M. Mantsinen

gamma-ray diagnostics of energetic ions in JET

This paper reports recent progress in the field of γ-ray diagnosis of fast ions in the JET tokamak. The γ-rays, born in nuclear reactions between fast ions and main plasma impurities and/or plasma fuel ions, are analysed with a new modelling tool (the GAMMOD code) that has been developed for a quantitative analysis of the measured γ-ray energy spectra. The analysis of the γ-ray energy spectra identifies the different fast ions giving rise to the γ-ray emission and assesses the effective tail temperatures and relative concentrations of these fast ions. This assessment is possible, since the excitation functions for the different nuclear reactions are well established and exhibit a threshold or/and a resonant nature. The capabilities of the γ-ray spectral analysis are illustrated with the examples from the recent γ-ray diagnostic measurements of 4He, 3He, deuterium and hydrogen ions accelerated by ion-cyclotron resonance frequency heating in JET. Simultaneous measurements of several fast ion species, including highly energetic α-particles, are demonstrated. In addition to the γ-spectroscopy, tomographic reconstructions of the radial profile of the γ-ray emission are performed using the JET neutron profile monitor, thus providing direct measurements of the radial profiles of fast ions in JET.

Bulk ion heating with ICRH in JET DT plasmas

Reactor relevant ICRH scenarios have been assessed during DT experiments on the JET tokamak using H mode divertor discharges with ITER-like shapes and safety factors. Deuterium minority heating in tritium plasmas was demonstrated for the first time. For 9% deuterium, an ICRH power of 6 MW gave 1.66 MW of fusion power from reactions between suprathermal deuterons and thermal tritons. The Q value of the steady state discharge reached 0.22 for the length of the RF flat-top (2.7 s), corresponding to three plasma energy replacement times. The Doppler broadened neutron spectrum showed a deuteron energy of 125 keV, which was optimum for fusion and close to the critical energy. Thus, strong bulk ion heating was obtained at the same time as high fusion efficiency. Deuterium fractions around 20% produced the strongest ion heating together with a strong reduction of the suprathermal deuteron tail. The ELMs had low amplitude and high frequency and each ELM transported less plasma energy content than the 1% required by ITER. The energy confinement time, on the ITERH97-P scale, was 0.90, which is sufficient for ignition in ITER. 3He minority heating, in approximately 50:50 D:T plasmas with up to 10% 3He, also demonstrated strong bulk ion heating. Central ion temperatures up to 13 keV were achieved, together with central electron temperatures up to 12 keV. The normalized H mode confinement time was 0.95. Second harmonic tritium heating produced energetic tritons above the critical energy. This scheme heats the electrons in JET, unlike in ITER where the lower power density will allow mainly ion heating. The inverted scenario of tritium minority ICRH in a deuterium plasma was demonstrated as a successful heating method producing both suprathermal neutrons and bulk ion heating. Theoretical calculations of the DT reactivity mostly give excellent agreement with the measured reaction rates.

Towards fully non-inductive current drive operation in JET

Quasi-steady operation has been achieved at JET in the high-confinement regime with internal transport barriers (ITBs). The ITB has been maintained up to 11 s. This duration, much larger than the energy confinement time, is already approaching a current resistive time. The high-performance phase is limited only by plant constraints. The radial profiles of the thermal electron and ion pressures have steep gradients typically at mid-plasma radius. A large fraction of non-inductive current (above 80%) is sustained throughout the high-performance phase with a poloidal beta exceeding unity. The safety factor profile plays an important role in sustaining the ITB characteristics. In this regime where the self-generated bootstrap current (up to 1.0 MA) represents 50% of the total current, the resistive evolution of the non-monotonic q-profile is slowed down by using off-axis lower-hybrid current drive.

Role of sawtooth in avoiding impurity accumulation and maintaining good confinement in JET radiative mantle discharges

Impurity injection in the JET ELMy H-mode regime has produced high-confinement, quasi-steady-state plasmas with densities close to the Greenwald density. However, at large Ar densities, a sudden loss of confinement is observed. A possible correlation between loss of confinement and the observed MHD phenomena, both in the core and in the edge of the plasma, was considered. The degradation in confinement coincided with impurity profile peaking following the disappearance of sawtooth activity. In addition, impurity density profile analysis confirmed that central MHD modes prevented impurity peaking. Experiments were designed to understand the role of sawtooth crashes in re-distributing impurities. Ion-cyclotron radio frequency heating was used to control the central q-profile and maintain sawtooth activity. This resulted in quasi-steady-state, high-performance plasmas with high Ar densities. At and high Ar injection rates, quasi-steady-states, which previously only lasted <1τE, were now maintained for the duration of the heating (Δ t ~ 9τ E). The increased central heating may have an additional beneficial effect in opposing impurity accumulation by changing the core power balance and modifying the impurity transport as predicted by neo-classical theory.

