L. Amicucci

Current drive at plasma densities required for thermonuclear reactors

Progress in thermonuclear fusion energy research based on deuterium plasmas magnetically confined in toroidal tokamak devices requires the development of efficient current drive methods. Previous experiments have shown that plasma current can be driven effectively by externally launched radio frequency power coupled to lower hybrid plasma waves. However, at the high plasma densities required for fusion power plants, the coupled radio frequency power does not penetrate into the plasma core, possibly because of strong wave interactions with the plasma edge. Here we show experiments performed on FTU (Frascati Tokamak Upgrade) based on theoretical predictions that nonlinear interactions diminish when the peripheral plasma electron temperature is high, allowing significant wave penetration at high density. The results show that the coupled radio frequency power can penetrate into high-density plasmas due to weaker plasma edge effects, thus extending the effective range of lower hybrid current drive towards the domain relevant for fusion reactors.

Investigations of LHW-plasma coupling and current drive at high density related to H-mode experiments in EAST

Two important issues in achieving lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) high confinement plasma in EAST are to improve lower hybrid wave (LHW)-plasma coupling and to drive the plasma current at a high density. Studies in different configurations with different directions of toroidal magnetic field (Bt) show that the density near the antenna is affected by both the radial electric field induced by plasma without a LHW (Er_plasma) in the scrape off layer (SOL), and the radial electric field induced by LHW power (Er_LH) near the grill. Investigations indicate that Er × Bt in the SOL leads to a different effect of configuration on the LHW-plasma coupling and Er_LH × Bt accounts for the asymmetric density behaviour in the SOL observed in the experiments, where Er is the total radial electric field in the SOL. Modelling of parametric instability (PI), collisional absorption (CA) and scattering from density fluctuations (SDF) in the edge region, performed considering the parameters of high density LHCD experiments in EAST, has shown that these mechanisms could be responsible for the low current drive (CD) efficiency at high density. Radiofrequency probe spectra, useful for documenting PI occurrence, show sidebands whose amplitude in the case of the lithiated vacuum chamber is smaller than in the case of poor lithiation, consistently with growth rates from PI modeling of the respective reference discharges. Since strong lithiation is also expected to diminish the parasitic effect on the LHCD of the remaining possible mechanisms, this appears to be a useful method for improving LHCD efficiency at a high density.

Current drive for stability of thermonuclear plasma reactor

To produce in a thermonuclear fusion reactor based on the tokamak concept a sufficiently high fusion gain together stability necessary for operations represent a major challenge, which depends on the capability of driving non-inductive current in the hydrogen plasma. This request should be satisfied by radio-frequency (RF) power suitable for producing the lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) effect, recently demonstrated successfully occurring also at reactor-graded high plasma densities. An LHCD-based tool should be in principle capable of tailoring the plasma current density in the outer radial half of plasma column, where other methods are much less effective, in order to ensure operations in the presence of unpredictably changes of the plasma pressure profiles. In the presence of too high electron temperatures even at the periphery of the plasma column, as envisaged in DEMO reactor, the penetration of the coupled RF power into the plasma core was believed for long time problematic and, only recently, numerical modelling results based on standard plasma wave theory, have shown that this problem should be solved by using suitable parameter of the antenna power spectrum. We show here further information on the new understanding of the RF power deposition profile dependence on antenna parameters, which supports the conclusion that current can be actively driven over a broad layer of the outer radial half of plasma column, thus enabling current profile control necessary for the stability of a reactor.

Influence of collisions on parametric instabilities induced by lower hybrid waves in tokamak plasmas

Parametric instabilities induced at the plasma edge by lower hybrid wave power externally coupled to tokamak plasmas have, via broadening of the antenna spectrum, strong influence on the power deposition and current drive in the core. For modeling the parametric instabilities at the tokamak plasma edge in lower hybrid current drive experiments, the effect of the collisions has been neglected so far. In the present work, a specific collisional parametric dispersion relation, useful to analyze these nonlinear phenomena near the lower hybrid antenna mouth, is derived for the first time, based on a kinetic model. Numerical solutions show that in such cold plasma regions the collisions prevent the onset of the parametric instabilities. This result is important for present lower hybrid current drive experiments, as well as in fusion reactor scenarios.

