Measurement of peeling mode edge current profile dynamics

Peeling modes, an instability mechanism underlying deleterious edge localized mode (ELM) activity in fusion-grade plasmas, are observed at the edge of limited plasmas in a low aspect ratio tokamak under conditions of high edge current density (J(edge) ～ 0.1 MA/m2) and low magnetic field (B ～ 0.1 T). They generate edge-localized, electromagnetic activity with low toroidal mode numbers n≤3 and amplitudes that scale strongly with measured J(edge)/B instability drive, consistent with theory. ELM-like field-aligned, current-carrying filaments form from an initial current-hole J(edge) perturbation that detach and propagate outward.     

The observation of field-aligned current during type-III ELM in EAST

Measurements of current-carrying filaments associated with Type-III edge localized mode (ELM) have recently been made in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak by direct probing of the edge plasma using an advanced, fast-moving electrostatic and magnetic probe system. Contrary to expectations, no current filaments were detected near the separatrix. However, a clear signature of current filament has been observed in the far scrape-off layer (SOL) where the difference of the voltage between the divertor plates connecting a filament is sufficiently large, thus strongly suggesting that the current-carrying filaments form in the SOL, rather than being ejected from the plasma inside the separatrix. These findings provide, for the first time, information on the formation and sustainment of current filaments during type-III ELMy H-modes.     

Simulations of filamentary structure in an edge-localized mode burst on EAST using BOUT++ code

In this paper, simulation on the filamentary structure for the low-hybrid wave heating H-mode on experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST) is carried out for the first time using BOUT++, and the speed and width of edge localized mode (ELM) filaments have been evaluated during the simulation. The evolutions of the ELM filaments are illustrated temporally and spatially. Then the results are compared with the experimental observations. It is found that at the peak gradient region in the outer midplane, the radial speed of the filaments is changed frequently and varied from 0.016 to 0.38 km/s. For the contrast, the poloidal speed oscillates in a narrower range of 0.68–0.88 km/s. The calculation results show the width of ELM filaments oscillates during the simulation, the minimum width is around 8.3 mm, and the maximum value is 41.24 mm. The distributions of the ELM filament widths with the radial position indicate the width is decreased with the radial position. Furthermore, by tracing one single filament, the radial width is decreased gradually when the filament is moving outward, which is also consistent with experiment conclusion. The consistencies also indicate the availability and practicability of the six-field two-fluid model of BOUT++ on the study of ELMs.     

HL-2A等离子体垂直振荡缓解边缘局域模实验观测

在HL-2A 装置实验中，通过对水平场加入方波扰动，实现了等离子体垂直运动。当等离子体向上垂直运动时，观察到了边缘局域模(ELM)缓解现象。研究发现，等离子体向上运动过程中边缘不断形成新的闭合磁面，导致等离子体体积膨胀，进而使台基宽度增加。此外，ELM 缓解期间杂质和工作气体再循环有所增加。等离子体向上运动过程中体积膨胀、工作气体再循环及杂质增加可能是导致ELM 缓解的主要物理因素。该实验可为未来聚变实验装置ELM 的控制提供一些参考。     

HL-2A 装置超声分子束注入缓解偏滤器靶板上边缘局域模热通量研究

在HL-2A 装置上优化和发展了偏滤器靶板上的红外测温系统,并利用该系统分析了高约束模放电期间边缘局域模的热沉积分布特性。在高约束模式放电期间,超声分子束注入使边缘局域模所引起的偏滤器靶板上瞬间热通量峰值下降了~60%,并伴随着边缘局域模爆发频率增加了2~3 倍,而等离子体储能仅下降了~8%。分析结果表明,大幅度的丝状结构在超声分子束注入之后得到了有效抑制,沉积到偏滤器靶板上的瞬间热通量峰值也随之下降。此外,在超声分子束注入之后偏滤器室内的热辐射损失大幅度增加,从而耗散了热输运所携带的部分能量,进一步分散了沉积到偏滤器靶板上的能量,有效地保护了偏滤器靶板。     

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在HL-2A 装置上优化和发展了偏滤器靶板上的红外测温系统,并利用该系统分析了高约束模放电期间边缘局域模的热沉积分布特性。在高约束模式放电期间,超声分子束注入使边缘局域模所引起的偏滤器靶板上瞬间热通量峰值下降了~60%,并伴随着边缘局域模爆发频率增加了2~3 倍,而等离子体储能仅下降了~8%。分析结果表明,大幅度的丝状结构在超声分子束注入之后得到了有效抑制,沉积到偏滤器靶板上的瞬间热通量峰值也随之下降。此外,在超声分子束注入之后偏滤器室内的热辐射损失大幅度增加,从而耗散了热输运所携带的部分能量,进一步分散了沉积到偏滤器靶板上的能量,有效地保护了偏滤器靶板。     

Observation of chaotic ELMs in HL-2A tokamak

The high confinement mode(H-mode) operation is recently obtained in HL-2A divertor configuration,the corresponding edge localized mode(ELM) is recognized as being of type III.Time intervals in ELM time series are analysed to obtain the information about the ELM process.Signatures of unstable periodic orbits(UPOs) are detected,which are indicators of chaos and may be used to control the big ELM events.     

