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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 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Assessment of radial transport induced by Alfvénic resonances in tokamaks and stellarators

In a symmetric plasma confinement device, a perturbation such as an Alfvén mode produces a resonance island which flattens the local energy gradient due to induced rotation about the elliptic points of the resonance. The location of the resonance is mode frequency and particle energy dependent, and particles away from the resonance are not affected. Here, a projection onto the Poincaré subspace allows the evaluation of resonance widths and internal rotation rates. In a stellarator without symmetry because of the toroidal dependence of the equilibrium magnetic field, a mode instead produces chaos in all orbits passing where the amplitude is large and is, thus, much more effective in producing radial transport and loss. The mode growth rate and saturation are also affected by the local chaos.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Design and characterization of a prototype divertor viewing infrared video bolometer for NSTX-U

The InfraRed Video Bolometer (IRVB) is a powerful tool to measure radiated power in magnetically confined plasmas due to its ability to obtain 2D images of plasma emission using a technique that is compatible with the fusion nuclear environment. A prototype IRVB has been developed and installed on NSTX-U to view the lower divertor. The IRVB is a pinhole camera which images radiation from the plasma onto a 2.5 μm thick, 9 × 7 cm{sup 2} Pt foil and monitors the resulting spatio-temporal temperature evolution using an IR camera. The power flux incident on the foil is calculated by solving the 2D+time heat diffusion equation, using the foil’s calibrated thermal properties. An optimized, high frame rate IRVB, is quantitatively compared to results from a resistive bolometer on the bench using a modulated 405 nm laser beam with variable power density and square wave modulation from 0.2 Hz to 250 Hz. The design of the NSTX-U system and benchtop characterization are presented where signal-to-noise ratios are assessed using three different IR cameras: FLIR A655sc, FLIR A6751sc, and SBF-161. The sensitivity of the IRVB equipped with the SBF-161 camera is found to be high enough to measure radiation features in the NSTX-U lower divertor as estimated using SOLPS modeling. The optimized IRVB has a frame rate up to 50 Hz, high enough to distinguish radiation during edge-localized-modes (ELMs) from that between ELMs.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evolution of intermittent filaments in the scrape-off layer of NSTX

Filamentary structures naturally arise from background turbulence in the scrape-off layer (SOL) of plasmas, leading to significant particle and heat transport that can degrade overall plasma confinement. This enhanced transport can contribute to unacceptably high heat loads on plasma-facing components. As such, understanding the physics of SOL plasma filaments is critical for predicting and mitigating their effects in future fusion devices. On the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), plasma filaments—commonly referred to as “blobs”—were investigated using the gas-puff imaging (GPI) diagnostic in the edge and SOL regions. The analysis involved identifying, segmenting, and tracking the characteristic contours of the blobs in each frame of the GPI video sequences. Their evolution was characterized through shape descriptors, velocity, and angular velocity derived from their contour coordinates. The results indicate that as the blob area increases, their shapes become more concave and less circular, suggesting reduced structural stability in larger blobs. This result aligns with previous theoretical results where it was shown that larger blobs are more susceptible to instabilities [Krasheninnikov et al., J. Plasma Phys. 74, 679–717 (2008) and D'Ippolito et al., Phys. Plasmas 18, 060501 (2011)]. A positive correlation was observed between radial velocity and radial position, suggesting radially outward acceleration of the filaments, potentially driven by decreasing viscous drag toward the far SOL. Interestingly, blobs in background SOL turbulence exhibited minimal spinning in contrast to filaments originating from edge localized modes, which show substantial rotation during their paths [Lampert et al., Phys. Plasmas 29, 102502 (2022)]. Statistical analysis of the solidity and total curvature shape descriptors, along with their temporal evolution, revealed relatively broad, near-Gaussian distributions. This suggests that blob morphology is strongly influenced by stochastic turbulent processes in the surrounding plasma environment. Blob parameters were also compared with bulk plasma and radial profile measurements. Notable trends were found between blob rotation and poloidal velocity with collisionality and line-integrated density. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of blob dynamics and provide valuable insights for refining SOL turbulence models.

