M. Murakami

Edge localized modes and the pedestal: A model based on coupled peeling–ballooning modes

A model based on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability of the tokamak plasma edge region is presented, which describes characteristics of edge localized modes (ELMs) and the pedestal. The model emphasizes the dual role played by large bootstrap currents driven by the sharp pressure gradients in the pedestal region. Pedestal currents reduce the edge magnetic shear, stabilizing high toroidal mode number (n) ballooning modes, while at the same time providing drive for intermediate to low n peeling modes. The result is that coupled peeling–ballooning modes at intermediate n (3<n<20) are often the limiting instability which constrains the pedestal and triggers ELMs. These modes are characterized in shaped tokamak equilibria using an efficient new numerical code, and simplified models are developed for pedestal limits and the ELM cycle. Results are compared to several experiments, and nonideal MHD effects are briefly discussed.

Confinement in beam-heated plasmas: the effects of low-Z impurities

Confinement studies on the Impurity Study Experiment (ISX-B) in beam-heated plasmas contaminated with small quantities of low-Z impurities are reported. Experimental results on the correlation of particle and energy confinement are presented. A linear relationship of energy confinement and plasma density is observed. As density is increased further, this effect saturates and energy confinement becomes independent of electron density. The experiments have been extended to higher beam power, resulting in an expansion of the ISX-B operating space. Impurities other than neon (carbon and silicon) have been tried and do not produce an enhancement in confinement. Edge cooling by the introduction of impurities has been demonstrated. The change in confinement has been shown to be correlated with changes in the normalized poloidal field fluctuation level (θ/Bθ) but not with the density fluctuation level (ne/ne). The experimental results are compared with models of drift-wave and resistive ballooning turbulence and an explanation is offered for the difference between the results with recycling and non-recycling impurities.

Physics of confinement improvement of plasmas with impurity injection in DIII-D

External impurity injection into L mode edge discharges in DIII-D has produced clear confinement improvement (a factor of 2 in energy confinement and neutron emission), reduction in all transport channels (particularly ion thermal diffusivity to the neoclassical level), and simultaneous reduction of long wavelength turbulence. Suppression of the long wavelength turbulence and transport reduction are attributed to synergistic effects of impurity induced enhancement of E × B shearing rate and reduction of toroidal drift wave turbulence growth rate. A prompt reduction of density fluctuations and local transport at the beginning of impurity injection appears to result from an increased gradient of toroidal rotation enhancing the E × B shearing. Transport simulations carried out using the National Transport Code Collaboration demonstration code with a gyro-Landau fluid model, GLF23, indicate that E × B shearing suppression is the dominant transport suppression mechanism.

Demonstration of ITER operational scenarios on DIII-D

The DIII-D programme has recently initiated an effort to provide suitably scaled experimental evaluations of four primary ITER operational scenarios. New and unique features of this work are that the plasmas incorporate essential features of the ITER scenarios and anticipated operating characteristics; e.g. the plasma cross-section, aspect ratio and value of I/aB of the DIII-D discharges match the ITER design, with size reduced by a factor of 3.7. Key aspects of all four scenarios, such as target values for βN and H98, have been replicated successfully on DIII-D, providing an improved and unified physics basis for transport and stability modelling, as well as for performance extrapolation to ITER. In all four scenarios, normalized performance equals or closely approaches that required to realize the physics and technology goals of ITER, and projections of the DIII-D discharges are consistent with ITER achieving its goals of ≥400 MW of fusion power production and Q ≥ 10. These studies also address many of the key physics issues related to the ITER design, including the L–H transition power threshold, the size of edge localized modes, pedestal parameter scaling, the impact of tearing modes on confinement and disruptivity, beta limits and the required capabilities of the plasma control system. An example of direct influence on the ITER design from this work is a modification of the physics requirements for the poloidal field coil set at 15 MA, based on observations that the inductance in the baseline scenario case evolves to a value that lies outside the original ITER specification.

Optimizing stability, transport, and divertor operation through plasma shaping for steady-state scenario development in DIII-D

Recent studies on the DIII-D tokamak [J. L. Luxon, Nucl. Fusion 42, 614 (2002)] have elucidated key aspects of the dependence of stability, confinement, and density control on the plasma magnetic configuration, leading to the demonstration of nearly noninductive operation for >1u2002s with pressure 30% above the ideal no-wall stability limit. Achieving fully noninductive tokamak operation requires high pressure, good confinement, and density control through divertor pumping. Plasma geometry affects all of these. Ideal magnetohydrodynamics modeling of external kink stability suggests that it may be optimized by adjusting the shape parameter known as squareness (ζ). Optimizing kink stability leads to an increase in the maximum stable pressure. Experiments confirm that stability varies strongly with ζ, in agreement with the modeling. Optimization of kink stability via ζ is concurrent with an increase in the H-mode edge pressure pedestal stability. Global energy confinement is optimized at the lowest ζ tested, wi...

