Improvement of Plasma Performance with Lithium Wall Conditioning in Aditya Tokamak

Lithiumization of the vacuum vessel wall of the Aditya tokamak using a lithium rod exposed to glow discharge cleaning plasma has been done to understand its effect on plasma performance. After the Li-coating, an increment of ～100 eV in plasma electron temperature has been observed in most of the discharges compared to discharges without Li coating, and the shot reproducibility is considerably improved. Detailed studies of impurity behaviour and hydrogen recycling are made in the Li coated discharges by observing spectral lines of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen in the visible region using optical fiber, an interference filter, and PMT based systems. A large reduction in O I signal (up to ～ 40% to 50%) and a 20% to 30% decrease of H α signal indicate significant reduction of wall recycling. Furthermore, VUV emissions from O V and Fe XV monitored by a grazing incidence monochromator also show the reduction. Lower Fe XV emission indicates the declined impurity penetration to the core plasma in the Li coated discharges. Significant increase of the particle and energy confinement times and the reduction of Z eff of the plasma certainly indicate the improved plasma parameters in the Aditya tokamak after lithium wall conditioning.     

Transport Simulation of ECRH H-Mode Experiments on HL-2A Tokamak

Transport simulation of ECRH H-mode experiments on HL-2A tokamak is carried out using ONETWO code,the GLF23 and PEDESTAL models,along with TORAY code for ECRH.It is found that the initial electron and ion temperature profiles affect L-H transition significantly,and larger initial temperature gradient at the edge plasma benefits the transition.The simulation results show that it is possible to achieve ECRH H-mode with appropriate initial electron and ion temperature profiles under present discharge conditions on HL-2A tokamak.In addition,the pedestal density,electron temperature and pedestal width are predicted,and the evolutions of electron and ion temperature profile are calculated.     

Line identification of extreme ultraviolet(EUV) spectra from low-Z impurity ions in EAST tokamak plasmas

Extreme ultraviolet(EUV) spectra emitted from low-Z impurity ions in the wavelength range of10–500 ? were observed in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST)discharges. Several spectral lines from K-and L-shell partially ionized ions were successfully observed with sufficient spectral intensities and resolutions for helium, lithium, boron, carbon,oxygen, neon, silicon and argon using two fast-time-response EUV spectrometers of which the spectral intensities are absolutely calibrated based on the intensity comparison method between visible and EUV bremsstrahlung continua. The wavelength is carefully calibrated using wellknown spectra. The lithium, boron and silicon are individually introduced for the wall coating of the EAST vacuum vessel to suppress mainly the hydrogen and oxygen influxes from the vacuum wall, while the carbon and oxygen intrinsically exist in the plasma. The helium is frequently used as the working gas as well as the deuterium. The neon and argon are also often used for the radiation cooling of edge plasma to reduce the heat flux onto the divertor plate. The measured spectra were analyzed mainly based on the database of National Institute of Standards and Technology. As a result, spectral lines of He Ⅱ, Li Ⅱ–Ⅲ, B Ⅳ–Ⅴ, C Ⅲ–Ⅵ, O Ⅲ–Ⅷ, Ne Ⅱ–Ⅹ,Si Ⅴ–Ⅻ, and Ar Ⅹ–XVI are identified in EAST plasmas of which the central electron temperature and chord-averaged electron density range in T_(e0)=0.6–2.8 keV and n_e=(0.5–6.0)×10~(19) m~(-3), respectively. The wavelengths and transitions of EUV lines identified here are summarized and listed in a table for each impurity species as the database for EUV spectroscopy using fusion plasmas.     

Development of vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy for measuring edge impurity emission in the EAST tokamak

The dominant wavelength range of edge impurity emissions moves from the visible range to the vacuum ultraviolet(VUV) range, as heating power increasing in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST). The measurement provided by the existing visible spectroscopies in EAST is not sufficient for impurity transport studies for high-parameters plasmas. Therefore, in this study, a VUV spectroscopy is newly developed to measure edge impurity emissions in EAST. One Seya-Namioka VUV spectrometer(McPherson 234/302) is used in the system, equipped with a concave-corrected holographic grating with groove density of 600 grooves mm~(–1). Impurity line emissions can be observed in the wavelength range ofλ=50–700 nm, covering VUV, near ultraviolet and visible ranges. The observed vertical range is Z=-350–350 mm. The minimum sampling time can be set to 5 ms under full vertical binning(FVB) mode. VUV spectroscopy has been used to measure the edge impurity emission for the 2019 EAST experimental campaign. Impurity spectra are identified for several impurity species, i.e., lithium(Li), carbon(C), oxygen(O), and iron(Fe). Several candidates for tungsten(W) lines are also measured but their clear identification is very difficult due to a strong overlap with Fe lines. Time evolutions of impurity carbon emissions of CII at 134.5 nm and CIII at97.7 nm are analyzed to prove the system capability of time-resolved measurement. The measurements of the VUV spectroscopy are very helpful for edge impurity transport study in the high-parameters plasma in EAST.     

