Study of the Effects of Neutrals in Alcator C-Mod Plasmas

Study of the Effects of Neutrals in Alcator C-Mod Plasmas
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 4
Release: 1999
Genre:
ISBN:

Recently, much effort has been dedicated to understanding the bifurcation involved in the transition from a low to high confinement regime. While several theories have been brought forward, many factors remain to be elucidated, one of which involves the role played by neutral particles in the evolution of a transport barrier near the edge of the plasma. Alcator C-Mod is especially well suited for the study of neutral particle effects, mainly because of its high plasma and neutral densities, and closed divertor geometry. Alcator C-Mod employs ICRF as auxiiiary heating for obtaining a high confinement regime, although ohmic H-modes are routinely obtained as well. The neutrals can enter the edge dynamics through the particle, momentum and energy balance. In the particle balance, the source of neutrals has to be evaluated vis-8-vis the formation of the edge density pedestal. It is widely believed that plasma rotation is an important factor in reducing transport. In this case, neutrals could act as a momentum sink, through the charge-exchange process. That same process can also modify the energy balance of the plasma near the edge by increasing the cross-field heat flux. These effects are quite difficult to measure experimentally, in large part because neutral particle diagnosis is not an easy task, and because of the inherent 3-dimensional aspect of the problem. Consequently, the neutral s spatial and energy distributions are usually not well known. In Alcator C-Mod, we recently implemented a series of diagnostics for the purpose of measuring these distributions. They include measurements of the neutral pressure at many locations around the tokamak, and spatially resolved measurements of Lyman-a and charge-exchange power emission. A high-resolution multichord (20 channels) tangential view of neutral deuterium emission (Lyman-a) has been recently installed near the midplane. The viewing area covers approximately 4 cm across the separatrix, with a nominal 2 mm radial resolution. Standard Abel inversion techniques give the local Lyman-a emission. In conjunction with electron density and temperature, we can infer the local ionization rate and neutral density profiles. Two types of bolometer arrays (16 channels each), one being sensitive and the other insensitive to power carried by neutrals, view the plasma cross-section, tangentially at the midplane of the tokamak. By Abel inverting the difference between the 2 measurements, we infer the local power emissivity carried by neutrals[11].

Neutral Particle Dynamics in the Alcator C-Mod Tokamak

Neutral Particle Dynamics in the Alcator C-Mod Tokamak
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2001
Genre:
ISBN:

This thesis presents an experimental study of neutral particle dynamics in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak. The primary diagnostic used is a set of six neutral pressure gauges, including special-purpose gauges built for in situ tokamak operation. While a low main chamber neutral pressure coincides with high plasma confinement regimes, high divertor pressure is required for heat and particle flux dispersion in future devices such as ITER. Thus we examine conditions that optimize divertor compression, defined here as a divertor-to-midplane pressure ratio. We find both pressures depend primarily on the edge plasma regimes defined by the scrape-off-layer heat transport. While the maximum divertor pressure is achieved at high core plasma densities corresponding to the detached divertor state, the maximum compression is achieved in the high-recycling regime. Variations in the divertor geometry have a weaker effect on the neutral pressures. For otherwise similar plasmas the divertor pressure and compression are maximum when the strike point is at the bottom of the vertical target plate. We introduce a simple flux balance model, which allows us to explain the divertor neutral pressure across a wide range of plasma densities. In particular, high pressure sustained in the detached divertor (despite a considerable drop in the recycling source) can be explained by scattering of neutrals off the cold plasma plugging the divertor throat. Because neutrals are confined in the divertor through scattering and ionization processes (provided the mean-free-paths are much shorter than a typical escape distance) tight mechanical baffling is unnecessary. The analysis suggests that two simple structural modifications may increase the divertor compression in Alcator C-Mod by a factor of about 5. Widening the divertor throat would increase the divertor recycling source, while closing leaks in the divertor structure would eliminate a significant neutral loss mechanism. 146 refs., 82 figs., 14 tabs.

Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports

Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 652
Release: 1995
Genre: Aeronautics
ISBN:

Lists citations with abstracts for aerospace related reports obtained from world wide sources and announces documents that have recently been entered into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Database.

Systems Approaches to Nuclear Fusion Reactors

Systems Approaches to Nuclear Fusion Reactors
Author: Frederick B. Marcus
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 484
Release: 2023-01-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3031177118

This book offers an overall review, applying systems engineering and architecture approaches, of the design, optimization, operation and results of leading fusion experiments. These approaches provide a unified means of evaluating reactor design. Methodologies are developed for more coherent construction or evaluation of fusion devices, associated experiments and operating procedures. The main focus is on tokamaks, with almost all machines and their important results being integrated into a systems design space. Case studies focus on DIII-D, TCV, JET, WEST, the fusion reactor prototype ITER and the EU DEMO concept. Stellarator, Mirror and Laser inertial confinement experiments are similarly analysed, including reactor implications of breakeven at NIF. The book examines the engineering and physics design and optimization process for each machine, analysing their performance and major results achieved, thus establishing a basis for the improvement of future machines. The reader will gain a broad historical and up-to-date perspective of the status of nuclear fusion research from both an engineering and physics point of view. Explanations are given of the computational tools needed to design and operate successful experiments and reactor-relevant machines. This book is aimed at both graduate students and practitioners of nuclear fusion science and engineering, as well as those specializing in other fields demanding large and integrated experimental equipment. Systems engineers will obtain valuable insights into fusion applications. References are given to associated complex mathematical derivations, which are beyond the scope of this book. The general reader interested in nuclear fusion will find here an accessible summary of the current state of nuclear fusion.

RLE Progress Report

RLE Progress Report
Author: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research Laboratory of Electronics
Publisher:
Total Pages: 518
Release: 1997
Genre: Electronics
ISBN: