Comparison of H-mode plasmas in JET-ILW and JET-C with and without nitrogen seeding

In high confinement mode, highly shaped plasmas with edge localized modes in JET, and for heating power of 15-17 MW, the edge fluid code EDGE2D-EIRENE predicts transition to detachment assisted by nitrogen at the low field side (LFS) target when more than 50% of the power crossing the separatrix between ELMs is radiated in the divertor chamber, i.e. ∼4 MW. This is observed both in the ITER-like wall (JET-ILW) and in the carbon wall (JET-C) configurations and is consistent with experimental observations within their uncertainty. In these conditions, peak heat fluxes below 1 MW m-2 are measured at the LFS target and predicted for both wall configurations. When the JET-C configuration is replaced with the JET-ILW, a factor of two reduction in the divertor radiated power and 25-50% increase in the peak and total power deposited to the LFS divertor plate is predicted by EDGE2D-EIRENE for unseeded plasmas similar to experimental observations. At the detachment threshold, EDGE2D-EIRENE shows that nitrogen radiates more than 80% of the total divertor radiation in JET-ILW with beryllium contributing less than a few %. With JET-C, nitrogen radiates more than 70% with carbon providing less than 20% of the total radiation. Therefore, the lower intrinsic divertor radiation with JET-ILW is compensated by stronger nitrogen radiation contribution in simulations leading to detachment at similar total divertor radiation fractions. 20-100% higher deuterium molecular fraction in the divertor recycling fluxes is predicted with light JET-C materials when compared to heavy tungsten. EDGE2D-EIRENE simulations indicate that the stronger molecular contribution can reduce the divertor peak power deposition in high recycling conditions by 10-20% due to enhanced power dissipation by molecular interaction

Development of the 174 GHz collective Thomson scattering diagnostics at Wendelstein 7-X

In this paper, we present the design and commissioning results of the upgraded collective Thomson scattering diagnostic at the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator. The diagnostic has a new radiometer designed to operate between the second and third harmonics of the electron cyclotron emission from the plasma at 171–177 GHz, where the emission background has a minimum and is of order 10–100 eV. It allows us to receive the scattered electromagnetic field with a significantly improved signal-to-noise ratio and extends the set of possible scattering geometries compared to the case of the original instrument operated at 140 GHz. The elements of the diagnostic are a narrowband notch filter and a frequency stabilized probing gyrotron that will allow measuring scattered radiation spectra very close to the probing frequency. Here, we characterize the microwave components applied to the radiometer and demonstrate the performance of the complete system that was achieved during the latest experimental campaign, OP2.1

Electron-cyclotron-resonance heating in Wendelstein 7-X: A versatile heating and current-drive method and a tool for in-depth physics studies

For stellarators, which need no or only small amounts of current drive, electron-cyclotron-resonance heating (ECRH) is a promising heating method even for the envisaged application in a fusion power plant. Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) is equipped with a steady-state capable ECRH system, operating at 140 GHz, which corresponds to the 2nd cyclotron harmonic of the electrons at a magnetic field of 2.5 T. Ten gyrotrons are operational and already delivered 7MW to W7-X plasmas. Combined with pellet injection, the highest triple product (0.68×10²⁰ keVm¯³s), observed up to now in stellarators, was achieved (Sunn Pedersen et al 2018 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 61 014035). For the first time, W7-X plasmas were sustained by 2nd harmonic O-mode heating, approaching the collisionality regime for which W7-X was optimized. Power deposition scans did not show any indication of electron temperature profile resilience. In low-density, low-power plasmas a compensation of the bootstrap current with electron-cyclotron current drive (ECCD) was demonstrated. Sufficiently strong ECCD close to the plasma centre produced periodic internal plasma-crash events, which coincide with the appearance of low order rationals of the rotational transform

Main results of the first experimental campaign in the stellarator W7-X

A summary of the first operational phase (OP1.1) at the stellarator W7-X is given. The operational setup of heating and diagnostics as well the results of experiments are briefly described. Plasma parameters and confinement are better than expected: Te > 8 keV and Ti > 2 keV at ne ≈ 3×1019 m-3 yielding β0 ≈ 2.5 %. The results for ECR heating with X2-mode as well the ECCD are in good agreement with the theory predictions. The heating scenario with the O2-mode alone was successfully first time performed. Stellarator specific regime of core “electron root” confinement was obtained