A Study on Helium Glow Discharge Cleaning in the HL-1M Tokamak

Based on the principle of ion-bombarded reemission and sputtering desorption.the GLow Discharge Cleaning with helium (GDC(He)is an effective method for controlling the recycle of H on the chamber wall,Carbon(C),Oxygen(O)impurity and improving the wall conditioning in HL-1M tokamak,It is characterized by simplicity without magnet and safety,compared,with Taylor Discharge Cleaning (TDC) ,Altenating Current glow discharge Cleaning (AC) ,Electron Cyclotron Resonance-Deischarge Cleaning (ECR-DC),Compared with bake-out degassing ,the wall has a higher degassing rate during GDC(He) and a lower impurity concentration in vacuum chambers after GDC(He) .Cleaning Patterns have been developed dominantly for de-oxdization ,decarbonization and de-hydrogenization,The cleaming parameters for H recycle on the wall are also presented,This paper mainly describes the GDC system along with its parameters,breakdown voltage,volt-ampere characteristic,the range of operation safe and suitable cleaning pattens in the HL-1M tokamak finaly concluding with some suggestion on HL-2A GDC.     

Divertor detachment operation in helium plasmas with ITER-like tungsten divertor in EAST

Detachment in helium (He) discharges has been achieved in the EAST superconducting tokamak equipped with an ITER-like tungsten divertor. This paper presents the experimental observations of divertor detachment achieved by increasing the plasma density in He discharges. During density ramp-up, the particle flux shows a clear rollover, while the electron temperature around the outer strike point is decreasing simultaneously. The divertor detachment also exhibits a significant difference from that observed in comparable deuterium (D) discharges. The density threshold of detachment in the He plasma is higher than that in the D plasma for the same heating power, and increases with the heating power. Moreover, detachment assisted with neon (Ne) seeding was also performed in L- and H-mode plasmas, pointing to the direction for reducing the density threshold of detachment in He operation. However, excessive Ne seeding causes confinement degradation during the divertor detachment phase. The precise feedback control of impurity seeding will be performed in EAST to improve the compatibility of core plasma performance with divertor detachment for future high heating power operations.     

Optimization of the optical system for electron cyclotron emission imaging diagnostics on the HL-2A tokamak

The optical system of the electron cyclotron emission imaging diagnostics on the HL-2A tokamak has been optimized in both the narrow zoom pattern and the wide zoom pattern. The two main features of the improved optical system are(1) larger coverage of the measurement region in the plasma and(2) a flatter imaging surface. The new optics has good focal characteristics over the whole plasma cross section. The curvature of the field of the image surface(ΔR between the core channel and the edge channel) is within 5.3 cm in the narrow zoom pattern and 6.7 cm in the wide zoom pattern after optimization, whereas the values with the present optics were 23 cm in the narrow zoom pattern and 15 cm in the wide zoom pattern. The optics will be fabricated, tested and installed on the HL-2A tokamak before the next experimental campaign.     

Observation of filament-like structures in ELMy H-mode plasma with a VUV imaging system developed on the EAST tokamak

On the EAST tokamak, filament-like structures have been observed in ELMy H-mode discharges with a high-speed vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) imaging system. The topos, chronos and their weight can be obtained simultaneously by performing the so-called singular value decomposition (SVD) analysis of raw VUV imaging data. The fluctuation amplitude is observed to be suppressed and enhanced gradually in the edge localized mode (ELM) crash and pedestal recovery phase in the chronos, respectively, while filament-like structures can only be found in the pedestal recovery phase on the topos. The mode structure, i.e. m/n=36/9 (m and n are the poloidal and toroidal mode number, respectively) with ρ₀=0.95, w₀=0.07 (ρ₀and w₀ denote the mode location and mode width, respectively) is derived by a comparison of the synthetic images and the experimental imaging data.     

