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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

Plasma Current Start-up Experiment using Waves in the Lower Hybrid Frequency Range in TST-2

Noninductive plasma current (I{sub p}) start-up experiments using RF power in the lower hybrid frequency range are being conducted on the TST-2 spherical tokamak. The lower hybrid wave (LHW) has demonstrated efficient current drive in conventional tokamaks. However, in spherical tokamak (ST) plasmas with very high dielectric constants (;{epsilon}{approx}{omega}{sub pe}{sup 2}/{Omega}{sub e}{sup 2}>>1), accessibility of the LHW to the plasma core is severely limited. Our approach is to keep the plasma density low (such that {epsilon}{approx}1) during I{sub p} ramp-up. Once I{sub p} reaches a level sufficiently high for neutral beam current drive, plasma can be densified and transformed into an advanced tokamak plasma dominated by the self-driven bootstrap current. Initial plasma start-up experiments were performed on TST-2 using a combline antenna which excites a traveling fast wave. After formation of toroidal flux surfaces, RF power and vertical field were ramped up to increase I{sub p}. Up to 12 kA of Ip has been obtained by this method. Soft X-ray measurements indicate that the electron temperature increases as I{sub p} increases, and hard X-ray spectroscopy indicates that energetic electrons build up as I{sub p} is ramped up.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Simulation Study of Current Drive Efficiency for KSTAR 5 GHz LHCD

Theoretical 5 GHz lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) efficiency using power spectrum given by 0-D Brambilla code and Lower Hybrid Simulation Code (LSC) have been studied for KSTAR. In LSC simulation, RF-driven current and current drive efficiency has been found to be deeply dependent on the profiles of the plasma density and temperature as well as on current profile in order to obtain hollow current profile favorable for advance tokamak operation mode and steady state operation. The peaked density and broad temperature profile control has been found to be efficient in current drive with maximum RF-driven current larger than 400 kA/MW with very high efficiency when the peak plasma density is ranged from 0.2 to 2.0x1020 m-3, and the peak electron temperature range of 2-20 keV together with toroidal field 2-3.5 T and Ip = 0.5-2 MA. The on-/off-axis current profile controllability is also investigated through parametric scan, and small negative magnetic shear is seen at the narrow region of the off-axis for very high temperature regime and for high BT and I{sub p}. In order to achieve the same for lower temperature regime Ip has to be lower and also for higher LH-power compromising with CD efficiency in this case.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Lower hybrid wave propagation in tokamaks in weak and strong absorption regimes

Lower hybrid (LH) waves have the attractive property of damping strongly via electron Landau resonance on relatively fast tail electrons at (2.5-3)xv{sub te}, where v{sub te} = (2T{sub e}/m{sub e}){sup 1/2}. The velocity at which damping occurs depends on the non-linear balance between quasilinear diffusion and collisions. For high efficiency current drive, a low parallel index of refraction, n{sub ||}, corresponding to a high phase velocity, is chosen. Depending on the plasma electron temperature this may put the wave propagation in a multi-pass regime. In cases of low parallel refractive index, ray tracing with no SOL has been shown to have differences with experiment and collision effects in the scrape off layer may be important. Using a coupled model of the full wave code, TORLH, and the Fokker-Planck code, CQL3D, the importance of full wave effects in weak and strong absorption regimes are studied.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Effect of plasma fluctuations on lower hybrid current drive

The effect of fluctuations of the electron density at the plasma edge on Lower Hybrid current drive is investigated. It is shown that the lack of robustness of the simulations due to ray stochasticity still remain despite the time averaging resulting from fluctuations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Development of High-Power, Long-Pulse Gyrotrons and Its Application for High Electron Temperature, EBWH and ECCD Experiments on LHD

