Engineering topics

Walk, J. R.

Publications and source records attributed to Walk, J. R..

15 records

DOE OSTI2021

Multi-device Studies of Pedestal Physics and Confinement in the I-mode Regime

This paper describes joint ITPA studies of the I-mode regime, which features an edge thermal barrier but with L-mode-like particle and impurity transport, and without ELMs. The regime has been demonstrated on Alcator C-Mod, ASDEX Upgrade and DIII-D tokamaks, over a wide range of device parameters and pedestal conditions, including low collisionality. Access to I-mode is independent of heating method (neutral beam injection, ICRH and/or ECRH). Normalized energy confinement H98y,2 ≥ 1 has been achieved for a range of 3≤q95≤4.9 and scales favourably with power. Changes in turbulence in the pedestal region accompany the transition from L-mode to I-mode. The L-I threshold increases with plasma density and current, and with device size, but weakly with BT. The upper limit of power for I-modes increases with toroidal field, and is largest on Alcator C-Mod at B > 5 T. Issues for extrapolation to ITER and other future fusion devices are discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Alcator C-Mod: Research in support of ITER and steps beyond

This paper presents an overview of recent highlights from research on Alcator C-Mod. Significant progress has been made across all research areas over the last two years, with particular emphasis on divertor physics and power handling, plasma-material-interaction studies, ELM-suppressed pedestal dynamics, core transport and turbulence, and RF heating and current drive utilizing Ion Cyclotron and Lower Hybrid tools. Specific results of particular relevance to ITER include: inner wall SOL transport studies that have led, together with results from other experiments, to the change of the detailed shape of the inner wall in ITER; runaway electron studies showing that the critical electric field required for runaway generation is much higher than predicted from collisional theory; core tungsten impurity transport studies reveal that tungsten accumulation is naturally avoided in typical C-Mod conditions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2019

Lower hybrid wave edge power loss quantification on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak

For the first time, the power deposition of Lower Hybrid RF waves into the edge plasma of a diverted tokamak has been systematically quantified. Edge deposition represents a parasitic loss of power that can greatly impact the use and efficiency of Lower Hybrid Current Drive (LHCD) at reactor-relevant densities. Through the use of a unique set of fast time resolution edge diagnostics, including innovative fast-thermocouples, an extensive set of Langmuir probes, and a Ly? ionization camera, the toroidal, poloidal and radial structure of the power deposition has been simultaneously determined. Power modulation was used to directly isolate the RF effects due to the prompt (t < ?E ) response of the scrape-off-layer (SOL) plasma to LHRF power. LHRF power was found to absorb more strongly in the edge at higher densities. It is found that a majority of this edge-deposited power is promptly conducted to the divertor. This correlates with the loss of current drive efficiency at high density previously observed on Alcator C-Mod, and displaying characteristics that contrast with the local RF edge absorption seen on other tokamaks. Measurements of ionization in the active divertor show dramatic changes due to LHRF power, implying that divertor region can be key for the LHRF edge power deposition physics. These observations support the existence of a loss mechanism near the edge for LHRF at high density (ne > 1.0 1020 [m?3]). Results will be shown addressing the distribution of power within the SOL, including the toroidal symmetry and radial distribution. These characteristics are important for deducing the cause of the reduced LHCD efficiency at high density and motivates the tailoring of wave propagation to minimize SOL interaction, for example, through the use of high-field-side launch.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2017

Physics and performance of the I-mode regime over an expanded operating space on Alcator C-Mod

New results on the I-mode regime of operation on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak are reported. This ELM-free regime features high energy confinement and a steep temperature pedestal, while particle confinement remains at L-mode levels, giving stationary density and avoiding impurity accumulation. I-mode has now been obtained over nearly all of the magnetic fields and currents possible in this high field tokamak (I p 0.55–1.7 MA, B T 2.8–8 T) using a configuration with B × ∇B drift away from the X-point. Results at 8 T confirm that the L–I power threshold varies only weakly with B T , and that the power range for I-mode increases with B T ; no 8 T discharges transitioned to H-mode. Parameter dependences of energy confinement are investigated. Core transport simulations are giving insight into the observed turbulence reduction, profile stiffness and confinement improvement. Pedestal models explain the observed stability to ELMs, and can simulate the observed weakly coherent mode. Conditions for I–H transitions have complex dependences on density as well as power. I-modes have now been maintained in near-DN configurations, leading to improved divertor power flux sharing. Overall, prospects for I-mode on future fusion devices such as ITER and ARC are encouraging. Further experiments on other tokamaks are needed to improve confidence in extrapolation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2016

