X. Llobet

Recent results from the electron cyclotron heated plasmas in Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV)

In noninductively driven discharges, 0.9 MW second harmonic (X2) off-axis co-electron cyclotron current drive deposition is combined with 0.45 MW X2 central heating to create an electron internal transport barrier (eITB) in steady plasma conditions resulting in a 1.6-fold increase of the confinement time (τEe) over ITER-98L-mode scaling. The eITB is associated with a reversed shear current profile enhanced by a large bootstrap current fraction (up to 80%) and is sustained for up to 10 current redistribution times. A linear dependence of the confinement improvement on the product of the global shear reversal factor (q0/qmin) and the reversed shear volume (ρq-min2) is shown. In other discharges heated with X2 the sawteeth are destabilized (respectively stabilized) when heating just inside (respectively outside) the q=1 surface. Control of the sawteeth may allow the avoidance of neoclassical tearing modes that can be seeded by the sawtooth instability. Results on H-mode and highly elongated plasmas using the...

An overview of results from the TCV tokamak

The Tokamak Configuration Variable (TCV) tokamak (R = 0.88 m, a < 0.25 m, B < 1.54 T) programme is based on flexible plasma shaping and heating for studies of confinement, transport, control and power exhaust. Recent advances in fully sustained off-axis electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) scenarios have allowed the creation of plasmas with high bootstrap fraction, steady-state reversed central shear and an electron internal transport barrier. High elongation plasmas, kappa = 2.5, are produced at low normalized current using far off-axis electron cyclotron heating and ECCD to broaden the current profile. Third harmonic heating is used to heat the plasma centre where the second harmonic is in cut-off. Both second and third harmonic heating are used to heat H-mode plasmas, at the edge and centre, respectively. The ELM frequency is decreased by the additional power. In separate experiments, the ELM frequency can be affected by locking to an external perturbation current in the internal coils of TCV. Spatially resolved current profiles are measured at the inner and outer divertor targets by Langmuir probe arrays during ELMs. The strong, reasonably balanced currents are thought to be thermoelectric in origin.

Dynamics of edge localized modes in the TCV tokamak

Keywords: LRP 699 Reference CRPP-REPORT-2001-007 Record created on 2008-04-18, modified on 2017-05-12

Recent results from the TCV Tokamak

During the first two years of operation, the TCV tokamak has produced a large variety of plasma shapes and magnetic configurations, with 1.0≤Btor≤1.46T,Ip≤800kA,k≤2.05, −0.7≤δ≤1. A new shape control algorithm, based on a finite element reconstruction of the plasma current in real time, has been implemented. Vertical growth rates up to 1000s−1 have been stabilized using the external coil system. Ohmic H-modes with Troyon factors (βtoraB/Ip) up to two and densities up to 2.25×1020m−3, corresponding to the Greenwald limit, have been obtained in diverted discharges. Limiter H-modes with line averaged electron densities up to 1.7×1020m−3 have been obtained in elongated D-shaped plasmas with 360 kA≤IP≤600 kA.

Recent electron cyclotron emission results on TCV

Electron cyclotron emission (ECE) diagnostics on Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV) allow study of the electron temperature evolution in time with good spatial and temporal resolution at the high field side and low field side at various lines of sight. That is why ECE is being widely used to obtain both qualitative and quantitative information on heat transport, magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) phenomena, and fast electron dynamics. In this paper, a new regime on TCV with regular oscillations of the electron temperature in electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) driven fully noninductive discharges and in discharges with a combination of ohmic/ECCD driven current is discussed. These oscillations are reminiscent of the oscillations of the central electron temperature (O-regime) seen on Tore Supra in fully noninductive lower hybrid current drive plasmas. A link between evolutions of the electron temperature, the MHD modes, and the current density profile on TCV is considered. In order to yield information on the properties of microturbulence of electrostatic and magnetic origin on TCV, a correlation ECE radiometer is currently under development. A technical description of the diagnostic is presented in this paper.

Steady-state fully noninductive operation with electron cyclotron current drive and current profile control in the tokamak à configuration variable (TCV)

Fully noninductive, steady-state electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) has been demonstrated for the first time in experiments carried out in the tokamak a configuration variable (TCV) [O. Sauter et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 3322 (2000)]. By appropriately distributing six 0.45 MW ECCD sources over the discharge cross section, fully noninductive, stable, and stationary plasmas with Ip up to 210 kA were obtained for the full discharge duration of 1.9 s, corresponding to more than 900 energy confinement times and more than 10 current redistribution times at an average current drive efficiency η20CD=0.01[1020 A W−1 m−2]. These experiments have also demonstrated for the first time the steady recharging of the ohmic transformer using ECCD only. The effect of localized off-axis electron cyclotron heating (ECH) and EC current drive (ECCD) (co- and counter-) is investigated showing that locally driven currents amounting to only 1% of Ip significantly alter sawtooth periods and crash amplitudes. An improved quasi...

Shape dependence of sawtooth inversion radii and profile peaking factors in TCV L mode plasmas

Sawtooth inversion radii and profile peaking factors of a large variety of ohmic and ECH heated L mode plasmas, including, elongations up to 2.6 and triangularities between -0.5 and 0.75, have been investigated in the TCV tokamak. In ohmic plasmas, normalized inversion radii and electron temperature profile peaking factors (corrected for sawtoothing effects) depend solely on the parameter (j)/q(0)j(0), irrespective of plasma shape. With ECH this parameter remains the main scaling parameter. Density profiles are well described as functions of poloidal flux, in agreement with turbulent equipartition theories. Parameter conversions are also provided that allow the observed scalings to be expressed using the conventional scaling variables q(95), delta(95) and kappa(95).

Extension of the TCV operating space towards higher elongation and higher normalized current

Recently, an experimental campaign has been launched on TCV with the aim of exploring and extending the limits of the operating space. The vertical position control system has been optimized, with the help of extensive model calculations, in order to allow operation at the lowest possible stability margin. In addition, the growth rate of the axisymmetric instability has been minimized by choosing optimum values for the plasma triangularity and squareness and by operating close to the current limit imposed by the n = 1 external kink mode. These measures have allowed us to reach record values of elongation, k = 2.8, and normalized current, I-N = 3.6, in a tokamak with standard aspect ratio, R/a = 3.5.

Effect of plasma shape on confinement and MHD behaviour in TCV

Note: 38th Annual Meeting, APS Division of Plasma Physics, Denver, CO, USA, November 1996, Bull. Amer. Phys. Soc. 41(7), 1513 (1996) Reference CRPP-CONF-1996-037 Record created on 2008-05-13, modified on 2016-08-08

Stability and energy confinement of highly elongated plasmas in TCV

Note: 28th EPS Conference on Controlled Fusion and Plasma Physics, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, June 2001, Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 43(12A), A161 - A173, 2001 (ISSN 0741-3335) Reference CRPP-CONF-2001-030 Record created on 2008-05-13, modified on 2017-05-12