K. H. Finken

Fast scanning probe for tokamak plasmas

We describe a fast reciprocating probe drive, which has three main new features: (1) a detachable and modular probe head for easy maintenance, (2) a combination of high heat flux capability, high bandwidth, and low-Z materials construction, and (3) low weight, compact, inexpensive construction. The probe is mounted in a fast pneumatic drive in order to reach plasma regions of interest and remain inserted long enough to obtain good statistics while minimizing the heat flux to the tips and head. The drive is pneumatic and has been designed to be compact and reliable to comply with space and maintenance requirements of tokamaks. The probe described here has five tips which obtain a full spectrum of plasma parameters: electron temperature profile Te(r), electron density profile ne(r), floating potential profile Vf(r), poloidal electric field profile Eθ(r), saturation current profile Isat(r), and their fluctuations up to 3 MHz. We describe the probe show radial profiles of various parameters. We compare the de...

Transport and divertor properties of the dynamic ergodic divertor

The concept of the dynamic ergodic divertor (DED) is based on plasma edge ergodization by a resonant perturbation. Such a divertor concept is closely related to helical or island divertors in stellerators. The base mode of the DED perturbation field can be m/n = 12/4, 6/2 or 3/1. The 3/1 base mode with its deep penetration of the perturbation field provides the excitation of tearing modes. This topic was presented elsewhere. In this contribution we concentrate on the divertor properties of the DED. We report on the characterization of the topology, transport properties in ergodic fields, impurity transport and density limit behaviour.The 12/4 base where the perturbation is restricted to the plasma edge is suitable for divertor operation. With increasing perturbation field island chains are built up at the resonance layers. Overlapping islands lead to ergodization. The plasma is guided in the laminar region via open field lines of short connection length to the divertor target. The magnetic topology is not only controlled by the coil current but especially by the edge safety factor. For appropriate edge safety factor we observe a strong temperature drop in the plasma edge, indicating an expansion of the laminar region, which is necessary to decouple the divertor plasma from the core plasma. The modifications of the magnetic topology can be directly seen, for example, from carbon emission lines. The magnetic structure is calculated by the ATLAS code and shows good agreement with the experimental findings.

The dynamic ergodic divertor in the TEXTOR tokamak: plasma response to dynamic helical magnetic field perturbations

Recently, the dynamic ergodic divertor (DED) of TEXTOR has been studied in an m/n = 3/1 set-up which is characterized by a relatively deep penetration of the perturbation field. The perturbation field creates (a) a helical divertor, (b) an ergodic pattern and/or (c) excitation of tearing modes, depending on whether the DED current is static, rotating in the co-current direction or in the counter-current direction. Characteristic divertor properties such as the high recycling regime or enhanced shielding have been studied. A strong effect of the ergodization is spin up of the plasma rotation, possibly due to the electric field at the plasma edge. Tearing modes are excited in a rather reproducible way and their excitation threshold value, their motion and their reduction due to the ECRH/ECCD have been studied. The different scenarios are characterized by strong modifications of the toroidal velocity profile and by a reduced or enhanced radial transport.

Plasma Exhaust and Density Control in Tokamak Fusion Experiments with Neutral Beam or ICRF Auxiliary Heating

Particle exhaust studies have been carried out with the pump limiter ALT-II in the TEXTOR tokamak, under ohmic conditions as well as with NBI and with ICRF auxiliary heating, and the pumping effectiveness is shown to meet the requirements for a fusion reactor. Quantitative measurements of Dα emission, made with a CCD camera, have been used to determine the particle efflux from the plasma. Roughly one third of the Dα emission occurs in a diffuse `halo that surrounds the limiter belt. The particle confinement time is less than the energy confinement time by a factor of typically 4. Modelling in 2-D of plasma and neutral flows in the TEXTOR boundary has been performed. The source of D+ ions can be related to the Dα emission by a factor that is found to depend on the location of the emission and on the discharge density. The predicted total Dα emission agrees with the measurements within a factor of about 2. Pumping of ALT-II allows for density control; with NBI, the density can be increased well beyond the ohmic limit without the discharge ending in disruption. The plasma particle efflux and the pumped flux both increase with density as well as with heating power. The exhaust efficiency is typically ~2%, with the highest values observed in high density NBI discharges. Higher exhaust rates are observed with NBI than with ICRF. Plasma and neutral flows in the ALT-II scoops have been simulated, making use of a simple plasma model. The scoop may be viewed as a non-linear amplifier of the plasma particle flux; the amplification is found to range from about 2 to 3 for most cases. Flow reversal in the scoop is found in some of the NBI cases and particularly in the highest density case.