The physics mechanisms of the weakly coherent mode in the Alcator C-Mod Tokamak

The weakly coherent mode (WCM) in I-mode has been studied by a six-field two-fluid model based on the Braginskii equations under the BOUT++ framework for the first time. The calculations indicate that a tokamak pedestal exhibiting a WCM is linearly unstable to drift Alfven wave (DAW) instabilities and the resistive ballooning mode. The nonlinear simulation shows promising agreement with the experimental measurements of the WCM. The shape of the density spectral and location of the spectral peak of the dominant toroidal number mode n = 20 agrees with the experimental data from reflectometry. The simulated mode propagates in electron diamagnetic direction is consistent with the results from the magnetic probes in the laboratory frame, a large ratio of particle to heat diffusivity is consistent with the distinctive experimental feature of I-mode, and the value of the simulated χ e at the edge is in the range of experimental errors of χ eff from the experiment. The prediction of the WCM shows that free energy is mainly provided by the electron pressure gradient, which gives guidance for pursuing future I-mode studies.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2016

eqtools: Modular, extensible, open-source, cross-machine Python tools for working with magnetic equilibria

As plasma physics research for fusion energy transitions to an increasing emphasis on cross-machine collaboration and numerical simulation, it becomes increasingly important that portable tools be developed to enable data from diverse sources to be analyzed in a consistent manner. This paper presents eqtools, a modular, extensible, open-source toolkit implemented in the Python programming language for handling magnetic equilibria and associated data from tokamaks. eqtools provides a single interface for working with magnetic equilibrium data, both for handling derived quantities and mapping between coordinate systems, extensible to function with data from different experiments, data formats, and magnetic reconstruction codes, replacing the diverse, non-portable solutions currently in use. Moreover, while the open-source Python programming language offers a number of advantages as a scripting language for research purposes, the lack of basic tokamak-specific functionality has impeded the adoption of the language for regular use. Implementing equilibrium-mapping tools in Python removes a substantial barrier to new development in and porting legacy code into Python. In this paper, we introduce the design of the eqtools package and detail the workflow for usage and expansion to additional devices. Additionally, the implementation of a novel three-dimensional spline solution (in two spatial dimensions and in time) is also detailed. Finally, verification and benchmarking for accuracy and speed against existing tools are detailed. Wider deployment of these tools will enable efficient sharing of data and software between institutions and machines as well as self-consistent analysis of the shared data.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2016

Multi-device studies of pedestal physics and confinement in the I-mode regime

This paper describes joint ITPA studies of the I-mode regime, which features an edge thermal barrier together with L-mode-like particle and impurity transport and no Edge Localized Modes (ELMs). The regime has been demonstrated on the Alcator C-Mod, ASDEX Upgrade and DIII-D tokamaks, over a wide range of device parameters and pedestal conditions. Dimensionless parameters at the pedestal show overlap across devices and extend to low collisionality. When they are matched, pedestal temperature profiles are also similar. Pedestals are stable to peeling ballooning modes, consistent with lack of ELMs. Access to Imode is independent of heating method (neutral beam injection, Ion Cyclotron and/or Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating). Normalized energy confinement H 98,y2 ≥ 1 has been achieved for a range of 3 ≤ q 95 ≤ 4.9 and scales favourably with power. Changes in turbulence in the pedestal region accompany the transition from L-mode to I-mode. The L-I threshold increases with plasma density and current, and with device size, but has a weak dependence on toroidal magnetic field B T . The upper limit of power for I-modes, which is set by I-H transitions, increases with B T and the power range is largest on Alcator C-Mod at B > 5 T. Finally, issues for extrapolation to ITER and other future fusion devices are discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2016

Lower hybrid wave edge power loss quantification on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak

For the first time, the power deposition of lower hybrid RF waves into the edge plasma of a diverted tokamak has been systematically quantified. Edge deposition represents a parasitic loss of power that can greatly impact the use and efficiency of Lower Hybrid Current Drive (LHCD) at reactor-relevant densities. Through the use of a unique set of fast time resolution edge diagnostics, including innovative fast-thermocouples, an extensive set of Langmuir probes, and a Lyα ionization camera, the toroidal, poloidal, and radial structure of the power deposition has been simultaneously determined. Power modulation was used to directly isolate the RF effects due to the prompt (t<τ E ) response of the scrape-off-layer (SOL) plasma to Lower Hybrid Radiofrequency (LHRF) power. LHRF power was found to absorb more strongly in the edge at higher densities. It is found that a majority of this edge-deposited power is promptly conducted to the divertor. This correlates with the loss of current drive efficiency at high density previously observed on Alcator C-Mod, and displaying characteristics that contrast with the local RF edge absorption seen on other tokamaks. Measurements of ionization in the active divertor show dramatic changes due to LHRF power, implying that divertor region can be a key for the LHRF edge power deposition physics. These observations support the existence of a loss mechanism near the edge for LHRF at high density (n e >1.0×10 20 (m -3 )). Results will be shown addressing the distribution of power within the SOL, including the toroidal symmetry and radial distribution. Finally, these characteristics are important for deducing the cause of the reduced LHCD efficiency at high density and motivate the tailoring of wave propagation to minimize SOL interaction, for example, through the use of high-field-side launch.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2015

