Oxygen reduction on platinum : an EIS study

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2009.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Vita.Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-200).The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on platinum over yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is examined via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for oxygen partial pressures between 10-4 and 1 atm and at temperatures between 475 and 700°C. Use of photolithographic techniques in electrode fabrication renders a precise geometry of the Pt electrodes. Circular electrode design leads to cylindrical symmetry so that models may be applied exactly to the experimental geometry. Interpretation of EIS spectra is carried out by reducing and then extending existing models, and is consistent with the postulate that ORR is rate-limited jointly by two surface chemical processes, namely, sorption/dissociation of molecular O₂ into O[delta]- a over Pt, as well as surface diffusion. Further, the novel experimental design, in conjunction with streamlined analysis techniques, provides accurate surface characterization within the electrochemical environment and allows for a more transparent comparison to relevant literature data. An adsorption coverage isotherm is extracted, and the surface diffusion coefficient is obtained for a number of experimental conditions. Extracted diffusivities fell between 2 x 10-2 and 2 x 10-7 cm2/s, in agreement with literature values for the indicated temperature range.by Theodore Golfinopoulos.S.M

X-point and divertor filament dynamics from Gas Puff Imaging on TCV

A new Gas Puff Imaging (GPI) diagnostic has been installed on the TCV tokamak, providing two-dimensional insights into Scrape-Off-Layer (SOL) turbulence dynamics above, at and below the magnetic X-point. A detailed study in L-mode, attached, lower single-null discharges shows that statistical properties have little poloidal variations, while vast differences are present in the 2D behaviour of intermittent filaments. Strongly elongated filaments, just above the X-point and in the divertor far-SOL, show a good consistency in shape and dynamics with field-line tracing from filaments at the outboard midplane, highlighting their connection. In the near-SOL of the outer divertor leg, shortlived, high frequency and more circular (diameter $\sim$15 sound Larmour radii) filaments are observed. These divertor-localised filaments appear born radially at the position of maximum density and display a radially outward motion with velocity $\approx$400\,m/s that is comparable to radial velocities of upstream-connected filaments. Conversely, in these discharges ($B\times\nabla B$ pointing away from the divertor), these divertor filaments' poloidal velocities differ strongly from those of upstream-connected filaments. The importance of divertor-localised filaments upon radial transport and profile broadening is explored using filament statistics and in-situ kinetic profile measurements along the divertor leg. This provides evidence that these filaments contribute significantly to electron density profile broadening in the divertor.Comment: This is the version of the article before peer review or editing, as submitted by an author to IOPScience Nuclear Fusion. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. 15 pages, 15 figure

The physics mechanisms of the weakly coherent mode in the Alcator C-Mod Tokamak

The weakly coherent mode (WCM) in I-mode has been studied by a six-field two-fluid model based on the Braginskii equations under the BOUT++ framework for the first time. The calculations indicate that a tokamak pedestal exhibiting a WCM is linearly unstable to drift Alfven wave (DAW) instabilities and the resistive ballooning mode. The nonlinear simulation shows promising agreement with the experimental measurements of the WCM. The shape of the density spectral and location of the spectral peak of the dominant toroidal number mode n = 20 agrees with the experimental data from reflectometry. The simulated mode propagates in electron diamagnetic direction is consistent with the results from the magnetic probes in the laboratory frame, a large ratio of particle to heat diffusivity is consistent with the distinctive experimental feature of I-mode, and the value of the simulated χeat the edge is in the range of experimental errors of χefffrom the experiment. The prediction of the WCM shows that free energy is mainly provided by the electron pressure gradient, which gives guidance for pursuing future I-mode studies

