Dynamics of Driven and Spontaneous Transport Barriers in the Edge Plasma of Tokamaks

Dynamics of Driven and Spontaneous Transport Barriers in the Edge Plasma of Tokamaks PDF Author: Nicolas Nace
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Thermonuclear fusion reactors are one of the mid to long term solutions to transit towards a world dominated by carbon-free energy. Extreme temperatures are required for fusion reactions and the plasma of hydrogen isotopes must be magnetically confined in a torus shape. Sustaining such high level of particle and energy confinements is a key issue. Reactors are expected to operate in a high confinement regime - the H-mode - in which turbulent transport is reduced by the presence of a transport barrier in the edge plasma. This regime is observed in all current devices but remains largely miss-understood. In this thesis, we investigate several mechanisms involved in the transition towards H-mode. For that purpose, we use a range of numerical simulation tools of increasing complexity. Using simple models, we first highlight and analyze basic mechanisms likely to play a role in the on-set of transport barriers and in their impact on turbulence. Moving progressively to more complex models, we discuss the relevance of these physics in explaining experimental observations. The magnetic geometry and especially the magnetic shear are pointed out as key players.

Dynamics of Driven and Spontaneous Transport Barriers in the Edge Plasma of Tokamaks

Dynamics of Driven and Spontaneous Transport Barriers in the Edge Plasma of Tokamaks PDF Author: Nicolas Nace
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Thermonuclear fusion reactors are one of the mid to long term solutions to transit towards a world dominated by carbon-free energy. Extreme temperatures are required for fusion reactions and the plasma of hydrogen isotopes must be magnetically confined in a torus shape. Sustaining such high level of particle and energy confinements is a key issue. Reactors are expected to operate in a high confinement regime - the H-mode - in which turbulent transport is reduced by the presence of a transport barrier in the edge plasma. This regime is observed in all current devices but remains largely miss-understood. In this thesis, we investigate several mechanisms involved in the transition towards H-mode. For that purpose, we use a range of numerical simulation tools of increasing complexity. Using simple models, we first highlight and analyze basic mechanisms likely to play a role in the on-set of transport barriers and in their impact on turbulence. Moving progressively to more complex models, we discuss the relevance of these physics in explaining experimental observations. The magnetic geometry and especially the magnetic shear are pointed out as key players.

Recent Experimental Studies of Edge and Internal Transport Barriers in the DIII-D Tokamak

Recent Experimental Studies of Edge and Internal Transport Barriers in the DIII-D Tokamak PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 30

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Book Description
Results from recent experiments on the DIII-D tokamak have revealed many important details on transport barriers at the plasma edge and in the plasma core. These experiments include: (a) the formation of the H-mode edge barrier directly by pellet injection; (b) the formation of a quiescent H-mode edge barrier (QH-mode) which is free from edge localized modes (ELMs), but which still exhibits good density and radiative power control; (c) the formation of multiple transport barriers, such as the quiescent double barrier (QDB) which combines a internal transport barrier with the quiescent H-mode edge barrier. Results from the pellet-induced H-mode experiments indicate that: (a) the edge temperature (electron or ion) is not a critical parameter for the formation of the H-mode barrier, (b) pellet injection leads to an increased gradient in the radial electric field, E{sub r}, at the plasma edge; (c) the experimentally determined edge parameters at barrier transition are well below the predictions of several theories on the formation of the H-mode barrier, (d) pellet injection can lower the threshold power required to form the H-mode barrier. The quiescent H-mode barrier exhibits good density control as the result of continuous magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) activity at the plasma edge called the edge harmonic oscillation (EHO). The EHO enhances the edge particle transport while maintaining a good energy transport barrier. The ability to produce multiple barriers in the QDB regime has led to long duration, high performance plasmas with [beta]{sub NH{sub 8}9} values of 7 for up to 10 times the confinement time. Density profile control in the plasma core of QDB plasmas has been demonstrated using on-axis ECH.

Relaxation Dynamics in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas

Relaxation Dynamics in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas PDF Author: Patrick H. Diamond
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9814291552
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 332

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Book Description
1. Prof. Masahiro Wakatani and fusion research in his days / K. Itoh. Magnetic relaxation and self-organization in astrophysical and laboratory plasmas. 2. An introduction to mean field dynamo theory / D. W. Hughes and S. M. Tobias. 3. Origin, structure and stability of astrophysical MHD jets / P.-Y. Longaretti -- Turbulence and turbulent transport - the agents of relaxation and structure formation. 4. A tutorial on basic concepts in MHD turbulence and turbulent transport / P. H. Diamond, S.-I. Itoh and K. Itoh. 5. Intermittency like phenomena in plasma turbulence / A. Das, P. Kaw and R. Jha. 6. Nonlinear cascades and spatial structure of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence / W.-C. Müller and R. Grappin. 7. Scale covariance and scale-ratio covariance in turbulent front propagation / A. Pocheau -- Transport bifurcations and relaxation. 8. Transport barrier relaxations in tokamak edge plasmas / P. Beyer. 9. Dynamics of edge localized modes / X. Garbet ... [et al.]. 10. On the onset of collapse events in toroidal plasmas turbulence trigger / K. Itoh ... [et al.].

