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- Murari, A., et al.
(författare)
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A control oriented strategy of disruption prediction to avoid the configuration collapse of tokamak reactors
- 2024
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - 2041-1723 .- 2041-1723. ; 15:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The objective of thermonuclear fusion consists of producing electricity from the coalescence of light nuclei in high temperature plasmas. The most promising route to fusion envisages the confinement of such plasmas with magnetic fields, whose most studied configuration is the tokamak. Disruptions are catastrophic collapses affecting all tokamak devices and one of the main potential showstoppers on the route to a commercial reactor. In this work we report how, deploying innovative analysis methods on thousands of JET experiments covering the isotopic compositions from hydrogen to full tritium and including the major D-T campaign, the nature of the various forms of collapse is investigated in all phases of the discharges. An original approach to proximity detection has been developed, which allows determining both the probability of and the time interval remaining before an incoming disruption, with adaptive, from scratch, real time compatible techniques. The results indicate that physics based prediction and control tools can be developed, to deploy realistic strategies of disruption avoidance and prevention, meeting the requirements of the next generation of devices.
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| 6. |
- Stroth, U., et al.
(författare)
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Progress from ASDEX Upgrade experiments in preparing the physics basis of ITER operation and DEMO scenario development
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 1741-4326 .- 0029-5515. ; 62:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An overview of recent results obtained at the tokamak ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) is given. A work flow for predictive profile modelling of AUG discharges was established which is able to reproduce experimental H-mode plasma profiles based on engineering parameters only. In the plasma center, theoretical predictions on plasma current redistribution by a dynamo effect were confirmed experimentally. For core transport, the stabilizing effect of fast ion distributions on turbulent transport is shown to be important to explain the core isotope effect and improves the description of hollow low-Z impurity profiles. The L-H power threshold of hydrogen plasmas is not affected by small helium admixtures and it increases continuously from the deuterium to the hydrogen level when the hydrogen concentration is raised from 0 to 100%. One focus of recent campaigns was the search for a fusion relevant integrated plasma scenario without large edge localised modes (ELMs). Results from six different ELM-free confinement regimes are compared with respect to reactor relevance: ELM suppression by magnetic perturbation coils could be attributed to toroidally asymmetric turbulent fluctuations in the vicinity of the separatrix. Stable improved confinement mode plasma phases with a detached inner divertor were obtained using a feedback control of the plasma β. The enhanced D α H-mode regime was extended to higher heating power by feedback controlled radiative cooling with argon. The quasi-coherent exhaust regime was developed into an integrated scenario at high heating power and energy confinement, with a detached divertor and without large ELMs. Small ELMs close to the separatrix lead to peeling-ballooning stability and quasi continuous power exhaust. Helium beam density fluctuation measurements confirm that transport close to the separatrix is important to achieve the different ELM-free regimes. Based on separatrix plasma parameters and interchange-drift-Alfvén turbulence, an analytic model was derived that reproduces the experimentally found important operational boundaries of the density limit and between L- and H-mode confinement. Feedback control for the X-point radiator (XPR) position was established as an important element for divertor detachment control. Stable and detached ELM-free phases with H-mode confinement quality were obtained when the XPR was moved 10 cm above the X-point. Investigations of the plasma in the future flexible snow-flake divertor of AUG by means of first SOLPS-ITER simulations with drifts activated predict beneficial detachment properties and the activation of an additional strike point by the drifts.
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| 7. |
- Nocente, M., et al.
(författare)
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Generation and observation of fast deuterium ions and fusion-born alpha particles in JET D-He-3 plasmas with the 3-ion radio-frequency heating scenario
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 60:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dedicated experiments to generate energetic D ions and D-(3) He fusion-born alpha particles were performed at the Joint European Torus (JET) with the ITER-like wall (ILW). Using the 3-ion D-(D-NBI)-(3) He radio frequency (RF) heating scenario, deuterium ions from neutral beam injection (NBI) were accelerated in the core of mixed D-(3) He plasmas to higher energies with ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) waves, in turn leading to a core-localized source of alpha particles. The fast-ion distribution of RF-accelerated D-NBI ions was controlled by varying the ICRF and NBI power (P-ICRF approximate to 4-6 MW, P-NBI approximate to 3-20 MW), resulting in rather high D-D neutron (approximate to 1x10(16) s(-1)) and D-(3) He alpha rates (approximate to 2x10(16) s(-1)) at moderate input heating power. Theory and TRANSP analysis shows that large populations of co-passing MeV-range D ions were generated using the D-(D-NBI)-(3) He 3-ion ICRF scenario. This important result is corroborated by several experimental observations, in particular gamma-ray measurements. The developed experimental scenario at JET provides unique conditions for probing several aspects of future burning plasmas, such as the contribution from MeV range ions to global confinement, but without introducing tritium. Dominant fast-ion core electron heating with T-i approximate to T-e and a rich variety of fast-ion driven Alfven eigenmodes (AEs) were observed in these D-(3) He plasmas. The observed AE activities do not have a detrimental effect on the thermal confinement and, in some cases, may be driven by the fusion born alpha particles. A strong continuous increase in neutron rate was observed during long-period sawteeth (>1 s), accompanied by the observation of reversed shear AEs, which implies that a non monotonic q profile was systematically developed in these plasmas, sustained by the large fast-ion populations generated by the 3-ion ICRF scenario.
