Improvements in the CHERS system for DT experiments on TFTR

Improvements in the charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CHERS) system have resulted in accurate measurements of T{sub i} and V{sub {phi}} profiles during DT experiments. These include moving the spectrometer detector array and electronics farther away from the tokamak to a low neutron flux location. This relocation has also improved access to all components of the system. Also, a nonplasma-viewing calibration fiber system was added to monitor the change in fiber transmission due to the high flux DT neutrons. Narrowband filtered light transmitted through the calibration fiber is now used as a reference for the VO measurement. At the highest neutron flux of {approximately} 2.5 {times} 10{sup 18} neutrons/see (fusion power {approximately} 6.2 MW) a modest 5% decrease in fiber transmission was observed. Corrections for transmission loss are made and T{sub i} (r,t) and absolute V{sub phi} (r,t) profiles are automatically calculated within four minutes of every shot

Local Transport Barrier Formation and Relaxation in Reverse-Shear Plasmas on the TFTR Tokamak

The roles of turbulence stabilization by sheared E x B flow and Shafranov-shift gradients are examined for TFTR. Enhanced Reverse-Shear plasmas. Both effects in combination provide the basis of a positive-feedback model that predicts reinforced turbulence suppression with increasing pressure gradient. Local fluctuation behavior at the onset of ERS confinement is consistent with this framework. The power required for transitions into the ERS regime are lower when high power neutral beams are applied earlier in the current profile evolution, consistent with the suggestion that both effects play a role. Separation of the roles of E x B and Shafranov shift effects was performed by varying the E x B shear through changes in the toroidal velocity with nearly-steady-state pressure profiles. Transport and fluctuation levels increase only when E x B shearing rates are driven below a critical value that is comparable to the fastest linear growth rates of the dominant instabilities. While a turbulence suppression criterion that involves the ratio of shearing to linear growth rates is in accord with many of these results, the existence of hidden dependencies of the criterion is suggested in experiments where the toroidal field was varied. The forward transition into the ERS regime has also been examined in strongly rotating plasmas. The power threshold is higher with unidirectional injection than with balanced injection

The Roles of Electric Field Shear and Shafranov Shift in Sustaining High Confinement in Enhanced Reversed Shear Plasmas on the Tftr Tokamak

The relaxation of core transport barriers in TFTR Enhanced Reversed Shear plasmas has been studied by varying the radial electric field using different applied torques from neutral beam injection. Transport rates and fluctuations remain low over a wide range of radial electric field shear, but increase when the local E x B shearing rates are driven below a threshold comparable to the fastest linear growth rates of the dominant instabilities. Shafranov-shift-induced stabilization alone is not able to sustain enhanced confinement

Nonlinear Turbulence Simulations for NSTX H-modes

Present evidence points to remarkably resilient electron temperature profiles in high-density H-mode plasmas on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), suggesting that the underlying electron thermal transport mechanisms respond in a highly nonlinear fashion to changes in the gradients. This paper uses measured plasma profiles as input to linear gyrokinetic analysis to identify candidate micro-instabilities that may be responsible for the electron thermal transport. The criteria for useful nonlinear micro-stability analyses are discussed along with necessary approximations and computational issues

Beta-limiting MHD Instabilities in Improved-performance NSTX Spherical Torus Plasmas

Global magnetohydrodynamic stability limits in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) have increased significantly recently due to a combination of device and operational improvements. First, more routine H-mode operation with broadened pressure profiles allows access to higher normalized beta and lower internal inductance. Second, the correction of a poloidal field coil induced error-field has largely eliminated locked tearing modes during normal operation and increased the maximum achievable beta. As a result of these improvements, peak beta values have reached (not simultaneously) {beta}{sub t} = 35%, {beta}{sub N} = 6.4, <{beta}{sub N}> = 4.5, {beta}{sub N}/l{sub i} = 10, and {beta}{sub P} = 1.4. High {beta}{sub P} operation with reduced tearing activity has allowed a doubling of discharge pulse-length to just over 1 second with sustained periods of {beta}{sub N} {approx} 6 above the ideal no-wall limit and near the with-wall limit. Details of the {beta} limit scalings and {beta}-limiting instabilities in various operating regimes are described

Effect of plasma shaping on performance in the National Spherical Torus Experiment

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) has explored the effects of shaping on plasma performance as determined by many diverse topics including the stability of global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes (e.g., ideal external kinks and resistive wall modes), edge localized modes (ELMs), bootstrap current drive, divertor flux expansion, and heat transport. Improved shaping capability has been crucial to achieving Βt ∼40%. Precise plasma shape control has been achieved on NSTX using real-time equilibrium reconstruction. NSTX has simultaneously achieved elongation κ∼2.8 and triangularity δ∼0.8. Ideal MHD theory predicts increased stability at high values of shaping factor S≡ q95 Ip (a Bt), which has been observed at large values of the S∼37 [MA (m·T)] on NSTX. The behavior of ELMs is observed to depend on plasma shape. A description of the ELM regimes attained as shape is varied will be presented. Increased shaping is predicted to increase the bootstrap fraction at fixed Ip. The achievement of strong shaping has enabled operation with 1 s pulses with Ip =1 MA, and for 1.6 s for Ip =700 kA. Analysis of the noninductive current fraction as well as empirical analysis of the achievable plasma pulse length as elongation is varied will be presented. Data are presented showing a reduction in peak divertor heat load due to increasing in flux expansion. © 2006 American Institute of Physics

Experimental Tests Of Paleoclassical Transport

Predictions of the recently developed paleoclassical transport model are compared with data from many toroidal plasma experiments: electron heat diffusivity in DIII-D, C-Mod and NSTX ohmic and near-ohmic plasmas; transport modeling of DIII-D ohmic-level discharges and of the RTP ECH 'stair-step' experiments with eITBs at low order rational surfaces; investigation of a strong eITB in JT-60U; H-mode Te edge pedestal properties in DIII-D; and electron heat diffusivities in non-tokamak experiments (NSTX/ST, MST/RFP, SSPX/spheromak). The radial electron heat transport predicted by the paleoclassical model is found to agree with a wide variety of ohmic-level experimental results and to set the lower limit (within a factor {approx} 2) for the radial electron heat transport in most resistive, current-carrying toroidal plasmas -- unless it is exceeded by fluctuation-induced transport, which often occurs in the edge of L-mode plasmas and when the electron temperature is high ({approx}>T{sub e}{sup crit} {approx}B{sup 2/3}{bar {alpha}}{sup 1/2} keV) because then paleoclassical transport becomes less than gyro-Bohm-level anomalous transport

Stability and Confinement Properties of Auxiliary Heated NSTX Discharges

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) is a spherical tokamak with nominal plasma major radius R(subscript ''0'') = 0.85 m, minor radius a = 0.66 m, and aspect ratio A > 1.28. Typical discharge parameters are plasma current I (subscript ''p'') = 0.7-1.4 MA, toroidal magnetic field B(subscript ''t0'') = 0.25-0.45 Tesla at major radius R(subscript ''0''), elongation = 1.7-2.2, triangularity 0.3-0.5, line-average electron density = 2-5 x 10(superscript ''19'') m(superscript ''-3''), electron temperature T(subscript ''e'')(0) = 0.5-1.5 keV, and ion temperature T(subscript ''i'')(0) = 0.5-2 keV. The NSTX auxiliary heating systems can routinely deliver 4.5 MW of 80-keV deuterium neutral beams and 3 MW of 30-MHz high-harmonic fast-wave power. Kinetic profile diagnostics presently include a 10-channel, 30-Hz multipulse Thomson scattering system (MPTS), a 17-channel charge-exchange recombination spectroscopy (CHERS) system, a 48-chord ultra-soft X-ray (USXR) array, and a 15-chord bolometry array. Initial experiments utilizing auxiliary heating on NSTX have focused on MHD stability limits, confinement trends, studying H-mode characteristics, and performing initial power balance calculations