Covariance and correlation↗
DOE OSTI2021

Potential design problems for ITER fusion device

The international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER) is a worldwide project currently being built in France for the demonstration of the feasibility of thermonuclear technologies for future realization of successful commercial fusion energy. ITER is of the tokamak based design using strong magnetic fields to confine the very hot plasma needed to induce the fusion reaction. Tokamak devices are currently the front leading designs. Building a successful magnetic fusion device for energy production is of great challenge. A key obstacle to such design is the performance during abnormal events including plasma disruptions and so-called edge-localized modes (ELMs). In these events, a massive and sudden release of energy occurs quickly, due to loss of full or partial plasma confinement, leading to very high transient power loads on the reactor surface boundaries. A successful reactor design should tolerate several of these transient events without serious damages such as melting and vaporization of the structure. This paper highlights, through comprehensive state-of-the-art computer simulation of the entire ITER interior design during such transient events, e.g., ELMs occurring at normal operation and disruptions during abnormal operation, potential serious problems with current plasma facing components (PFCs) design. The HEIGHTS computer package is used in these simulations. The ITER reactor design was simulated in full and exact 3D geometry including all known relevant physical processes involved during these transient events. The current ITER divertor design may not work properly and may requires significant modifications or new innovative design to prevent serious damage and to ensure successful operation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Thermal plasma and fast ion transport in electrostatic turbulence in the large plasma device

The transport of thermal plasma and fast ions in electrostatic microturbulence is studied. Strong density and potential fluctuations ({delta}n/n{approx}{delta}{phi}/kT{sub e}{approx} 0.5, f {approx} 5-50 kHz) are observed in the large plasma device (LAPD) [W. Gekelman, H. Pfister, Z. Lucky et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 62, 2875 (1991)] in density gradient regions produced by obstacles with slab or cylindrical geometry. Wave characteristics and the associated plasma transport are modified by driving sheared E Multiplication-Sign B drift through biasing the obstacle and by modification of the axial magnetic fields (B{sub z}) and the plasma species. Cross-field plasma transport is suppressed with small bias and large B{sub z} and is enhanced with large bias and small B{sub z}. The transition in thermal plasma confinement is well explained by the cross-phase between density and potential fluctuations. Large gyroradius lithium fast ion beam ({rho}{sub fast}/{rho}{sub s} {approx} 10) orbits through the turbulent region. Scans with a collimated analyzer give detailed profiles of the fast ion spatial-temporal distribution. Fast-ion transport decreases rapidly with increasing fast-ion energy and gyroradius. Background waves with different scale lengths also alter the fast ion transport. Experimental results agree well with gyro-averaging theory. When the fast ion interacts with the wave for most of a wave period, a transition from super-diffusive to sub-diffusive transport is observed, as predicted by diffusion theory. Besides turbulent-wave-induced fast-ion transport, the static radial electric field (E{sub r}) from biasing the obstacle leads to drift of the fast-ion beam centroid. The drift and broadening of the beam due to static E{sub r} are evaluated both analytically and numerically. Simulation results indicate that the E{sub r} induced transport is predominately convective.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Classification of Orbits in Poincare Maps Using Machine Learning

Poincare plots, also called Poincare maps, are used by plasma physicists to understand the behavior of magnetically confined plasma in numerical simulations of a tokamak. These plots are created by the intersection of field lines with a two-dimensional poloidal plane that is perpendicular to the axis of the torus representing the tokamak. A plot is composed of multiple orbits, each created by a different field line as it goes around the torus. Each orbit can have one of four distinct shapes, or classes, that indicate changes in the topology of the magnetic fields confining the plasma. Given the (x, y) coordinates of the points that form an orbit, the analysis task is to assign a class to the orbit, a task that appears ideally suited for a machine learning approach. In this paper, we describe how we overcame two major challenges in solving this problem - creating a high-quality training set, with few mislabeled orbits, and converting the coordinates of the points into features that are discriminating, despite the variation within the orbits of a class and the apparent similarities between orbits of different classes. Our automated approach is not only more objective and accurate than visual classification, but is also less tedious, making it easier for plasma physicists to analyze the topology of magnetic fields from numerical simulations of the tokamak.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Mesh generation for confined fusion plasma simulation

XGC1 and M3D-C 1 are two fusion plasma simulation codes being developed at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. XGC1 uses the particle-in-cell method to simulate gyrokinetic neoclassical physics and turbulence. M3D-C 1 solves the two-fluid resistive magnetohydrodynamic equations with the C 1 finite elements. This paper presents the software tools and libraries that were combined to form the geometry and automatic meshing procedures for these codes. Finally, specific consideration has been given to satisfy the mesh configuration and element shape quality constraints of XGC1 and M3D-C 1 .

