Poloidal rotation, density asymmetries, and momentum confinement in tokamak experiments

During the early 1930s, the study of nuclear fusion reactions was at the forefront of high-energy physics. Fifty years later, the particle energies of interest in high-energy research have outstripped those used in controlled fusion research by about eight orders of magnitude. on the other hand, frontline magnetic-fusion devices such as the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor at Princeton, shown in figure 1, and the Joint European Torus at Culham, England, will have luminosities of 1042 particles/cm2sec—some ten orders of magnitude beyond present-day highenergy particle colliders. these numerical contrasts serve to highlight the very different goals of high-energy physics and fusion research.

Novel flow rotation measurements based on charge exchange recombination spectroscopy at the inboard midplane of the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak reveal the existence of an asymmetric flow structure at the H-mode edge, which is shown to arise due to a poloidal impurity density asymmetry. A quantitative evaluation of the impurity density at the inboard side demonstrates that the impurities redistribute along the flux surface, resulting in a poloidal dependency of the impurity density. The poloidal and toroidal impurity flows measured at the high-field side (HFS) and low-field side (LFS) are compared to theoretical predictions based on the parallel momentum balance, which includes friction, inertia, pressure and electric force. Both a fluid and a kinetic approach are used, showing good agreement with each other. The measured impurity flow structure is described by the model quantitatively when a finite poloidal main ion flow of ∼2 km s−1 arises, which is in keeping with the standard neoclassical prediction. The interplay of all terms, in particular the inclusion of the impurity inertia term, is important in reproducing the observed flow structure and results in an impurity accumulation at the HFS. The existence of a poloidal impurity density asymmetry in the edge transport barrier slightly reduces the drift parameter v/D, however, the experimental value is consistent with standard neoclassical theory. This demonstrates that despite the asymmetry in the impurity density, the impurity particle transport is at the neoclassical level.

A previous model for the calculation of poloidal velocities and poloidal density asymmetries in the core of a tokamak plasma is refined and extended by the inclusion of terms which are important for the calculation of these quantities in the plasma edge. Agreement of predictions of the model with experiment is demonstrated. The effects of edge pressure gradient, collisionality, neutral density and up–down flux surface asymmetry on the edge poloidal rotation velocities are illustrated by a series of model problem calculations.

Sixteen new tangential views for the charge exchange recombination (CER) spectroscopy diagnostic at DIII-D were installed in 2019 on the high-field side (HFS) of the tokamak with the main goal being the measurement of main-ion (deuterium) poloidal rotation. Eight of the new views are connected to spectrometers, which view the main-ion spectrum, adding main-ion measurements where there were previously none, and another eight new views increased the spatial resolution of existing impurity (carbon) measurements on the HFS. When combined with the existing low-field side measurements, measurements at two locations on flux surfaces out to a normalized minor radius of ≈0.6 are possible. The new tangential views have been used to measure the deuterium poloidal rotation directly for the first time using the Poloidal Asymmetry in Angular Rotation (PAAR) method. These new measurements enable further testing of the validity of neoclassical poloidal rotation predictions. Separate measurements of the radial electric field can be made for an impurity ion and the main-ion by combining the PAAR measurements with additional CER measurements of toroidal rotation, temperature, and density. These independent measurements of the radial electric field agree reasonably well.

Most of the lithiumlike-ion resonance-line wavelengths have been remeasured relative to well-established lines of He ii and C v, C vi in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor and to these are added the newly measured lines of Kr xxxiv and Mo xl from the Joint European Torus, which allow a systematic evaluation of differences from calculated one-electron Lamb shifts.

A new diagnostic has been developed on DIII-D that determines the impurity poloidal rotation from the poloidal asymmetry in the toroidal angular rotation velocity. This asymmetry is measured with recently added tangential charge exchange viewchords on the high-field side of the tokamak midplane. Measurements are made on co- and counter-current neutral beams, allowing the charge exchange cross section effect to be measured and eliminating the need for atomic physics calculations. The diagnostic implementation on DIII-D restricts the measurement range to the core (r/a < 0.6) where, relative to measurements made with the vertical charge exchange system, the spatial resolution is improved. Significant physics results have been obtained with this new diagnostic; for example, poloidal rotation measurements that significantly exceed neoclassical predictions.

Alpha heating experiments in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) and in the Joint European Torus (JET) 1997 DTE1 campaign are reexamined. In TFTR supershots central electron heating of both deuterium only and deuterium–tritium supershots was dominated by thermal ion-electron heat transfer rate . The higher in deuterium–tritium supershots was mainly due to higher largely caused by isotopic mass effects of neutral beam—thermal ion heating. The thermal ion–electron heating dominated the electron heating in the center. The ratio of the predicted alpha to total electron heating rates is less than 0.30. Thus alpha heating (and possible favorable isotopic mass scaling of the thermal plasma) were too small to be measured reliably.The JET alpha heating Hot-Ion H-mode discharges had lower , and thus had lower and the deuterium–tritium DT discharges had higher than in TFTR. There were not enough comparable discharges to verify alpha heating. The high performance phases consisted of rampup to brief flattop durations. At equal times during the rampup phase central and were linearly correlated with the thermal hydrogenic isotopic mass which co-varied with beam ion pressure, the tritium fraction of neutral beam power, and the time delay to the first significant sawteeth which interrupted the increases.For both devices the expected alpha heating rate and the null hypothesis of no alpha heating are consistent with the measurements within the measurement and modeling uncertainties.