To sustain plasmas with higher parameters and with longer pulse duration in LHD, ECH system has been upgraded by introducing newly developed 77 GHz gyrotrons. The designed output power and operation duration time are over 1 MW for several seconds and 0.3 MW for continuous operation, respectively. Owing to the upgrade of gyrotrons and improved power supply operation procedure, total injection power of EC-waves to LHD increased up to 3.7 MW at the last LHD experimental campaign in 2010.Application of the high-power 77 GHz EC-waves of 3.4 MW as focused beams to the center of plasma with low line-average electron density of {approx}0.2x10{sup 19} m{sup -3} causes highly steep electron temperature profile and the central electron temperature reached up to 20 keV, which highly exceeds the former record of 15 keV. At higher density region of 1x10{sup 19} m{sup -3}, central electron temperature reached 8.6 keV.Additional electron Bernstein wave heatings, O-X-B and slow X-B heatings, using a 77 GHz ECH system caused clear increase in plasma stored energy even for the high-density plasmas over plasma cutoff (>7.35x10{sup 19} m{sup -3}) sustained with NBI. For the O-X-B scenario, the 77 GHz EC-wave was obliquely injected from low-field side in O-mode polarization, aiming at the point where high mode-conversion efficiency was expected. For realizing slow X-B scenario, new inner-vessel mirrors were installed in LHD just close to a helical coil, that is, at the high-field side (HFS) region. Using the inner-vessel mirror, X-mode waves were injected from HFS, showing evident increase in plasma stored energy.Oblique injection of long-pulse 0.77 MW/8 s 77 GHz wave with various N{sub ||} clearly demonstrated ECCD in LHD. The EC-driven current changes its direction with the sign of N{sub ||}, and the highest EC-driven current reached up to 42 kA.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Electron Cyclotron / Bernstein Wave Heating and Current Drive Experiments using Phased-array Antenna in QUEST

The phased-array antenna system for Electron Cyclotron/Bernstein Wave Heating and Current Drive experiments has been developed in the QUEST. The antenna was designed to excite a pure O-mode wave in the oblique injection for the O-X-B mode conversion experiments, and its good performances were confirmed at a low power level. The plasma current (<{approx}15 kA) with an aspect ratio of 1.5 was started up and sustained by only RF injection in the low-density operations. The long pulse discharge of 10 kA was also attained for 37 s. The new density window to sustain the plasma current was observed in the high-density plasmas. The single-null divertor configuration with the high plasma current (<{approx}25 kA) was attained in the 17 s plasma sustainment.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

EBW H and CD Potential for Spherical Tokamaks

Spherical tokamaks (STs), which feature relatively high neutron flux and good economy, operate generally in high-ss regimes, in which the usual EC O- and X- modes are cut-off. In this case, electron Bernstein waves (EBWs) seem to be the only option that can provide features similar to the EC waves--controllable localized heating and current drive (H and CD) that can be utilized for core plasma heating as well as for accurate plasma stabilization. We first derive an analytical expression for Gaussian beam OXB conversion efficiency. Then, an extensive numerical study of EBW H and CD performance in four typical ST plasmas (NSTX L- and H-mode, MAST Upgrade, NHTX) is performed. Coupled ray-tracing (AMR) and Fokker-Planck (LUKE) codes are employed to simulate EBWs of varying frequencies and launch conditions. Our results indicate that an efficient and universal EBW H and CD system is indeed viable. In particular, power can be deposited and current reasonably efficiently driven across the whole plasma radius. Such a system could be controlled by a suitably chosen launching antenna vertical position and would also be sufficiently robust.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Electron Bernstein Wave Studies in MST

The overdense plasma in an RFP prevents electromagnetic waves from propagating past the edge, however use of the electron Bernstein wave (EBW) has the potential to heat and drive current in the plasma. MHD simulations have demonstrated that resistive tearing mode stability is very sensitive to gradients in the edge current density profile allowing EBW to potentially be a stabilizing influence. A new MW level experiment is being commissioned on MST to evaluate the potential use of the EBW for current profile control on the RFP. The development of new equipment includes a 5.5 GHz klystron driven by a novel switchmode power supply. A quartz window has been constructed and coupling with a cylindrical molybdenum wave guide antenna has been studied. Due to the steep edge density gradient in the RFP, it is possible to efficiently couple to the EBW with O or X mode launch. The EBW is strongly damped at the electron cyclotron resonance where it couples to the electron gyromotion and alters the electron distribution. Either Fisch-Boozer or Ohkawa current drive mechanisms can be activated to drive off axis current in the plasma. Preliminary experiments have been performed to verify high power coupling and understand heating via observed x-ray emission when compared to Fokker-Plank modeling in CQL3D.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2011

