Neutral particle dynamics in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak

This thesis presents an experimental study of neutral particle dynamics in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak. The primary diagnostic used is a set of six neutral pressure gauges, including special-purpose gauges built for in situ tokamak operation. While a low main chamber neutral pressure coincides with high plasma confinement regimes, high divertor pressure is required for heat and particle flux dispersion in future devices such as ITER. Thus we examine conditions that optimize divertor compression, defined here as a divertor-to-midplane pressure ratio. We find both pressures depend primarily on the edge plasma regimes defined by the scrape-off-layer heat transport. While the maximum divertor pressure is achieved at high core plasma densities corresponding to the detached divertor state, the maximum compression is achieved in the high-recycling regime. Variations in the divertor geometry have a weaker effect on the neutral pressures. For otherwise similar plasmas the divertor pressure and compression are maximum when the strike point is at the bottom of the vertical target plate. We introduce a simple flux balance model, which allows us to explain the divertor neutral pressure across a wide range of plasma densities. In particular, high pressure sustained in the detached divertor (despite a considerable drop in the recycling source) can be explained by scattering of neutrals off the cold plasma plugging the divertor throat. Because neutrals are confined in the divertor through scattering and ionization processes (provided the mean-free-paths are much shorter than a typical escape distance) tight mechanical baffling is unnecessary. The analysis suggests that two simple structural modifications may increase the divertor compression in Alcator C-Mod by a factor of about 5. Widening the divertor throat would increase the divertor recycling source, while closing leaks in the divertor structure would eliminate a significant neutral loss mechanism. 146 refs., 82 figs., 14 tabs

Neutral gas compression in the Alcator C-Mod divertor, experimental observations

One of the high heat flux solutions envisioned for ITER is the gas target divertor. This scheme requires high neutral pressure to be sustained in the divertor chamber with a minimal effect on the pressure in the main tokamak chamber (i.e. high gas compression). The neutral gas compression has been studied in the Alcator C-Mod closed divertor under various central and edge plasma conditions. The neutral pressure measured by a fast, in-situ, ionization gauge, installed behind the divertor target plate was compared with the midplane pressure, measured by a shielded Bayard-Alpert gauge. Divertor pressures up to 30 mTorr with compression factors p{sub div}/p{sub mid} {le} 70 have been observed. It has been found that the neutral pressure in the divertor does not depend strongly on the fueling location but rather on the core plasma density and the resulting divertor plasma regime. Divertor detachment leads to a considerable drop in the compression ratio, suggesting a partial {open_quotes}unplugging{close_quotes} of the divertor volume. An examination of the local particle flux balance in the divertor indicates that the single most important factor determining divertor pressure and compression is the private-flux plasma channel opacity to neutrals