Nengchao Wang

Dependence of plasma responses to an externally applied perturbation field on MHD oscillation frequency on the J-TEXT tokamak

The plasma response to externally applied perturbation fields is investigated on the J-TEXT tokamak using a set of static resonant magnetic perturbation (SRMP) coils. Several different experimental results are obtained including partial or complete suppression of the existing m/n = 2/1 tearing mode, mode locking or non-uniform magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) oscillations. These results depend sensitively on the tearing mode frequency and the amplitude of the perturbation field. It is found that mode locking is most likely to happen at a lower rotation frequency (< ~5 kHz) and the threshold for mode locking has a linear relation with MHD frequency. However, complete suppression of the tearing mode happens in a region where the MHD frequencies are higher (~6 kHz). The experimental observations are explained by numerical simulations based on reduced MHD equations. The error field contributes to an offset between the mode-locking thresholds for the two opposite spatial phases of the SRMP, through which the intrinsic error field of J-TEXT can be estimated.

Measurement of 2/1 intrinsic error field of Joint TEXT tokamak

The amplitude and spatial phase of the intrinsic error field of Joint TEXT (J-TEXT) tokamak were measured by scanning the spatial phase of an externally exerted resonant magnetic perturbation and fitting the mode locking thresholds. For a typical plasma with current of 180 kA, the amplitude of the 2∕1 component of the error field at the plasma edge is measured to be 0.31 G, which is about 1.8 × 10(-5) relative to the base toroidal field. The measured spatial phase is about 317° in the specified coordinate system (r, θ, ϕ) of J-TEXT tokamak. An analytical model based on the dynamics of rotating island is developed to verify the measured phase.

First observation of rotation acceleration of magnetic island by using rotating resonant magnetic perturbation on the J-TEXT tokamak

A set of in-vessel saddle coils called dynamic resonant magnetic perturbation (DRMP) for generating rotating resonant magnetic perturbations has recently been constructed on the J-TEXT tokamak. The phenomenon of tearing mode locking to DRMP and rotating together with the DRMP field has been observed. There is an apparent decrease of the island width during the locking and unlocking procedure. Similar results are obtained in the numerical simulation.

Analytical compensation of axisymmetric equilibrium fluxes picked up by locked mode detectors in tokamaks

In the detection of locked modes using saddle loops, the problem of how to remove the axisymmetric equilibrium flux picked up by the loops has still to be solved. The problem becomes more difficult when there are conductive structures located near the saddle loops. In this paper, we present an analytical model based on lumped eddy current circuits and use it to interpret the measured equilibrium flux and the corresponding eddy current fluxes. Using this model, precise compensation for fluxes induced by the horizontal field coils and the toroidal field coils, with relative errors of less than 1%, has been realized for the saddle loops in the Joint Texas Experimental Tokamak. This paper also presents a new method to compensate for the detection of equilibrium flux by the locked mode detector.

Screening of external magnetic perturbation fields due to sheared plasma flow

Within the single fluid resistive magnetohydrodynamic model, systematic toroidal modelling efforts are devoted to investigate the plasma response induced screening of the applied external 3D magnetic field perturbations in the presence of sheared toroidal flow. One particular issue of interest is addressed, when the local flow speed approaches zero at the perturbation rational surface inside the plasma. Subtle screening physics, associated with the favourable averaged toroidal curvature effect (the GGJ effect (Glasser et al 1975 Phys. Fluids 7 875)), is found to play an essential role during slow flow near the rational surface by enhancing the screening at reduced flow. A strong cancellation effect between different terms of Ohms law is discovered, leading to different screening physics in the GGJ regime, as compared to that of conventional screening of the typical resistive-inertial regime occurring at faster flow. These modelling results may be applicable to interpret certain mode locking experiments, as well as type-I edge localized mode suppression experiments, with resonant magnetic field perturbations being applied to tokamak plasmas at low input toroidal torque.

Enhanced particle transport caused by resonant magnetic perturbations in the J-TEXT tokamak

The effect of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) on particle transport is studied in the J-TEXT tokamak. It is found that for the discharges with an existing saturated 2/1 resistive tearing mode (TM), applied RMPs of moderate amplitude lead to a decrease in electron density with a relative amplitude ranging from −3% to −10% in the plasma core, and the mode stabilization and electron temperature increase are observed simultaneously in this case. Sufficiently large amplitude of RMPs, however, leads to locked modes and much larger decrease in the electron density as well as in the electron temperature, with . For the discharges without 2/1 TMs, applied RMPs cause a relative density decrease (−30%) before (after) field penetration. Using the two-fluid equations and experimental parameters as input, the nonlinear numerical results approximately agree with experimental observations.

