John M. Canik

Plasma response to lithium-coated plasma-facing components in the National Spherical Torus Experiment

Experiments in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) have shown beneficial effects on the performance of divertor plasmas as a result of applying lithium coatings on the graphite and carbon-fiber-composite plasma-facing components. These coatings have mostly been applied by a pair of lithium evaporators mounted at the top of the vacuum vessel which inject collimated streams of lithium vapor toward the lower divertor. In neutral beam injection (NBI)-heated deuterium H-mode plasmas run immediately after the application of lithium, performance modifications included decreases in the plasma density, particularly in the edge, and inductive flux consumption, and increases in the electron and ion temperatures and the energy confinement time. Reductions in the number and amplitude of edge-localized modes (ELMs) were observed, including complete ELM suppression for periods of up to 1.2 s, apparently as a result of altering the stability of the edge. However, in the plasmas where ELMs were suppressed, there was a significant secular increase in the effective ion charge Zeff and the radiated power as a result of increases in the carbon and medium-Z metallic impurities, although not of lithium itself which remained at a very low level in the plasma core, <0.1%. The impurity buildup could be inhibited by repetitively triggering ELMs with the application of brief pulses of an n = 3 radial field perturbation. The reduction in the edge density by lithium also inhibited parasitic losses through the scrape-off-layer of ICRF power coupled to the plasma, enabling the waves to heat electrons in the core of H-mode plasmas produced by NBI. Lithium has also been introduced by injecting a stream of chemically stabilized, fine lithium powder directly into the scrape-off-layer of NBI-heated plasmas. The lithium was ionized in the SOL and appeared to flow along the magnetic field to the divertor plates. This method of coating produced similar effects to the evaporated lithium but at lower amounts.

ELM destabilization by externally applied non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations in NSTX

We report on a recent set of experiments performed in NSTX to explore the effects of non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations on the stability of edge-localized modes (ELMs). The application of these 3D fields in NSTX was found to have a strong effect on ELM stability, including the destabilization of ELMs in H-modes otherwise free of large ELMs. Exploiting the effect of the perturbations, ELMs have been controllably introduced into lithium-enhanced ELM-free H-modes, causing a reduction in impurity accumulation while maintaining high confinement. Although these experiments show the principle of the combined use of lithium coatings and 3D fields, further optimization is required in order to reduce the size of the induced ELMs.

The effect of progressively increasing lithium coatings on plasma discharge characteristics, transport, edge profiles and ELM stability in the National Spherical Torus Experiment

Lithium wall coatings have been shown to reduce recycling, suppress edge-localized modes (ELMs), and improve energy confinement in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). Here we document the effect of gradually increasing lithium wall coatings on the discharge characteristics, with the reference ELMy discharges obtained in boronized, i.e. non-lithiated conditions. We observed a continuous but not quite monotonic reduction in recycling and improvement in energy confinement, a gradual alteration of edge plasma profiles, and slowly increasing periods of ELM quiescence. The measured edge plasma profiles during the lithium-coating scan were simulated with the SOLPS code, which quantified the reduction in divertor recycling coefficient from ?98% to ?90%. The reduction in recycling and fuelling, coupled with a drop in the edge particle transport rate, reduced the average edge density profile gradient, and shifted it radially inwards from the separatrix location. In contrast, the edge electron temperature (Te) profile was unaffected in the H-mode pedestal steep gradient region within the last 5% of normalized poloidal flux, ?N ; however, the Te gradient became steeper at the top of the H-mode pedestal for 0.8?<??N?<?0.94 with lithium coatings. The peak pressure gradients were comparable during ELMy and ELM-free phases, but were shifted away from the separatrix in the ELM-free discharges, which is stabilizing to the current-driven instabilities thought to be responsible for ELMs in NSTX.

Improved understanding of physics processes in pedestal structure, leading to improved predictive capability for ITER

Joint experiment/theory/modelling research has led to increased confidence in predictions of the pedestal height in ITER. This work was performed as part of a US Department of Energy Joint Research Target in FY11 to identify physics processes that control the H-mode pedestal structure. The study included experiments on C-Mod, DIII-D and NSTX as well as interpretation of experimental data with theory-based modelling codes. This work provides increased confidence in the ability of models for peeling–ballooning stability, bootstrap current, pedestal width and pedestal height scaling to make correct predictions, with some areas needing further work also being identified. A model for pedestal pressure height has made good predictions in existing machines for a range in pressure of a factor of 20. This provides a solid basis for predicting the maximum pedestal pressure height in ITER, which is found to be an extrapolation of a factor of 3 beyond the existing data set. Models were studied for a number of processes that are proposed to play a role in the pedestal ne and Te profiles. These processes include neoclassical transport, paleoclassical transport, electron temperature gradient turbulence and neutral fuelling. All of these processes may be important, with the importance being dependent on the plasma regime. Studies with several electromagnetic gyrokinetic codes show that the gradients in and on top of the pedestal can drive a number of instabilities.

The super X divertor (SXD) and a compact fusion neutron source (CFNS)

A new magnetic geometry, the super X divertor (SXD), is invented to solve severe heat exhaust problems in high power density fusion plasmas. SXD divertor plates are moved to the largest major radii inside the TF coils, increasing the wetted area by 2–3 and the line length by 2–5. Two-dimensional fluid simulations with SOLPS (Schneider et al 2006 SOLPS 2-D edge calculation code Contrib. Plasma Phys. 46) show a several-fold decrease in divertor heat flux and plasma temperature at the plate. A small high power density tokamak using SXD is proposed, for either (1) useful fusion applications using conservative physics, such as a component test facility (CTF) or fission–fusion hybrid, or (2) to develop more advanced physics modes for a pure fusion reactor in an integrated fusion environment.

