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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Optical diagnostic design for measuring the radiation front with a mid-leg pumped divertor on DIII-D

The design of an optical diagnostic system to localize the radiation front in a mid-leg pumped divertor configuration on DIII-D is presented. Divertor detachment is a key mechanism for handling power exhaust in tokamaks, and mid-leg pumping offers a promising approach to radiatively dissipate power while maintaining acceptable core performance. To predict the location of the radiation front and design a spectroscopic diagnostic to measure its position, a database of SOLPS-ITER simulations across a range of input powers and gas puffing rates representative of DIII-D operation was employed. These simulations provide self-consistent plasma backgrounds for a Cherab-Raysect synthetic diagnostic framework, which incorporates detailed tokamak geometry and physically accurate ray-tracing. Synthetic simulations of optical sightlines and viewing cone geometry were used to calculate line-integrated emission from the plasma, particularly of the C III 465 nm line, to serve as a proxy for the T e ≈ 7 − 10 eV temperature region associated with the onset and evolution of divertor detachment. Neutral deuterium emission is also evaluated for comparison. The synthetic diagnostic is used to assess the performance of existing DIII-D optical systems, including filterscopes and the Multichord Divertor Spectrometer, and to optimize line-of-sight placement within mechanical and installation constraints. The results provide quantitative guidance for diagnostic implementation on DIII-D and demonstrate the advantage of integrated synthetic diagnostics for divertor design studies and future advanced divertor concepts.

Cherab↗
DOE OSTI2026

Radiation-front position control with scenario adjustments during the first tungsten divertor operation on KSTAR

This study reports the first experimental demonstration of a radiation front-based detachment control system during the initial tungsten divertor campaign in KSTAR. The system employs real-time infrared video bolometry with tomographic reconstruction to track the inboard radiation-front position, which served as a feedback variable for impurity seeding. In a baseline scenario without pre-D 2 fueling, tungsten accumulation triggered core radiation surges and repetitive H–L back transitions. In contrast, with pre-D 2 fueling, detachment was stabilized by maintaining higher edge-localized mode frequency, suppressing core tungsten buildup, and reducing sputtering, thereby enabling sustained feedback control. The suitability of the inboard front position as a detachment control metric was confirmed by its correlation with the degree of detachment: with D 2 fueling the relation exhibited a broad hysteresis loop characteristic of momentum-loss-dominated detachment, whereas with N 2 fueling, it became narrow and nearly vertical, consistent with radiation-loss-dominated pinning. These results provide a proof-of-principle for radiation-front-based detachment control, demonstrating its viability as a control approach. At the same time, these results clarify that the detachment outcomes were further conditioned by impurity transport characteristics of tungsten divertor operation in KSTAR, providing guidance for future scenario optimization and controller development in tungsten devices.

KSTAR↗
DOE OSTI2022

Development of a Radiation-Tolerant Front End Digitizer

High-radiation and high-temperature environments represent notoriously detrimental conditions for electronics. Yet sensors and instrumentation are critically important for the safe operation of nuclear reactors and for the validity of the scientific experiments conducted within them. Traditionally, sensors in such extreme environments operate with few active components, resulting in small signals (mV–V, nA–µA range) that must be transmitted through long cable runs before digitization by sensitive data acquisition systems located in clean, less-harsh environments. Long cables are prone to picking up noise through electromagnetic interference and distortion caused by their parasitic impedances, resulting in signal degradation. The Front End Digitizer (FREND) system described and demonstrated herein seeks to address these issues by enabling the placement of a radiation-resistant analog front end within reactor containment, or other high-radiation environments. FREND will enable early signal pre-amplification, digitization, and optical encoding within the high-radiation field to transmit sensor signals over an optical fiber to the non-nuclear environment of an instrument room. Early signal pre-amplification and digitization maintain signal integrity, whereas optical transmission renders the system blind to induced electromagnetic noise over the long cable runs. This report describes the FREND initial prototype, which can multiplex and optically encode data from up to four sensor inputs, though, in principle, this can be extended to any number of sensor inputs. The end result is an extremely flexible, high-fidelity system.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Modeling a divertor with mid-leg pumping for high-power H-mode scenarios in DIII-D considering E x B drift flows

