Laboratory observation of electron energy distribution near three-dimensional magnetic nulls

The acceleration of electrons near three-dimensional(3D)magnetic nulls is crucial to the energy conversion mechanism in the 3D magnetic reconnection process.To explore electron acceleration in a 3D magnetic null topology,we constructed a pair of 3D magnetic nulls in the PKU Plasma Test(PPT)device and observed acceleration of electrons near magnetic nulls.This study measured the plasma floating potential and ion density profiles around the 3D magnetic null.The potential wells near nulls may be related to the energy variations of electrons,so we measured the electron distribution functions(EDFs)at different spatial positions.The axial variation of EDF shows that the electrons deviate from the Maxwell distribution near magnetic nulls.With scanning probes that can directionally measure and theoretically analyze based on curve fitting,the variations of EDFs are linked to the changes of plasma potential under 3D magnetic null topology.The kinetic energy of electrons accelerated by the electric field is 6 eV(v_(e)~7v_(Alfvén-e))and the scale of the region where accelerating electrons exist is in the order of serval electron skin depths.

The research progress of an E//B neutral particle analyzer

An E//B neutral particle analyzer(NPA)has been designed and is under development at Sichuan University and Southwestern Institute of Physics.The main purpose of the E//B NPA is to measure the distribution function of fast ions in the HL-2A/3 tokamak.The E//B NPA contains three main units,i.e.the stripping unit,the analyzing unit and the detection unit.A gas stripping chamber was adopted as the stripping unit.The results of the simulations and beam tests for the stripping chamber are presented.Parallel electric and magnetic fields provided by a NdFeB permanent magnet and two parallel electric plates were designed and constructed for the analyzing unit.The calibration of the magnetic and electric fields was performed using a 50 kV electron cyclotron resonance ion source(ECRIS)platform.The detection unit consists of 32lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate(LYSO)detector modules arranged in two rows.The response functions ofα,hydrogen ions(H^(+),H_(2)^(+)and H_(3)^(+))andγfor a detector module were measured with^(241)Am,^(137)Cs and^(152)Eu sources together with the 50 kV ECRIS platform.The overall results indicate that the designed E//B NPA device is capable of measuring the intensity of neutral hydrogen and deuteron atoms with energy higher than 20 keV.

Surface activation of viscose textiles via air,argon,and oxygen dielectric barrier discharge plasma:influence of peak voltage

This paper discusses the use of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)plasma treatment to enhance the surface qualities of viscose fabrics.The study explores the effects of different plasma gases,discharge voltages,and exposure times on the treated fabrics.The findings emphasize the importance of optimizing the plasma's peak voltage to achieve the desired surface treatment outcomes.The document also presents data on colour strength,wettability,colour fastness,and tensile strength of the treated fabrics,as well as scanning electron microscopy(SEM)analysis of surface morphology and chemical analysis using fouriertransition infrared spectroscopy(FTIR)and energy dispersive X-ray(EDX).The results show that treatment at a peak voltage of 11.83 k V is more efficient,except for the tensile strength which is enhanced at a peak voltage of 8.92 k V.The oxygen plasma treatment significantly improves the colour strength,which exhibits an increase from 11 to 18.The intensified colour was attributed to the significant influence of electrostatic interactions between the charged hydroxyl groups of the oxygen plasma treated viscose textiles and the dye molecules,which enhance the printability.The oxygen DBD plasma exhibits a higher ability to enhance the properties of textiles when compared to air and argon plasmas.This study presents a sustainable,economical,secure,and ecologically friendly approach to explore new fabrics for specific uses.

Characteristics of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of liquid slag

Rapid online analysis of liquid slag is essential for optimizing the quality and energy efficiency of steel production. To investigate the key factors that affect the online measurement of refined slag using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS), this study examined the effects of slag composition and temperature on the intensity and stability of the LIBS spectra. The experimental temperature was controlled at three levels: 1350℃, 1400℃, and 1450℃. The results showed that slag composition and temperature significantly affected the intensity and stability of the LIBS spectra. Increasing the Fe content and temperature in the slag reduces its viscosity, resulting in an enhanced intensity and stability of the LIBS spectra. Additionally, 42 refined slag samples were quantitatively analyzed for Fe, Si, Ca, Mg, Al, and Mn at 1350℃, 1400℃, and 1450℃.The normalized full spectrum combined with partial least squares(PLS) quantification modeling was used, using the Ca Ⅱ 317.91 nm spectral line as an internal standard. The results show that using the internal standard normalization method can significantly reduce the influence of spectral fluctuations. Meanwhile, a temperature of 1450℃ has been found to yield superior results compared to both 1350℃ and 1400℃, and it is advantageous to conduct a quantitative analysis of the slag when it is in a “water-like” state with low viscosity.