Measurement of LHCD edge power deposition through modulation techniques on Alcator C-Mod

The efficiency of LHCD on Alcator C-Mod drops exponentially with line average density. At reactor relevant densities (> 1 · 1020 [m{sup −3}]) no measurable current is driven. While a number of causes have been suggested, no specific mechanism has been shown to be responsible for the loss of current drive at high density. Fast modulation of the LH power was used to isolate and quantify the LHCD deposition within the plasma. Measurements from these plasmas provide unique evidence for determining a root cause. Modulation of LH power in steady plasmas exhibited no correlated change in the core temperature. A correlated, prompt response in the edge suggests that the loss in efficiency is related to a edge absorption mechanism. This follows previous results which found the generation of n{sub ||}-independent SOL currents. Multiple Langmuir probe array measurements of the conducted heat conclude that the lost power is deposited near the last closed flux surface. The heat flux induced by LH waves onto the outer divertor is calculated. Changes in the neutral pressure, ionization and hard X-ray emission at high density highlight the importance of the active divertor in the loss of efficiency. Results of this study implicate a mechanism which may occur over multiple passes, leading to power absorption near the LCFS.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2015

Alcator C-Mod: research in support of ITER and steps beyond

This paper presents an overview of recent highlights from research on Alcator C-Mod. Significant progress has been made across all research areas over the last two years, with particular emphasis on divertor physics and power handling, plasma–material interaction studies, edge localized mode-suppressed pedestal dynamics, core transport and turbulence, and RF heating and current drive utilizing ion cyclotron and lower hybrid tools. Specific results of particular relevance to ITER include: inner wall SOL transport studies that have led, together with results from other experiments, to the change of the detailed shape of the inner wall in ITER; runaway electron studies showing that the critical electric field required for runaway generation is much higher than predicted from collisional theory; core tungsten impurity transport studies reveal that tungsten accumulation is naturally avoided in typical C-Mod conditions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2015

Improved confinement in high-density H-modes via modification of the plasma boundary with lower hybrid wavesa)

Injecting Lower Hybrid Range of Frequency (LHRF) waves into Alcator C-Mod's high-density H-mode plasmas has led to enhanced global energy confinement by increasing pedestal temperature and pressure gradients, decreasing the separatrix density, modifying the pedestal radial electric field and rotation, and decreasing edge turbulence. These experiments imply that edge LHRF can be used as an actuator to increase energy confinement via modification of boundary quantities. H 98 -factor increases of up to ~35% (e.g., H 98 from 0.75 to 1.0) are seen when moderate amounts of LH power (P LH /P tot ~0.15) are applied to H-modes of densities $\overline{n}$ e ~3 × 10 20 m –3 , corresponding to values ~0.5 of the Greenwald density. However, the magnitude of the improvement is reduced if the confinement quality of the target H-mode plasma is already good (i.e., H 98 target ~ 1). Ray-tracing modeling and accessibility calculations for the LH waves indicate that they do not penetrate to the core. The LHRF power appears to be deposited in plasma boundary region, with a large fraction of the injected power increment appearing promptly on the outer divertor target. There is no evidence that the LH waves are driving current in these plasmas. The LHRF-actuated improvements are well correlated with suppressed pedestal density fluctuations in the 100–300 kHz range. Additionally, there is a correlation between the improved confinement and a drop in separatrix density, a correlation that is consistent with previous H-mode results with no LHRF.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2015

Nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of the I-mode high confinement regime and comparisons with experiment