Edge-plasma simulations of a baffled, long-legged divertor in DIII-D, performed using the multi-fluid code UEDGE, indicate that the position of the detachment front is constrained to the location of the pump duct along the low-field side (LFS) baffle. Simulations including magnetic and E x B drifts were performed for 12.5 MW deuterium plasmas including intrinsic carbon and seeded neon to assess the optimal location of the LFS divertor pump to create a stable detachment front between the target and the X-point. The radiation front position in the simulations, taken to be indicative of the detachment front, can be controlled between the pump and X-point in the favorable magnetic field direction for H-mode access by moving the pump duct location upstream of the target along the LFS baffle. In the unfavorable magnetic field direction, the radial E θ x B drift flows are directed towards the pumping surface, efficiently removing the injected deuterium gas and limiting the sensitivity of the radiation front location to the gas injection rate. The role of pumping rate and drift direction on the pumping efficiency are also found to affect the divertor plasma conditions and detachment front location in UEDGE simulations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

A temperature profile diagnostic for radiation waves on OMEGA-60

Predicting and matching radiation wave propagation with computational models has proven difficult. Information provided by experiments studying radiation flow has been limited when only radiation breakout is measured. We have developed the COAX (co-axial) diagnostic platform to provide spatial temperature profiles of a radiation wave through low density foams as a more detailed constraint for simulations. COAX uses a standard, laser-driven OMEGA-60 halfraum to drive radiation down a titanium-laden silicon oxide foam. Point-projection X-ray absorption spectroscopy perpendicular to the radiation flow measures the spatial profile of titanium ionization. The spectroscopic measurement utilizes a broadband capsule backlighter. Imaging and streak spectroscopy are used to characterize the size and spectrum of this source. Radiography provides an additional constraint by capturing the developing shock as the radiation flow becomes subsonic. The DANTE diagnostic is used to measure the halfraum temperature. Here, we provide a spectroscopic analysis of COAX data to determine temperature, and we describe experimental sources of uncertainty. The temperature is obtained by comparison to multi-temperature synthetic spectra post-processed from radiation-hydrodynamics simulations. Quantitative comparison between data and synthetic spectra generated from temperature profiles at relevant simulation times enable determination of a peak temperature of 114 ± 8 eV at 265 ± 22.4 μm from the halfraum. This represents an improvement over the temperature uncertainties of previous radiation flow experiments. Further refinements to the spectroscopic analysis could achieve ±4 eV. The combination between space-resolved spectroscopy and radiography enables us to determine the distance from the halfraum of both the radiation front and the shock front at the time of measurement. For the example shown in this paper the radiation front position is 600–630 μm at 3.43 ± 0.16 ns and the shock front position is 633 μm at 3.3 ± 0.24 ns.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Progress in DIII-D towards validating divertor power exhaust predictions

In this study, UEDGE simulations highlight the role of cross-field drifts on the onset of detached conditions, and new calibrated divertor vacuum ultra violet (VUV) spectroscopy is used to challenge the predictions of radiative constituents in these simulations. UEDGE simulations for DIII-D H-mode plasmas with the open divertor with the ion ∇B-drift towards the X-point show a bifurcated onset of the low field side (LFS) divertor detachment, consistent with experimentally observed step-like detachment onset (Jaervinen A.E. et al 2018 Phys. Rev. Lett. 121 075001). The divertor plasma in the simulations exhibits hysteresis in upstream separatrix density between attached and detached solution branches. Reducing the drift magnitude by a factor of 3 eliminates the step-like detachment onset in the simulations, confirming the strong role of drifts in the bifurcated detachment onset. When measured local plasma densities and temperatures are within proximity of predicted values in the simulations, there is no shortfall of the local emission of the dominant resonant radiating lines. However, the simulations systematically predict a factor of two lower total integrated radiated power than measured by the bolometer with the difference lost through radial heat flow out of the computational domain. Even though there is no shortfall in the emission of the dominant lines, a shortfall of total radiated power can be caused by underpredicted spatial extent of the radiation front, indicating a potential upstream or divertor transport physics origin for the radiation shortfall, or shortfall of radiated power in the spectrum between the dominant lines. In addition to the underpredicted spatial extent, in detached conditions, the simulations overpredict the peak radiation and dominant carbon lines near the X-point, which can be alleviated by manually increasing divertor diffusivity in the simulations, highlighting the ad hoc cross-field transport as one of the key limitations of the predictive capability of these divertor fluid codes.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Sustained edge-localized-modes suppression and radiative divertor with an impurity-driven instability in tokamak plasmas

