M. Stamp

Disruption mitigation by massive gas injection in JET

Disruption mitigation is mandatory for ITER in order to reduce forces, to mitigate heat loads during the thermal quench and to avoid runaway electrons (REs). A fast disruption mitigation valve has been installed at JET to study mitigation by massive gas injection. Different gas species and amounts have been investigated with respect to timescales and mitigation efficiency. We discuss the mitigation of halo currents as well as sideways forces during vertical displacement events, the mitigation of heat loads by increased energy dissipation through radiation, the heat loads which could arise by asymmetric radiation and the suppression of REs.

Integrated scenario with type-III ELMy H-mode edge: extrapolation to ITER

One of the most severe problems for fusion reactors is the power load on the plasma facing components. The challenge is to develop operation scenarios, which combine sufficient energy confinement with benign heat loads to the plasma facing components. The radiative type-III ELMy H-mode seems a possible solution for such an integrated ITER scenario. Nitrogen seeded type-III ELMy H-modes for the standard inductive scenario and the high beta stationary hybrid scenario are investigated with respect to their transient and steady-state power fluxes to the divertor, confinement properties, edge operational space, core operational space, plasma purity and MHD behaviour. A large database of highly radiative type-III ELMy H-modes on JET is used for extrapolations to ITER. On this basis the transient heat load should be acceptable for ITER. It was found that the scaling of the confinement time with respect to the ion gyroradius is close to the gyro-Bohm scaling. Scalings with respect to the plasma collisionality suggest that the confinement will be good enough for an ITER scenario at 17 MA with a power amplification factor (Q) of 10 and might be marginally good enough for a Q = 10 scenario at 15 MA. Those extrapolations are supported by simulations with an integrated core/edge model COREDIV. In addition the hybrid scenario with type-III edge localized modes has been proven to have improved edge conditions without any modification of the central plasma current profile, indicating it is compatible with a high beta operation for a steady-state ITER Q = 5 scenario.

Long timescale density peaking in JET

Long timescale density peaking has been observed in JET plasmas leading to densities exceeding the Greenwald value. These neutral beam heated discharges are characterized by type-I ELMs and good energy confinement. Central density is limited by neoclassical tearing modes or by termination of H-mode preceded by loss of sawteeth. When these limiting factors are avoided (i.e. at intermediate power level and with optimization of gas puffing) quasi-stationary high density plasmas with peaked density profile are obtained.

Fuel retention in impurity seeded discharges in JET after Be evaporation

Preparatory experiments for the ITER-Like Wall in JET were carried out to simulate the massive Be first wall by a thin Be layer, induced by evaporation of about 2.0 g Be, and to study its impact on fuel retention and divertor radiation with reduced C content and N seeding. Residual gas analysis reveals a reduction of hydrocarbons by one order of magnitude and of O by a factor of 5 in the partial pressure owing to the evaporation. The evolution of wall conditions, impurity fluxes and divertor radiation have been studied in ELMy H-mode plasmas (B(t) = 2.7T, I(p) = 2.5 MA, P(aux) = 16MW) whereas a non-seeded reference discharge was executed prior to the evaporation. The in situ measured Be flux at the midplane increased by about a factor of 40 whereas the C flux decreased by similar to 50% in the limiter phase of the first discharge with respect to the reference, but erosion of the Be layer and partial coverage with C takes place quickly. To make best use of the protective Be layer, only the first four discharges were employed for a gas balance analysis providing a D retention rate of 1.94 x 10(21) Ds(-1) which is comparable to rates with C walls. But the Be evaporation provides a non-saturated surface with respect to D and short term retention is not negligible in the balance; the measured retention is overestimated with respect to steady-state conditions like that of the ILW. Moreover, C was only moderately reduced and co-deposition of fuel with eroded Be and C occurs. The lower C content leads to a minor reduction in divertor radiation as the reference phase prior to seeding indicates. N adds to the radiation of D and the remaining C, and the N content rises due to the legacy effect which has been quantified by gas balance to be 30% of the injected N. C radiation increases with exposure time, and both contributors cause an increase in the radiated fraction in the divertor from 50% to 70%. The radiation pattern suggests that N dominates the increase in the first discharges though C is still the dominating radiator. Therefore, the validity of a proxy of the Be first wall by a thin Be layer is limited and restricted to plasma operation directly after the Be evaporation.

