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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 55 records · Page 3
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DOE OSTI2011

Stray RF Power Estimates From EC Exploitation During ITER Plasma Operations

The EC H and CD system of ITER tokamak is an essential tool for all the phases of ITER operation. Different levels of EC power are required through all the plasma discharge: up to 6.7 MW for assisting the breakdown and burn through, up to 20 MW for current drive and saw-teeth control from the equatorial launcher and up to 20 MW for NTM stabilization from the upper launchers. The assistance to breakdown and burn through is characterized by a very low (if not negligible) RF power absorption by the plasma. A significant level of stray radiation may also arise from partial absorption due to non-optimal plasma parameters and/or wrong injected polarization. The stray power radiated in the vacuum chamber is estimated as a first step toward mitigating potential harmful consequence to in-vessel structures and diagnostics. Power loading of the chamber walls (peek power and average power density for straight beam propagation in the empty chamber) and diffuse stray radiation effects are simulated to infer suitable strategies to avoid damage to first wall and to microwave sensitive components.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Heat loads from ICRF and LH wave absorption in the SOL: characterization on JET and implications for the ITER-Like Wall

Heat loads from ICRF and LH wave absorption in the SOL are characterized on JET from the de-convolution of surface temperatures measured by infrared thermography. The spatial localization, quantitative estimates, parametric dependence and physical origin of the observed heat fluxes are documented. Implications of these observations are discussed for the operation of JET with an ITER-Like Wall, featuring Beryllium tiles with reduced power handling capability.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Modelling of Ion Cyclotron Wall Conditioning plasmas

Ion Cyclotron Wall Conditioning (ICWC) is envisioned in ITER to clean the wall from impurities, to control the wall isotopic ratio and the hydrogen recycling in the presence of the toroidal magnetic field. Various experiments and modelling are advancing to consolidate this technique. In this contribution the modeling of ICWC is presented, which can be divided in two parts: plasma description and plasma wall interaction. Firstly a 0D plasma model, based on a set of energy and particle balance equations for Maxwellian Hydrogen and Helium species, is presented. The model takes into account elementary collision processes, coupled RF power, particle confinement, wall recycling, and active gas injection and pumping. The RF plasma production process is based mainly on electron collisional ionization. The dependency of the plasma parameters, the Hydrogen and Helium partial pressures and neutral or ionic fluxes on pressure and RF power are quantitatively in good agreement with those obtained experimentally on TORE SUPRA. Secondly an extension of the 0D model including the description of the wall interaction is presented and compared to TORE SUPRA multi-pulse ICWC discharges.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Characterisation of SOL density fluctuations in front of the LHCD PAM launcher in Tore

The density fluctuations, modified by Lower Hybrid Wave (LHW), is analyzed in Tore Supra with reference to the injected LHW power, density and the gap between LCFS (Last Closed Flux Surface) and the PAM (passive-active-multijunction) launcher. The density fluctuations are measured with RF probes installed at the PAM launcher front. A density scan at nominal toroidal field (3.8 T) shows that the fluctuations rate stays nearly constant ({approx}50%) for <n{sub e}><3.5x10{sup 19}m{sup -3} and with LHW power up to 2MW. However, when increasing the density above <n{sub e}><{approx}4.2x10{sup 19}m{sup -3}, using strong gas puffing, the fluctuation rate increases to >70% and is characterized by strong negative spikes, with typical frequency >100kHz. These are most likely originating from acceleration of electrons in the LHW near field due to parasitic absorption, as evidenced on the IR images, showing hot spots on the side limiters.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

ICRF scenarios for ITER's half-field phase

The non-active operation phase of ITER will be done in H and {sup 4}He plasmas at half the nominal magnetic field, B{sub 0} = 2.65T. At this field and for the given frequency range of the ICRF system (f = 40-55MHz), three ICRF heating scenarios are available a priori: (i) Fundamental ICRH of majority H plasmas at f{approx_equal}40MHz,(ii) second harmonic (N= 2) {sup 3}He ICRH in H plasmas at f{approx_equal}53MHz and (iii) fundamental minority H heating in {sup 4}He plasmas at f{approx_equal}40MHz. While the latter is expected to perform well for not too large H concentrations, the heating scenarios available for the Hydrogen plasmas are less robust. Recent JET experiments performed in similar conditions to those expected in ITER's half-field phase confirmed the low performance of these two scenarios and numerical simulations have shown that the situation is not much improved in ITER, mainly because of the rather modest plasma temperature and density expected in its initial operation phase. A summary of the main experimental results obtained at JET followed by numerical predictions for ITER's half-field ICRF heating scenarios will be presented.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

