Scrape-Off Layer physics in limited plasmas in TCV

Controlled nuclear fusion is the most promising candidate for being an inexhaustible, clean and intrinsically safe energy source. In the tokamak fusion reactor concept, a high temperature plasma is confined by magnetic fields. Turbulence diffuses the confined plasma to the tokamak outermost region, the Scrape-Off Layer (SOL), featuring open field lines. In the SOL, the plasma is convected along the field lines and deposited on the solid surfaces of the tokamak wall. The plasma-wall interaction through the SOL strongly affects the reactor performances, and the elevated heat loads on the solid surfaces are one of the most limiting factors for fusion. SOL physics is not completely understood, not even in the simple ``limited'' configuration, where the main plasma touches the reactor wall, and the contact point defines the Last Closed Flux Surface (LCFS). In this thesis, we advance the understanding of SOL physics in limited plasmas, combining experiments and numerical simulations. In particular, two topics are addressed. First, the separation between the ``near'' and ``far'' SOL is investigated. The near SOL extends typically a few mm from the LCFS, features steep radial profiles of parallel heat flux and is responsible for the peak of heat deposition on the tokamak first wall. The far SOL, typically a few cm wide, features flatter heat flux profiles, and accounts for the majority of the heat deposited on the first wall. Secondly, blob dynamics is investigated. Blobs are high density plasma filaments generated by turbulence, and are an ubiquitous feature of plasmas in open magnetic field lines. The blobs travel outwards to the reactor walls, increasing the cross field transport. Dedicated experiments have been performed on the TCV tokamak. Inboard-limited Deuterium (D) and Helium (He) plasma discharges are performed, varying the main plasma parameters (current, density and shaping). The parallel heat flux radial profiles are determined with infrared thermography. For the first time, the presence of a near SOL in TCV limited plasmas is reported, both for D and He discharges. The near SOL is found to disappear for high plasma resistivity. Non-ambipolar currents are measured to flow to the wall in the near SOL using Langmuir probes, and their presence is found to correlate with the strength of the near SOL heat fluxes. A simple interpretation is given. The heat fluxes and electric potentials are also measured on the low field side using a reciprocating Langmuir probe, and compared with the ones measured on the tokamak wall. A method for the mitigation and suppression of the near SOL heat fluxes through impurity seeding is proposed, and first experimental evidences are presented. The experiments are compared with numerical simulations of the TCV SOL, performed with the GBS code. The simulated parallel heat flux profiles qualitatively agree with the experimental ones, showing the presence of a near and far SOL. Also, non-ambipolar currents are observed to flow to the wall. The effect of resistivity is investigated through a second simulation with a 40 times higher resistivity. The blob dynamics in TCV is investigated using a conditional average sampling technique on the reciprocating Langmuir probe data. The results for two discharges, for low and high resistivity respectively, are discussed. A blob detection and tracking algorithm is applied to the numerical simulation outputs, and the results are discussed

Real-life Evidence of Lower Lung Virulence in COVID-19 Inpatients Infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Compared to Wild-Type and Delta SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia

In vitro and animal models described lower replication capacity and virulence of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron lineage in lower respiratory airways compared to wild type and other variants of concern (oVOCs). Among adult subjects admitted to our hospital (Turin, Italy) due to wild type, oVOCs, and Omicron SARS-CoV-2-related pneumonia (n = 100 for each lineage), the cases of Omicron pneumonia showed lower degree of lung parenchyma involvement (aβ -1.471, p = 0.037), less tendency to parenchyma consolidation (aOR 0.500, p = 0.011), and better respiratory functions (assessed by ambient air arterial blood gas analysis). After adjusting for demographic, previous immunity, and comorbidities, Omicron pneumonia still associated with lower risk of respiratory failure (for severe respiratory failure, Wild-type versus Omicron aOR 15.6, p = 0.005 and oVOCs versus Omicron aOR 31.7, p < 0.001). These observations are in line with preliminary findings from in vitro and animal models and could explain why Omicron infection has been associated with lower mortality and hospitalization in human

Infrared measurements of the heat flux spreading under variable divertor geometries in TCV