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Validation of SOLPS-ITER simulations with kinetic, fluid, and hybrid neutral models for JET-ILW low-confinement mode plasmas

For JET L-mode plasmas in low-recycling conditions (electron temperature at the outer strike point, T e,ot ≳ 30 eV ), SOLPS-ITER simulations agree within the error bars for the experimental profiles at the low-field side (LFS) divertor target. The peak Balmer-α (Dα ) emission in the LFS divertor agrees within the error bars of the KS3 filterscope diagnostic, but is approximately 30% lower than the peak value of the KT1 spectrometer. Simulations have been performed with fluid, kinetic, and hybrid models for the neutrals. The large fluid-kinetic discrepancies of more than a factor 2 are successfully corrected by using a hybrid fluid-kinetic approach, for which kinetic atoms are transferred to the fluid population when the local Knudsen number of the atom becomes smaller than a user-defined transition Knudsen number Kn t . The hybrid-kinetic discrepancies are limited to a few % for Kn t ≤ 100 . When increasing the upstream density to high-recycling conditions, at the onset of detachment ( T e,ot ≈ 5 eV ), the simulations predict more than a factor 2 lower peak ion saturation current to the LFS divertor than the experiments. Also the Dα emission is underpredicted with approximately a factor 2. For these high-recycling conditions, the fluid-kinetic discrepancies are limited to maximum 50%, which are again corrected by using the hybrid approach.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

EDGE2D-EIRENE and ERO2.0 predictions of nitrogen molecular break-up and transport in the divertor of JET low-confinement mode plasmas

EDGE2D-EIRENE simulations of nitrogen-seeded partially detached JET L-mode plasmas show that the divertor N I to N V radiation distributions are highly sensitive to the upstream electron density, and less sensitive to changes in the assumed cross-field particle diffusivity for nitrogen ions. The EDGE2D-EIRENE simulations reproduce the peak intensities of N I to N V as measured by vertically viewing divertor filterscopes to within 50 % for a narrow range of the upstream electron density within the experimental uncertainties, while the predicted profiles are narrower than the measured ones. Including nitrogen atoms only in the ERO2.0 simulations implies lower N III and N IV peak intensities by one and two thirds, respectively, compared to EDGE2D-EIRENE. If nitrogen is assumed to recycle exclusively as molecules instead of atoms, ERO2.0 predicts that the N III and N IV intensities in the divertor increase by up to a factor of two and that the time-averaged, volume-integrated number of N 5+ to N 7+ ions in the plasma also increases by approximately a factor of 2.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Validation of SOLPS-ITER and EDGE2D-EIRENE simulations for H, D, and T JET ITER-like wall low-confinement mode plasmas

Both experiments and simulations with SOLPS-ITER and EDGE2D-EIRENE show that the onset of detachment for the low-field side (LFS) divertor – defined here as the line-averaged upstream density (〈n e 〉 edge ) at which the plasma flux to the LFS target (I LFS-plate ) starts to decrease with increasing 〈n e 〉 edge – is independent of the isotope mass. However, there are three major simulation-experiment discrepancies: (i) the absolute values of I LFS-plate and the electron density (n e ) in the LFS divertor at the onset of detachment are significantly lower in simulations, i.e., approximately a factor of 2 for I LFS-plate and a factor of 3-4 for n e ; (ii) the degree of detachment – defined here as the difference between I LFS-plate at the onset of detachment and at an 〈n e 〉 edge value close to the density limit – is smaller in simulations compared to experiments; and (iii) the experimentally observed larger degree of detachment for D and T plasmas compared to H plasmas cannot be clearly distinguished from the simulation results. There are strong indications that discrepancy (i) is to a large extent caused by neglecting Lyman-opacity effects in our simulations. The simulations predict a similar net volumetric recombination source for all isotopes due to the fact that molecule-activated recombination (MAR) compensates for the reduced electron–ion recombination (EIR) for H, whereas MAR is negligible for D and T. This similar net volumetric recombination source for all isotopes leads to an isotope-independent degree of detachment in simulations. An analysis of the Balmer-α and Balmer-$γ$ emission confirms the underestimate of MAR in simulations (especially for D and T) for the JET metallic wall, which was previously observed for devices with a carbon wall. The underestimate of MAR is an important cause for discrepancy (ii) and the fact that there is a stronger underestimate of MAR for D and T than for H explains discrepancy (iii). Extending the plasma grid to the vessel wall increases I LFS-plate and n e at the onset of detachment by 25%, and the EIR source increases by 80% in detached conditions. Hence, while the extended grid results are closer to the experimental observations, the previously described qualitative discrepancies still persist.