Influence of the q-profile shape on plasma performance in JET

The fusion performance of JET plasmas can be enhanced by the generation of internal transport barriers. The influence of the q-profile shape in the local and global plasma performance has been investigated in cases where the core magnetic shear ranges from small and positive to large and negative. Internal barriers extending to large plasma radii can be effective in raising the global performance of the plasma. It is found that such barriers tend to be generated more easily if the q-profile contains a region of negative magnetic shear. The formation is favoured by neutral beam injection compared with ion cyclotron resonance heating in scenarios where the two systems are used together. The minimum power level required to observe a local transport reduction is significantly lower than the value at which very steep pressure gradients can be achieved. This results in a practical threshold in the power to access a regime of high plasma performance that is sensitive to the q-profile shape.

Integrated scenario in JET using real-time profile control

The recent development of real-time measurements and control tools in JET has enhanced the reliability and reproducibility of the relevant ITER scenarios. Diagnostics such as charge exchange, interfero-polarimetry, electron cyclotron emission have been upgraded for real-time measurements. In addition, real-time processes like magnetic equilibrium and q profile reconstruction have been developed and applied successfully in real-time q profile control experiments using model based control techniques. Plasma operation and control against magnetohydrodynamic instabilities are also benefiting from these new systems. The experience gained at JET in the field of real-time measurement and control experiments operation constitutes a very useful basis for the future operation of ITER scenarios.

Gamma-ray imaging of D and 4He ions accelerated by ion-cyclotron-resonance heating in JET plasmas

Gamma-ray images of fast D- and 4He-ions accelerated with third-harmonic ion-cyclotron-resonance heating of 4He-beam were simultaneously recorded for the first time in JET tokamak experiments dedicated to the investigation of burning plasmas with 3.5 MeV fusion alpha (α) particles. Gamma (γ) rays, born as a result of nuclear reactions, 9Be(4He, nγ)12C and 12C(D, pγ)13C, between the fast ions and the main plasma impurities, are measured using a two-dimensional multicollimator spectrometer array, which distinguishes the γ-rays from accelerated D- and 4He-ions. Tomographic reconstruction of the γ-ray emission profiles gives images of the fast-ion population in the poloidal cross-section. The potential of this technique to visualize several energetic ion species and to determine their behaviour in different plasma scenarios is demonstrated.

Theoretical analysis of ICRF heating in JET DT plasmas

A number of experiments with heating of DT plasmas using ICRF waves have been carried out at JET. The results of these experiments have been analysed by comparing experimentally measured quantities with the results of numerical simulations. In particular, four scenarios have been examined: (a) heating of minority (~5-20%) deuterons at the fundamental ion cyclotron frequency, ω = ωcD; (b) second harmonic heating of tritium, ω = 2ωcT; (c) fundamental minority heating of 3He with a few per cent of 3He; (d) second harmonic heating of deuterium, ω = 2ωcD. An important aim of the analysis was to assess whether the present understanding of the ICRF physics is adequate for predicting the performance of ICRF in DT plasmas. In general, good agreement between experimental results and simulations was found which increases the confidence in predictions of the impact of ICRF heating in future reactors. However, when a relatively high deuterium concentration was used in the ω = ωcD scenario, discrepancies were observed. In order to increase confidence in the simulations, the sensitivity of the simulation results to various plasma parameters has been studied.

Comparison of basis functions in soft x-ray tomography and observation of poloidal asymmetries in impurity density

Natural basis functions (NBF), also known as natural pixels in the literature, have been applied in tomographic reconstructions of soft x-ray (SXR) measurements in the JET (Joint European Torus) tokamak. The results are compared with those obtained with local basis functions (LBF), and those obtained with a conventional constrained-optimization tomography method. Truncated singular value decomposition is used as the inversion method. Reconstructions without a priori information, such as the NBF reconstructions, are, as can be expected, less good than reconstructions in which a priori information is used, as in the conventional method, but the reconstructions are shown to be reliable by means of phantom simulations. Reconstructions with the same number of LBFs as NBFs without a priori information are comparable to NBF reconstructions, although the latter seem to be somewhat better. No significant changes in results, apart from smaller reconstruction errors, are obtained if the measuring system has more regular or complete coverage than the JET SXR system. The various tomography methods are used to assess whether a newly observed in-out asymmetry in the SXR emission during the injection of nickel into an RF-heated plasma, with the peak on the inboard side, is real. A possible explanation for the asymmetry in emissivity is an increased nickel density on the inboard side as a result of an RF-induced increase of the hydrogen-minority density on the outboard side.

Localized bulk electron heating with ICRF mode conversion in the JET tokamak

Ion cyclotron resonance frequencies (ICRF) mode conversion has been developed for localized on-axis and off-axis bulk electron heating on the JET tokamak. The fast magnetosonic waves launched from the low-field side ICRF antennas are mode-converted to short-wavelength waves on the high-field side of the 3He ion cyclotron resonance layer in D and 4He plasmas and subsequently damped on the bulk electrons. The resulting electron power deposition, measured using ICRF power modulation, is narrow with a typical full-width at half-maximum of ?30?cm (i.e. about 30% of the minor radius) and the total deposited power to electrons comprises at least up to 80% of the applied ICRF power. The ICRF mode conversion power deposition has been kept constant using 3He bleed throughout the ICRF phase with a typical duration of 4?6?s, i.e. 15?40 energy confinement times. Using waves propagating in the counter-current direction minimizes competing ion damping in the presence of co-injected deuterium beam ions.