| 1. |
- Fenstermacher, M.E., et al.
(författare)
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DIII-D research advancing the physics basis for optimizing the tokamak approach to fusion energy
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 62:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- DIII-D physics research addresses critical challenges for the operation of ITER and the next generation of fusion energy devices. This is done through a focus on innovations to provide solutions for high performance long pulse operation, coupled with fundamental plasma physics understanding and model validation, to drive scenario development by integrating high performance core and boundary plasmas. Substantial increases in off-axis current drive efficiency from an innovative top launch system for EC power, and in pressure broadening for Alfven eigenmode control from a co-/counter-I p steerable off-axis neutral beam, all improve the prospects for optimization of future long pulse/steady state high performance tokamak operation. Fundamental studies into the modes that drive the evolution of the pedestal pressure profile and electron vs ion heat flux validate predictive models of pedestal recovery after ELMs. Understanding the physics mechanisms of ELM control and density pumpout by 3D magnetic perturbation fields leads to confident predictions for ITER and future devices. Validated modeling of high-Z shattered pellet injection for disruption mitigation, runaway electron dissipation, and techniques for disruption prediction and avoidance including machine learning, give confidence in handling disruptivity for future devices. For the non-nuclear phase of ITER, two actuators are identified to lower the L-H threshold power in hydrogen plasmas. With this physics understanding and suite of capabilities, a high poloidal beta optimized-core scenario with an internal transport barrier that projects nearly to Q = 10 in ITER at ∼8 MA was coupled to a detached divertor, and a near super H-mode optimized-pedestal scenario with co-I p beam injection was coupled to a radiative divertor. The hybrid core scenario was achieved directly, without the need for anomalous current diffusion, using off-axis current drive actuators. Also, a controller to assess proximity to stability limits and regulate β N in the ITER baseline scenario, based on plasma response to probing 3D fields, was demonstrated. Finally, innovative tokamak operation using a negative triangularity shape showed many attractive features for future pilot plant operation.
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| 2. |
- Martin, P., et al.
(författare)
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Overview of the RFX-mod fusion science programme
- 2013
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Ingår i: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 53:10, s. 104018-
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper reports the highlights of the RFX-mod fusion science programme since the last 2010 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference. The RFX-mod fusion science programme focused on two main goals: exploring the fusion potential of the reversed field pinch (RFP) magnetic configuration and contributing to the solution of key science and technology problems in the roadmap to ITER. Active control of several plasma parameters has been a key tool in this endeavour. New upgrades on the system for active control of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability are underway and will be presented in this paper. Unique among the existing fusion devices, RFX-mod has been operated both as an RFP and as a tokamak. The latter operation has allowed the exploration of edge safety factor q edge < 2 with active control of MHD stability and studies concerning basic energy and flow transport mechanisms. Strong interaction has continued with the stellarator community in particular on the physics of helical states and on three-dimensional codes.
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| 3. |
- Martin, P., et al.
(författare)
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Overview of the RFX fusion science program
- 2011
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Ingår i: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 51:9, s. 094023-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper summarizes the main achievements of the RFX fusion science program in the period between the 2008 and 2010 IAEA Fusion Energy Conferences. RFX-mod is the largest reversed field pinch in the world, equipped with a system of 192 coils for active control of MHD stability. The discovery and understanding of helical states with electron internal transport barriers and core electron temperature >1.5 keV significantly advances the perspectives of the configuration. Optimized experiments with plasma current up to 1.8 MA have been realized, confirming positive scaling. The first evidence of edge transport barriers is presented. Progress has been made also in the control of first-wall properties and of density profiles, with initial first-wall lithization experiments. Micro-turbulence mechanisms such as ion temperature gradient and micro-tearing are discussed in the framework of understanding gradient-driven transport in low magnetic chaos helical regimes. Both tearing mode and resistive wall mode active control have been optimized and experimental data have been used to benchmark numerical codes. The RFX programme also provides important results for the fusion community and in particular for tokamaks and stellarators on feedback control of MHD stability and on three-dimensional physics. On the latter topic, the result of the application of stellarator codes to describe three-dimensional reversed field pinch physics will be presented.