The safe and stable operation of a future fusion reactor depends critically on the ability to control the heat loads on the material surfaces facing the plasma. The heat fluxes are particularly high at the strike points in the divertor, where the plasma interacts directly with the wall. By varying the divertor geometry it is possible to increase the power radiated or transferred to neutrals and to spatially extend the scrape-off layer (SOL), with the common goal of distributing the total power over a greater surface. In a diverted plasma, the heat flux profile at the divertor strike points is largely determined by three competing mechanisms: (I) transport of heat along the field lines, (II) cross-field transport in the SOL region (with the LCFS as a source of heat), (III) cross-field transport both in the SOL and in the private flux region (without source). Mechanisms II and III spread the heat flux profile at the divertor and the experimental profiles are well parametrised by the convolution of an exponential decay and a Gaussian, representing mechanisms II and III respectively [1]. Infrared (IR) thermography is an invaluable tool with which to measure the heat flux distribution independently of the plasma parameters. Langmuir probes and thermocouples in the graphite protection tiles provide independent measurements to cross-check IR estimates. The IR system of TCV was recently upgraded to provide coverage of a wider range of divertor configurations and simultaneous measurements at both strike points of a conventional divertor geometry. Using the magnetic shaping flexibility of TCV, multiple divertor configurations ranging from modifications of the classical single null to alternative ones have been tested under attached divertor leg conditions and are presented in this paper. While the outer strike point is generally well fitted with the decay length and an additional spreading in the divertor itself, the inner divertor view displays a double-peak heat flux profile in forward B field, which may be caused by drifts in the SOL [2] and has been previously detected in other tokamaks. In order to take into account the effect of such drifts on the target profile shape, an extension of the parametrisation from [1] representing a radial redistribution of heat is proposed. [1] Eich T et al. 2011 Physical Review Letters 107 215001 [2] Canal G et al. 2015 Nuclear Fusion 55 12302

Understanding and suppressing the near Scrape-Off Layer heat flux feature in inboard-limited plasmas in TCV

In inboard-limited plasmas, the Scrape-Off Layer (SOL) shows two regions: the near SOL, extending a few mm from the Last Closed Flux Surface (LCFS), characterized by a steep gradient of the parallel heat flux radial profile, and a far SOL, typically some cm wide, with flatter heat flux profiles. The physics of the near SOL is investigated in TCV with two series of experiments featuring deuterium and helium plasmas, in which the plasma current, density and elongation have been varied. The parallel heat flux profiles are measured on the limiter by means of infrared thermography. For the first time, the near SOL is reported to disappear for low plasma current or at high density, for values of the SOL collisionality νlowast corresponding to a conduction-limited regime. The power in the near SOL ∆PSOL is shown to decrease with the normalized Spitzer resistivity ν as ∆PSOL ~ ν−1. The floating potential profiles, measured at the limiter using flush-mounted Langmuir probes (LP), show the presence of non-ambipolar currents, and their relation to the presence of a velocity shear layer is discussed. The shearing rate is shown to strictly correlate with the power in the near SOL ∆PSOL, consistently with a recent theoretical model. Measurements of the near SOL on the Low Field Side (LFS) are performed using a reciprocating Langmuir probe (RP). The near SOL is reported to vanish simultaneously at the LFS and at the limiter. The near and far SOL widths are compared with the predictions from existing theoretical models, to which empirical corrections with resistivity and elongation are proposed

Experimental study on boron distribution and transport at plasma-facing components during impurity powder dropping in the Large Helical Device

Toward real-time wall conditioning, impurity powder dropping experiments with boron powder were performed in the 22nd experimental campaign of the Large Helical Device. To examine the deposition and desorption process of boron, we focus on boron hydride (BH) molecules which presumably populate near plasma-facing components. We performed spatially-resolved spectroscopic measurements of emission by boron ions and BH molecules. From the measurement, we found that BH and B+ were concentrated on the divertor viewing chord, which suggest boron deposition in the divertor region. By comparing Hγ emissions with and without boron injection, neutral hydrogen shows uniform reduction in the SOL region, whereas less reduction of neutral hydrogen is confirmed in the divertor region. Although emissions from BH and B+ increased linearly, emissions by B0 and B4+ became constant after the middle of the discharge. Continuous reduction of carbon density in the core plasma was confirmed even after B0 and B4+ became constant. The results may show reduction of hydrogen recycling and facilitation of impurity gettering by boron in the divertor region and thus effective real-time wall conditioning

WSES consensus conference : Guidelines for firstline management of intra-abdominal infections

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Observation of a reduced-turbulence regime with boron powder injection in a stellarator

In state-of-the-art stellarators, turbulence is a major cause of the degradation of plasma confinement. To maximize confinement, which eventually determines the amount of nuclear fusion reactions, turbulent transport needs to be reduced. Here we report the observation of a confinement regime in a stellarator plasma that is characterized by increased confinement and reduced turbulent fluctuations. The transition to this regime is driven by the injection of submillimetric boron powder grains into the plasma. With the line-averaged electron density being kept constant, we observe a substantial increase of stored energy and electron and ion temperatures. At the same time, the amplitude of the plasma turbulent fluctuations is halved. While lower frequency fluctuations are damped, higher frequency modes in the range between 100 and 200 kHz are excited. We have observed this regime for different heating schemes, namely with both electron and ion cyclotron resonant radio frequencies and neutral beams, for both directions of the magnetic field and both hydrogen and deuterium plasmas