Evaluation of electron cyclotron current drive performance for CFETR

A number of simulations of electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) have been carried out for the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) using the C3PO/LUKE code to investigate the performance and optimize schemes of power injection for the design of the launcher. The operation ranges of the toroidal field, cutoff density, and resonance layer location are given at different source frequencies in CFETR phases I and II. A comparison of ECCD performance between the horizontal and top port launch is presented. ECCD efficiency (r_EC) estimated for CFETR phase I isr_EC=0.21 for top port launch andr_EC=0.20 for horizontal port launch. The ECCD efficiency and second-harmonic absorption is calculated at different wave frequencies (from 170 to 230 GHz) in CFETR phase II. It is found that the highest driven efficiency is obtained at 210 GHz with the toroidal field of 6.5 T, and the second-harmonic absorption increases rapidly with the increase of frequency.     

Investigation of electron cyclotron current drive efficiency on the J-TEXT tokamak

Electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) efficiency research is of great importance for the neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) stabilization. Improving ECCD efficiency is beneficial for the NTM stabilization and the ECCD power threshold reduction. ECCD efficiency has been investigated on the J-TEXT tokamak. The electron cyclotron wave (ECW) power scan was performed to obtain the current drive efficiency. The current drive efficiency is derived to be approximately η₀ = (0.06–0.16) × 10¹⁹ A m⁻² W⁻¹ on the J-TEXT tokamak. The effect of the residual toroidal electric field has been included in the determination of the current drive efficiency, which will enhance the ECCD efficiency. At the plasma current of I_p = 100 kA and electron density of n_e = 1.5 × 10¹⁹ m⁻³, the ratio of Spitzer conductivity between omhic (OH) and ECCD phases is considered and the experimental data have been corrected. The correction results show that the current drive efficiency η1 caused by the fast electron hot conductivity decreases by approximately 79%. It can be estimated that the driven current is approximately 24 kA at 300 kW ECW power.     

The Influence of Neutral Beam Injection on the Heating and Current Drive with Electron Cyclotron Wave on EAST

Both neutral beam injection(NBI) and electron cyclotron resonance heating(ECRH) have been applied on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST)in the 2015 campaign. In order to achieve more effective heating and current drive, the effects of NBI on the heating and current drive with electron cyclotron wave(ECW) are analyzed utilizing the code TORAY and experimental data in the shot #54411 and #54417. According to the experimental and simulated results, for the heating with ECW, NBI can improve the heating efficiency and move the power deposition place towards the inside of the plasma. On the other hand, for the electron cyclotron current drive(ECCD), NBI can also improve the efficiency of ECCD and move the place of ECCD inward. These results will be valuable for the center heating, the achievement of fully non-inductive current drive operation and the suppression of magnetohydrodynamic(MHD) instabilities with ECW on EAST or ITER with many auxiliary heating methods.     

Observation and characterization of the effect of electron cyclotron waves on toroidal rotation in EAST L-mode discharges

The change in the toroidal rotation of plasma caused by electron cyclotron wave (ECW) injection has been observed in EAST.It is found that the response of the rotation is similar for all possible ECW toroidal injection angles.The core toroidal rotation velocity increases in the co-current direction along with a rise in the plasma temperature and stored energy.The profile of the electron temperature,ion temperature and toroidal rotation velocity gradually become peaked.The change in toroidal rotation in the core increases with the ECW injection power.Different behavior is observed when the ECWs are injected into low hybrid current drive (LHCD) target plasmas,where the electron temperature and rotation profile become peaked,while the ion temperature profile flattens after ECW injection,suggesting different transport characteristics in energy and momentum.     

Study on Cavity Modes for D(H) Ion Cycloton Range Frequency Heating Scenarios in EAST

For low single-pass absorption of ion cyclotron range frequency (ICRF) wave in the EAST plasma cavity modes are expected to be excited between the low field side (LFS) antenna and the hybrid cut-off layer. The toroidal spectrum for D(H) minority heating scenarios in EAST is modeled by using FELICE（Finite Elements Ion Cyclotron Emulator）, a full wave code based on plane-stratified geometry. The excitation of cavity modes is studied. The methods for suppressing cavity modes are also discussed, to increase the efficiency of minority ion heating.     