ICRF heating at JET: From operations with a metallic wall to the long term perspective of a DT campaign

The first series of experiments with the ITER-like wall (ILW) will start mid-2011 with D plasmas and will continue through 2012-13 with H, {sup 4}He and D plasmas, and up to 2014-15, when a DT campaign is proposed. In this paper, the previous experience at JET is reviewed to set the scene for the future challenges of ICRF operation including change in the ICRF coupling, W impurity production and evaluation of localized power loads due the RF sheaths. development in a Beryllium/Tungsten environment of ICRF heating schemes for the non activated and the DT phases of ITER.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Direct Electron Heating Observed by Fast Waves in ICRF Range on a Low-Density Low Temperature Tokamak ADITYA

Fast wave electron heating experiments are carried out on Aditya tokamak [R = 0.75 m, a = 0.25m,Bt = 0.75T,ne{approx}1-3E13/cc,Te{approx}250eV] with the help of indigenously developed 200 kW, 20-40 MHz RF heating system. Significant direct electron heating is observed by fast waves in hydrogen plasma with prompt rise in electron temperature with application of RF power and it increases linearly with RF power. A corresponding increase in plasma beta and hence increase in stored diamagnetic energy is also observed in presence of RF. We observe an improvement of energy confinement time from 2-4msec during ohmic heating phase to 3-6msec in RF heating phase. This improvement is within the ohmic confinement regime for the present experiments. The impurity radiation and electron density do not escalate significantly with RF power. The direct electron heating by fast wave in Aditya is also predicted by ion cyclotron resonance heating code TORIC.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Enhancing The Mode Conversion Efficiency In JET Plasmas With Multiple Mode Conversion Layers

The constructive interference effect described by Fuchs et al. [1] shows that the mode conversion and thereby the overall heating efficiency can be enhanced significantly when an integer number of fast wave wavelengths can be folded in between the high field side fast wave cutoff and the ion-ion hybrid layer(s) at which the ion Bernstein or ion cyclotron waves are excited. This effect was already experimentally identified in ({sup 3}He)-D plasmas [2] and was recently tested in ({sup 3}He)-H JET plasmas. The latter is an 'inverted' scenario, which differs significantly from the ({sup 3}He)-D scenarios since the mode-conversion layer is positioned between the low field side edge of the plasma and the ion-cyclotron layer of the minority {sup 3}He ions (whereas the order in which a wave entering the plasma from the low field side encounters these layers is inverted in a 'regular' scenario), and because much lower {sup 3}He concentrations are needed to achieve the mode-conversion heating regime. The presence of small amounts of {sup 4}He and D in the discharges gave rise to an additional mode conversion layer on top of the expected one associated with {sup 3}He-H, which made the interpretation of the results more complex but also more interesting: Three different regimes could be distinguished as a function of X[{sup 3}He], and the differing dynamics at the various concentrations could be traced back to the presence of these two mode conversion layers and their associated fast wave cutoffs. Whereas (1-D and 2-D) numerical modeling yields quantitative information on the RF absorptivity, recent analytical work by Kazakov [3] permits to grasp the dominant underlying wave interaction physics.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Iterated multidimensional wave conversion

Mode conversion can occur repeatedly in a two-dimensional cavity (e.g., the poloidal cross section of an axisymmetric tokamak). We report on two novel concepts that allow for a complete and global visualization of the ray evolution under iterated conversions. First, iterated conversion is discussed in terms of ray-induced maps from the two-dimensional conversion surface to itself (which can be visualized in terms of three-dimensional rooms). Second, the two-dimensional conversion surface is shown to possess a symplectic structure derived from Dirac constraints associated with the two dispersion surfaces of the interacting waves.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Recent Results on Coupling Fast Waves to High Performance Plasmas on DIII-D

Fast Waves (FWs) at 60 MHz and 90 MHz are used in DIII-D for central electron heating and current drive. Coupling of FWs to high-performance discharges is limited by low antenna loading in these regimes. To extend the application of high-power FWs to such regimes, methods of increasing the antenna loading in these regimes are needed. A systematic study of loading enhancement techniques has been carried out in DIII-D, including reduction of the antenna/plasma distance, gas puffing into the far scrape-off layer (SOL), and control of other parameters that affect the particle balance in the far SOL. Quantitative understanding of the physics of the loading resistance and its dependence on edge density profiles is demonstrated. The core FW heating efficiency appeared to be {approx}100% in the Advanced Inductive regime, consistent with the high first-pass direct electron absorption of {approx}75% that is predicted by the ray-tracing code GENRAY in this high electron beta regime.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

Modeling of Synergy Between 4th and 6th Harmonic Absorptions of Fast Waves on Injected Beams in DIII-D Tokamak

In recent moderate to high harmonic fast wave heating and current drive experiments in DIII-D, a synergy effect was observed when the 6{sup th} harmonic 90 MHz fast wave power is applied to the plasma preheated by neutral beams and the 4{sup th} harmonic 60 MHz fast wave. In this paper, we investigate how the synergy can occur using ORBIT-RF coupled with AORSA. Preliminary simulations suggest that damping of 4{sup th} harmonic FW on beam ions accelerates them above the injection energy, which may allow significant damping of 6{sup th} harmonic FW on beam ion tails to produce synergy.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

HHFW Heating and Current Drive Studies of NSTX H-Mode Plasmas

30 MHz high-harmonic fast wave (HHFW) heating and current drive are being developed to assist fully non-inductive plasma current (I{sub p}) ramp-up in NSTX. The initial approach to achieving this goal has been to heat I{sub p} = 300 kA inductive plasmas with current drive antenna phasing in order to generate an HHFW H-mode with significant bootstrap and RF-driven current. Recent experiments, using only 1.4 MW of RF power (P{sub RF}), achieved a non-inductive current fraction, f{sub NI}{approx}0.65. Improved antenna conditioning resulted in the generation of I{sub p} = 650 kA HHFW H-mode plasmas, with f{sub NI}{approx}0.35, when P{sub RF}{>=}2.5 MW. These plasmas have little or no edge localized mode (ELM) activity during HHFW heating, a substantial increase in stored energy and a sustained central electron temperature of 5-6 keV. Another focus of NSTX HHFW research is to heat an H-mode generated by 90 keV neutral beam injection (NBI). Improved HHFW coupling to NBI-generated H-modes has resulted in a broad increase in electron temperature profile when HHFW heating is applied. Analysis of a closely matched pair of NBI and HHFW+NBI H-mode plasmas revealed that about half of the antenna power is deposited inside the last closed flux surface (LCFS). Of the power damped inside the LCFS about two-thirds is absorbed directly by electrons and one-third accelerates fast-ions that are mostly promptly lost from the plasma. At longer toroidal launch wavelengths, HHFW+NBI H-mode plasmas can have an RF power flow to the divertor outside the LCFS that significantly reduces RF power deposition to the core. ELMs can also reduce RF power deposition to the core and increase power deposition to the edge. Recent full wave modeling of NSTX HHFW+NBI H-mode plasmas, with the model extended to the vessel wall, predicts a coaxial standing mode between the LCFS and the wall that can have large amplitudes at longer launch wavelengths. These simulation results qualitatively agree with HHFW+NBI H-mode data that show decreasing core RF heating efficiency and increasing RF power flow to the lower divertor at longer launch wavelengths.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Effects of the Spatial Extent of Multiple Harmonic Layers

An analytic model for single particle motion in the presence of a wave field and multiple cyclotron harmonics is developed and investigated. The model suggests that even in the absence of Doppler broadening, cyclotron harmonic layers have finite spatial extent. This allows for particles to interact with more than one harmonic layer simultaneously, provided the layers are tightly packed. The latter phenomenon is investigated in the context of the model using symplectic mapping techniques. Then the model behavior is compared with numerical simulations of neutral beam particle trajectories in NSTX using the full-orbit code SPIRAL.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

High frequency fast wave current drive for DEMO

A steady-state tokamak reactor (SSTR) requires a high efficiency current drive system, from plug to driven mega-amps. RF systems working in the ion-cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) have high efficiency from plug to antenna but a limited current drive (CD) efficiency and centrally peaked CD profiles. The latter feature is not adequate for a SSTR where the current should be sufficiently broad to keep the central safety factor (possibly significantly) above 1. In addition, the fact that the fast wave (FW) is evanescent at the edge limits coupling, requiring high voltage operation, which makes the system dependent on plasma edge properties and prone to arcing, reducing its reliability. A possible way to overcome these weaknesses is to operate at higher frequency (10 times or more the cyclotron frequency). The advantages are: (1) The coupling can be much better (waves propagate in vacuum) if the parallel refractive index n{sub ||} is kept below one, (2) The FW group velocity tends to align to the magnetic field, so the power circumnavigates the magnetic axis and can drive off-axis current, (3) Due to the latter property, n{sub ||} can be upshifted along the wave propagation path, allowing low n{sub ||} launch (hence good coupling, large CD efficiency) with ultimately good electron absorption (which requires higher n{sub ||}. Note however that the n{sub ||} upshift is a self-organized feature, that electron absorption is in competition with {alpha}-particle absorption and that uncoupling of the FW from the lower hybrid resonance at the edge requires n{sub ||} slightly above one. The latter possibly counterproductive features might complicate the picture. The different aspects of this potentially attractive off-axis FWCD scheme are discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