System studies of rf current drive for MST

Two rf schemes are being studied on the MST reversed field pinch for their potential in current profile control experiments. MHD modeling has shown that a substantial externally-driven off axis parallel current can improve stability of the dominant core tearing modes. A radially localized axisymmetric population of fast electrons has been observed by SXR emission during LH injection (100kW at 800MHz), and is consistent with CQL3D modeling which predicts a small driven current. Computational work suggests that doubling the input power will statistically improve the LH-induced SXR signal to background ratio, and that about 2MW of injected power (an order of magnitude increase) will drive enough current for stabilization of tearing modes. Additionally, a 1 MW 5.5 GHz electron Bernstein wave (EBW) experiment is under construction, which utilizes a very simple and compact antenna compatible with the demands of the RFP. EBW allows access to electron cyclotron heating and current drive in the overdense plasma. Coupling of the external electromagnetic wave to the EBW has been demonstrated, and initial tests at {approx}100kW power have produced a small, localized xray flux consistent with rf heating and high diffusivity of fast electrons. Computational work is currently underway to answer the very important questions of how much power is required, and what level of electron diffusivity is tolerable, to generate a consequential amount of EBW current.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

Contributions of Electron Cyclotron Waves to Performance in Advanced Regimes on DIII-D

High-power electron cyclotron (EC) waves are used to increase performance in several Advanced Tokamak (AT) regimes on DIII-D where there is a simultaneous need for high noninductive current and high beta. In the Quiescent High-confinement mode (QH-mode), a direct measurement of the electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) profile is made using modulation techniques, and a trapped electron mode (TEM) dominated regime with core T{sub e}>T{sub i} is created. In the 'highq{sub min}' AT scenario, ECCD provides part of the off-axis noninductive current and helps to produce a tearing stable equilibrium. In the hybrid regime, strong central current drive from EC waves and other sources increases the noninductive current fraction to {approx_equal}100%. Surprisingly, the core safety factor remains above unity, meaning good alignment between the current drive profile and the desired plasma current profile is not necessary in this scenario.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Individual Sawtooth Pacing by Synchronized ECCD in TCV

Previous real-time sawtooth control scenarios using EC actuators have attempted to shorten or lengthen the sawtooth period by optimally positioning the EC absorption near the q = 1 surface. In new experiments we demonstrate for the first time that individual sawtooth crashes can be repetitively induced at predictable times by reducing the stabilizing ECCD power after a predetermined time from the preceding crash. Other stabilizing actuators (e.g. ICRF, NBI) are expected to produce similar effects. Armed with these results, we present a new sawtooth / NTM control paradigm for improved performance in burning plasmas. The potential appearance of neo-classical tearing modes, triggered by long period sawtooth crashes even at low beta, becomes predictable and therefore amenable to preemptive ECCD. The ITER Electron Cyclotron Upper Launcher (EC-UL) design incorporates the needed functionalities for this method to be applied. The methodology and associated TCV experiments will be presented.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