Dynamics of oscillatory plasma flows prior to the H-mode in the HL-2A tokamak

This paper discusses edge oscillatory plasma flows, geodesic acoustic mode(GAM) and limit cycle oscillations(LCOs), which have been measured by Doppler reflectometry prior to the high confinement mode(H-mode) in the HL-2A tokamak. The complex relations between the flows and background turbulence have been analyzed. It was observed that the GAM and LCO coexist,and these two flows and turbulence have strong nonlinear interactions during the intermediate confinement phase(I-phase). Dynamics of the shear flows and turbulence prior to the H-mode shows that the oscillatory flows quench the turbulence along with the increase of the mean E × B flow at the early stage of the I-phase, then the oscillatory flows are damped and the further increased mean flow takes over the role in turbulence suppression. The reduced turbulent transport results in the formation of a steep edge transport barrier. It suggests that the oscillatory flows can initiate the L–H transition through providing a positive feedback for the increase of the mean E × B flow strength.     

Real-Time Bonner Sphere Spectrometry on the HL-2A Tokamak

Real-time Bonner sphere spectrometry(BSS)at the HL-2A tokamak for the neutron spectrum diagnostic is described.The spectrometer consists of eight different size Bonner spheres made of polyethylene and with a ~3helium-filled detector in the center,pre-amplifiers,and parallelprocessing data acquisition system(DAQ).Dynamic neutrons from plasma discharges of the HL-2A tokamak were measured and the real-time neutron spectrum was presented.     

Upgrade of an integrated Langmuir probe system on the closed divertor target plates in the HL-2A tokamak

A newly designed divertor Langmuir probe diagnostic system has been installed in a rare closed divertor of the HL-2A tokamak and steadily operated for the study of divertor physics involved edge-localized mode mitigation, detachment and redistribution of heat flux, etc. Two sets of probe arrays including 274 probe tips were placed at two ports (approximately 180° separated toroidally), and the spatial and temporal resolutions of this measurement system could reach 6 mm and 1 μs, respectively. A novel design of the ceramic isolation ring can ensure reliable electrical insulation property between the graphite tip and the copper substrate plate where plasma impurities and the dust are deposited into the gaps for a long experimental time. Meanwhile, the condition monitoring and mode conversion between single and triple probe of the probe system could be conveniently implemented via a remote-control station. The preliminary experimental result shows that the divertor Langmuir probe system is capable of measuring the high spatiotemporal parameters involved the plasma density, electron temperature, particle flux as well as heat flux during the ELMy H-mode discharges.     

Impurity Measured by VUV Spectrometer and OMA on HL-2A Tokamak

Impurity is one of the key issues on a great impact to the quality of tokamak plasma.HL-2A is the first divertor tokamak in China. In this paper the experimental results are presented on impurity through the line emission measurement in the campaign in 2003 under the limiter and divertor configurations. The low-Z impurities such as carbon and oxygen are the most important components in the plasma, but their content are not so high to affect the discharge quality. The high-Z impurities such as copper and ferrum are not essential. The emission intensity of impurity is clearly decreased during the divertor configuration formed.     

Internal Transport Barrier in Edge Plasma of Small Size Divertor Tokamak Using Neutral Beam Injection

We model the internal transport barrier “ITB” in edge plasma of small size divertor tokamak with B2SOLPS0.5.2D fluid transport code. The simulation results demonstrated the following: (1) we control the internal transport barrier by altering the edge particle transport through changes the edge toroidal rotation which agree with the result of Burrell et al. (Edge Pedestal control in quiescent H-mode discharges in DIII-D using co-plus counter-neutral beam injection, Nucl Fusion, 49, 085024 (9pp) in 2009). (2) The radial electric field has neoclassical nature near separatrix with discharge by co-injection NBI. (3) The toroidal plasma viscosity has strong influence on the toroidal velocity.     

Impurity Emission Behavior in the Soft X-Ray and Extreme Ultraviolet Range on EAST

Spectroscopy in the soft X-ray and extreme ultraviolet(XEUV) region is very important in magnetic fusion research.Recently,two flat-field spectrometers that utilize a varied line spacing grating to image the spectra of 1-13 nm and 5-50 nm were installed on EAST for core impurity emission monitoring and impurity transport study.The instruments were proven to be capable of observing spectral lines from low-Z impurities(Li,C,O,N,Ar,etc.) and highly ionized medium- and high-Z impurities(Fe,Cr,Ni,Cu,Mo,etc.).For example,spectra in the wavelength intervals of 1-2 nm and 5-13 nm contained strong metal lines,especially molybdenum lines during H-mode phases.Argon and nitrogen lines were also observed,which were injected for diagnostic purposes.Impurity lines were identified and compared to measurements on other magnetic fusion research devices.Detailed measurements of radial emission profiles from various impurity line emissions were also presented.     

