A crude model to study radio frequency induced density modification close to launchers

The interplay between radio frequency (RF) waves and the density is discussed by adopting the general framework of a 2-time-scale multi-fluid treatment, allowing to separate the dynamics on the RF time scale from that on the time scale on which macroscopic density and flows vary as a result of the presence of electromagnetic and/or electrostatic fields. The focus is on regions close to launchers where charge neutrality is incomplete and waves are commonly evanescent. The fast time scale dynamics influences the slow time scale behavior via quasilinear terms (the Ponderomotive force for the case of the equation of motion). Electrons and ions are treated on the same footing. Also, both fast and slow waves are retained in the wave description. Although this work is meant as a subtopic of a large study-the wave induced "convective cell" physics at hand is of a 2- or 3-dimensional nature while this paper limits itself to a single dimension-a few tentative examples are presented

Impact of minority concentration on fundamental (H)D ICRF heating performance in JET-ILW

ITER will start its operation with non-activated hydrogen and helium plasmas at a reduced magnetic field of B-0 = 2.65 T. In hydrogen plasmas, the two ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating schemes available for central plasma heating (fundamental H majority and 2nd harmonic He-3 minority ICRF heating) are likely to suffer from relatively low RF wave absorption, as suggested by numerical modelling and confirmed by previous JET experiments conducted in conditions similar to those expected in ITER's initial phase. With He-4 plasmas, the commonly adopted fundamental H minority heating scheme will be used and its performance is expected to be much better. However, one important question that remains to be answered is whether increased levels of hydrogen (due to e. g. H pellet injection) jeopardize the high performance usually observed with this heating scheme, in particular in a full-metal environment. Recent JET experiments performed with the ITER-likewall shed some light onto this question and the main results concerning ICRF heating performance in L-mode discharges are summarized here

Effect of toroidal field ripple on plasma rotation in JET

Dedicated experiments on TF ripple effects on the performance of tokamak plasmas have been carried out at JET. The TF ripple was found to have a profound effect on the plasma rotation. The central Mach number, M, defined as the ratio of the rotation velocity and the thermal velocity, was found to drop as a function of TF ripple amplitude (3) from an average value of M = 0.40-0.55 for operations at the standard JET ripple of 6 = 0.08% to M = 0.25-0.40 for 6 = 0.5% and M = 0.1-0.3 for delta = 1%. TF ripple effects should be considered when estimating the plasma rotation in ITER. With standard co-current injection of neutral beam injection (NBI), plasmas were found to rotate in the co-current direction. However, for higher TF ripple amplitudes (delta similar to 1%) an area of counter rotation developed at the edge of the plasma, while the core kept its co-rotation. The edge counter rotation was found to depend, besides on the TF ripple amplitude, on the edge temperature. The observed reduction of toroidal plasma rotation with increasing TF ripple could partly be explained by TF ripple induced losses of energetic ions, injected by NBI. However, the calculated torque due to these losses was insufficient to explain the observed counter rotation and its scaling with edge parameters. It is suggested that additional TF ripple induced losses of thermal ions contribute to this effect

Fundamental cyclotron 3He minority ICRF heating experiments in H plasmas in JET in presence of the ILW

Efficient plasma heating schemes are a prerequisite for reaching fusion relevant temperatures in fusion machines. On the road to reaching ignition, non-activated scenarios - such as (3He

IShTAR: a test facility to study the interaction between RF wave and edge plasmas

International audienceExistence of high electric fields near an RF antenna launcher causes a number of parasitic phenomena, such as arcing and impurity release, which seriously deteriorate the performance of an ICRF heating scheme in fusion devices. Limited accessibility of the near antenna region in large-scale fusion experiments significantly complicates the associated experimental studies. The IShTAR (Ion Sheath Test Arrangement) test facility has been developed with the requirement to provide a better accessibility and diagnosability of plasmas in the direct vicinity of an ICRF antenna. The purpose of this work is to give a detailed description on the experimental setup and the available diagnostics. Furthermore the paper will demonstrate the capability of the experiment to study phenomena near an ICRF antenna launcher which are relevant for large-scale fusion ICRH systems