The role of compressibility in energy release by magnetic reconnection

Using resistive compressible magnetohydrodynamics, we investigate the energy release and transfer by magnetic reconnection in finite (closed or periodic) systems. The emphasis is on the magnitude of energy released and transferred to plasma heating in configurations that range from highly compressible to incompressible, based on the magnitude of the background {beta} (ratio of plasma pressure over magnetic pressure) and of a guide field in two-dimensional reconnection. As expected, the system becomes more incompressible, and the role of compressional heating diminishes, with increasing {beta} or increasing guide field. Nevertheless, compressional heating may dominate over Joule heating for values of the guide field of 2 or 3 (in relation to the reconnecting magnetic field component) and {beta} of 5-10. This result stems from the strong localization of the dissipation near the reconnection site, which is modeled based on particle simulation results. Imposing uniform resistivity, corresponding to a Lundquist number of 10{sup 3} to 10{sup 4}, leads to significantly larger Ohmic heating. Increasing incompressibility greatly reduces the magnetic flux transfer and the amount of energy released, from {approx}10% of the energy associated with the reconnecting field component, for zero guide field and low {beta}, to {approx}0.2%-0.4% for large values of the guide field B{sub y0}>5 or large {beta}. The results demonstrate the importance of taking into account plasma compressibility and localization of dissipation in investigations of heating by turbulent reconnection, possibly relevant for solar wind or coronal heating.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Evidences of Hydrogen Trapping in Tungsten and Implications for Plasma-Facing Components

Trapping effects that include significant delays in permeation saturation, abrupt changes in permeation rate associated with temperature changes, and larger than expected inventories of hydrogen isotopes in the material, were seen in implantation-driven permeation experiments using 25-μm and 50-μm thick tungsten foils at temperatures of 638-825 K. Computer models that simulate permeation transients reproduce the steady-state permeation and reemission behavior of these experiments with expected values of material parameters. However, the transient time characteristics were not successfully simulated without the assumption of traps of substantial trap energy and concentration. An analytical model based on the assumptions of thermodynamic equilibrium between trapped hydrogen atoms and a comparatively low mobile atom concentration successfully accounts for the observed behavior. Using steady-state and transient permeation data from experiments at different temperatures, the effective trap binding energy may be inferred. We analyze a tungsten coated divertor plate design representative of those proposed for ITER and ARIES and consider the implications for tritium permeation and retention if the same trapping we observed was present in that tungsten. Inventory increases of several orders of magnitude may result.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Edge and Scrape-off-Layer Physics for NSTX-U (Final Report)

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) supported work at Lodestar Research Corporation under grant DE-FG02-02ER54678 is summarized in this final report. The research conducted under this grant addressed key scientific issues associated with the plasma confinement and fusion energy experimental devices NSTX and its upgrade NSTX-U located at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Harnessing the energy that is released in fusion reactions would provide a safe and abundant source of power to meet the growing energy needs of the world population. Lodestar investigated the important cm-scale region near the edge of these devices where hot plasma, close to one million degrees, meets material surfaces in what is known as a scrape-off layer (SOL). This critical region is subject to plasma turbulence and plasma flows which must be understood to optimize fusion performance on future machines. The work employed theoretical and theory-based computational models for validation and applied the models to understand experimental results.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Basic Research in Edge and Scrape-Off Layer Fusion Plasmas (Final Report)

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) supported work at Lodestar Research Corporation under grant DE-FG02-97ER54392 is summarized in this final report. The research conducted under this grant addressed key scientific issues associated with boundary plasmas in fusion energy experimental devices. Harnessing the energy that is released in fusion reactions would provide a safe and abundant source of power to meet the growing energy needs of the world population. Lodestar investigated the important cm-scale region near the edge of these devices where hot plasma, close to one million degrees, meets material surfaces in what is known as a scrape-off layer (SOL). This critical region is subject to plasma turbulence and plasma flows which must be understood to optimize fusion performance on future machines. Strong interactions of applied RF waves is also observed to occur in this region, and must be understood to mitigate unwanted effects and enhance overall performance. The work employed theoretical models and theory-based computational models for validation. The models were applied to understand experimental results and to carry out basic theoretical investigations relevant to the production of fusion energy.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Toward exascale whole-device modeling of fusion devices: Porting the GENE gyrokinetic microturbulence code to GPU