For the first time, nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of I-mode plasmas are performed and compared with experiment. I-mode is a high confinement regime, featuring energy confinement similar to H-mode, but without enhanced particle and impurity particle confinement [D. G. Whyte et al., Nucl. Fusion 50, 105005 (2010)]. As a consequence of the separation between heat and particle transport, I-mode exhibits several favorable characteristics compared to H-mode. The nonlinear gyrokinetic code GYRO [J. Candy and R. E. Waltz, J Comput. Phys. 186, 545 (2003)] is used to explore the effects of E × B shear and profile stiffness in I-mode and compare with L-mode. The nonlinear GYRO simulations show that I-mode core ion temperature and electron temperature profiles are more stiff than L-mode core plasmas. Scans of the input E × B shear in GYRO simulations show that E × B shearing of turbulence is a stronger effect in the core of I-mode than L-mode. The nonlinear simulations match the observed reductions in long wavelength density fluctuation levels across the L-I transition but underestimate the reduction of long wavelength electron temperature fluctuation levels. The comparisons between experiment and gyrokinetic simulations for I-mode suggest that increased E × B shearing of turbulence combined with increased profile stiffness are responsible for the reductions in core turbulence observed in the experiment, and that I-mode resembles H-mode plasmas more than L-mode plasmas with regards to marginal stability and temperature profile stiffness.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2015

Poloidal asymmetries in edge transport barriers

Measurements of impurities in Alcator C-Mod indicate that in the pedestal region, significant poloidal asymmetries can exist in the impurity density, ion temperature, and main ion density. In light of the observation that ion temperature and electrostatic potential are not constant on a flux surface [Theiler et al. , Nucl. Fusion 54, 083017 (2014)], a technique based on total pressure conservation to align profiles measured at separate poloidal locations is presented and applied. Gyrokinetic neoclassical simulations with XGCa support the observed large poloidal variations in ion temperature and density, and that the total pressure is approximately constant on a flux surface. With the updated alignment technique, the observed in-out asymmetry in impurity density is reduced from previous publishing [Churchill et al. , Nucl. Fusion 53, 122002 (2013)], yet remains substantial (n z,H /n z,L ~6). Candidate asymmetry drivers are explored, showing that neither non-uniform impurity sources nor localized fluctuation-driven transport are able to explain satisfactorily the impurity density asymmetry. Since impurity density asymmetries are only present in plasmas with strong electron density gradients, and radial transport timescales become comparable to parallel transport timescales in the pedestal region, it is implied that global transport effects relating to the strong electron density gradients in the pedestal are the main driver for the pedestal in-out impurity density asymmetry.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2015

Core impurity transport in Alcator C-Mod L-, I- and H-mode plasmas

Core impurity transport has been reviewed for a variety of confinement regimes in Alcator C-Mod plasmas from x-ray emission following injection of medium and high Z materials. In ohmic L-mode discharges, impurity transport is anomalous (D eff $\gg$ D nc ) and changes very little across the LOC/SOC boundary. In ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) heated L-mode plasmas, the core impurity confinement time decreases with increasing ICRF input power (and subsequent increasing electron temperature) and increases with plasma current. Nearly identical impurity confinement characteristics are observed in I-mode plasmas. In enhanced D α H-mode discharges the core impurity confinement times are much longer. There is a strong connection between core impurity confinement time and the edge density gradient across all confinement regimes studied here. Deduced central impurity density profiles in stationary plasmas are generally flat, in spite of large amplitude sawtooth oscillations, and there is little instance of impurity convection inside of r/a = 0.3 when averaged over sawteeth.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2015

Improved profile fitting and quantification of uncertainty in experimental measurements of impurity transport coefficients using Gaussian process regression

The need to fit smooth temperature and density profiles to discrete observations is ubiquitous in plasma physics, yet the prevailing techniques for this have many shortcomings that cast doubt on the statistical validity of the results. This issue is amplified in the context of validation of gyrokinetic transport models (Holland et al 2009 Phys. Plasmas 16 052301), where the strong sensitivity of the code outputs to input gradients means that inadequacies in the profile fitting technique can easily lead to an incorrect assessment of the degree of agreement with experimental measurements. In order to rectify the shortcomings of standard approaches to profile fitting, we have applied Gaussian process regression (GPR), a powerful non-parametric regression technique, to analyse an Alcator C-Mod L-mode discharge used for past gyrokinetic validation work (Howard et al 2012 Nucl. Fusion 52 063002). We demonstrate that the GPR techniques can reproduce the previous results while delivering more statistically rigorous fits and uncertainty estimates for both the value and the gradient of plasma profiles with an improved level of automation. Moreover, we discuss how the use of GPR can allow for dramatic increases in the rate of convergence of uncertainty propagation for any code that takes experimental profiles as inputs. The new GPR techniques for profile fitting and uncertainty propagation are quite useful and general, and we describe the steps to implementation in detail in this paper. These techniques have the potential to substantially improve the quality of uncertainty estimates on profile fits and the rate of convergence of uncertainty propagation, making them of great interest for wider use in fusion experiments and modelling efforts.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