Reduced heat transport between edge-localized-mode bursts at low collisionality and small poloidal Larmor radius

Nondimensional parameter dependence of heat transport between edge localized modes (ELMs) is examined for H mode plasmas. The electron heat diffusivity between ELMs is reduced to the level of ion neoclassical transport in the plasma edge region which is affected by ELM burst. At lower edge collisionality, the heat flux assigned to the heat transport between ELMs is reduced and the ELM loss power is enhanced. During the inter-ELM phase, the energy confinement time becomes larger with decreasing the edge collisionality and poloidal Larmor radius.     

Two-dimensional visualization of growth and burst of the edge-localized filaments in KSTAR H-mode plasmas

The filamentary nature and dynamics of edge-localized modes (ELMs) in the KSTAR high-confinement mode plasmas have been visualized in 2D via electron cyclotron emission imaging. The ELM filaments rotating with a net poloidal velocity are observed to evolve in three distinctive stages: initial linear growth, interim quasisteady state, and final crash. The crash is initiated by a narrow fingerlike perturbation growing radially from a poloidally elongated filament. The filament bursts through this finger, leading to fast and collective heat convection from the edge region into the scrape-off layer, i.e., ELM crash.     

Scrape-off-layer current model for filament structure observed during edge-localized modes in the DIII-D tokamak

The plasma in tokamaks often exhibits a relaxation oscillation called the edge-localized mode (ELM), which is generally attributed to MHD instability driven by strong gradients at the plasma boundary. It is shown here that field-aligned currents flowing just outside the boundary may also play a role in the ELM process. The poloidal perturbation magnetic field during ELMs in the DIII-D tokamak calculated from measured currents can reproduce prominent observed features, including a narrow magnetic structure at the outboard midplane similar to filaments observed earlier in DIII-D and NSTX.     

Features of the repetition frequency of edge localized modes in EAST

This paper presents the features of the edge localized modes (ELMs) observed in the 2010 experimental campaign on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The first high-confinement mode (H-mode) at an H-factor of H_{IPB98(y, 2)}～ 1 has been obtained with about 1 MW lower hybrid wave (LHW) heating power on the EAST tokamak. The ELMs in EAST are Type III ELMs with high frequency (several hundred Hertz) and low amplitude. ELM features for the following two types of EAST discharges are investigated: discharges with only LHW and those with both LHW and ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) wave. The ELMs are observed in a wide q ₉₅ window ranging from 2.6 to 5.0, and the ELM frequencies decrease with the safety factor, q ₉₅. In contrast to most observations, the ELM frequency in EAST appears to be weakly proportional to the power through the separatrix. When the ICRF wave is injected, the ELM frequency increases. The control of the ELM frequency and amplitude has been achieved by puffing impure argon gas into the EAST discharge.     

First observation of edge localized modes mitigation with resonant and nonresonant magnetic perturbations in ASDEX Upgrade

First experiments with nonaxisymmetric magnetic perturbations, toroidal mode number n=2, produced by newly installed in-vessel saddle coils in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak show significant reduction of plasma energy loss and peak divertor power load associated with type-I edge localized modes (ELMs) in high-confinement mode plasmas. ELM mitigation is observed above an edge density threshold and is obtained both with magnetic perturbations that are resonant and not resonant with the edge safety factor profile. Compared with unperturbed type-I ELMy reference plasmas, plasmas with mitigated ELMs show similar confinement, similar plasma density, and lower tungsten impurity concentration.     

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对EAST装置中边界局域模等相关物理现象研究的要求,RMP线圈电源需要有更大的承载电流能力,同时提高响应速度和减小输出电压纹波.对于一期RMP线圈电源的拓扑结构、主回路参数进行了优化设计,结合理论计算、MATLAB仿真和实际测试验证了设计方案的可行性,实验结果表明二期RMP线圈电源在响应速度、承载电流能力和电压纹波方面相比一期均表现得更好,达到优化的目的.     

