Comparative measurements of plasma position using coils,hall probes,and bolometers on CASTOR tokamak

Plasma position on CASTOR tokamak is measured by several systems based on different experimental methods. Vertical and horizontal plasma displacements are deduced from data of 4 Mirnov coils spaced poloidaly by 45°. Output of the Mirnov coils is routinely used as an input for automatic feed-back control of plasma position on CASTOR. Independently, we used an array of 16 Hall sensors, which measure the required magnetic field directly. Additional information on plasma position is obtained from two arrays of bolometers that measure horizontal and vertical profile of plasma radiation. Principle design of the all used diagnostics is given. Comparison of horizontal and vertical displacements deduced using various experimental methods is presented.     

Measurement of safety factor using Hall probes on CASTOR tokamak

Hall sensors offer an attractive true non-inductive method of magnetic field measurements for fusion devices. However, there is only limited experience in using of these sensors in such demanding environment (high heat loads, radiation, and electromagnetic noise). Recently, a combined magnetic probe was developed for CASTOR tokamak, which contains 3 Hall sensors and 3 coils arranged to measure all three components of magnetic field approximately in a single point of space. The probe is compatible with in-vessel use well in confinement region of CASTOR. It is fully controlled by multi-functional electronic system that drives the Hall probes, amplifies their output signals, performs the A/D conversion and stores the measured data on PC. The bandwidth of the system is up to 200 kHz. Design of the system and its implementation on CASTOR is reviewed. Results obtained using this diagnostic on CASTOR tokamak is presented. Radial profile of the poloidal magnetic field is used to deduce radial profile of safety factor.     

Fluctuation measurements with emissive probes in tokamaks

A new probe head, composed of two electro-emissive probes and two Langmuir probes has been designed to measure edge fluctuations in the CASTOR tokamak. In this contribution, only one Langmuir and one electron-emissive probe are used to measure the temperature and potential fluctuations and the phase angle between them.     

用发射探针降落法测量等离子体空间电位

介绍了一种用发射探针测量等离子体空间电位的方法——“降落法”,并利用这种方法测量了双共振腔ECR微波等离子体源的空间电位分布,从中得到该等离子体内部的一些电场信息。给出了不同微波功率和不同压强下Ar等离子体空间电位的分布情况。     

Magnetic diagnostics on the CASTOR tokamak

Plasma position and Shafranov eccentricity factor is measured on the CASTOR tokamak using magnetic probes. Evolution of eccentricity factor is illustrated on discharge with auxiliary non-inductive current-drive by lower hybrid waves.Author thanks to Dr. Kopecký for his support. The members of the CASTOR group are gratefully acknowledged, especially Dr. Kryka for his introduction into the CAMAC operation.     

Direct measurements of the plasma potential by katsumata-type probes

By taking advantage of the inherent difference between the gyro-radii of ions and electrons in a magnetised plasma, we developed a method to measure the plasma potential directly. The principle is based on the concept of the Katsumata probe. The probe collector is hidden inside a tube which screens an adjustable fraction of the electron flux whereas it lets pass most of the ions. In this paper an arrangement of three Katsumata-type probes with different diameters is used in the edge plasma region of the CASTOR tokamak to investigate the influence of the dimension of the probe. The results show almost no influence of the probe diameter on the values of the plasma potential.     

Design and fabrication of emissive biased limiter and its effect on tokamak plasma

In this paper, an emissive-biased limiter (EBL) was designed and fabricated then the magneto hydrodynamic activity was investigated based on Mirnov oscillations and hard X-ray spectroscopy through the tokamak plasma biasing. The EBL is positioned at r/a=0.92, and the biased voltage, which is varied from?250 to 250 V, applied between the head of the emissive limiter and vacuum chamber. Furthermore, the effects of the biased limiter for both negative and positive applied voltages are measured, and the results are compared with cold-biased limiter. As the results of IR-T1 tokamak suggest, in emissive negative polarity, the duration of plasma current is increased, compared with no bias, cold positive and emissive positive polarities. The amplitude of Mirnov fluctuations in emissive negative polarity is larger and more regular, compared with emissive positive polarity. The amplitude of the hard X-ray fluctuation in emissive negative polarity is very low compared with cold negative, cold positive and emissive positive polarities which leads to minimum energy loss.     