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| 4. |
- Zuin, M., et al.
(författare)
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Overview of the RFX-mod fusion science activity
- 2017
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Ingår i: Nuclear Fusion. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 57:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper reports the main recent results of the RFX-mod fusion science activity. The RFX-mod device is characterized by a unique flexibility in terms of accessible magnetic configurations. Axisymmetric and helically shaped reversed-field pinch equilibria have been studied, along with tokamak plasmas in a wide range of q(a) regimes (spanning from 4 down to 1.2 values). The full range of magnetic configurations in between the two, the so-called ultra-low q ones, has been explored, with the aim of studying specific physical issues common to all equilibria, such as, for example, the density limit phenomenon. The powerful RFX-mod feedback control system has been exploited for MHD control, which allowed us to extend the range of experimental parameters, as well as to induce specific magnetic perturbations for the study of 3D effects. In particular, transport, edge and isotope effects in 3D equilibria have been investigated, along with runaway mitigations through induced magnetic perturbations. The first transitions to an improved confinement scenario in circular and D-shaped tokamak plasmas have been obtained thanks to an active modification of the edge electric field through a polarized electrode. The experiments are supported by intense modeling with 3D MHD, gyrokinetic, guiding center and transport codes. Proposed modifications to the RFX-mod device, which will enable further contributions to the solution of key issues in the roadmap to ITER and DEMO, are also briefly presented.
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| 5. |
- Lorenzini, R., et al.
(författare)
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Self-organized helical equilibria as a new paradigm for ohmically heated fusion plasmas
- 2009
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Ingår i: Nature Physics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1745-2473 .- 1745-2481. ; 5:8, s. 570-574
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the quest for new energy sources, the research on controlled thermonuclear fusion has been boosted by the start of the construction phase of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). ITER is based on the tokamak magnetic configuration, which is the best performing one in terms of energy confinement. Alternative concepts are however actively researched, which in the long term could be considered for a second generation of reactors. Here, we show results concerning one of these configurations, the reversed-field pinch (RFP). By increasing the plasma current, a spontaneous transition to a helical equilibrium occurs, with a change of magnetic topology. Partially conserved magnetic flux surfaces emerge within residual magnetic chaos, resulting in the onset of a transport barrier. This is a structural change and sheds new light on the potential of the RFP as the basis for a low-magnetic-field ohmic fusion reactor.
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| 6. |
- Martin, P., et al.
(författare)
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Overview of RFX-mod results
- 2009
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Ingår i: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 49:10, s. 104019-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With the exploration of the MA plasma current regime in up to 0.5 s long discharges, RFX-mod has opened new and very promising perspectives for the reversed field pinch (RFP) magnetic configuration, and has made significant progress in understanding and improving confinement and in controlling plasma stability. A big leap with respect to previous knowledge and expectations on RFP physics and performance has been made by RFX-mod since the last 2006 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference. A new self-organized helical equilibrium has been experimentally achieved ( the Single Helical Axis-SHAx-state), which is the preferred state at high current. Strong core electron transport barriers characterize this regime, with electron temperature gradients comparable to those achieved in tokamaks, and by a factor of 4 improvement in confinement time with respect to the standard RFP. RFX-mod is also providing leading edge results on real-time feedback control of MHD instabilities, of general interest for the fusion community.
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| 7. |
- Terranova, D., et al.