Alcator C-Mod: research in support of ITER and steps beyond

This paper presents an overview of recent highlights from research on Alcator C-Mod. Significant progress has been made across all research areas over the last two years, with particular emphasis on divertor physics and power handling, plasma–material interaction studies, edge localized mode-suppressed pedestal dynamics, core transport and turbulence, and RF heating and current drive utilizing ion cyclotron and lower hybrid tools. Specific results of particular relevance to ITER include: inner wall SOL transport studies that have led, together with results from other experiments, to the change of the detailed shape of the inner wall in ITER; runaway electron studies showing that the critical electric field required for runaway generation is much higher than predicted from collisional theory; core tungsten impurity transport studies reveal that tungsten accumulation is naturally avoided in typical C-Mod conditions.United States. Department of Energy (DE-FC02-99ER54512-CMOD)United States. Department of Energy (DE-AC02-09CH11466)United States. Department of Energy (DE-FG02-96ER-54373)United States. Department of Energy (DE-FG02-94ER54235

The SPARC Toroidal Field Model Coil Program

The SPARC Toroidal Field Model Coil (TFMC) Program was a three-year effort between 2018 and 2021 that developed novel Rare Earth Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide (REBCO) superconductor technologies and then successfully utilized these technologies to design, build, and test a first-in-class, high-field (~20 T), representative-scale (~3 m) superconducting toroidal field coil. With the principal objective of demonstrating mature, large-scale, REBCO magnets, the project was executed jointly by the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) and Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS). The TFMC achieved its programmatic goal of experimentally demonstrating a large-scale high-field REBCO magnet, achieving 20.1 T peak field-on-conductor with 40.5 kA of terminal current, 815 kN/m of Lorentz loading on the REBCO stacks, and almost 1 GPa of mechanical stress accommodated by the structural case. Fifteen internal demountable pancake-to-pancake joints operated in the 0.5 to 2.0 nOhm range at 20 K and in magnetic fields up to 12 T. The DC and AC electromagnetic performance of the magnet, predicted by new advances in high-fidelity computational models, was confirmed in two test campaigns while the massively parallel, single-pass, pressure-vessel style coolant scheme capable of large heat removal was validated. The REBCO current lead and feeder system was experimentally qualified up to 50 kA, and the crycooler based cryogenic system provided 600 W of cooling power at 20 K with mass flow rates up to 70 g/s at a maximum design pressure of 20 bar-a for the test campaigns. Finally, the feasibility of using passive, self-protection against a quench in a fusion-scale NI TF coil was experimentally assessed with an intentional open-circuit quench at 31.5 kA terminal current.Comment: 17 pages 9 figures, overview paper and the first of a six-part series of papers covering the TFMC Progra

Device to induce short-wavelength fluctuations in the edge plasma of the Alcator C-Mod Tokamak

Thesis: Sc. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2014.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.140Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 305-318).The "Shoelace" antenna is a unique device built to induce short-wavelength fluctuations in the edge plasma of the Alcator C-Mod tokamak, at a wave number and in the frequency range associated with the Quasi-Coherent Mode (QCM). The QCM is a continuous, drift-mode-like fluctuation, restricted to the low-field side of the tokamak in a 3 mm region around the last closed flux surface, and spanning both open and closed field lines. The study presented here is motivated by the fact that the QCM plays a crucial role in regulating particle transport across the plasma boundary in the Enhanced D[alpha](EDA) H-mode. It is this transport channel which sustains the EDA H-mode, flushing impurities from the plasma without the appearance of bursting Edge Localized Modes (ELMs). Because of the damage they cause to first-wall components, large-amplitude ELMs do not extrapolate to a full-size, steady state fusion reactor, and so it is of critical importance for the worldwide fusion research endeavor to identify, understand, and exploit ELM-free mechanisms of impurity flushing. It is in this context that the antenna's mission is defined. The Shoelace antenna is wound with field-aligned rungs spaced to produce a perpendicular wave number, k = 1.5 ± 0.1 cm-1, that precisely matches the QCM spatial structure, while the power system, with custom matching network, provides up to 2 kW of radio-frequency source power at any frequency in the band, 45 < f < 300 kHz. Initial experiments show that when the antenna is energized into L-mode plasmas, it produces a steady response in poloidal magnetic field, only. However, after transition to H-mode, the antenna drives both field and electron density fluctuations that are aligned with, and guided by, the background equilibrium field, propagate in the electron diamagnetic drift direction in the laboratory frame, have amplitude comparable to that of the intrinsic QCM, and display a weakly-damped resonance ([gamma]/[omega] ~ 5-10%). In EDA H-mode, the resonance is centered on the QCM frequency, but in ELM-free H-mode, it persists in the same frequency range, even in the absence of a QCM. This result is significant, offering the possibility that externally-driven modes might be used to enhance particle transport. However, additional measurements are required before a definitive statement can be made regarding transport resulting from the antenna-driven mode, as well as the driven mode's relationship with the QCM. This work has been scheduled for the 2014 Alcator C-Mod experimental campaign as part of a broader exploration of the plasma response to the Shoelace antenna.by Theodore Golfinopoulos.Sc. D

Observation of Edge Instability Limiting the Pedestal Growth in Tokamak Plasmas

With fusion device performance hinging on the edge pedestal pressure, it is imperative to experimentally understand the physical mechanism dictating the pedestal characteristics and to validate and improve pedestal predictive models. This Letter reports direct evidence of density and magnetic fluctuations showing the stiff onset of an edge instability leading to the saturation of the pedestal on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak. Edge stability analyses indicate that the pedestal is unstable to both ballooning mode and kinetic ballooning mode in agreement with observations.United States. Dept. of Energy (Contract DE-FC02-99ER54512)Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Fusion Energy Sciences Postdoctoral Research Program

VIPER: an industrially scalable high-current high-temperature superconductor cable

High-temperature superconductors (HTS) promise to revolutionize high-power applications like wind generators, DC power cables, particle accelerators, and fusion energy devices. A practical HTS cable must not degrade under severe mechanical, electrical, and thermal conditions; have simple, low-resistance, and manufacturable electrical joints; high thermal stability; and rapid detection of thermal runaway quench events. We have designed and experimentally qualified a vacuum pressure impregnated, insulated, partially transposed, extruded, and roll-formed (VIPER) cable that simultaneously satisfies all of these requirements for the first time. VIPER cable critical currents are stable over thousands of mechanical cycles at extreme electromechanical force levels, multiple cryogenic thermal cycles, and dozens of quench-like transient events. Electrical joints between VIPER cables are simple, robust, and demountable. Two independent, integrated fiber-optic quench detectors outperform standard quench detection approaches. VIPER cable represents a key milestone in next-step energy generation and transmission technologies and in the maturity of HTS as a technology

Improved confinement in high-density H-modes via modification of the plasma boundary with lower hybrid waves

Injecting Lower Hybrid Range of Frequency (LHRF) waves into Alcator C-Mod's high-density H-mode plasmas has led to enhanced global energy confinement by increasing pedestal temperature and pressure gradients, decreasing the separatrix density, modifying the pedestal radial electric field and rotation, and decreasing edge turbulence. These experiments indicate that edge LHRF can be used as an actuator to increase energy confinement via modification of boundary quantities. H98-factor increases of up to ∼35% (e.g., H₉₈ from 0.75 to 1.0) are seen when moderate amounts of LH power (P[subscript LH]/P[subscript tot] ∼ 0.15) are applied to H-modes of densities [n with line above it][subscript e] ∼ 3 × 10²⁰ m⁻³, corresponding to values ∼0.5 of the Greenwald density. However, the magnitude of the improvement is reduced if the confinement quality of the target H-mode plasma is already good (i.e., H₉₈ [superscript target] ∼ 1). Ray-tracing modeling and accessibility calculations for the LH waves indicate that they do not penetrate to the core. The LHRF power appears to be deposited in plasma boundary region, with a large fraction of the injected power increment appearing promptly on the outer divertor target. There is no evidence that the LH waves are driving current in these plasmas. The LHRF-actuated improvements are well correlated with suppressed pedestal density fluctuations in the 100–300 kHz range. There is also a correlation between the improved confinement and a drop in separatrix density, a correlation that is consistent with previous H-mode results with no LHRF.United States. Department of Energy. Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (Award DE-FC02-99ER54512)United States. Department of Energy. Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (Award DE-AC02-09CH11466