Recent progress on JET towards the ITER reference mode of operation at high density

Recent progress towards obtaining high density and high confinement in JET as required for the ITER reference scenario at Q = 10 is summarized. Plasmas with simultaneous confinement H-98(y.2) = 1 and densities up to n/n(Gw) similar to 1 are now routinely obtained. This has been possible (i) by using plasmas at high (delta similar to 0.5) and medium (delta similar to 0.3-0.4) triangularity with sufficient heating power to maintain Type I ELMs, (ii) with impurity seeded plasmas at high (delta similar to 0.5) and low (delta less than or equal to 0.2) triangularity, (iii) with an optimized pellet injection sequence, maintaining the energy confinement and raising the density, and (iv) by carefully tuning the gas puff rate leading to plasmas with peaked density profiles and good confinement at long time scales. These high performance discharges exhibit Type I ELMs, with a new and more favourable behaviour observed at high densities, requiring further studies. Techniques for a possible mitigation of these ELMs are discussed, and first promising results are obtained with impurity seeding in discharges at high triangularity. Scaling studies using the new data of this year show a strong dependence of confinement on upper triangularity, density and proximity to the Greenwald limit. Observed MHD instabilities and methods to avoid these in high density and high confinement plasmas are discussed.

Ion cyclotron range of frequencies heating and current drive in deuterium–tritium plasmas

The first experiments utilizing high‐power radio waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies to heat deuterium–tritium (D–T) plasmas have been completed on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor [Fusion Technol. 21, 13 (1992)]. Results from the initial series of experiments have demonstrated efficient core second harmonic tritium (2ΩT) heating in parameter regimes approaching those anticipated for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor [D. E. Post, Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research, Proceedings of the 13th International Conference, Washington, DC, 1990 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1991), Vol. 3, p. 239]. Observations are consistent with modeling predictions for these plasmas. Efficient electron heating via mode conversion of fast waves to ion Bernstein waves has been observed in D–T, deuterium‐deuterium (D–D), and deuterium–helium‐4 (D–4He) plasmas with high concentrations of minority helium‐3 (3He) (n3He/ne≳10%). Mode conversion current drive in D–T plasmas ...

Optimization of the safety factor profile for high noninductive current fraction discharges in DIII-D

In order to assess the optimum q profile for discharges in DIII-D with 100% of the current driven noninductively (fNI = 1), the self-consistent response of the plasma profiles to changes in the q profile was studied in high fNI, high βN discharges through a scan of qmin and q95 at two values of βN. As expected, both the bootstrap current fraction, fBS, and fNI increased with q95. The temperature and density profiles were found to broaden as either qmin or βN is increased. A consequence is that fBS does not continue to increase at the highest values of qmin. A scaling function that depends on qmin, q95, and the peaking factor for the thermal pressure was found to represent well the fBS/βN inferred from the experimental profiles. The changes in the shapes of the density and temperature profiles as βN is increased modify the bootstrap current density (JBS) profile from peaked close to the axis to relatively flat in the region between the axis and the H-mode pedestal. Therefore, significant externally driven current density in the region inside the H-mode pedestal is required in addition to JBS in order to match the profiles of the noninductive current density (JNI) to the desired total current density (J). In this experiment, the additional current density was provided mostly by neutral beam current drive with the neutral-beam-driven current fraction 40–90% of fBS. The profiles of JNI and J were most similar at qmin ≈ 1.35–1.65, q95 ≈ 6.8, where fBS is also maximum, establishing this q profile as the optimal choice for fNI = 1 operation in DIII-D with the existing set of external current drive sources.

Status of local transport measurements and analysis in toroidal devices

This paper reviews the status of methods used to analyze local transport of particles, energy, and angular momentum in plasmas contained in toroidal fusion devices. The standard technique at present is based on determination of particle, energy, and momentum fluxes through analysis based on measured profiles of density, temperature and angular rotation speed and on calculation of all sources of particles, energy, and momentum. Recent experiments have also been done using perturbations of local density, temperature, or angular rotation speed caused by modulating the input sources. The local transport information is then extracted from the time history of the perturbations. These two techniques are contrasted and the strengths of each are discussed in this paper. Recommendations for further work needed to make progress in understanding transport are also given.

Comparing simulation of plasma turbulence with experiment

The direct quantitative correspondence between theoretical predictions and the measured plasma fluctuations and transport is tested by performing nonlinear gyro-Landau-fluid simulations with the GRYFFIN (or ITG) code [W. Dorland and G. W. Hammett, Phys. Fluids B 5, 812 (1993); M. A. Beer and G. W. Hammett, Phys. Plasmas 3, 4046 (1996)]. In an L-mode reference discharge in the DIII-D tokamak [J. L. Luxon and L. G. Davis, Fusion Technol. 8, 441 (1985)], which has relatively large fluctuations and transport, the turbulence is dominated by ion temperature gradient (ITG) modes. Trapped electron modes and impurity drift waves also play a role. Density fluctuations are measured by beam emission spectroscopy [R. J. Fonck, P. A. Duperrex, and S. F. Paul, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 61, 3487 (1990)]. Experimental fluxes and corresponding diffusivities are analyzed by the TRANSP code [R. J. Hawryluk, in Physics of Plasmas Close to Thermonuclear Conditions, edited by B. Coppi, G. G. Leotta, D. Pfirsch, R. Pozzoli, and E. Sind...