Engineering design for the HL-2M tokamak components

The HL-2A tokamak will be modified into HL-2M. The Bt at the plasma center (major radius R = 1.78 m) is 2.2 T, the minor radius is 0.65 m. The plasma current I_P of HL-2M will reach up to 2.5 MA, the elongation and triangularity is more than 1.8 and more than 0.5, respectively. The vacuum vessel torus consists of 20 sectors with “D” shaped cross-section and double wall structure. 20 toroidal field coil bundles comprise 140 turns which are designed with demountable joints, the poloidal field coils system consists of 25 coils. The engineering design and calculation for field coil system, vacuum vessel, support structure, etc. are finished, many key issues for manufacture process have been discussed with industry and the fabrication of main components of HL-2M tokamak will be carried out in factories.     

Heat Transport During H-Mode in the HL-2A Tokamak

Perturbative experiments on electron heat transport have been successfully con- ducted on the HL-2A tokamak. The pulse propagation of the electron temperature is induced by the supersonic molecular beam injection (SMBI), which has characteristics of good localization and deep deposition. A model based on the electron heat transport in cylindrical geometry has been applied to reconstruct the measured amplitude and phase profi les of the electron temperature perturbation. The results show that the heat transport is significantly reduced near the pedestal region of the H-mode plasma. In the \profi ness/resilience" region, similar heat diffusivities have been observed in L-mode and H-mode plasmas, which verifiesthe gradient-driven transport physics in tokamaks.     

Observation of Impurity Accumulation After Hydrogen Multi-Pellet Injection in Large Helical Device

Impurity accumulation is studied for neutral beam-heated discharges after hydrogen multi-pellet injection in Large Helical Device (LHD). Iron density profiles are derived from radial profiles of EUV line emissions of FeXV-XXIV with the help of the collisional-radiative model. A peaked density profile of Fe²³⁺ is simulated by using one-dimensional impurity transport code. The result indicates a large inward velocity of -6 m/s at the impurity accumulation phase. However, the discharge is not entirely affected by the impurity accumulation, since the concentration of iron impurity, estimated to be 3.3x10^-5 to the electron density, is considerably small. On the other hand, a flat profile is observed for the carbon density of C⁶⁺, which is derived from the Z_eff profile, indicating a small inward velocity of -1 m/s. These results suggest atomic number dependence in the impurity accumulation of LHD, which is similar to the tokamak result.     

The Formation of a Tokamak-like Plasma in Initial Experiments Using an Outboard Plasma Gun Current Source

Solenoid-free tokamak startup via point-source DC helicity injection is demonstrated on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment using a high current density, low impurity plasma gun mounted near the outboard midplane. A threshold in the vacuum vertical magnetic field strength that allows the injected current filament to relax into a tokamak-like topology is observed. A simple 2-D model of the vacuum magnetic field suggests this threshold is the maximum field strength that allows a toroidally connected field null to form. Discharges with I _p ≈ 17 kA are produced using less than 2 kA of injected current and no inductive drive. The tokamak-like discharges exhibit current decay times about five times longer than the injected current decay, expansion of the plasma into the vacuum region and a significant increase in the line-integrated density.     

Modeling of divertor power footprint widths on EAST by SOLPS5.0/B2.5-Eirene

The edge plasma code package SOLPS5.0 is employed to simulate the divertor power footprint widths of the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak(EAST)L-mode and ELM-free H-mode plasmas.The divertor power footprint widths,which consist of the scrape-off layer(SOL)widthλ_q and heat spreading 5,are important physical parameters for edge plasmas.In this work,a plasma current scan is implemented in the simulation to obtain the dependence of the divertor power footprint width on the plasma current I_p.Strong inverse scaling of the SOL width with I_p has been achieved for both L-mode and H-mode plasmas in the forms ofλ_(q,L-mode)=4.98×I_p~(-0.68)andλ_(q,H-mode)=1.86×I_p~(-1.08).Similar trends have also been demonstrated in the study of heat spreading with S_(L-mode)=1.95×I_p~(-0.542)and S_(H-mode)=0.756×I_p~(-0.872).In addition,studies on divertor peak heat load and the magnetic flux expansion factor show that both of them are proportional to plasma current.The simulation work here can act as a way to explore the power footprint widths of future tokamak fusion devices such as ITER and the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor(CFETR).     

Wall Recycling in Long Duration Discharges on the HT-7 Tokamak

The main efforts of HT-7 superconducting tokamak are directed to quasi-steady state discharges and relevant physics. Significant progress has been realized in obtaining high-performance discharges under a quasi-steady state in HT-7. The long pulse discharges have been obtained with duration up to more than one minute. Wall recycling has been studied in the long duration discharges in HT-7. The recycling coefficient R of each plasma increases with time. The uncontrolled density increase is accompanied by hydrogen and the impurity influx originating mainly from the limiter surface and the parts of the inner vessel. The edge recycling after boronization will also be discussed in this paper.