Confinement and Transport Research in Alcator C-Mod

Confinement and Transport Research in Alcator C-Mod
Author: Martin Greenwald
Publisher:
Total Pages: 174
Release: 2005
Genre:
ISBN:

(cont.) This link unified L-mode and H-mode and established a strong connection between local and global transport. Further work on the role of critical gradient lengths and marginal stability lent quantitative support to the ITG theories for ion transport and have helped elucidate nonlinear saturation mechanisms for the turbulence. Local transport studies demonstrated connections between transport channels, with energy, particle and momentum transport varying across regimes in similar ways. Experiments carried out in collaboration with the DIII-D, ASDEX-U and JET groups confirmed the dimensionless scaling approach over the widest available range in machine sizes. These studies suggest that plasma physics is the dominant influence on transport in the core and pedestal for standard L- and H-mode discharges. Dimensionless scaling experiments have shown a strong improvement in confinement with the normalized gyro-size (1/p*). Confinement was found to be Bohm-like in L-mode and gyro-Bohm-like in H-mode. These experiments also showed a strong degradation in confinement with collisionality. Other articles in this issue discuss impurity transport, momentum transport, H-mode pedestal and threshold physics and internal transport barrier regimes.

Experimental Study of Turbulent Heat Transport in Alcator C-Mod

Experimental Study of Turbulent Heat Transport in Alcator C-Mod
Author: Choongki Sung
Publisher:
Total Pages: 478
Release: 2015
Genre:
ISBN:

The comprehensive analysis was performed to study turbulent transport in Alcator CMod plasmas in this thesis. A new Correlation Electron Cyclotron Emission (CECE) diagnostic was designed and installed as a part of this thesis work. Using this diagnostic, we measured local T fluctuations in r/a >/~ 0.75 in C-Mod for the first time. This thesis work provided new information about the Ohmic confinement transition, from the linear to the saturated confinement regime with the increase in average density. It was found that Te fluctuations near the edge (r/a0~.85) tend to decrease across the Ohmic confinement transition. Although the Ohmic confinement transition has been considered predominantly as a result of the linear turbulence mode transition, we found no changes in the dominant turbulence mode across this transition via gyrokinetic analysis using the code, GYRO. The GYRO simulations performed near the edge reproduce experimental ion heat flux and Te fluctuations, but electron heat flux was under-predicted. Considering that both ion heat flux and the T fluctuations mainly come from ion scale turbulence, the under-prediction of electron heat flux suggests the importance of electron scale turbulence. Intrinsic rotation reversals in C-Mod plasmas were studied in this thesis. Similar changes in electron temperature fluctuations, the reduction of Te fluctuations near the edge, were observed across RF rotation reversals and Ohmic rotation reversals. The gyrokinetic and self-similarity analyses also showed similarities between rotation reversals in Ohmic and RF heated discharges. These observations suggest that the physics of Ohmic confinement transition and the rotation reversal can be applied to the physics of rotation reversal in RF heated discharges. This thesis also found the reduction of Te fluctuations inside pedestal region with the transition from low to high energy confinement regime, which indicates the changes in core turbulence are correlated with the global energy confinement.

Magnetic Fusion Energy

Magnetic Fusion Energy
Author: George Neilson
Publisher: Woodhead Publishing
Total Pages: 634
Release: 2016-06-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0081003269

Magnetic Fusion Energy: From Experiments to Power Plants is a timely exploration of the field, giving readers an understanding of the experiments that brought us to the threshold of the ITER era, as well as the physics and technology research needed to take us beyond ITER to commercial fusion power plants. With the start of ITER construction, the world’s magnetic fusion energy (MFE) enterprise has begun a new era. The ITER scientific and technical (S&T) basis is the result of research on many fusion plasma physics experiments over a period of decades. Besides ITER, the scope of fusion research must be broadened to create the S&T basis for practical fusion power plants, systems that will continuously convert the energy released from a burning plasma to usable electricity, operating for years with only occasional interruptions for scheduled maintenance. Provides researchers in academia and industry with an authoritative overview of the significant fusion energy experiments Considers the pathway towards future development of magnetic fusion energy power plants Contains experts contributions from editors and others who are well known in the field

H-mode Pedestal and L-H Transition Studies on Alcator C-Mod

H-mode Pedestal and L-H Transition Studies on Alcator C-Mod
Author: Jerry Wayne Hughes
Publisher:
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2005
Genre:
ISBN:

H-mode research on Alcator C-Mod is described, with a focus on the edge transport barrier (ETB). ETB pedestals are characterized using several diagnostics, leading to a thorough description of profile structure in H-mode. L-H transition criteria are discussed, along with the fast evolution of the pedestal following the L-H transition. H-mode regimes are described in terms of their edge transport characteristics and the local edge parameters favoring each. Empirical scalings of the pedestal with operational parameters are found, helping to illuminate physics governing the pedestal structure, and the relationship between edge transport and global confinement is discussed. Dimensionless comparisons between discharges on different tokamaks are discussed. Finally, ongoing work and directions for the future are described.