Recent progress of the ECRH system and initial experimental results on the J-TEXT tokamak

In order to broaden the range of the plasma parameters and provide experimental conditions for physical research into high-performance plasma, the development of the electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) system for the J-TEXT tokamak was initiated in 2017. For the first stage, the ECRH system operated successfully with one 105 GHz/500 kW/1 s gyrotron in 2019. More than 400 kW electron cyclotron (EC) wave power has been injected into the plasma successfully, raising the core electron temperature to 1.5 keV. In 2022, another 105 GHz/500 kW/1 s gyrotron completed commissioning tests which signifies that the ECRH system could generate an EC wave power of 1 MW in total. Under the support of the ECRH system, various physical experiments have been carried out on J-TEXT. The electron thermal transport in ECRH plasmas has been investigated. When ECRH is turned on, the electron thermal diffusivity significantly increases. The runaway current is elevated when a disruption occurs during ECRH heating. When the injected EC wave power is 400 kW, the conversion efficiency of runaway current increases from 35% to 75%. Fast electron behavior is observed in electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) plasma by the fast electron bremsstrahlung diagnostic (FEB). The increase in the FEB intensity implies that ECCD could generate fast electrons. A successful startup with a 200 kW ECW is achieved. With the upgrade of the ECRH system, the J-TEXT operational range could be expanded and further relevant research could be conducted.     

Real-Time Detection for Magnetic Island of Neoclassical Tearing Mode in EAST Plasma Control System

Accurate detection of a magnetic island in real time is one of the important issues for the tearing mode(TM) and neoclassical tearing mode(NTM) control.This paper presents a real-time detection system for the magnetic island of NTM control in the EAST Plasma Control System(PCS).Diagnosis is based on magnetic periodic perturbation and electron temperature fluctuation caused by the magnetic island.Therefore,a Mirnov measurement has been selected to calculate the island's parameters,such as island width,frequency of island rotation,and toroidal number.The electron cyclotron emission(ECE) system can detect the island position,which is calculated by two fast detection algorithms called correlation analysis and Hilbert transform.For future NTM control,real-time equilibrium reconstruction(rt-EFIT) is needed to locate the rational q-surface where the island is detected.This fast detection system is able to detect an island within 3 ms.It can be integrated into PCS to provide effective parameters of the island for NTM control by using EC resonance heating(ECRH) in the next experiment of EAST.     

Recent Progress in Plasma Control Studies on the Improvement of Plasma Performance in Heliotron J

Recent progress in plasma control studies on the improvement of plasma performance in Heliotron J is reviewed. The supersonic molecular beam injection (SMBI) fueling is successfully applied to Heliotron J plasma. A supersonic H2-beam is effectively injected to increase fueling efficiency and generate a peaked density profile. Local fueling with a short-pulsed SMBI can increase the core plasma density and avoid the degradation arising from edge cooling. Second harmonic electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) experiments were conducted by launching a focused Gaussian beam with -0.05 ? N|| ? 0.6. Results show that the EC driven current is determined not only by N|| but also by local magnetic field structure where the EC power is deposited. Detailed analysis of the observed N|| and B dependences is in progress with a ray-tracing simulation using the TRAVIS code. Fast ion velocity distribution was investigated using fast protons generated by ion cyclotron resonant frequency (ICRF) minority heating. For the standard configuration in Heliotron J, charge exchange neutral particle analysis (CX-NPA) measurements show higher effective temperature of fast minority protons in the on-axis resonance case compared to that in the HFS (high field side) off-axis resonance case. However, the increase in bulk ion temperature in the HFS resonance case is larger than that in the on-axis resonance.     

电子回旋波Ohkawa机制电流驱动计算

从电子回旋波电流驱动的机制出发,理论推导出了Boozer-Fisch电流与Ohkawa电流的计算表达式,并给出了具体的计算方法。数值模拟结果表明:电子回旋波的波功率沉积在托卡马克高场侧的离轴位置时,Ohkawa电流较小,Boozer-Fisch电流能达到较大值;波功率沉积在低场侧的离轴位置时,通过调整波参数,有效抑制Boozer-Fisch电流,能充分利用Ohkawa电流的优势使离轴驱动电流同样能达到较大值。     

Realization of Te0>10 keV long pulse operation over 100 s on EAST

In 2021, EAST realized a steady-state long pulse with a duration over 100 s and a core electron temperature over 10 keV. This is an integrated operation that resolves several key issues,including active control of wall conditioning, long-lasting fully noninductive current and divertor heat/particle flux. The fully noninductive current is driven by pure radio frequency(RF) waves with a lower hybrid current drive power of 2.5 MW and electron cyclotron resonance heating of 1.4 MW. This is an excell...     

