Demonstration of high performance negative central magnetic shear discharges on the DIII-D tokamak

Abstract

Reliable operation of discharges with negative central magnetic shear has led to significant increases in plasma performance and reactivity in both low confinement, L-mode, and high confinement, H-mode, regimes in the DIII-D tokamak. Using neutral beam injection early in the initial current ramp, a large range of negative shear discharges have been produced with durations lasting up to 3.2 s. The total non- inductive current (beam plus bootstrap) ranges from 50% to 80% in these discharges. In the region of shear reversal, significant peaking of the toroidal rotation [f{sub {phi}} {approx} 30-60 kHz] and ion temperature [T{sub i}(0) {approx} 15-22 keV] profiles are observed. In high power discharges with an L-mode edge, peaked density profiles are also observed. Confinement enhancement factors up to H {equivalent_to} {tau}{sub E}/{tau}{sub ITER-89P} {approx} 2.5 with an L-mode edge, and H {approx} 3.3 in an Edge Localized Mode (ELM)-free H-mode, are obtained. Transport analysis shows both ion thermal diffusivity and particle diffusivity to be near or below standard neoclassical values in the core. Large pressure peaking in L- mode leads to high disruptivity with {Beta}{sub N} {equivalent_to} {Beta}{sub T}/(I/aB) {<=} 2.3, while broader pressure profiles in H- mode gives low disruptivity with {Beta}{sub N} {<=} 4.2

    Similar works