EAST装置RMP线圈电源的优化设计

对EAST装置中边界局域模等相关物理现象研究的要求,RMP线圈电源需要有更大的承载电流能力,同时提高响应速度和减小输出电压纹波。对于一期RMP线圈电源的拓扑结构、主回路参数进行了优化设计,结合理论计算、MATLAB仿真和实际测试验证了设计方案的可行性,实验结果表明二期RMP线圈电源在响应速度、承载电流能力和电压纹波方面相比一期均表现得更好,达到优化的目的。     

Nonlinear simulations of peeling-ballooning modes with anomalous electron viscosity and their role in edge localized mode crashes

A minimum set of equations based on the peeling-ballooning (P-B) model with nonideal physics effects (diamagnetic drift, E×B drift, resistivity, and anomalous electron viscosity) is found to simulate pedestal collapse when using the new BOUT++ simulation code, developed in part from the original fluid edge code BOUT. Nonlinear simulations of P-B modes demonstrate that the P-B modes trigger magnetic reconnection, which leads to the pedestal collapse. With the addition of a model of the anomalous electron viscosity under the assumption that the electron viscosity is comparable to the anomalous electron thermal diffusivity, it is found from simulations using a realistic high-Lundquist number that the pedestal collapse is limited to the edge region and the edge localized mode (ELM) size is about 5%-10% of the pedestal stored energy. This is consistent with many observations of large ELMs.     

Numerical simulation of fueling pellet ablation and transport in the EAST H-mode discharge

To understand the effect of injected deuterium (D) pellets on background plasma, the ablation of D pellets and the transport of D species in both atomic and ionic states in the EAST device are simulated using a modified dynamic neutral gas shield model combined with the edge plasma code SOLPS-ITER. The simulation results show that there is a phenomenon of obvious atomic deposition in the scrape-off layer (SOL) after pellet injection, which depends strongly on the injection velocity. With increasing injection velocity, the atomic density in the SOL decreases evidently and the deposition time is relatively shortened. Possible effects for triggering of edge localized modes (ELMs) by D and Li pellets are also discussed. With the same pellet size and injection velocity, the maximum perturbation pressure caused by D pellets is obviously higher. It is found that the resulting maximum perturbed pressure is remarkably enhanced when the injection velocity is reduced from 300 m/s to 100 m/s for a pellet with a cross section of 1.6 mm, which indicates that the injection velocity is important for ELM pacing. This work can provide reasonable guidance for choosing pellet parameters for fueling and ELM triggering.     

Nonaxisymmetric energy deposition pattern on ASDEX upgrade divertor target plates during type-I edge-localized modes

In the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak, complex power deposition structures on the divertor target plates during type-I edge-localized modes (ELMs) have been discovered by fast (few microseconds), two-dimensional (40 x 40 cm(2)) infrared thermography. In addition to the usual axisymmetric power deposition line near the separatrix, there appear, statistically distributed, several laterally displaced and inclined stripes, mostly well separated from each other and from the main strike zone. These structures are interpreted as footprints of approximately field aligned, helical perturbations at the low field side of the main plasma edge related to the nonlinear ELM evolution. Based on this picture, the ELM related mode structure can be derived from the target load pattern, yielding on average toroidal mode numbers in a range of 8-24.     

"Snowflake" H mode in a tokamak plasma

An edge-localized mode (ELM) H-mode regime, supported by electron cyclotron heating, has been successfully established in a "snowflake" (second-order null) divertor configuration for the first time in the TCV tokamak. This regime exhibits 2 to 3 times lower ELM frequency and 20%-30% increased normalized ELM energy (ΔWELM/Wp) compared to an identically shaped, conventional single-null diverted H mode. Enhanced stability of mid- to high-toroidal-mode-number ideal modes is consistent with the different snowflake ELM phenomenology. The capability of the snowflake to redistribute the edge power on the additional strike points has been confirmed experimentally.     

Ab initio study of field emission from graphitic ribbons

We have performed first-principles calculations on field emission (FE) from graphitic ribbons within the time-dependent density-functional theory. An important finding is that dangling bond states localized at clean edges are major contributors to FE current. H termination makes the FE current small due to the disappearance of the dangling-bond states. FE is found not to occur from the edge state of a H-terminated zigzag ribbon even when the state is at the Fermi level. The results of the FE current from graphitic ribbons give approximately 1 microA for maximum of FE current from a circular edge of graphitic sheets with approximately 1 nm diameter of an open-ended multiwalled carbon nanotube under a high electric field of approximately 1 V/A.     

Model for current-driven edge-localized modes

Edge-localized modes (ELMs) are cyclic disturbances in the outer region of tokamak plasmas that are influential in determining present and future tokamak performance. In this Letter, we outline an approach to modeling ELMs in which we envisage toroidal peeling modes initiating a Taylor relaxation [Phys. Rev. Lett. 33, 1139 (1974)10.1103/PhysRevLett.33.1139] of a tokamak outer region plasma. Relaxation produces a peeling destabilizing flattened edge current profile and a stabilizing plasma-vacuum current sheet; the balance between the two determines the radial extent of the relaxed region. The model can be used to predict the energy losses due to an ELM and reproduces experimentally observed variations with edge safety factor and plasma collisionality. There is an intrinsic "deterministic scatter" in the model that also accords with observation.