Integrated Operating Scenario to Achieve 100-Second,High Electron Temperature Discharge on EAST

Stationary long pulse plasma of high electron temperature was produced on EAST for the first time through an integrated control of plasma shape,divertor heat flux,particle exhaust,wall conditioning,impurity management,and the coupling of multiple heating and current drive power.A discharge with a lower single null divertor configuration was maintained for 103 s at a plasma current of 0.4 MA,q_(95)≈7.0,a peak electron temperature of 4.5 keV,and a central density n_e(0)~2.5×10~(19) m~(-3).The plasma current was nearly non-inductive(V_(loop) 0.05 V,poloidal beta ~0.9) driven by a combination of 0.6 MW lower hybrid wave at 2.45 GHz,1.4 MW lower hybrid wave at 4.6 GHz,0.5 MW electron cyclotron heating at 140 GHz,and 0.4 MW modulated neutral deuterium beam injected at 60 kV.This progress demonstrated strong synergy of electron cyclotron and lower hybrid electron heating,current drive,and energy confinement of stationary plasma on EAST.It further introduced an example of integrated "hybrid" operating scenario of interest to ITER and CFETR.     

Effect of single-legged coil on 3D plasma boundary corrugation in EAST

A single-legged coil behind the lower divertor and covering a 120° toroidal angle is utilized in a recent EAST discharge,for the purpose of increasing the wetted area of the divertor surface by locally modifying the magnetic field near the X-point.The plasma response,in particular,the plasma boundary surface corrugation due to the single-legged coil current,is modeled by the updated MARS-F code,by computing the plasma displacement for all important toroidal harmonics (n =1,2,4 and 5) associated with the partial toroidal coverage by the coil.The plasma response produced by the single-legged coil is found to be non-local and is of the kink-peeling type.For a reference EAST plasma with a lower single-null magnetic configuration,the plasma boundary corrugation near the X-point,produced by the upper single-legged coil,is about twice as large as that produced by the lower single-legged coil,despite the proximity of the latter to the X-point.     

Measurement of Magnetic Island Width by Multi-Channel ECE Radiometer on HT-7 Tokamak

A 16-channel electron cyclotron emission (ECE) radiometer has been employed to observe the (m; n) = (2; 1) magnetic island structure on HT-7 tokamak, where m and n represent the poloidal and toroidal mode number respectively. The results indicate that the island width is about 7 cm when the magnetic island is saturated during the m=n = 2=1 mode. The location of resonance surface can be determined by plotting the contour of ECE relative fluctuation.This method could be applied to the HT-7 and EAST campaigns in the future for the research of neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs).     

ITER中的电子回旋波电流驱动模拟

通过将相对论Fokker-Planck方程与波迹方程联合求解,对ITER(国际热核实验反应堆)参数下的电子回旋波电流驱动进行了数值模拟。结果表明,当波的环向发射角度不太大时,波功率沉积将发生在ITER的强场侧。当环向发射角度为21°时,电子回旋波的能量在等离子体中心区域被吸收并驱动起等离子体中心区域的电流。当发射角度变大时,电子回旋波将在弱场侧沉积功率。当发射角度为20°～30°时,能够驱动归一化的径向位置(r/a)小于0.35区域内的等离子体电流,并有较高的电流驱动效率。     

Initial Plasma Formation in the GLAST-II Spherical Tokamak

This paper reports the initial plasma formation in glass spherical tokamak (GLAST-II) with electron cyclotron resonance pre-ionization assisted startup. Initially, a plasma current of 3 kA has been produced for duration of about 0.5 ms after establishing optimum conditions for microwave absorption at 2.45 GHz. Plasma current is then enhanced up to 5 kA by applying a small vertical magnetic field that provides additional plasma heating and shaping. Applied vertical field is optimized experimentally and optimal value is found to be 40 Gauss for this experiment. Plasma current and loop voltage are monitored by using Rogowski coil and toroidal loop of wire. A fast framing camera (5000 fps) is used for temporal investigation of plasma during the discharge scenario. A fast photodiode (BPX-65) and USB4000 spectrometer are used to record the signature of plasma current and the impurity content (O₂, H etc.). Cross-sectional average electron temperature is also estimated from plasma resistivity and found to be 6.1 eV for maximum plasma current of 5 kA.     