(författare)
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A 3D approach to equilibrium, stability and transport studies in RFX-mod improved regimes
- 2010
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Ingår i: Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0741-3335 .- 1361-6587. ; 52:12, s. 124023-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The full three-dimensional (3D) approach is now becoming an important issue for all magnetic confinement configurations. It is a necessary condition for the stellarator but also the tokamak and the reversed field pinch (RFP) now cannot be completely described in an axisymmetric framework. For the RFP the observation of self-sustained helical configurations with improved plasma performances require a better description in order to assess a new view on this configuration. In this new framework plasma configuration studies for RFX-mod have been considered both with tools developed for the RFP as well as considering codes originally developed for the stellarator and adapted to the RFP. These helical states are reached through a transition to a very low/reversed shear configuration leading to internal electron transport barriers. These states are interrupted by MHD reconnection events and the large Te gradients at the barriers indicate that both current and pressure driven modes are to be considered. Furthermore the typically flat Te profiles in the helical core have raised the issue of the role of electrostatic and electromagnetic turbulence in these reduced chaos regions, so that a stability analysis in the correct 3D geometry is required to address an optimization of the plasma setup. In this viewtheVMECcode proved to be an effectiveway to obtain helical equilibria to be studied in terms of stability and transport with a suite of well tested codes. In this work, the equilibrium reconstruction technique as well as the experimental evidence of 3D effects and their first interpretation in terms of stability and transport are presented using both RFP and stellarator tools.
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| 8. |
- Puiatti, M. E., et al.
(författare)
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Helical equilibria and magnetic structures in the reversed field pinch and analogies to the tokamak and stellarator
- 2009
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Ingår i: Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0741-3335 .- 1361-6587. ; 51:12, s. 124031-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The reversed field pinch configuration is characterized by the presence of magnetic structures both in the core and at the edge: in the core, at high plasma current the spontaneous development of a helical structure is accompanied by the appearance of internal electron transport barriers; at the edge strong pressure gradients, identifying an edge transport barrier, are observed too, related to the position of the field reversal surface. The aim of this paper is the experimental characterization of both the internal and edge transport barriers in relation to the magnetic topology, discussing possible analogies and differences with other confinement schemes.
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| 9. |
- Zamengo, Luca, et al.
(författare)
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Inter-laboratory proficiency results of blood alcohol determinations at clinical and forensic laboratories in Italy
- 2019
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Ingår i: Forensic Science International. - : ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD. - 0379-0738 .- 1872-6283. ; 295, s. 213-218
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Inter-laboratory proficiency schemes are widely used to control the performance of clinical and forensic toxicology laboratories. In 2016 the Laboratory of Environmental Hygiene and Forensic Toxicology - Venice (Italy) initiated an inter-laboratory proficiency test of blood-alcohol analysis. The number of participating laboratories gradually increased from 26 to 36. Furthermore, a few clinical laboratories were included if gas chromatographic (GC) methods were used for blood alcohol analysis. Procedure: Whole blood was obtained from the Blood Transfusion Centre of the Venice Hospital and a mixture of sodium fluoride and potassium oxalate was added as a preservative and anticoagulant, respectively. Aliquots of the blood were spiked with certified pure ethanol to obtain target blood-alcohol concentrations (BACs) ranging from 0 to 5.0 g/L. Two blood samples (4 mL each) were included in each shipment to the participating laboratories. The laboratories were asked to provide information about number of replicate BAC determinations they made, the types of ethanol reference standards used, and inherent measurement uncertainty. The aim of the testing was to obtain a mean consensus value for the target BAC and to assess inter-laboratory imprecision. All procedures for registration and submission of results were done on-line. A confidential report and statistical evaluations were returned to the participants one week later. Analytical methods: All participants used head-space GC (HS-GC) for the analysis of ethanol in blood. More than 85% of participants used HS-GC with flame-ionization detection, whereas the others used mass spectrometry (MS) as a detector. More than 40% of the participating laboratories kept the blood samples frozen (-20 degrees C) prior to analysis, whereas the others used refrigeration (+4 degrees C). The preliminary validation tests showed that there were no statistically significant differences between BAC in frozen or refrigerated samples for a period of 20 days. Results and conclusion: The statistical evaluation of results was done using an iterative procedure known as Algorithm A (ISO 13528:2015, C.3.1). This provides robust estimates for mean and standard deviation between laboratories and these were used as consensus values. More than 85% of participants provided satisfactory results (z-score amp;lt;1) and 94% of laboratories were within z-score amp;lt;2, based on five control samples. When a blood sample without any alcohol (blank) was sent for analysis, laboratories reported this as zero, 0.00 g/L, below limit of detection (LOD) or not detected. Some type of consensus should be reached for reporting blank samples. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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