M. J. Walsh

First physics results from the MAST Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak

First physics results are presented from MAST (Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak), one of the new generation of purpose built spherical tokamaks (STs) now commencing operation. Some of these results demonstrate, for the first time, the novel effects of low aspect ratio, for example, the enhancement of resistivity due to neo-classical effects. H-mode is achieved and the transition to H-mode is accompanied by a tenfold steepening of the edge density gradient which may enable the successful application of electron Bernstein wave heating in STs. Studies of halo currents show that these less than expected from conventional tokamak results, and measurements of divertor power loading confirm that most of the power flows to the outer strike points, easing the power handling on the inner points (a critical issue for STs).

Design challenges and analysis of the ITER core LIDAR Thomson scattering system

The maximum temperature expected in ITER is in the region of 40keV and the minimum average density of approximately 3×1019m−3 is also expected. The proven capability, convenience, and port occupancy of the LIDAR Thomson scattering approach, demonstrated on JET, makes it an excellent candidate for ITER. Nonetheless, there are formidable design challenges in realizing such a diagnostic system. The expected high temperature presents its own problem of a very large relativistic blueshift of the scattered spectrum (e.g., λ∕λ0∼0.35 for Te=40keV), impacting on the laser choice and spectrometer/detector system. The combination of coupling high power lasers to the plasma and broadband wavelength detection has been examined in terms of minimizing the operational risk to the overall system, while optimizing the diagnostic performance. Part of the exercise has also included identifying the present critical components, and reducing their impact, e.g., on diagnostic reliability and performance, and attempt to make the ...

Scaling of H-mode energy confinement with Ip and BT in the MAST spherical tokamak

The dependences of energy confinement on plasma current and toroidal magnetic field have been investigated in the MAST spherical tokamak in H-mode plasmas. Multivariate fits show that the dependence of energy confinement time on plasma current Ip is weaker than linear while the dependence on toroidal magnetic field BT is stronger than linear, in contrast to conventional energy confinement scalings. These Ip and BT dependences have also been confirmed by single parameter scans. Transport analysis indicates that the strong BT scaling of energy confinement could possibly be explained by weaker q and stronger ν* dependence of heat diffusivity in comparison with conventional tokamaks.

Combined visible and infrared Thomson scattering on the MAST experiment

A dual laser Thomson scattering system is implemented in the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST). The complementary features of each approach are exploited. One system is ideally suited to measuring detailed profile behavior across the plasma while the other is ideally suited though not exclusively to studying fast changing events and general characterization of the plasma. Both systems are designed to be flexible and allow future expansion to suit the needs of a changing physics program.

Evolution of the pedestal on MAST and the implications for ELM power loadings

Studies of the pedestal characteristics and quantities determining edge-localized mode (ELM) energy losses in MAST are presented. High temperature pedestal plasmas have been achieved which have collisionalities one order of magnitude lower than previous results . A stability analysis performed on these plasmas shows them to be near the ballooning limit. The fraction of pedestal energy released by an ELM as a function of collisionality on MAST is consistent with data from other devices. The evolution of the filamentary structures observed during ELMs has been studied and has shown that they exist near to the last closed flux surface for the time over which the majority of particles and energy are being released from the pedestal region into the scrape off layer. A simple model has been developed, which is in reasonable agreement with the observed ELM energy losses and target profiles.

Pedestal width and ELM size identity studies in JET and DIII-D: implications for ITER

The dependence of the H-mode edge transport barrier width on normalized ion gyroradius (rho* = rho/a) in discharges with type I ELMs was examined in experiments combining data for the JET and DIII-D tokamaks. The plasma configuration as well as the local normalized pressure (beta), collisionality (nu*), Mach number and the ratio of ion and electron temperature at the pedestal top were kept constant, while rho* was varied by a factor of four. The width of the steep gradient region of the electron temperature (T-e) and density (n(e)) pedestals normalized to machine size showed no or only a weak trend with rho*. A rho(1/2) or rho(1) dependence of the pedestal width, given by some theoretical predictions, is not supported by the current experiments. This is encouraging for the pedestal scaling towards ITER as it operates at lower rho* than existing devices. Some differences in pedestal structure and ELM behaviour were, however, found between the devices; in the DIII-D discharges, the n(e) and T-e pedestal were aligned at high rho* but the ne pedestal shifted outwards in radius relative to T-e as rho* decreases, while on JET the profiles remained aligned while rho* was scanned by a factor of two. The energy loss at an ELM normalized to the pedestal energy increased from 10% to 40% as rho* increased by a factor of two in the DIII-D discharges but no such variation was observed in the case of JET. The measured pedestal pressures and widths were found to be consistent with the predictions from modelling based on peeling-ballooning stability theory, and are used to make projections towards ITER

A 130 point Nd:YAG Thomson scattering diagnostic on MAST.