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| 8. |
- Mantsinen, M. J., et al.
(författare)
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Experiments in high-performance JET plasmas in preparation of second harmonic ICRF heating of tritium in ITER
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nuclear Fusion. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 63:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The reference ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating schemes for ITER deuterium-tritium (D-T) plasmas at the full magnetic field of 5.3 T are second harmonic heating of T and 3He minority heating. The wave-particle resonance location for these schemes coincide and are central at a wave frequency of 53 MHz at 5.3 T. Experiments have been carried out in the second major D-T campaign (DTE2) at JET, and in its prior D campaigns, to integrate these ICRF scenarios in JET high-performance plasmas and to compare their performance with the commonly used hydrogen (H) minority heating. In 50:50 D:T plasmas, up to 35% and 5% larger fusion power and diamagnetic energy content, respectively, were obtained with second harmonic heating of T as compared to H minority heating at comparable total input powers and gas injection rates. The core ion temperature was up to 30% and 20% higher with second harmonic T and 3He minority heating, respectively, with respect to H minority heating. These are favourable results for the use of these scenarios in ITER and future fusion reactors. According to modelling, adding ICRF heating to neutral beam injection using D and T beams resulted in a 10%-20% increase of on-axis bulk ion heating in the D-T plasmas due to its localisation in the plasma core. Central power deposition was confirmed with the break-in-slope and fast Fourier transform analysis of ion and electron temperature in response to ICRF modulation. The tail temperature of fast ICRF-accelerated tritons, their enhancement of the fusion yield and time behaviour as measured by an upgraded magnetic proton recoil spectrometer and neutral particle analyser were found in agreement with theoretical predictions. No losses of ICRF-accelerated ions were observed by fast ion detectors, which was as expected given the high plasma density of n e approximate to 7-8 x 1019 m-3 in the main heating phase that limited the formation of ICRF-accelerated fast ion tails. 3He was introduced in the machine by 3He gas injection, and the 3He concentration was measured by a high-resolution optical penning gauge in the sub-divertor region. The DTE2 experiments with 3He minority heating were carried with a low 3He concentration in the range of 2%-4% given the fact that the highest neutron rates with 3He minority heating in D plasmas were obtained at low 3He concentrations of similar to 2%, which also coincided with the highest plasma diamagnetic energy content. In addition to 3He introduced by 3He gas injection, an intrinsic concentration of 3He of the order of 0.2%-0.4% was measured in D-T plasmas before 3He was introduced in the device, which is attributed to the radioactive decay of tritium to 3He. According to modelling, even such low intrinsic concentrations of 3He lead to significant changes in ICRF power partitioning during second harmonic heating of T due to absorption of up to 30% of the wave power by 3He.
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| 9. |
- Nocente, M., et al.
(författare)
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Fusion product measurements by nuclear diagnostics in the Joint European Torus deuterium-tritium 2 campaign (invited)
- 2022
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Ingår i: Review of Scientific Instruments. - : American Institute of Physics (AIP). - 0034-6748 .- 1089-7623. ; 93:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A new deuterium-tritium experimental, DTE2, campaign has been conducted at the Joint European Torus (JET) between August 2021 and late December 2021. Motivated by significant enhancements in the past decade at JET, such as the ITER-like wall and enhanced auxiliary heating power, the campaign achieved a new fusion energy world record and performed a broad range of fundamental experiments to inform ITER physics scenarios and operations. New capabilities in the area of fusion product measurements by nuclear diagnostics were available as a result of a decade long enhancement program. These have been tested for the first time in DTE2 and a concise overview is provided here. Confined alpha particle measurements by gamma-ray spectroscopy were successfully demonstrated, albeit with limitations at neutron rates higher than some 10(17) n/s. High resolution neutron spectroscopy measurements with the magnetic proton recoil instrument were complemented by novel data from a set of synthetic diamond detectors, which enabled studies of the supra-thermal contributions to the neutron emission. In the area of escaping fast ion diagnostics, a lost fast ion detector and a set of Faraday cups made it possible to determine information on the velocity space and poloidal distribution of the lost alpha particles for the first time. This extensive set of data provides unique information for fundamental physics studies and validation of the numerical models, which are key to inform the physics and scenarios of ITER. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.
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