We report simultaneous control of the large edge localized modes (ELMs) and divertor heat fluxes in a metal wall environment is a critical issue for steady-state operation of a tokamak fusion reactors. Here we report a sustained ELM suppression scenario achieved in the EAST tokamak compatible with radiative divertor using different seeding impurity species over a wide range of conditions. A low-n mode appears, as manifested by the oscillations of a radiation front near the X-point. This mode appears to drive strong particle transport and tungsten exhaust, which is essential to the maintenance of the ELM-stable state. We have developed a model to explain the mode excitation, by coupling the impurity radiative condensation instability to drift waves, which could explain some characteristics of the low-n mode well. The low-n mode may offer a new ELM-stable scenario compatible with radiative divertor for future fusion reactors.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

2D analysis of tokamak divertor-plasma detachment-bifurcation with operational parameters and geometries

UEDGE simulations with density scans for various input power, transport coefficients and outer poloidal leg length are performed to study the conditions for the existence of a bifurcation-like drop of T e at the outer strike point, commonly referred to as a detachment cliff, when transitioning to a detached plasma from an attached plasma in the outer divertor as the upstream density increases (McLean et al., 2015). The simulation results show that a detachment cliff tends to occur with a higher power input regardless of diffusivities and leg length. Further analysis of change of plasma profiles at a cliff indicate that, in addition to the sharp reduction of the E x B drift fluxes in the outer divertor studied in Jaervinen et al., (2018), the substantial change of the Mach number in the outer divertor and the decrease of the outer mid-plane T e due to the radiation front moving across the separatrix into the confinement region above the X-point consistently occur for all UEDGE density scans that have a detachment cliff. UEDGE time-dependent simulation of the evolution of a detachment cliff shows that the rapid increase of radiation above the X-point occurs in a time scale of ~0.3–0.5, which could possibly be the trigger for the formation of a detachment cliff, quicker than the Mach number change in a time scale of ~1 ms and the drop of T e in a time scale of ~2–3 ms in the outer divertor.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Bifurcation-like transition of divertor conditions induced by X-point radiation in KSTAR L-mode plasmas *

Abstract Density ramps with ion grad B drift directed into lower single null KSTAR L-mode plasmas are associated with a simultaneous and abrupt reduction of the divertor particle flux on both low- and high-field-side targets when the mid-plane line averaged electron density reaches a given level. Target embedded Langmuir probe signals show a clear ‘cliff edge’ behavior similar to that observed in the divertor target electron temperature in DIII-D H-mode plasmas (Eldon et al 2017 Nucl. Fusion 57 066039; McLean et al 2015 J. Nucl. Mater. 463 533–6). The collapse of the particle flux is observed along the whole divertor target area (from private flux region to the far scrape-off layer (SOL)). The critical upstream density of this target flux cliff is invariant under fuel gas throughput modulation. The transition along the cliff occurs in tens of milliseconds. With the cliff, carbon impurities and deuterium neutrals transported through the X-point to the core produce a strong radiation spot near the X-point, seen on bolometric signals, and increase the upstream density. The experimental observations are consistent with time-dependent SOLPS-ITER simulations, which also demonstrate an abrupt transition of the target flux and upstream density with the increase in X-point radiation. The timescale of the cliff predicted by SOLPS-ITER is consistent with the experiment, although, it is influenced by gas throughput or time-dependent numerical methods. In the L-mode phase space of separatrix electron density and temperature, branches are divided based on target temperature, because the latter is strongly coupled to the radiation front and ionization front due to the monotonic characteristic of the parallel electron temperature distribution. Since the H-mode condition operates at a much higher upstream density and electron temperature in phase space, dissipation from sputtered carbon alone leads to the density limit before reaching the X-point radiation condition. This is therefore consistent with the fact that cliffs have never been observed in H-mode KSTAR experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Disentangling core and edge mechanisms of the density limit in DIII-D negative triangularity plasmas