Fuel retention over a full day of experiments in JET

A series of 39 consecutive and repetitive discharges (Ip = 2MA, BT = 2.4T, = 3.8 × 1019m-3, gas rate ~1.5 × 1022 Ds-1 and with 2.8 MW of ICRH over a duration of 11s) has been performed in JET for a full day in order to study the particle retention behaviour as a function of the wall inventory and the global balance for a significant number of discharges associated to a high gas injection. Since the active pumping was achieved using the divertor cryopump only, its regeneration has allowed a direct calibration of the value of the pumped particle flux to be used in the particle balance analysis during the plasma operations for the “DOC-L” configuration. Taking into account the outgased flux between the discharges, the resulting wall inventory over the full day of operation is zero. During, the 11 sec of the ICRH power, about 8 % of the particles injected are retained in the machine equilibrated by a particle recovery between of 8% of the quantity injected. This shows that the gas released between pulses has been overestimated in previous JET gas balance analysis and that the particles trapped in the machine are localised in areas which are outgasing between the discharges.

High density operation at JET by pellet refuelling

Several approaches are used at JET to achieve operation at high density with good energy confinement. One of them is the injection of solid fuel pellets to realize efficient particle refuelling by deposition deep inside the plasma column. The new pellet launch system capable of launching from the torus magnetic high field side was investigated for its capability to fulfil this task in conventional ELMy H-mode discharges. Optimized pellet scenarios were developed for plasma configurations with IP = 2.5 MA, Bt = 2.4 T, averaged triangularity � δ �≈ 0.34 and mainly neutral beam heating at a level of approximately 17 MW. The accessible operational range was extended by the pellet tool with respect to gas puff refuelling. For example, H-mode conditions could be maintained at densities beyond the Greenwald level. Plasma energy confinement was observed to become density independent at high densities. When avoiding confinement deterioration due to pellet triggered MHD activity or parasitic pellet born gas in appropriate pulse schedules, enhanced particle inventory with more peaked density profiles was achieved while maintaining the plasma

Energy Confinement in Steady State ELMy H-modes in JET

It is shown statistically that, divertor closure, plasma shaping and density peaking improve the energy confinement of ELMy H-modes, whilst the confinement degrades as the Greenwald density limit is approached. A prediction of the influence of these effects on the next step device ITER is given.

Seeding of impurities in JET H-mode discharges to mitigate the impact of ELMs

ELMy H-mode is one of the foreseen operational scenarios for ITER-FEAT. Good confinement and density is usually associated with Type I ELMs, which, however, will have a severe impact on the divertor target plates in ITER. At the JET-tokamak, impurities have been seeded into a variety of discharge configurations, by which the radiation level can be risen by a factor of 2. This delays the appearance of ELMs and reduces the power load onto the divertor target plates. In this paper, the influence of the impurities on the ELM behaviour and the plasma edge properties will be discussed. Several divertor diagnostics, such as electrical probes and infrared camera indicate a reduction of the heat power load at the inner divertor target tiles and a shrinking of the impact zone at the outer divertor.

A new visible spectroscopy diagnostic for the JET ITER-like wall main chamber

In preparation for ITER, JET has been upgraded with a new ITER-like wall (ILW), whereby the main plasma facing components, previously of carbon, have been replaced by mainly Be in the main chamber and W in the divertor. As part of the many diagnostic enhancements, a new, survey, visible spectroscopy diagnostic has been installed for the characterization of the ILW. An array of eight lines-of-sight (LOS) view radially one of the two JET neutral beam shine through areas (W coated carbon fibre composite tiles) at the inner wall. In addition, one vertical LOS views the solid W tile at the outer divertor. The light emitted from the plasma is coupled to a series of compact overview spectrometers, with overall wavelength range of 380-960 nm and to one high resolution Echelle overview spectrometer covering the wavelength range 365-720 nm. The new survey diagnostic has been absolutely calibrated in situ by means of a radiometric light source placed inside the JET vessel in front of the whole optical path and operated by remote handling. The diagnostic is operated in every JET discharge, routinely monitoring photon fluxes from intrinsic and extrinsic impurities (e.g., Be, C, W, N, and Ne), molecules (e.g., BeD, D(2), ND) and main chamber and divertor recycling (typically Dα, Dβ, and Dγ). The paper presents a technical description of the diagnostic and first measurements during JET discharges.