GENE solves the five-dimensional gyrokinetic equations to simulate the development and evolution of plasma microturbulence in magnetic fusion devices. The plasma model used is close to first principles and computationally very expensive to solve in the relevant physical regimes. In order to use the emerging computational capabilities to gain new physics insights, several new numerical and computational developments are required. Here, we focus on the fact that it is crucial to efficiently utilize GPUs (graphics processing units) that provide the vast majority of the computational power on such systems. In this paper, we describe the various porting approaches considered and given the constraints of the GENE code and its development model, justify the decisions made, and describe the path taken in porting GENE to GPUs. We introduce a novel library called gtensor that was developed along the way to support the process. Performance results are presented for the ported code, which in a single node of the Summit supercomputer achieves a speed-up of almost 15× compared to running on central processing unit (CPU) only. Typical GPU kernels are memory-bound, achieving about 90% of peak. Our analysis shows that there is still room for improvement if we can refactor/fuse kernels to achieve higher arithmetic intensity. We also performed a weak parallel scalability study, which shows that the code runs well on a massively parallel system, but communication costs start becoming a significant bottleneck.

Germaschewski, K. (ORCID:0000000284956354)↗
DOE OSTI2014

Basic characterization of TORPEX electrostatic modes in closed field line configurations

Electrostatic coherent modes are studied in the TORPEX device [Fasoli et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 52, 124020 (2010)], in closed flux surfaces. The accessibility to this magnetic geometry is provided by a current-carrying in-vessel toroidal conductor developed to generate a poloidal magnetic field [Avino et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 85, 033506 (2014)]. The background plasma parameters are measured, and the ion saturation current fluctuations are characterized in terms of power spectral density to identify the dominant coherent modes and their spatial localization. A statistical approach is implemented to determine the mode spectral properties by computing the statistical dispersion relation. The poloidal wave number k{sub θ} and the toroidal wave number k{sub ϕ} are obtained, as well as the corresponding mode numbers. A three-dimensional linear code based on the drift-reduced Braginskii equations is used to investigate the nature of the instabilities. The linear analysis suggests a dominant ballooning character of the modes.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Experimental investigation of a closed vapour box module for a divertor-like configuration in Magnum-PSI

Efficient management of extreme heat fluxes in the divertor region to extend the lifetime of the components remains a critical challenge for the realization of nuclear fusion-based power plants. Among the alternative concepts explored for the divertor region, the use of liquid metals, particularly lithium, is of interest due its ability to dissipate the incoming plasma heat flux through the vapour shielding effect (VS). In this work, we experimentally investigated a ‘closed’ configuration of a dedicated Vapour Box Module (VBM) in the linear plasma device Magnum-PSI. The goal of the experiments is to simulate the vapour box divertor environment conditions and assess its performance in terms of power mitigation and redistribution and lithium confinement. Initial testing without Li demonstrated the efficacy of a closed VBM structure in inducing detachment via neutral gas accumulation. Apertures which enabled non-condensing gas to be effectively pumped while ensuring lithium condensed on the inner surfaces were therefore added. With a lithium capillary porous structure target used, lithium is directly vaporized by the plasma, forming a dense lithium vapour cloud that interacts with the incoming plasma. This resulted in a significant reduction of the target temperature of at least 48%, together with a temperature locking effect, a phenomenon typically observed in the VS regime. Lithium vapour confinement within the VBM was strongly correlated with the wall temperature. Relatively cold walls promoted Li re-condensation and therefore improved Li confinement, although with the expected trade-off of increased hydrogenic retention on lithium-wetted surfaces. As the wall temperature increased, the confinement efficiency decreased, consistent with reduced Li re-condensation and thermally activated Li–H chemistry and remobilization at the walls. Diagnostic measurements through embedded thermocouples and calorimetry revealed that lithium vaporization and re-condensation processes also playedsignificant roles in plasma power dissipation. The results advance the case for a closed divertor chamber with direct lithium evaporation from the strike-points as a viable method to manage divertor heat fluxes in future fusion reactors.

Romano, Fabio [Dutch Institute for Fundamental Ene↗