Global energy balance and density limit on CASTOR tokamak

Total radiative power losses have been measured by a pyroelectric detector on the CASTOR tokamak in a broad range of plasma parameters. It has been shown that while for the low density operation (n _e <10 ¹⁹ m ^–3 ) the most important channel of energy losses is a thermal conductivity, the high density regimes are radiation dominated. Using a simple analytic energy balance model, the connection between such a high level of radiation and shrinking of the current channel resulting in an enhanced MHD activity is discussed.The authors would like to thank Dr. R. Klíma for many helpful and stimulating discussions.     

Decay of enhanced density and damping of plasma flows after the electrode biasing termination on the CASTOR tokamak

Electrode biasing is a standard tool for modification of both edge and global plasma parameters on the CASTOR tokamak (R=0.4 m,a=85 mm,B _T=1.3 T,I _p1≈9 kA,q _a≈10). During a steady state phase of a discharge, a polarization voltage is applied on an electrode immersed into the edge plasma. This voltage causes radial currents that create radial electric field and, due to theE×B drift, they cause an enhanced rotation. Then, as a consequence, the interaction with walls decreases and particle confinement and density increase. Recently, the decay of plasma density and plasma flows after the termination of the biasing period was investigated on the CASTOR tokamak. These observations are linked to processes and mechanisms that control generation of radial electric fields in plasmas and damping ofE×B sheared flows and that therefore represent a key issue for understanding the transition to improved confinements modes. In the contribution, measured time scales of the transition to the ohmic regime after the biasing termination will be shown. Further, possible consequences of these measured scales for the valuation and explanation of important processes in the plasma will be discussed.     

Microwave experiments on the tokamak CASTOR: fundamental ECE radiometry

Theoretical models of EBW conversion mechanism are verified on Castor with simulated overdense plasma. Direct EBW-X conversion has been detected by a recently constructed ECE radiometer 17÷40 GHz with a perpendicularly positioned antenna. The crucial role of plasma edge density gradient has been confirmed.     

Plasma formation and sustainment by a multijunction grill on the CASTOR tokamak

Radiofrequency power up to 40 kW injected into the vacuum chamber of the CASTOR tokamak by a multijunction grill was used for plasma formation during the ramp-up phase of the toroidal magnetic field. When electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) appears inside the tokamak chamber for a given pumping frequency (f=1·25 GHz) a plasma with a density greater than 2×10¹⁸ m^–3 and temperatureTine=10 ÷ 40 eV is produced. The plasma is sustained at some lower value of the density during the whole RF pulse. Simultaneously, a toroidal current up to 0·2 kA is generated. The energy confinement time is estimated to be about 30 s during the ECR breakdown.It is a pleasure to acknowledge very useful discussions with Dr. R. Klíma.     

Analytic expression for the influence of plasma birefringence on Faraday-rotation measurements in a tokamak plasma

Summary An approximate analytic expression is given for the influence of plasma birefringence on Faraday rotation in the tokamak and the range of validity is determined. The expression is of interest for polarimetric measurements and for the analysis of electron cyclotron emission.     

Relaxation phenomena induced by edge biasing experiments in the CASTOR tokamak

In this paper we present the first experimental results obtained in the CASTOR tokamak by using a segmented biasing electrode, which is composed of five segments radially separated by 3 mm. The basic idea of choosing such configuration was to allow a spatial distribution of the biasing voltage in the radial direction. In the described experiments, one or more selected segments can be biased up to +300V, while the remaining segments can be either grounded or floating. Two rake probes measure the edge radial profiles of the floating potential and the ion saturation current at the top and low field side of the torus. A Gundestrup probe, located at the top of the torus, measures the parallel and perpendicular Mach numbers together with the local electron temperature and density. A clear and reproducible transition to a regime with improved particle confinement is routinely observed, if the electrode is inserted deep enough into the plasma (r/a ≈ 0.5) and if one or two segments are biased up to +250V (the remaining segments are floating). The steepening of the radial profiles of the plasma density and potential demonstrate the formation of a transport barrier just inside the last closed flux surface. Fast relaxations of the edge profiles, with a frequency of about 10 kHz or higher, are observed when the value of the average radial electric field within the barrier reaches values of about 20 kV/m and the density gradient increases up to a factor 3 with respect to the ohmic phase. A detailed analysis of the spatial-temporal behavior of these relaxations is presented. Presented at the Workshop “Electric Fields, Structures and Relaxation in Edge Plasmas”, Tarragona, Spain, July 3–4, 2005.     