Balmer emission↗
DOE OSTI2013

Development of diagnostic and manipulation systems for space-charge dominated electron beams and confined electron plasmas in ELTRAP

Modifications have been implemented in the Penning-Malmberg device ELTRAP aimed at performing studies on the dynamics of space-charge dominated nanosecond electron bunches traveling along the magnetic field. In particular, a Thomson backscattering apparatus has been developed where an infrared (IR) laser pulse collides with the bunched electron beam. The frequency-shifted backscattered radiation, acquired by means of a photomultiplier (PMT), can be exploited to evaluate information on energy, energy spread and density of the bunch. The achievable sensitivity of the diagnostics has been estimated, and valuable information on the main parameters affecting the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio has been obtained [B. Paroli, F. Cavaliere, M. Cavenago, F. De Luca, M. Ikram, G. Maero, C. Marini, R. Pozzoli, and M. Rome, JINST 7, P01008 (2012)]. A series of upgrades are under way, aimed at increasing the S/N ratio through the use of a new laser for the electron source, the insertion of a stray light shield, and the optimization of the detection electronics. Moreover, electromagnetic simulations relevant to the design and implementation of a microwave heating system are presented. The generation of an electron plasma in ELTRAP by means of a low-power radio frequency (RF) drive in the MHz range applied on one of the trap electrodes and under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions has previously been demonstrated [B. Paroli, F. De Luca, G. Maero, F. Pozzoli, and M. Rome, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 19, 045013 (2010)]. The new heating system will allow the extension of the RF studies to the GHz range and in particular the production of a more energetic electron plasma via cyclotron resonant excitation.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Fast wave current drive in DEMO

The ability to non-inductively drive a large fraction of the toroidal plasma current in magnetically confined plasmas is an essential requirement for steady state fusion reactors such as DEMO. Besides neutral beam injection (NBI), electron-cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) and lower hybrid wave heating (LH), ion-cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) is a promising candidate to drive current, in particular at the high temperatures expected in fusion plasmas. In this paper, the current drive (CD) efficiencies calculated with coupled ICRF wave / CD numerical codes for the DEMO-1 design case (R{sub 0}=9m, B{sub 0}=6.8T, a{sub p}=2.25m) [1] are presented. It will be shown that although promising CD efficiencies can be obtained in the usual ICRF frequency domain (20-100MHz) by shifting the dominant ion-cyclotron absorption layers to the high-field side, operation at higher frequencies (100-300MHz) has a stronger CD potential, provided the parasitic RF power absorption of the alpha particles can be minimized.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Accounting for Debye sheath expansion for proud Langmuir probes in magnetic confinement fusion plasmas

A Child-Langmuir law-based method for accounting for Debye sheath expansion while fitting the current-voltage I-V characteristic of proud Langmuir probes (electrodes that extend into the volume of the plasma) is described. For Langmuir probes of a typical size used in tokamak plasmas, these new estimates of electron temperature and ion saturation current density values decreased by up to 60% compared to methods that did not account for sheath expansion. Changes to the collection area are modeled using the Child-Langmuir law and effective expansion perimeter l p , and the model is thus referred to as the “perimeter sheath expansion method.” l p is determined solely from electrode geometry, so the method may be employed without prior measurement of the magnitude of the sheath expansion effects for a given Langmuir probe and can be used for electrodes of different geometries. This method correctly predicts the non-saturating ΔI/ΔV slope for cold, low-density plasmas where sheath-expansion effects are strong, as well as for hot plasmas where ΔI/ΔV ~ 0, though it is shown that the sheath can still significantly affect the collection area in these hot conditions. The perimeter sheath expansion method has several advantages compared to methods where the non-saturating current is fitted: (1) It is more resilient to scatter in the I-V characteristics observed in turbulent plasmas. (2) It is able to separate the contributions to the ΔI/ΔV slope from sheath expansion to that of the high energy electron tail in high Te conditions. (3) It calculates the change in the collection area due to the Debye sheath for conditions where ΔI/ΔV ~ 0 and for V = V f .