Role of Combined NNBI and ICRH Heating in FAST H-mode plasmas

The combination of ICRH+NNBI in FAST allows the generation of fast ion populations with different velocity space anisotropy and radial profiles. These energetic ion populations can excite meso-scale fluctuations with the same characteristics of those expected in reactor conditions and, for this reason, FAST can address a number of important burning plasma physics issues. Numerical simulation and modeling of energetic particle physics are based on the use of transport codes that are iteratively coupled with a bi-dimensional full wave-quasi-linear solver for ICRH, in order to determinate the normalized supra-thermal population pressure ss{sub hot}. The value of ss{sub hot}. as well the energetic particle distribution functions can be used as initial condition for numerical simulation studies, investigating the destabilization and saturation of fast ion driven Alfvenic modes.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Library for RF Interactions in Orbit Following Codes

A new code-library has been developed to handle quasi-linear wave particle interactions in orbit following Monte Carlo codes, RFOF (RF interactions in Orbit Following codes). This library will enable a large number of orbit following codes to model fast ion acceleration during ICRF and Lower Hybrid heating. The RFOF consists of two main modules: one evaluates the resonance condition, the other the resulting RF acceleration. The resonance condition is tested at each step along the orbit and the location of the next upcoming resonance is predicted. When a particle reaches the resonance, a quasi-linear acceleration is calculated with a novel Monte Carlo technique that avoids the time-consuming evaluation of phase-space derivatives of the interaction strength. In RFOF the wave-particles interactions are assumed to be localized to a single point on the orbit. This is often valid for the ion cyclotron and lower hybrid frequency ranges, but prevents the treatment of bounce and precessional resonances. The RFOF has been developed within the European Task Force for Integrated Tokamak Modelling, enabling interaction between experts in different fields. As a result the code is designed with a simple and generic interface, with a minimum of assumptions on e.g. the geometry. Successful integration with the two orbit following codes, ASCOT and SPOT, has already been demonstrated.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Studying fast wave propagation and absorption at any cyclotron harmonic using a 2D finite element area coordinates wave equation solver

Fourier analysis in the poloidal direction is a standard ingredient in present-day 2D wave equation solvers describing radio frequency waves in hot tokamak plasmas. Although a powerful and elegant technique, Fourier analysis has the disadvantage that a large number of modes is needed to describe the field pattern on a magnetic surface if a short wavelength mode exists on any - even very small - subpart of the particle trajectory. The present paper examines the potential of a method that does not suffer from this drawback: a finite element technique relying on simple linear or cubic area base functions that are defined on irregular elementary surfaces of triangular shape. The wave equation is solved in its weak Galerkin variational form and for realistic 2D tokamak geometry, accounting for the toroidal curvature but assuming the toroidal angle is ignorable, allowing to study the wave pattern for each of the independent toroidal modes excited by the antenna individually.The locally uniform full hot plasma dielectric tensor to all orders in finite Larmor radius was adopted. As the main intended application is the study of fast wave behavior (heating and current drive) at arbitrary harmonics, the wave vector complex amplitude appearing in the dielectric tensor is determined through a local dispersion root evaluation. High frequency fast wave propagation and damping is provided as an illustration in view of possible application of this type of current drive in future high density reactor-like tokamaks.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Lower hybrid current drive at plasma densities required for thermonuclear reactors

Driving current in high-density plasmas is essential for the progress of thermonuclear fusion energy research based on the tokamak concept. The lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) effect, is potentially the most suitable tool for driving current at large plasma radii, consistent with the needs of ITER steady state scenario. Unfortunately, experiments at reactor grade high plasma densities with kinetic profiles approaching those required for ITER, have shown problems in penetration of the LH power into the core plasma. These plasmas represent a basic reference for designing possible methods useful for assessing the LHCD concept in ITER. On the basis of the phenomenology observed during LHCD experiments carried out in different machines, and model of the spectral broadening effect due to parametric instability, an interpretation and possible solution of the related important problem is presented.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