The density limit is investigated in the DIII-D negative triangularity plasmas which lack a standard H-mode edge. We find the limit may not be a singular disruptive boundary but a multifaceted density saturation phenomenon governed by distinct core and edge transport mechanisms. Sustained, non-disruptive operation is achieved at densities up to 1.8 times the Greenwald limit ($n_\mathrm{G}$) until the termination of auxiliary heating. Systematic power scans show distinct power scalings for the core ($n_e \propto P_\mathrm{SOL}^{0.27\pm0.03}$) and edge ($n_e \propto P_\mathrm{SOL}^{0.42\pm0.04}$) density limits. The edge density saturation is triggered by the onset of a non-disruptive, high-field side radiation front and the associated cooling, which clamps the edge density below . In contrast, the core density continues to rise until it saturates, a state characterized by enhanced core turbulence. Core transport evolves from a diffusive to an intermittent, avalanche-like state, as indicated by heavy-tailed probability density functions (kurtosis ≈ 6), increased Hurst exponents, and a $1/f$-type power spectrum. These findings suggest that the density limit in the low-confinement regime is determined by a combination of edge radiative cooling and core turbulent transport. This distinction provides separate targets for control strategies aimed at extending the operational space of future fusion devices.

density limit↗
DOE OSTI2025

Investigation of divertor detachment induced through neon seeding and density ramp on HL-3

A new self-consistent 1D scrape-off layer model has been recently developed in BOUT++ framework, named SD1D, which includes equations for various particle species (e.g. main plasma, neutrals and impurities) and couples open databases like ADAS and AMJUEL. It is able to quickly and effectively simulate divertor detachment experiments. In this work, a typical detachment experiment (shot #6270) on HL-3 with neon seeding is simulated using the SD1D code. It is found that the target electron temperature and the target ion saturation current in the simulations are consistent with experimental results measured by Langmuir probes on the target plate. The variation of D α radiation intensity in the divertor is qualitatively similar to the measured D α signal. Following the experimental validations, different upstream densities are set in the simulations to study the impurity distribution under different plasma density conditions. It is found that increasing upstream density can be helpful for the control of the neon radiation front (closer to the target). In this work we also compare two detachment regimes in simulations. Based on the same initial experimental parameters (shot #6270) on HL-3, a scan of upstream density and a scan of neon seeding rate are carried out respectively. It is found that the role of atomic and molecular processes is different in the two detachment regimes. The current density roll-over is ascribed to a drop in the divertor ion source, and the variation of D α radiation intensity via different excitation channels is associated with the relevant collisional reaction sources.

BOUT++↗
DOE OSTI2024

Probing shocks interacting with radiation waves with the Radishock experiment

Both radiation flows and shocks have been extensively studied in the laboratory in the past few decades due to their critical roles in many astrophysical and high-energy density physics processes. In the Radishock experiment, a halfraum-powered radiation wave is driven into a low-density foam and interacts with an ablatively driven, counter-propagating shock. The interacting waves produce a spike in energy density with a temperature greater than the local temperature of the individual waves. As in the successful predecessor experiment, COAX, the primary diagnostic uses absorption spectroscopy at many locations down the cylindrical target, enabling a spatial temperature inference of the radiation wave and its interactions with the shock. Combined with a radiography diagnostic that is capable of imaging the shock and interaction features, we are able to study and inform model predictions of the interaction spike phenomenon. We describe the underlying physics behind the shock interactions with the radiation front and the implications of this experimental study for a broad range of astrophysical phenomena.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Vacuum Neutral Transport Model in UEDGE for Tokamak Far Scrape‐Off Layer

A model for neutral transport in the far scrape-off layer (SOL) vacuum region (vacuum neutral model) has been developed and implemented in UEDGE. Free-streaming neutral trajectories between the outermost UEDGE boundary and the vessel wall are preprocessed using DEGAS2 to construct a tele-transport matrix that captures non-local neutral relocation through the vacuum. Here, this matrix is then used in UEDGE as a non-local boundary condition for the neutral equations, preserving the robustness and convergence of the implicit solver without introducing statistical noise. Simulations of a DIII-D lower single-null configuration show that the vacuum neutral model relocates neutrals from the divertor to the upstream region, increasing the outer midplane separatrix density required for detachment onset by about 30%. However, the characteristic target temperature at detachment (T e, osp ~ 3 - 4eV) and the radiation front behavior remain unchanged.