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2019

Effect of polarity on beam and plasma target formation in a dense plasma focus

Dense plasma focus (DPF) devices are conventionally operated with a polarity such that the inner electrode (IE) is the anode. It has been found that interchanging the polarity of the electrodes (i.e., IE as the cathode) can cause an order of magnitude decrease in the neutron yield. This polarity riddle has previously been studied empirically through several experiments and is yet not well understood. Herein, we have performed kinetic simulations using the particle-in-cell modeling to investigate the problem. This is the first time that both polarities have been studied with simulations in great detail. In our simulations, we have modeled the entire beam and plasma target formation processes, but we did not consider differences in break-down conditions caused by the two polarities. We have found that when using reverse polarity ions are still accelerated and, in fact, attain similar energy spectra as in the standard polarity case. The difference is that the fields are flipped and thus ions are accelerated in the opposite direction. So, in the reverse polarity case, the majority of the “plasma target” (formed by the imploding plasma) is in the opposite direction of the beam, and thus, the beam hits the IE and produces few neutrons. With a better inner electrode configuration, reverse polarity is able to create a high-quality ion beam as well as a high-density target. Both can be comparable to that generated by standard polarity. Furthermore, we will show that it is easier to add an additional solid catcher target to a DPF device with reverse polarity, potentially enabling it to generate more neutrons than standard polarity.

Plasma sheaths↗
DOE OSTI2020

Initial surface conditions affecting the formation of plasma on metal conductors driven by a mega-ampere current pulse

Significant variations in plasma formation have been observed for thick aluminum rods with varying initial surface conditions when pulsed by an intense current in a z-pinch configuration. Rods were fabricated on a lathe to a diameter of 1.0 mm followed by a 300 μm wide and 6 mm long strip milled on the surface to remove a portion of the azimuthally extended machining marks left by the lathe. A subset of these rods were then electropolished, reducing the azimuthally extended machining marks as well as reducing the mean surface roughness. Here, the fabrication process provided two types of rods with several surface finishes: a smooth surface (both milled flat face and curved region), a rough surface (milled flat faced region), and an azimuthally extended rough surface (curved region), to study the effect of surface finish on plasma formation. Rods with azimuthally extended surface defects left by the machining process form plasma early compared to rods that have had the azimuthally extended features removed and/or reduce by electropolishing the surface or milling away a section of the surface.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Multi-energy calibration of a PILATUS3 CdTe detector for hard x-ray measurements of magnetically confined fusion plasmas

A multi-energy hard x-ray pin-hole camera based on the PILATUS3 X 100K-M CdTe detector has been developed at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory for installation on the Tungsten Environment in Steady State Tokamak. This camera will be employed to study thermal plasma features such as electron temperature as well as non-thermal effects such as fast electron tails produced by a lower hybrid radiofrequency current drive and the birth of runaway electrons. The innovative aspect of the system lies in the possibility of setting the threshold energy independently for each of the ~100k pixels of the detector. This feature allows for the measurement of the x-ray emission in multiple energy ranges with adequate space and time resolution (~1 cm, 2 ms) and coarse energy resolution. In this work, the energy dependence of each pixel was calibrated within the range 15 keV–100 keV using a tungsten x-ray tube and emission from a variety of fluorescence targets (from yttrium to uranium). The data corresponding to pairs of K α emission lines are fit to the characteristic responsivity (“S-curve”), which describes the detector sensitivity across the 64 possible energy threshold values for each pixel; this novel capability is explored by fine-tuning the voltage of a six-bit digital-analog converter after the charge-sensitive amplifier for each of the ~100k pixels. Here, this work presents the results of the calibration including a statistical analysis. It was found that the achievable energy resolution is mainly limited by the width of the S-curve to 3 keV–10 keV for threshold energies up to 50 keV, and to ≥20 keV for energies above 60 keV.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Fascinating physics at the edge of magnetic fusion devices

Abstract The physics of the processes at the edge of magnetic fusion devices is multifaceted and exhibits complex, nonlinear synergistic effects. Even though this region occupies only a small portion of the whole device, it plays a crucial role in overall plasma confinement, heat exhaust, and plasma–wall interactions. The latter affects not only the performance but also the lifetime of plasma-facing components and therefore remains an outstanding challenge for future fusion reactors. At the edge of fusion devices, researchers are dealing with phenomena including classical and anomalous plasma transport, atomic physics effects, and physics of plasma-facing material under strong irradiation by particle and energy fluxes. The diversity of edge physics makes it particularly attractive for young scientists. Working in this field, they can find endless possibilities to demonstrate their talents and creativity. This short review describes just some of the basic scrape-off layer and divertor plasma phenomena including divertor plasma detachment, intermittent bursts of anomalous cross-field plasma transport, plasma–material interactions, and dust in fusion plasmas, which are of particular interest in relation to fusion reactors.

Physics↗