisionality ELMy H-mode in JET

Low collisionality, low particle source. ELMy H-modes (type-III) with sawteeth are produced in JET in order to address the question of density profile evolution in the reference q(95) = 3 ITER scenario. The paper focuses on particle transport in the core zone around the mid-radius. The pedestal region including ELMs and the region affected by sawteeth are not considered. By replacing a significant part of the neutral beam heating by RF power the beam particle flux at mid-radius has been reduced to Gamma(Beam)/n(e) = 0.07 m s(-1). The additional flux due to wall neutrals is estimated as Gamma(Wall)/n(e) = 0.12 m s(-1). Density profiles are found to be modestly peaked under these conditions with a relative density difference of Deltan/(n) = 0.23 across the zone not affected by sawteeth and ELMs. In a region around the mid-radius the ratio of effective particle diffusivity to electron thermal diffusivity is found to be D-e,D-eff/chi(e) approximate to 0.2, which might indicate an anomalous pinch provided the particle diffusivity D-e is sufficiently lame. The measured values of D-e,D-eff/chi(e) are at the lower end of the range used in ITER models.

ELMy H-modes in JET helium-4 plasmas

ELMy H-modes in helium-4 plasmas provide valuable information on ELMy H-mode physics as well as a possible early low activation operational phase for next-step tokamaks, such as ITER. With this in mind, a series of helium-4 H-mode experiments were performed on JET with pure helium-4 NBI auxiliary heating (up to 12 MW). A set of ELMy H-mode plasmas were produced, in both the Type I ELM regime and a second regime, which showed characteristics similar to the deuterium Type III regime, but with a reverse ELM frequency dependence on power. Sawteeth were also observed, and had similar behaviour to those seen in deuterium. Compared with deuterium plasmas, Type I ELMy H-mode confinement is seen to be 28 ± 6% poorer in helium-4 plasmas and the L–H power threshold 42 ± 10% larger. This is the opposite of the behaviour predicted by experimental isotope mass scalings from hydrogenic plasmas.

Effect of toroidal field ripple on the formation of internal transport barriers

The effect of a toroidal field (TF) ripple on the formation and performance of internal transport barriers (ITBs) has been studied in JET. It was found that the TF ripple had a profound effect on the toroidal plasma rotation. An increased TF ripple up to delta = 1% led to a lower rotation and reduced the rotational shear in the region where the ITBs were formed. ITB triggering events were observed in all cases and it is thought that the rotational shear may be less important for this process than, for example, the q-profile. However, the increase in the pressure gradient following the ITB trigger was reduced in discharges with a larger TF ripple and consequently a lower rotational shear. This suggests that toroidal rotation and its shear play a role in the growth of the ITB once it has been triggered.

On the parasitic absorption in FWCD experiments in JET ITB plasmas

Fast wave current drive (FWCD) experiments have been performed in JET plasmas with electron internal transport barriers produced with LHCD. Because of a large fraction of parasitic absorption, owing to weak single pass damping, the inductive nature of the plasma current and the interplay between the RF-driven current and the bootstrap current only small changes are seen in the central current profiles. The measured difference in the central current density for co- and counter-current drive is larger than the response expected from current diffusion calculations, but smaller than the driven currents, suggesting a faster current diffusion than that given by neo-classical resistivity. A large fraction of the power is absorbed by cyclotron damping on residual 3He ions while a significant fraction appears not to have been deposited in the plasma. The strong degradation of heating and current drive occurs simultaneously with strong increases in the Be II and C IV line intensities in the divertor. The degradation depends on the phasing of the antennas and increases with reduced single pass damping which is consistent with RF-power being lost by dissipation of rectified RF-sheath potentials at the antennas and walls. Asymmetries in direct electron heating, lost power and production of impurities, fast ions and gamma-rays are seen for co- and counter-current drive. These differences are consistent with the differences in the absorption on residual 3He ions owing to the RF-induced pinch. Effective direct electron heating, comparable to the indirect electron heating with H-minority heating, occurs for dipole phasing of the antennas without producing a significant fast ion pressure and with low impurity content in the divertor plasma.