Modelling plasma response to RMP fields in ASDEX Upgrade with varying edge safety factor and triangularity

Toroidal computations are performed using the MARS-F code (Liu et al 2000 Phys. Plasmas 7 3681), in order to understand correlations between the plasma response and the observed mitigation of the edge localized modes (ELM) using resonant magnetic perturbation fields in ASDEX Upgrade. In particular, systematic numerical scans of the edge safety factor reveal that the amplitude of the resonant poloidal harmonic of the response radial magnetic field near the plasma edge, as well as the plasma radial displacement near the X-point, can serve as good indicators for predicting the optimal toroidal phasing between the upper and lower rows of coils in ASDEX Upgrade. The optimal coil phasing scales roughly linearly with the edge safety factor , for various choices of the toroidal mode number n = 1-4 of the coil configuration. The optimal coil phasing is also predicted to vary with the upper triangularity of the plasma shape in ASDEX Upgrade. Furthermore, multiple resonance effects of the plasma response, with continuously varying , are computationally observed and investigated.

Upgrade of the Mirnov probe arrays on the J-TEXT tokamak

The magnetic diagnostic of Mirnov probe arrays has been upgraded on the J-TEXT tokamak to measure the magnetohydrodynamic instabilities with higher spatial resolution and better amplitude-frequency characteristics. The upgraded Mirnov probe array contains one poloidal array with 48 probe modules and two toroidal arrays with 25 probe modules. Each probe module contains two probes which measure both the poloidal and the radial magnetic fields (Bp and Br). To ensure that the Mirnov probe possess better amplitude-frequency characteristics, a novel kind of Mirnov probe made of low temperature co-fired ceramics is utilized. The parameters and frequency response of the probe are measured and can meet the experiment requirement. The new Mirnov arrays have been normally applied for a round of experiments, including the observation of tearing modes and their coupling as well as high frequency magnetic perturbation due to the Alfvén eigenmode. In order to extract useful information from raw signals, visualization processing methods based on singular value decomposition and cross-power spectrum are applied to decompose the coupled modes and to determine the mode number.

Plasma response to m/n = 3/1 resonant magnetic perturbation at J-TEXT Tokamak

The influence of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) with a large m/n = 3/1 component on electron density has been studied at J-TEXT tokamak by using externally applied static and rotating RMPs, where m and n are the poloidal and toroidal mode number, respectively. The detailed time evolution of electron density profile, measured by the polarimeter–interferometer, shows that the electron density n e first increases (decreases) inside (around/outside) of the 3/1 rational surface (RS), and it is increased globally later together with enhanced edge recycling. Associated with field penetration, the toroidal rotation around the 3/1 RS is accelerated in the co-I p direction and the poloidal rotation is changed from the electron to ion diamagnetic drift direction. Spontaneous unlocking-penetration circles occur after field penetration if the RMPs amplitude is not strong enough. For sufficiently strong RMPs, the 2/1 locked mode is also triggered due to mode coupling, and the global density is increased. The field penetration threshold is found to be linearly proportional to n eL (line-integrated density) at the 3/1 RS but to (n eL)0.73 for n e at the plasma core. In addition, for rotating RMPs with a large 3/1 component, field penetration causes a global increase in electron density.

Locked mode unlocking by rotating resonant magnetic perturbations in J-TEXT tokamak

This study aimed to unlock the m/n = 2/1 locked mode (LM) performed in J-TEXT tokamak by using rotating resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs), where m and n are the poloidal and toroidal mode numbers, respectively. In the experiments, to maintain the LM, mode locking occurs by using static RMPs generated by a set of saddle coils. After mode locking, another rotating RMP with frequency of several kilo-Hz is applied to drive the static LM to rotate. The unlocking of LM is realized by using rotating RMP with different frequency and amplitude. It is found that the unlocking process contains two stages, i.e. the oscillating stage and the unlocking stage. In the oscillating stage, the rotating RMP with amplitude that is not strong enough causes the LM to oscillate around its locked phase and produces magnetic fluctuation to behave as a standing wave-like structure in poloidal direction. When the amplitude of the rotating RMP is strong enough, it first causes the LM to oscillate and then transforms to mode unlocking quickly in less than 1 ms, namely the unlocking stage. Further analysis shows that the unlocking of LM is determined by the torque balance between the viscous torque and the electromagnetic torques exerted by both the static and the rotating RMP. In addition, the unlocking process is sensitive to both the amplitude and the frequency of the rotating RMP as well as the amplitude of static RMP. Nonlinear numerical modeling based on reduced MHD equations is also performed to understand the unlocking process, and numerical results qualitatively agree with the experimental ones.