Addition of multispecies impurity ions to the total-f gyrokinetic particle-in-cell code XGCa is reported, including a cross-verification of neoclassical physics against the NEO code. This new version of the neoclassical gyrokinetic code XGCa is used to benchmark and confirm the previous reduced-equation-based prediction that high- $Z$ impurity particles in the Pfirsch–Schlüter regime can exhibit a significant level of up–down poloidal asymmetry, through the large parallel friction force, and thus influence the radial plasma transport significantly. The study is performed in a plasma with weak toroidal rotation. In comparison, when the impurity particles are in the plateau regime, the up–down poloidal asymmetry becomes weak, with the parallel friction force becoming weaker than the parallel viscous force. It is also found that the linearization of the perturbed distribution function, based on the small poloidal asymmetry assumption, can become invalid. Using the numerical data from XGCa, each term in the parallel fluid force-balance equation have been analysed to find that both the main ions and the electrons respond to the poloidal potential variation adiabatically when the high- $Z$ tungsten possesses large poloidal variation.

Many disruptions in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [D. Meade and the TFTR Group, in Proceedings of the International Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion, Washington, DC, 1990 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1991), Vol. 1, pp. 9-24] produced populations of runaway electrons which carried a significant fraction of the original plasma current. In this paper, we describe experiments where, following a disruption of a low-beta, reversed shear plasma, currents of up to 1 MA carried mainly by runaway electrons were controlled and then ramped down to near zero using the ohmic transformer. In the longer lasting runaway plasmas, Parail-Pogutse instabilities were observed.

The DIII-D Advanced Tokamak (AT) program in the DIII-D tokamak [J. L. Luxon, Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion Research, 1986, Vol. I (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1987), p. 159] is aimed at developing a scientific basis for steady-state, high-performance operation in future devices. This requires simultaneously achieving 100% noninductive operation with high self-driven bootstrap current fraction and toroidal beta. Recent progress in this area includes demonstration of 100% noninductive conditions with toroidal beta, βT=3.6%, normalized beta, βN=3.5, and confinement factor, H89=2.4 with the plasma current driven completely by bootstrap, neutral beam current drive, and electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD). The equilibrium reconstructions indicate that the noninductive current profile is well aligned, with little inductively driven current remaining anywhere in the plasma. The current balance calculation improved with beam ion redistribution that was supported by recent fast ion diagnostic measurements. The duration of this state is limited by pressure profile evolution, leading to magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities after about 1s or half of a current relaxation time (τCR). Stationary conditions are maintained in similar discharges (∼90% noninductive), limited only by the 2s duration (1τCR) of the present ECCD systems. By discussing parametric scans in a global parameter and profile databases, the need for low density and high beta are identified to achieve full noninductive operation and good current drive alignment. These experiments achieve the necessary fusion performance and bootstrap fraction to extrapolate to the fusion gain, Q=5 steady-state scenario in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) [R. Aymar et al., Fusion Energy Conference on Controlled Fusion and Plasma Physics, Sorrento, Italy (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1987), paper IAEA-CN-77/OV-1]. The modeling tools that have been successfully employed to both plan and interpret the experiment are used to plan future DIII-D experiments with higher power and longer pulse ECCD and fast wave and co- and counterneutral beam injection in a pumped double-null configuration. The models predict our ability to control the current and pressure profiles to reach full noninductivity with increased beta, bootstrap fraction, and duration. The same modeling tools are applied to ITER, predicting favorable prospects for the success of the ITER steady-state scenario.

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.

Recent experience with the use of tritium fuel in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor and the Joint European Torus, together with progress in developing the technical design of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor has expanded the technical knowledge base for tritium issues in fusion. This paper reports on an IEA workshop that brought together scientists and engineers to share experience and expertise on all fusion-related tritium issues. Extensive discussion periods were devoted to exploring outstanding issues and identifying potential R{ampersand}D avenues to address them. This paper summarizes the presentations, discussions, and recommendations.

Both the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor and the Joint European Torus, two large magnetic confinement fusion devices, will use high-powered tritium beams. The suggestion has been made that tritium consumption could be reduced if tritium is only fed into the plasma source and deuterium or hydrogen is used as the neutralization target by operating with deuterium or hydrogen fed independently into the neutralizer. We report on measurements we performed with deuterium and hydrogen, and of the beam contamination that occurs in such an operating mode.

Researchers in the US set a new record for thermonuclear fusion power output last month when they introduced tritium into a high-temperature deuterium plasma in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. TFTR achieved 6.1 MW of fusion power, with significant fusion activity in the plasma lasting for 0.7 s, from a plasma containing equal amounts of deuterium and tritium. However, the output power was less than one-quarter of the 29.4 MW needed to maintain the plasma. The previous record was 1.7 MW of power for 2 s, in a plasma containing 11% tritium, at the Joint European Torus (JET) at Culham in the UK (Physics World December 1991 p5). JET required 14.3 MW of input power.

Edge equilibrium, turbulence and transport related plasma parameters from the Advanced Toroidal Facility (ATF) [Fusion Technol. 10, 179 (1986)] torsatron, the ZT-40M [Fusion Technol. 8, 1571 (1985)] reversed-field pinch, the Phaedrus-T [Nucl. Fusion 32, 2040 (1992)] tokamak, the Texas Experimental Tokamak (TEXT) [Nucl. Technol. Fusion 1, 479 (1981)], and the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [in Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research, 1990 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1991), Vol. 1, p. 9] have been obtained using a standardized Langmuir probe array and a consistent set of data analysis packages. Additional data from some other devices have also been furnished via private communications and incorporated from published results. Experimental results over a wide range of parameters are compared and the turbulence contribution to edge transport are assessed. Certain physical properties that are relevant to the modeling of edge turbulence are identified: namely, shear decorrelation of turbulence, the role of resistive dissipation and electron parallel thermal conduction, radial mode structure in sheared magnetic field, and electromagnetic contribution to the parallel Ohm’s law.