Conditions for Lower Hybrid Current Drive in ITER

To control the plasma current profile represents one of the most important problems of the research of nuclear fusion energy based on the tokamak concept, as in the plasma column the necessary conditions of stability and confinement should be satisfied. This problem can be solved by using the lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) effect, which was demonstrated to occur also at reactor grade high plasma densities provided that a proper method should be utilised, as assessed on FTU (Frascati Tokamak Upgrade). This method, based on theoretical predictions confirmed by experiment, produces relatively high electron temperature at the plasma periphery and scrape-off layer (SOL), consequently reducing the broadening of the spectrum launched by the antenna produced by parasitic wave physics of the edge, namely parametric instability (PI). The new results presented here show that, for kinetic profiles now foreseen for the SOL of ITER, PI is expected to hugely broaden the antenna spectrum and prevent any penetration in the core of the coupled LH power. However, considering the FTU method and assuming higher electron temperature at the edge (which would be however reasonable for ITER) the PI-produced spectral broadening would be mitigated, and enable the penetration of the coupled LH power in the main plasma. By successful LHCD effect, the control of the plasma current profile at normalised minor radius of about 0.8 would be possible, with much higher efficiency than that obtainable by other tools. A very useful reinforce of bootstrap current effects would be thus possible by LHCD in ITER.

Lower hybrid current drive favoured by electron cyclotron radiofrequency heating

The important goal of adding to the bootstrap a fraction of non-inductive plasma current, which would be controlled for obtaining and optimizing steady-state profiles, can be reached by using the Current Drive produced by Lower Hybrid waves (LHCD). FTU (Frascati Tokamak Upgrade) experiments demonstrated, indeed, that LHCD is effective at reactor-graded high plasma density, and the LH spectral broadening is reduced, operating with higher electron temperature in the outer region of plasma column (Te_periphery). This method was obtained following the guidelines of theoretical predictions indicating that the broadening of launched spectrum produced by parametric instability (PI) should be reduced, and the LHCD effect at high density consequently enabled, under higher (Te_periphery). In FTU, the temperature increase in the outer plasma region was obtained by operating with reduced particle recycling, lithized walls and deep gas fuelling by means of fast pellet. Heating plasma periphery with electron cyclotron resonant waves (ECRH) will provide a further tool for achieving steady-state operations. New FTU experimental results are presented here, demonstrating that temperature effect at the plasma periphery, affecting LH penetration, occurs in a range of plasma parameters broader than in previous work. New information is also shown on the modelling assessing frequencies and growth rates of the PI coupled modes responsible of spectral broadening. Finally, we present the design of an experiment scheduled on FTU next campaign, where ECRH power is used to slightly increase the electron temperature in the outer plasma region of a high-density discharge aiming at restoring LHCD. Consequent to model results, by operating with a toroidal magnetic field of 6.3 T, useful for locating the electron cyclotron resonant layer at the periphery of the plasma column (r/a∼0.8, f0=144 GHz), an increase of Te in the outer plasma (from 40 eV to 80 eV at r/a∼0.8) is expected by the JETTO code, sufficient for recovering LHCD. An ECRH power of 0.8 MW, and the standard FTU regime at high plasma density (neav∼1.3×1020m−3 and plasma current of 0.5 MA) have been considered. The code has been set with transport modelling to reproduce the evolution of FTU kinetic profiles.The important goal of adding to the bootstrap a fraction of non-inductive plasma current, which would be controlled for obtaining and optimizing steady-state profiles, can be reached by using the Current Drive produced by Lower Hybrid waves (LHCD). FTU (Frascati Tokamak Upgrade) experiments demonstrated, indeed, that LHCD is effective at reactor-graded high plasma density, and the LH spectral broadening is reduced, operating with higher electron temperature in the outer region of plasma column (Te_periphery). This method was obtained following the guidelines of theoretical predictions indicating that the broadening of launched spectrum produced by parametric instability (PI) should be reduced, and the LHCD effect at high density consequently enabled, under higher (Te_periphery). In FTU, the temperature increase in the outer plasma region was obtained by operating with reduced particle recycling, lithized walls and deep gas fuelling by means of fast pellet. Heating plasma periphery with electron cyclotron ...

Corrigendum: Current drive at plasma densities required for thermonuclear reactors

Nature Communications 1: Article number: 55 (2010); Published: 10 August 2010; Updated:19 September 2013. In Fig. 3 of this Article, the colours of the blue and green curves were accidentally interchanged while the manuscript was being revised. In addition, the x axis labels on Fig. 4 should have read ‘Frequency (MHz)’.