A Thomson scattering diagnostic designed to measure both edge and core physics has been implemented on MAST. The system uses eight Nd:YAG lasers, each with a repetition rate of 30 Hz. The relative and absolute timing of the lasers may be set arbitrarily to produce fast bursts of measurements to suit the time evolution of the physics being studied. The scattered light is collected at F/6 by a 100 kg six element lens system with an aperture stop of 290 mm. The collected light is then transferred to 130 polychromators by 130 independent fiber bundles. The data acquisition and processing are based on a distributed computer system of dual core processors embedded in 26 chassis. Each chassis is standalone and performs data acquisition and processing for five polychromators. This system allows data to be available quickly after the MAST shot and has potential for real-time operations.

High-throughput charge exchange recombination spectroscopy system on MAST

A major upgrade to the charge exchange recombination spectroscopy system on MAST has recently been implemented. The new system consists of a high-throughput spectrometer coupled to a total of 224 spatial channels, including toroidal and poloidal views of both neutral heating beams on MAST. Radial resolution is ∼1cm, comparable to the ion Larmor radius. The toroidal views are configured with 64 channels per beam, while the poloidal views have 32 channels per beam. Background channels for both poloidal and toroidal views are also provided. A large transmission grating is at the heart of the new spectrometer, with high quality single lens reflex lenses providing excellent imaging performance and permitting the full exploitation of the available etendue of the camera sensor. The charge-coupled device camera chosen has four-tap readout at a maximum aggregate speed of 8.8MHz, and it is capable of reading out the full set of 224 channels in less than 4ms. The system normally operates at 529nm, viewing the C5+ em...

Pedestal and scrape-off layer dynamics in ELMy H-mode plasmas in JET

Pedestal and scrape-off layer (SOL) dynamics due to edge localized modes (ELMs) have been studied on JET with improved diagnostic capability. The new high resolution Thomson scattering system enables detailed measurement of the space and time evolution of the Te and ne pedestal profiles. The pedestal and SOL dynamics for type I ELMy H-mode plasmas have been studied for a wide range of plasma conditions. During a short period of <200u2009µs after the ELM event radial profiles of filaments in the SOL electron density and temperature have been observed. After that period the SOL density is increased and remains high for several milliseconds. During the same period the electron temperature shows no increase compared with the pre-ELM values. This SOL dynamics has been observed for a wide range of plasma parameters and is independent of plasma pedestal collisionality. For the first time on JET the convective and conductive ELM energy losses have been quantified using the new kinetic profile measurements. The findings provide detailed confirmation of earlier observations based on different measurements and analysis. The pedestal region perturbed by the ELM is the same for both density and temperature and the ELM effect extends up to about 20% of minor radius. The convective energy losses do not vary significantly and are ~5% of the pedestal stored energy (Wped) over a large range of pedestal collisionality from below to above whereas the conductive losses strongly decrease from ~20% of Wped to 5% of Wped with increasing . The experimental observations are compared with a simple model based on losses being driven by parallel transport.

Particle confinement of pellet-fuelled tokamak plasma

This paper quantifies the particle confinement of pellet-fuelled plasmas as measured in the Mega Ampere Spherical Tokamak. The dataset is restricted mostly to neutral beam heated plasmas in H-mode and to shallow pellets launched from the high-field side. It is shown that the pellet deposition can be explained only by invoking the ?B drift of the pellet ablatant. The pellet creates a zone with positive density gradient and increased temperature gradient. Simulations show that these changes could increase the level of micro-turbulence and thus enhance further the penetration of pellet-deposited particles towards the core. Post-pellet dynamics of the density profile is characterized by the pellet retention time ?pel. It is shown that ?pel correlates with the status of the edge transport barrier (L-mode or H-mode) and decreases rapidly for pellet deposition radius rpel approaching the plasma edge. For ELMy H-mode and pellet deposition radius of rpel ? 0.8a, the pellet retention time is about 20% of the energy confinement time. The fuelling requirement by the pellets for ITER and the Component Test Facility based on the spherical tokamak is discussed.