Progress in the development of ELM pace-making with non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations in NSTX

The application of non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations has been shown to destabilize edge-localized modes (ELMs) in the National Spherical Torus Experiment. This ELM-triggering effect is used to controllably introduce ELMs into lithium-enhanced ELM-free H-mode discharges, reducing the typical impurity accumulation while maintaining high energy confinement. Recent improvements to the triggering techniques are described. The perturbation waveform has been improved, with large amplitude, short duration perturbations allowing rapid, highly reliable triggering, with reduced braking of toroidal rotation. The rapid triggering allowed the ELM frequency to be increased to over 60 Hz, leading to a reduction in the average ELM size. Combined with improved gas fuelling, this method has resulted in periods of stationary global conditions, although plasma profiles do continue to evolve.

Progress in characterization of the pedestal stability and turbulence during the edge-localized-mode cycle on National Spherical Torus Experiment

Progress in characterizing the edge stability and properties of the microinstabilities responsible for enhanced transport in the pedestal region is reported. The stability of the pedestal is characterized in high performance discharges on National Spherical Torus Experiment. These high performance plasmas are found to be ideal kink-peeling and ideal infinite-n ballooning unstable prior to the onset of edge-localized modes (ELM). The spatial structure of turbulence present during an ELM cycle in the pedestal region indicates poloidal spatial scales propagating in the ion diamagnetic drift direction at the pedestal top, and radial spatial scales . These propagating spatial scales are found to be poloidally elongated and consistent with ion-scale microturbulence. Both global and local gyrokinetic simulations have been performed to identify the microturbulence structure. The local gyrokinetic analysis indicates the presence of a linearly unstable hybrid kinetic ballooning mode and trapped electron mode with spatial scale and propagation direction consistent with experimental observations. In the global gyrokinetic analysis, the nonlinearly saturated potential fluctuations show radial and poloidal correlation lengths in agreement with experimental density fluctuation correlation length measurements.

First use of three-dimensional equilibrium, stability, and transport calculations for interpretation of ELM-triggering with magnetic perturbations in NSTX

The application of non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations has been demonstrated to destabilize edge-localized modes (ELMs) in the National Spherical Torus Experiment. A model 3D equilibrium has been calculated for these experiments using the VMEC code, which assumes nested flux surfaces and therefore that resonant perturbations are shielded. First, a free-boundary equilibrium is calculated using the NSTX coil set, with pressure and current profiles matched to a standard 2D reconstruction, but with up?down symmetry enforced. A new equilibrium is then calculated with the n?=?3 field applied at a level consistent with experiment. This equilibrium is then used as the basis of further calculations using codes developed for analysis of stellarator plasmas. The neoclassical transport due to the 3D fields is calculated to be small compared with the experimental transport rates. Initial stability analysis has been performed, and indicates a modest degradation in ballooning stability with 3D fields applied. A new 3D equilibrium is also calculated using the SIESTA code, which allows for the formation of islands and stochastic regions. A comparison of the field structure between the SIESTA calculation and the assumption of fully penetrated vacuum perturbation indicates smaller island sizes and very small stochastic transport in the SIESTA case.

First observation of ELM pacing with vertical jogs in a spherical torus

Experiments in a number of conventional aspect ratio tokamaks have been successful in pacing edge localized modes (ELMs) by rapid vertical jogging of the plasma. This paper demonstrates the first pacing of ELMs in a spherical torus plasma. Applied 30 Hz vertical jogs synchronized the ELMs with the upward motion of the plasma. 45 Hz jogs also lead to an increase in the ELM frequency, though the synchronization of the ELMs and jogs was unclear. A reduction in the ELM energy was observed at the higher driven ELM frequencies.

Connection between plasma response and resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) edge localized mode (ELM) suppression in DIII-D

Calculations of the plasma response to applied non-axisymmetric fields in several DIII-D discharges show that predicted displacements depend strongly on the edge current density. This result is found using both a linear two-fluid-MHD model (M3D-C1) and a nonlinear ideal-MHD model (VMEC). Furthermore, it is observed that the probability of a discharge being edge localized mode (ELM)-suppressed is most closely related to the edge current density, as opposed to the pressure gradient. It is found that discharges with a stronger kink response are closer to the peeling–ballooning stability limit in ELITE simulations and eventually cross into the unstable region, causing ELMs to reappear. Thus for effective ELM suppression, the RMP has to prevent the plasma from generating a large kink response, associated with ELM instability. Experimental observations are in agreement with the finding; discharges which have a strong kink response in the MHD simulations show ELMs or ELM mitigation during the RMP phase of the experiment, while discharges with a small kink response in the MHD simulations are fully ELM suppressed in the experiment by the applied resonant magnetic perturbation. The results are cross-checked against modeled 3D ideal MHD equilibria using the VMEC code. The procedure of constructing optimal 3D equilibria for diverted H-mode discharges using VMEC is presented. Kink displacements in VMEC are found to scale with the edge current density, similar to M3D-C1, but the displacements are smaller. A direct correlation in the flux surface displacements to the bootstrap current is shown.