DEGAS2↗
DOE OSTI2024

Tokamak divertor plasma emulation with machine learning

Abstract Future tokamak devices that aim to create conditions relevant to power plant operations must consider strategies for mitigating damage to plasma facing components in the divertor. One of the goals of MAST-U tokamak operations is to inform these considerations by researching advanced divertor configurations that aid stable plasma detachment. Machine design, scenario planning and detachment control would all greatly benefit from tools that enable rapid calculation of scenario-relevant quantities given some input parameters. This paper presents a method for generating large, simulated scrape-off layer data sets, which was applied to generate a data set of steady-state Hermes-3 simulations of the MAST-U tokamak. A machine learning model was constructed using a Bayesian approach to hyperparameter optimisation to predict diagnosable output quantities given control-relevant input features. The resulting best-performing model, which is based on a feedforward neural network, achieves high accuracy when predicting electron temperature at the divertor target and carbon impurity radiation front position and runs in around 1 ms in inference mode. Techniques for interpreting the predictions made by the model were applied, and a high-resolution parameter scan of upstream conditions was performed to demonstrate the utility of rapidly generating accurate predictions using the emulator. This work represents a step forward in the design of machine learning-driven emulators of tokamak exhaust simulation codes in operational modes relevant to divertor detachment control and plasma scenario design.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Physics insights from a large-scale 2D UEDGE simulation database for detachment control in KSTAR

A large-scale database of two-dimensional UEDGE simulations has been developed to study detachment physics in KSTAR and to support surrogate models for control applications. Nearly 70 000 steady-state solutions were generated, systematically scanning upstream density, input power, plasma current, impurity fraction, and anomalous transport coefficients, with magnetic and electric drifts across the magnetic field included. The database identifies robust detachment indicators, with strike-point electron temperature at detachment onset consistently T e,target ~ 3-4 eV, largely insensitive to upstream conditions. Scaling relations reveal weaker impurity sensitivity than one-dimensional models and show that heat flux widths follow Eich’s scaling only for uniform, low D and χ. Distinctive in–out divertor asymmetries are observed in KSTAR, differing qualitatively from DIII-D. Complementary time-dependent simulations quantify plasma response to gas puffing, with delays of 5 - 15 ms at the outer strike point and ∼ 40 ms for the low-magnetic-field-side radiation front. These dynamics are well captured by first-order-plus-dead-time models and are consistent with experimentally observed detachment-control behavior in KSTAR (Gupta et al 2025 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion (submitted)).

Physics - Plasma physics↗
DOE OSTI2020

Magnetic Signatures of Radiation-Driven Double Ablation Fronts

In experiments performed with the OMEGA EP laser system, magnetic field generation in double ablation fronts was observed. Proton radiography measured the strength, spatial profile, and temporal dynamics of self-generated magnetic fields as the target material was varied between plastic (CH), aluminum, copper, and gold. Two distinct regions of magnetic field are generated in mid-Z targets -- one produced by gradients from electron thermal transport and the second from radiation-driven gradients. Extended magnetohydrodynamic simulations including radiation transport reproduced key aspects of the experiment, including field generation and double ablation front formation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Preface to the Special Issue on Signal Processing, Data Acquisition and Front-end Systems for Radiation Detection and Measurements

This special issue of the Journal of Signal Processing Systems focuses on advancement of signal processing and data-acquisition for radiation detection and measurements. The seven articles included cover diverse topics within the scope of radiation detection ranging from understanding of fundamental fission process, instrumentation, and application of radiation interaction (e.g., tomography and imaging). The articles focus on signal processing for fission spectrometer, neutron and gamma-ray computed tomography and artificial intelligence methods, dynamic neutron imaging system, pulse-pileup correction in x-ray spectroscopy and calibration methods in radiation measurement.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2019

Role of poloidal E × B drift in divertor heat transport in DIII‐D

Abstract Simulations for DIII‐D high confinement mode plasmas with the multifluid code UEDGE show a strong role of poloidal E × B drifts on divertor heat transport, challenging the paradigm of conduction‐limited scrape‐off layer (SOL) transport. While simulations with reduced drift magnitude are well aligned with the assumption that electron heat conduction dominates the SOL heat transport, simulations with drifts predict that the poloidal convective E × B heat transport dominates over electron heat conduction in both attached and detached conditions. As poloidal E × B flow propagates across magnetic field lines, poloidal transport with shallow magnetic pitch angles can reach values that are of the same order as would be provided by sonic flows parallel to the field lines. These flows can lead to strong convection‐dominated divertor heat transport, increasing the poloidal volume of radiative power front, consistent with previous measurements at DIII‐D. Due to these convective flows, the Lengyel integral approach, assuming zero convective fraction, is expected to provide a pessimistic estimate for the radiative capability of impurities in the divertor. For the DIII‐D simulations shown here, the Lengyel integral approach underestimates the radiated power by a factor of 6, indicating that, for reliable DIII‐D divertor power exhaust predictions, full two‐dimensional (2D) calculations, including drifts, would be necessary.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