Library

Notes: Experiments in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [Phys. Plasmas 2, 2176 (1995)] have explored several novel regimes of improved tokamak confinement in deuterium–tritium (D–T) plasmas, including plasmas with reduced or reversed magnetic shear in the core and high-current plasmas with increased shear in the outer region (high li). New techniques have also been developed to enhance the confinement in these regimes by modifying the plasma-limiter interaction through in situ deposition of lithium. In reversed-shear plasmas, transitions to enhanced confinement have been observed at plasma currents up to 2.2 MA (qa(approximate)4.3), accompanied by the formation of internal transport barriers, where large radial gradients develop in the temperature and density profiles. Experiments have been performed to elucidate the mechanism of the barrier formation and its relationship with the magnetic configuration and with the heating characteristics. The increased stability of high-current, high-li plasmas produced by rapid expansion of the minor cross section, coupled with improvement in the confinement by lithium deposition has enabled the achievement of high fusion power, up to 8.7 MW, with D–T neutral beam heating. The physics of fusion alpha-particle confinement has been investigated in these regimes, including the interactions of the alphas with endogenous plasma instabilities and externally applied waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies. In D–T plasmas with q0〉1 and weak magnetic shear in the central region, a toroidal Alfvén eigenmode instability driven purely by the alpha particles has been observed for the first time. The interactions of energetic ions with ion Bernstein waves produced by mode conversion from fast waves in mixed-species plasmas have been studied as a possible mechanism for transferring the energy of the alphas to fuel ions. © 1997 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: Because alpha particle losses can have a significant influence on tokamak reactor viability, the loss of deuterium–tritium alpha particles from the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [K. M. McGuire et al., Phys. Plasmas 2, 2176 (1995)] has been measured under a wide range of conditions. In TFTR, first orbit loss and stochastic toroidal field ripple diffusion are always present. Other losses can arise due to magnetohydrodynamic instabilities or due to waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies. No alpha particle losses have yet been seen due to collective instabilities driven by alphas. Ion Bernstein waves can drive large losses of fast ions from TFTR, and details of those losses support one element of the alpha energy channeling scenario. © 1996 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: A band of high-frequency modes in the range 50–150 kHz with intermediate toroidal mode numbers 4〈n〈10 are commonly observed in the core of supershot plasmas on TFTR [R. Hawryluk, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 33, 1509 (1991)]. Two distinct varieties of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes are identified, corresponding to a flute-like mode predominantly appearing around the q=1 surface and an outward ballooning mode for q(approximately-greater-than)1. The flute-like modes have nearly equal amplitude on the high-field and low-field side of the magnetic axis, and are mostly observed in moderate performance supershot plasmas with τE〈2τL, while the ballooning-like modes have enhanced amplitude on the low-field side of the magnetic axis and tend to appear in higher performance supershot plasmas with τE(approximately-greater-than)2τL, where τL is the equivalent L-mode confinement time. Both modes appear to propagate in the ion diamagnetic drift direction and are highly localized with radial widths Δr∼5–10 cm, fluctuation levels ñ/n, T˜e/Te〈0.01, and radial displacements ξr∼0.1 cm. Unlike the toroidally localized high-n activity observed just prior to major and minor disruptions on TFTR [E. D. Fredrickson et al., Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research, Seville, Spain (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1995), No. IAEA-CN-60/A-2-II-5], these modes are typically more benign and may be indicative of MHD activity excited by resonant circulating beam ions. © 1996 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: Wall conditioning in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [K. M. McGuire et al., Phys. Plasmas 2, 2176 (1995)] by injection of lithium pellets into the plasma has resulted in large improvements in deuterium–tritium fusion power production (up to 10.7 MW), the Lawson triple product (up to 1021 m−3 s keV), and energy confinement time (up to 330 ms). The maximum plasma current for access to high-performance supershots has been increased from 1.9 to 2.7 MA, leading to stable operation at plasma stored energy values greater than 5 MJ. The amount of lithium on the limiter and the effectiveness of its action are maximized through (1) distributing the Li over the limiter surface by injection of four Li pellets into Ohmic plasmas of increasing major and minor radius, and (2) injection of four Li pellets into the Ohmic phase of supershot discharges before neutral-beam heating is begun. © 1996 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: After many years of fusion research, the conditions needed for a D–T fusion reactor have been approached on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [Fusion Technol. 21, 1324 (1992)]. For the first time the unique phenomena present in a D–T plasma are now being studied in a laboratory plasma.The first magnetic fusion experiments to study plasmas using nearly equal concentrations of deuterium and tritium have been carried out on TFTR. At present the maximum fusion power of 10.7 MW, using 39.5 MW of neutral-beam heating, in a supershot discharge and 6.7 MW in a high-βp discharge following a current rampdown. The fusion power density in a core of the plasma is ≈2.8 MW m−3, exceeding that expected in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) [Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1991), Vol. 3, p. 239] at 1500 MW total fusion power. The energy confinement time, τE, is observed to increase in D–T, relative to D plasmas, by 20% and the ni(0) Ti(0) τE product by 55%. The improvement in thermal confinement is caused primarily by a decrease in ion heat conductivity in both supershot and limiter-H-mode discharges. Extensive lithium pellet injection increased the confinement time to 0.27 s and enabled higher current operation in both supershot and high-βp discharges. Ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) heating of a D–T plasma, using the second harmonic of tritium, has been demonstrated. First measurements of the confined alpha particles have been performed and found to be in good agreement with TRANSP [Nucl. Fusion 34, 1247 (1994)] simulations. Initial measurements of the alpha ash profile have been compared with simulations using particle transport coefficients from He gas puffing experiments. The loss of alpha particles to a detector at the bottom of the vessel is well described by the first-orbit loss mechanism. No loss due to alpha-particle-driven instabilities has yet been observed. D–T experiments on TFTR will continue to explore the assumptions of the ITER design and to examine some of the physics issues associated with an advanced tokamak reactor. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: The electron temperature (Te) profile in neutral beam-heated supershot plasmas (Te0∼6–7 keV ion temperature Ti0∼15–20 keV, beam power Pb∼16 MW) was remarkably invariant when radiative losses were increased significantly through gas puffing of krypton and xenon in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor [McGuire et al., Phys. Plasmas 2, 2176 (1995)]. Trace impurity concentrations (nz/ne∼10−3) generated almost flat and centrally peaked radiation profiles, respectively, and increased the radiative losses to 45%–90% of the input power (from the normal ∼25%). Energy confinement was not degraded at radiated power fractions up to 80%. A 20%–30% increase in Ti, in spite of an increase in ion–electron power loss, implies a factor of ∼3 drop in the local ion thermal diffusivity. These experiments form the basis for a nearly ideal test of transport theory, since the change in the beam heating power profile is modest, while the distribution of power flow between (1) radiation and (2) conduction plus convection changes radically and is locally measurable. The decrease in Te was significantly less than predicted by two transport models and may provide important tests of more complete transport models. At input power levels of 30 MW, the increased radiation eliminated the catastrophic carbon influx (carbon "bloom") and performance (energy confinement and neutron production) was improved significantly relative to that of matched shots without impurity gas puffing. © 1999 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: Perturbative experiments on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor [Phys. Plasmas 4, 1736 (1997)] (TFTR) have investigated transport in reverse shear plasmas. On TFTR, reverse magnetic shear plasmas bifurcate into two states with different transport properties: reverse shear (RS) and enhanced reverse shear (ERS) with improved core confinement. Measurements of the 14 MeV t(d,n)α neutrons and charge-exchange recombination radiation spectra are used to infer the trace tritium and helium profiles, respectively. The profile evolution indicate the formation of core particle transport barriers in ERS plasmas. The transport barrier is manifested by an order-of-magnitude reduction in the particle diffusivity (DT,DHe) and a smaller reduction in the pinch within the reverse shear region. The low diffusivities are consistent with neoclassical predictions. Furthermore, DT and DHe(approximate)χeff, the effective thermal diffusivity. Although the measured coefficients imply no helium ash accumulation, the situation is uncertain in a reactor due to unknown χeff scaling.

Notes: The effect of isotope on confinement in high-recycling, L-mode plasmas is studied on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [see D. M. Meade, J. Fusion Energy 7, 107 (1988)] by comparing hydrogen and deuterium plasmas with the same magnetic field and similar electron densities and heating power, with both Ohmic and deuterium-neutral-beam heating. Following a long operational period in deuterium, nominally hydrogen plasmas were created through hydrogen glow discharge and hydrogen gas puffing in Ohmic plasmas, which saturated the exposed limiter surface with hydrogen and raised the H/(H+D) ratio from 10±3% to 65±5%. Ohmic deuterium discharges obtained higher stored energy and lower loop voltage than hydrogen discharges with similar limiter conditions. Neutral-beam power scans were conducted in L-mode plasmas at minor radii of 50 and 80 cm, with plasma currents of 0.7 and 1.4 MA. To minimize transport differences from the beam deposition profile and beam heating, deuterium neutral beams were used to heat the plasmas of both isotopes. Total stored energy increased approximately 20% from nominally hydrogen plasmas to deuterium plasmas during auxiliary heating. Of this increase about half can be attributed to purely classical differences in the energy content of unthermalized beam ions. Kinetic measurements indicate a consistent but small increase in central electron temperature and total stored electron energy in deuterium relative to hydrogen plasmas, but no change in total ion stored energy. No significant differences in particle transport, momentum transport, and sawtooth behavior are observed. Overall, only a small improvement (∼10%) in global energy confinement time of the thermal plasma is seen between operation in hydrogen and deuterium. © 1996 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: The first experiments utilizing high-power radio waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies to heat deuterium–tritium (D–T) plasmas have been completed on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor [Fusion Technol. 21, 13 (1992)]. Results from the initial series of experiments have demonstrated efficient core second harmonic tritium (2ΩT) heating in parameter regimes approaching those anticipated for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor [D. E. Post, Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research, Proceedings of the 13th International Conference, Washington, DC, 1990 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1991), Vol. 3, p. 239]. Observations are consistent with modeling predictions for these plasmas. Efficient electron heating via mode conversion of fast waves to ion Bernstein waves has been observed in D–T, deuterium-deuterium (D–D), and deuterium–helium-4 (D–4He) plasmas with high concentrations of minority helium-3 (3He) (n3He/ne(approximately-greater-than)10%). Mode conversion current drive in D–T plasmas was simulated with experiments conducted in D–3He–4He plasmas. Results show a directed propagation of the mode converted ion Bernstein waves, in correlation with the antenna phasing. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: In the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [K. M. McGuire et al., Phys. Plasmas 2, 2176 (1995)] a substantial improvement in fusion performance has been realized by combining the enhanced confinement due to tritium fueling with the enhanced confinement due to extensive conditioning of the limiter with lithium. This combination has resulted in not only significantly higher global energy confinement times than have previously been obtained in high current supershots, but also in the highest central ratio of thermonuclear fusion output power to input power observed to date. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.