HL-2A装置上一种测量等离子体位移的新方法

描述了用非对称结构的拾取线圈测量托卡马克装置等离子体位移和极向场不对称因子的方法,介绍了HL-2A装置拾取线圈的布置和位移测量的实验结果。并把用此方法测量的等离子体位移与用其他诊断方法测量的结果进行了比较。     

Probe measurements of the boundary plasma parameters in the TM-1-MH tokamak

Czechoslovak Journal of Physics -     

Observation of floating potential asymmetry in the edge plasma of the SINP tokamak

Edge plasma properties in a tokamak is an interesting subject of study from the view point of confinement and stability of tokamak plasma. The edge plasma of SINP-tokamak has been investigated using specially designed Langmuir probes. We have observed a poloidal asymmetry of floating potentials, particularly the top-bottom floating potential differences are quite noticeable, which in turn produces a vertical electric field (E_v). This E_v remains throughout the discharge but changes its direction at certain point of time which seems to depend on applied vertical magnetic field (B_v).     

HL-2M装置磁探针研制

介绍了 HL-2M 装置磁探针的研制,包括有效面积和极向布局的设计、骨架加工和探针绕制、有效面积和频率响应的标定以及定位安装。通过提高加工精度、有效面积的标定精度和定位安装精度,保证了磁探针系统的测量精度。目前,已经在 HL-2M 装置上完成了两组极向阵列的安装。     

Comparative measurements on thermal plasma jet characteristics inatmospheric and low pressure plasma sprayings

The ion and electron temperatures and plasma flow velocities are measured and compared between atmospheric and low pressure plasma spraying systems. The measurements of ion temperature for two systems are carried out by an optical emission spectroscopy which uses the relative emissivities of isolated Ar I emission lines. The electron density and temperature are measured by a Langmuir probe rotating across the plasma jets. The ion saturation currents collected by a Mach probe at two orientations, perpendicular and parallel to the plasma jet, determine the flow velocity. The spatial distributions of electron density, plasma flow velocity, and the associated shock activity in thermal plasma jets are discussed in conjunction with their direct dependency upon the ambient pressures as well as the torch powers. Measurements on temperatures and velocity profiles of thermal plasma jets reveal the general features of the LPPS jet characteristics, i.e., higher velocity flow with lower temperature, longer heating zone of expanded flame, and more extended accelerating zone compared with those of the APS jets. The shock activity clearly exists in the form of standing shock waves in the plasma jet of LPPS in view of flow compression and abrupt velocity drop which are appeared in the results of measurements on the variations of electron density and flow velocity along the plasma jet. In the center of the plasma jet of APS, the electron density is high enough to reach the LTE criterion, and the difference between ion and electron temperatures becomes insignificant as the torch input power increases     

Study of the plasma potential evolution during ECRH in the T-10 tokamak and TJ-II stellarator

Comparison of the plasma electric potential evolution in the T-10 tokamak and TJ-II stellarator was performed. The core potential was measured by the heavy-ion beam probing and the edge potential was measured by Langmuir probe. The intrinsic potentials in both devices are different in sign, positive in TJ-II low-density discharge and negative in T-10 higher-density discharges, but during ECRH they evolve similarly: the potential becomes more positive, and increase of ECRH power leads to stronger rise of core potential. Presented at the Workshop “Electric Fields, Structures and Relaxation in Edge Plasmas”, Tarragona, Spain, July 3–4, 2005.