Polarization and Mode Control of EAST 140 GHz ECRH&CD System

The 140 GHz electron cyclotron heating and current drive (ECRH&CD) project was launched in 2011 on EAST tokamak facility, which is designed to launch 4 MW of total power for the duration up to 1,000 s into the plasma. The heating and current drive efficiencies depend on the wave coupling mode in plasma and the coupling performance relies on polarization characteristics of injected beam, so polarization control is necessary for efficient plasma heating and current drive. Two polarizer miter bends will be used to control the wave polarization for each transmission line on EAST ECRH&CD system, any required wave polarization can be produced by adjusting the mirror rotation angle of each polarizer miter bend. This work mainly shows the calculated polarizer mirror settings as a function of the injection angles for pure second extraordinary harmonic mode coupling.     

Relativistic effect on synergy of electron cyclotron and lower hybrid waves on EAST

In recent experiments on EAST,the electron temperature at the center can be raised to 9.7 keV by injecting electron cyclotron(EC)and lower hybrid(LH)waves simultaneously.With such strong core electron heating,the relativistic effect could play an important role in the interactions between the plasma and waves.In order to explore the relativistic effect on synergy between the EC and LH waves on EAST,ray-tracing/Fokker-Planck simulations are conducted to investigate electron heating for a typical discharge with a center electron temperature of 9.7 keV.It is found that the relativistic effect can cause the EC wave to deposit its power deeper in the plasma core,where the synergy between the EC and LH waves occurs and enhances the absorption of the LH waves.As a result,a high center electron temperature can be achieved.     

EAST电子回旋波与低杂波双波协同的数值模拟

为在EAST装置中优化电子回旋波与低杂波双波协同的电流驱动效率,从而获得更大的协同驱动电流以维持长脉冲运行,本文以双波协同驱动电流的物理机制为基础,运用模拟程序C3PO/LUKE对EAST参数下电子回旋电流驱动与低杂波电流驱动的协同效果进行了数值模拟计算,给出了协同电流和协同因子。计算结果表明：当两波驱动电流密度峰值的位置一致时协同效果最佳;而电子密度和电子温度的增加可能导致两波重叠区域的变化进而影响协同效果。     

Time-dependent simulations of feedback stabilization of neoclassical tearing modes in KSTAR plasmas

A simulation is performed for feedback stabilization of neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) by electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) for KSTAR in preparation for experiments. An integrated numerical system is constructed by coupling plasma transport, NTM stability, and heating and current drive modules and applied to a KSTAR plasma by assuming similar experimental conditions as ASDEX Upgrade to predict NTM behaviors in KSTAR. System identification is made with database produced by predictive simulations with this integrated numerical system so that three plasma response models are extracted which describe the relation between the EC poloidal launcher angle and the island width in KSTAR. Among them, the P1DI model exhibiting the highest fit accuracy is selected for designing a feedback controller based on the classical Proportional–Integral–Derivative (PID) concept. The controller is coupled with the integrated numerical system and applied to a simulation of NTM stabilization. It is observed that the controller can search and fully stabilize the mode even though the poloidal launch angle is misaligned with the island initially.     

Non-inductive start up of QUEST plasma by RF power

Both start-up and sustainment of plasma were successfully achieved by fully non-inductive current drive using microwave with a frequency of 8.2 GHz. Plasmas current of 15 kA was implemented for 1 s. Magnetic surface reconstruction exhibited a plasma shape with an aspect ratio of below 1.5. The plasma current was dependent significantly on the launchen microwave power and vertical magnetic field, whiile not affected by the mode of launched wave and the toroidal refractive index. Hard X-ray (HXR) emitted from energetic electrons accelerated by the microwave was observed, and the discharge with a plasma current over 4 kA followed the same trend as the number of photons of 10 to 12 keV. This suggests that the plasma current may be driven by energetic electrons. Based on the experimental conditions, alternative explanations of how the plasma current could be driven are discussed.