Experimental and Numerical Studies of Separatrix Splitting and Magnetic Footprints in DIII-D

A numerical field line integration code is used to study the structure of divertor footprints produced by small non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbation in the DIII-D tokamak. The numerical modeling results are compared to experimental infrared camera data which show a splitting of the divertor target plate heat flux into several distinct peaks when an n=3 magnetic perturbation from the DIII-D I-coil is applied. The heat flux splitting consistently appears when the n=3 perturbation is applied and disappears when the perturbation is removed. The magnitude of the splitting implied by the numerical modeling is a factor of 3 smaller than the splitting seen in the experimental data. These results suggest that the plasma response to the edge resonant applied n=3 magnetic perturbation produces an amplification of the vacuum magnetic footprint structure on the divertor target plates. These results may have significant implications for the ITER divertor design

Correlation of Neutral Beam Injection Parameters and Core B with Anomalous First-Wall Heating During QH-Mode

Anomalous first-wall heating has been observed far from the divertor strike point during QH-mode in DIII-D, with measured heat flux comparable to that at the outer strike point. The data are consistent with deuterium ions of approximately the pedestal energy carrying the anomalous heat flux. Although an instability has not been identified that is correlated with the anomalous heat flux, two classes of behavior have been observed: one in which the anomalous heat flux depends linearly on core {beta}, and another class with no {beta}-dependence. The anomalous heat flux depends strongly on the injected beam energy of the non-tangentially-injected neutral beams but not that of the tangential beams

A Fast Visible Camera Divertor-Imaging Diagnostic on DIII-D

In recent campaigns, the Photron Ultima SE fast framing camera has proven to be a powerful diagnostic when applied to imaging divertor phenomena on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). Active areas of NSTX divertor research addressed with the fast camera include identification of types of EDGE Localized Modes (ELMs)[1], dust migration, impurity behavior and a number of phenomena related to turbulence. To compare such edge and divertor phenomena in low and high aspect ratio plasmas, a multi-institutional collaboration was developed for fast visible imaging on NSTX and DIII-D. More specifically, the collaboration was proposed to compare the NSTX small type V ELM regime [2] and the residual ELMs observed during Type I ELM suppression with external magnetic perturbations on DIII-D[3]. As part of the collaboration effort, the Photron camera was installed recently on DIII-D with a tangential view similar to the view implemented on NSTX, enabling a direct comparison between the two machines. The rapid implementation was facilitated by utilization of the existing optics that coupled the visible spectral output from the divertor vacuum ultraviolet UVTV system, which has a view similar to the view developed for the divertor tangential TV camera [4]. A remote controlled filter wheel was implemented, as was the radiation shield required for the DIII-D installation. The installation and initial operation of the camera are described in this paper, and the first images from the DIII-D divertor are presented

Including osteoprotegerin and collagen IV in a score-based blood test for liver fibrosis increases diagnostic accuracy

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive methods for liver fibrosis evaluation in chronic liver diseases have been recently developed, i.e. transient elastography (Fibroscan™) and blood tests (Fibrometer®, Fibrotest®, and Hepascore®). In this study, we aimed to design a new score in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) by selecting blood markers in a large panel and we compared its diagnostic performance with those of other noninvasive methods. METHODS: Sixteen blood tests were performed in 306 untreated CHC patients included in a multicenter prospective study (ANRS HC EP 23 Fibrostar) using METAVIR histological fibrosis stage as reference. The new score was constructed by non linear regression using the most accurate biomarkers. RESULTS: Five markers (alpha-2-macroglobulin, apolipoprotein-A1, AST, collagen IV and osteoprotegerin) were included in the new function called Coopscore©. Using the Obuchowski Index, Coopscore© shows higher diagnostic performances than for Fibrometer®, Fibrotest®, Hepascore® and Fibroscan™ in CHC. Association between Fibroscan™ and Coopscore© might avoid 68% of liver biopsies for the diagnosis of significant fibrosis. CONCLUSION: Coopscore© provides higher accuracy than other noninvasive methods for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in CHC. The association of Coopscore© with Fibroscan™ increases its predictive value

Toroidally Asymmetric Distributions of Hydrocarbon (CD) Emission and Chemical Sputtering Sources in DIII-D

Measurements in DIII-D show that the carbon chemical sputtering sources along the inner divertor and center post are toroidally periodic and highest at the upstream tile edge. Imaging with a tangentially viewing camera and visible spectroscopy were used to monitor the emission from molecular hydrocarbons (CH/CD) at 430.8 nm and deuterium neutrals in attached and partially detached divertors of low-confinement mode plasmas. In contrast to the toroidally periodic CD distribution, emission from deuterium neutrals was observed to be toroidally symmetric along the inner strike zone. The toroidal distribution of the measured tile surface temperature in the inner divertor correlates with that of the CD emission, suggesting larger parallel particle and heat fluxes to the upstream tile edge, either due to toroidal tile gaps or height steps between adjacent tiles

Visible and Infrared Optical Design for the ITER Upper Ports

This document contains the results of an optical design scoping study of visible-light and infrared optics for the ITER upper ports, performed by LLNL under contract for the US ITER Project Office. ITER is an international collaboration to build a large fusion energy tokamak with a goal of demonstrating net fusion power for pulses much longer than the energy confinement time. At the time of this report, six of the ITER upper ports are planned to each to contain a camera system for recording visible and infrared light, as well as other diagnostics. the performance specifications for the temporal and spatial resolution of this system are shown in the Section II, Functional Specifications. They acknowledge a debt to Y. Corre and co-authors of the CEA Cadarache report ''ITER wide-angle viewing and thermographic and visible system''. Several of the concepts used in this design are derived from that CEA report. The infrared spatial resolution for optics of this design is diffraction-limited by the size of the entrance aperture, at lower resolution than listed in the ITER diagnostic specifications. The size of the entrance aperture is a trade-off between spatial resolution, optics size in the port, and the location of relay optics. The signal-to-noise ratio allows operation at the specified time resolutions