Overview of core diagnostics for TEXTOR

Abstract The diagnostic system of TEXTOR comprises about 50 individual diagnostic devices. Since the start of the Trilateral Euregio Cluster collaboration, part of the emphasis in the experimental program has shifted toward the study of physics processes in the plasma core. To aid these studies several new and advanced core diagnostics have been implemented, whereas a number of other core diagnostics have been upgraded to higher resolution, more channels, and better accuracy. In this paper a brief overview is given of the present set of plasma core diagnostics at TEXTOR.

Plasma rotation induced by the Dynamic Ergodic Divertor

After introduction of the experimental options available with the Dynamic Ergodic Divertor (DED) and a discussion of the static aspects of the ergodic and laminar zones, the dynamic aspects of the rotating DED field are emphasized. The rotating perturbation field induces a shielding current which is modelled under different assumptions. Interaction of the shielding current with that of the DED coils results in a torque exerted by the coils on the plasma. The location of the maximum of this torque with respect to the frequency depends critically on the width of the shielding current, and for the TEXTOR-DED conditions it is in the frequency band of 1-30 kHz. The DED will have the option of operation with full power in this band so that the basic investigations on the field line penetration can be attempted. The force transferred to the plasma has two components, a weaker toroidal one and a dominant poloidal one. The toroidal force component has about the same value as the one from NBI; from the experience with NBI induced plasma rotation, a substantial plasma acceleration in the toroidal direction is expected. For neoclassical reasons it is not yet clear whether the dominant poloidal force component will result in a poloidal plasma rotation or a radial force. If the poloidal rotation is inhibited, a static radial electric field is estimated on the basis of a revisited neoclassical theory to be of the order of several kilovolts per metre.

New diagnostics for physics studies on TEXTOR-94 (invited)

Recently the Dutch, Belgian, and North-Rhine Westphalian Fusion Institutes have consolidated their fusion research on the medium-sized tokamak TEXTOR-94 in the so-called Trilateral Euregio Cluster. To aid the new physics program of TEC, a large number of advanced core diagnostics has recently been implemented. In this article we will discuss the reasoning that has led to the choices of the various diagnostics. Furthermore, we will briefly describe the new diagnostics systems.

Edge physics, divertors, pump limiters

Abstract The properties of the scrape-off layer (SOL) determine both the particle removal as well as the power exhaust. The particle flows in the SOL and their radial decay give constraints for the construction of the main plasma facing components, pump limiters and divertors. Both systems allow for an adequate particle and power removal option.

Studies on basic phenomena during the pellet injection into high-temperature plasmas

The injection of hydrogen/deuterium pellets into a tokamak leads to a sudden increase in the electron density, and subsequently to a profile peaking of the density and an increase in the stored energy. Immediately after the injection, different types of oscillations are excited. On TEXTOR, the first type immediately follows the injection and the second one is excited with a delay of more than 10 ms. The oscillations show a `snake-like structure and occur close to the q = 1 surface with a frequency of 0.7 - 2 kHz. The radial location of the second oscillation is slightly shifted with respect to the first one. A fast-cooling phenomenon (`pre-cooling) in the core region of a plasma is often observed at pellet ablation phase. A study on the relation between the `pre-cooling and sawtooth oscillations suggests that the central value of safety factor of plasmas, q(0), is kept sufficiently below unity even just after the sawtooth crash. During pellet injection, the ablation rate is strongly modulated; these modulations cause so-called `striations in the ablation cloud. One model relates the striations to the energy reservoir on the plasma flux surfaces and describes the possibility of deriving the q-profile; the question of whether this method provides reliable results cannot yet be answered conclusively. The trajectory of the pellet in the plasma is in general not straight but deflected in the electron drift direction (OH discharges) or in the ion drift direction (CO-NBI discharges). The cloud develops a helically structured tail in the electron flow direction (toroidally) and in the electron diamagnetic drift direction (poloidally). The tail structure is attributed to charge-exchange processes and to plasma rotation.