The Influence of the Dynamic Ergodic Divertor on the Radial Electric Field at the Tokamak TEXTOR

The Influence of the Dynamic Ergodic Divertor on the Radial Electric Field at the Tokamak TEXTOR PDF Author: Jan Willem Coenen
Publisher: Forschungszentrum Jülich
ISBN: 3893365745
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 171

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Spontaneous Edge Transport Barrier Formation Due to Suppression of Edge Thermal Instabilities as a L-H Trigger Mechanism in Tokamaks

Spontaneous Edge Transport Barrier Formation Due to Suppression of Edge Thermal Instabilities as a L-H Trigger Mechanism in Tokamaks PDF Author: Weston M. Stacey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Plasma (Ionized gases)
Languages : en
Pages : 42

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Book Description


A Primer on Complex Systems

A Primer on Complex Systems PDF Author: Raúl Sánchez
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9402412298
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
The purpose of this book is to illustrate the fundamental concepts of complexity and complex behavior and the best methods to characterize this behavior by means of their applications to some current research topics from within the fields of fusion, earth and solar plasmas. In this sense, it is a departure from the many books already available that discuss general features of complexity. The book is divided in two parts. In the first part the most important properties and features of complex systems are introduced, discussed and illustrated. The second part discusses several instances of possible complex phenomena in magnetized plasmas and some of the analysis tools that were introduced in the first part are used to characterize the dynamics in these systems. A list of problems is proposed at the end of each chapter. This book is intended for graduate and post-graduate students with a solid college background in mathematics and classical physics, who intend to work in the field of plasma physics and, in particular, plasma turbulence. It will also be of interest to senior scientists who have so far approached these systems and problems from a different perspective and want a new fresh angle.

Control of Internal Transport Barriers in Magnetically Confined Tokamak Fusion Plasmas

Control of Internal Transport Barriers in Magnetically Confined Tokamak Fusion Plasmas PDF Author: Soma Raj Panta
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Plasma (Ionized gases)
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
In the Tokamak plasma, for fusion to be possible, we have to maintain a very high temperature and density at the core at the same time keeping them low at the edge to protect the machine. Nature does not favor gradients. Gradients are source of free energy that causes instability. But we require a large gradient to get energy from plasma fusion. We therefore, apply a huge magnetic field on the order of few Tesla (1 T-10 T) that confines the plasma in the core, maintaining gradients. Due to gradients in density of charged particles (ions and electrons), there is an electric field in the plasma. Heat and particle transport takes place from core to edge mainly through anomalous transport while the E x B velocity sheer acts to reduce the transport of heat and particles. The regime at which the E x B velocity shear exceeds the maximum linear instability growth rate, as a result, the transport of particles and heat gets locally reduced is termed as the formation of a transport barrier. This regime can be identified by calculating the transport coefficients in the local region. Sometimes it can be observed in the edge where it is called an edge barrier while if it is near the core it is an internal transport barrier. There is a positive feedback loop between gradients and transport barrier formation. External heating and current drives play an important role to control such barriers. Auxiliary heating like neutral beam injection (NBI) and radio frequency (RF) heating can be used at a proper location (near the core of the plasma) to trigger or (far outside from the core) to destroy those barriers. Barrier control mechanism in the burning plasmas in international thermonuclear test reactor (ITER) parameter scenarios employing fusion power along with auxiliary heating source and pellets are studied. Continuous bombardment with pellets in the interval of a fraction of a second near the core of the burning plasma results in a stronger barrier. Frozen pellets along with auxiliary heating are found to be helpful to control the barriers in the tokamak plasmas. Active control mechanism for transport barriers using pellets and auxiliary heating in one of tokamaks in United States (DIII-D) parameter scenarios are presented in which intrinsic hysteresis is used as a novel control tool. During this process, a small background NBI power near the core assists in maintaining the profile. Finally, a self-sustained control mechanism in the presence of core heating is also explored in Japanese tokamak (JT-60SA) parameter scenarios. Centrally peaked narrow NBI power is mainly absorbed by ions with a smaller fraction by the electrons. Heat exchange between the electron and ion channels and heat conduction in the electron channel are found to be the main processes that govern this self control effect. A strong barrier which is formed in the ion channel is found to play the main role during the profile steepening while the burst after the peaked core density is found to have key role in the profile relaxation.

Energy Research Abstracts

Energy Research Abstracts PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Power resources
Languages : en
Pages : 504

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Book Description


Core Transport Reduction in Tokamak Plasmas with Modified Magnetic Shear

Core Transport Reduction in Tokamak Plasmas with Modified Magnetic Shear PDF Author: M. G. Bell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Plasma confinement
Languages : en
Pages : 18

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Book Description


Edge Transport Barrier Studies on the Alcator C-Mod Tokamak

Edge Transport Barrier Studies on the Alcator C-Mod Tokamak PDF Author: Jerry Wayne Hughes
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 452

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Book Description
Edge transport barriers (ETBs) in tokamak plasmas accompany transitions from low confinement (L-mode) to high confinement (H-mode) and exhibit large density and temperature gradients in a narrow pedestal region near the last closed flux surface (LCFS). Because tokamak energy confinement depends strongly on the boundary condition imposed by the edge plasma pressure, one desires a predictive capability for the pedestal on a future tokamak. On Alcator C-Mod, significant contributions to ETB studies were made possible with edge Thomson scattering (ETS), which measures profiles of electron temperature (20 [leq] Te[eV] [leq] 800) and density (0.3 [leq] ne[10^20m^-3] [leq] 5) with 1.3-mm spatial resolution near the LCFS. Profiles of Te, ne, and pe = neTe are fitted with a parameterized function, revealing typical pedestal widths [delta] of 2-6mm, with [delta]Te [geq] [delta]ne , on average. Pedestals are examined to determine existence criteria for the enhanced D[alpha] (EDA) H-mode. A feature that distinguishes this regime is a quasi-coherent mode (QCM) near the LCFS. The presence or absence of the QCM is related to edge conditions, in particular density, temperature and safety factor q. Results are consistent with higher values of both q and collisionality [nu]* giving the EDA regime. Further evidence suggests that increased abs([nabla]pe) may favor the QCM; thus EDA may have relevance to low-[nu]* reactor regimes, should sufficient edge pressure gradient exist.