Investigation on the roles of equilibrium toroidal rotation during edge-localized mode mitigated by resonant magnetic perturbations

The effects of equilibrium toroidal rotation during edge-localized mode(ELM)mitigated by resonant magnetic perturbation(RMP)are studied with the experimental equilibria of the EAST tokamak based on the four-field model in the BOUT++code.As the two main parameters to determine the toroidal rotation profiles,the rotation shear and magnitudes were separately scanned to investigate their roles in the impact of RMPs on peeling-ballooning(P-B)modes.On one hand,the results show that strong toroidal rotation shear is favorable for the enhancement of the self-generated E×B shearing rate<ω_(E×B)>with RMPs,leading to significant ELM mitigation with RMP in the stronger toroidal rotation shear region.On the other hand,toroidal rotation magnitudes may affect ELM mitigation by changing the penetration of the RMPs,more precisely the resonant components.RMPs can lead to a reduction in the pedestal energy loss by enhancing the multimode coupling in the turbulence transport phase.The shielding effects on RMPs increase with the toroidal rotation magnitude,leading to the enhancement of the multimode coupling with RMPs to be significantly weakened.Hence,the reduction in pedestal energy loss by RMPs decreased with the rotation magnitude.In brief,the results show that toroidal rotation plays a dual role in ELM mitigation with RMP by changing the shielding effects of plasma by rotation magnitude and affecting<ω_(E×B)>by rotation shear.In the high toroidal rotation region,toroidal rotation shear is usually strong and hence plays a dominant role in the influence of RMP on P-B modes,whereas in the low rotation region,toroidal rotation shear is weak and has negligible impact on P-B modes,and the rotation magnitude plays a dominant role in the influence of RMPs on the P-B modes by changing the field penetration.Therefore,the dual role of toroidal rotation leads to stronger ELM mitigation with RMP,which may be achieved both in the low toroidal rotation region and the relatively high rotation region that has strong rotational shear.

Two-dimensional investigation of characteristic parameters and their gradients for the self-generated electric and magnetic fields of laser-induced zirconium plasma

Two-dimensional diagnosis of laser-induced zirconium(Zr)plasma has been experimentally performed using the time-of-flight method by employing Faraday cups in addition to electric and magnetic probes.The characteristic parameters of laser-induced Zr plasma have been evaluated as a function of different laser irradiances ranging from 4.5 to 11.7 GW cm-2 at different axial positions of 1–4 cm with a fixed radial distance of 2 cm.A well-supporting correlation between the plume parameters and the laser-plasma-produced spontaneous electric and magnetic(E and B)fields was established.The measurements of the characteristic parameters and spontaneously induced fields were observed to have an increasing trend with the increasing laser irradiance.However,when increasing the spatial distance in both the axial and radial directions,the plasma parameters(electron/ion number density,temperature and kinetic energy)did not show either continuously increasing or decreasing trends due to various kinetic and dynamic processes during the spatial evolution of the plume.However,the E and B fields were observed to be always diffusing away from the target.The radial component of electron number densities remained higher than the axial number density component,whereas the axial ion number density at all laser irradiances and axial distances remained higher than the radial ion number density.The higher axial self-generated electric field(SGEF)values than radial SGEF values are correlated with the effective charge-separation mechanism of electrons and ions.The generation of a self-generated magnetic field is observed dominantly in the radial direction at increasing laser irradiance as compared to the axial one due to the deflection of fast-moving electrons and the persistence of two-electron temperature on the radial axis.

Development of a 2D spatial displacement estimation method for turbulence velocimetry of the gas puff imaging system on EAST

A gas puff imaging(GPI)diagnostic has been developed and operated on EAST since 2012,and the time-delay estimation(TDE)method is used to derive the propagation velocity of fluctuations from the two-dimensional GPI data.However,with the TDE method it is difficult to analyze the data with fast transient events,such as edge-localized mode(ELM).Consequently,a method called the spatial displacement estimation(SDE)algorithm is developed to estimate the turbulence velocity with high temporal resolution.Based on the SDE algorithm,we make some improvements,including an adaptive median filter and super-resolution technology.After the development of the algorithm,a straight-line movement and a curved-line movement are used to test the accuracy of the algorithm,and the calculated speed agrees well with preset speed.This SDE algorithm is applied to the EAST GPI data analysis,and the derived propagation velocity of turbulence is consistent with that from the TDE method,but with much higher temporal resolution.

A review on plasma-based CO_(2) utilization:process considerations in the development of sustainable chemical production

Plasma-based processes,particularly in carbon capture and utilization,hold great potential for addressing environmental challenges and advancing a circular carbon economy.While significant progress has been made in understanding plasma-induced reactions,plasma-catalyst interactions,and reactor development to enhance energy efficiency and conversion,there remains a notable gap in research concerning overall process development.This review emphasizes the critical need for considerations at the process level,including integration and intensification,to facilitate the industrialization of plasma technology for chemical production.Discussions centered on the development of plasma-based processes are made with a primary focus on CO_(2) conversion,offering insights to guide future work for the transition of the technology from laboratory scale to industrial applications.Identification of current research gaps,especially in upscaling and integrating plasma reactors with other process units,is the key to addressing critical issues.The review further delves into relevant research in process evaluation and assessment,providing methodological insights and highlighting key factors for comprehensive economic and sustainability analyses.Additionally,recent advancements in novel plasma systems are reviewed,presenting unique advantages and innovative concepts that could reshape the future of process development.This review provides essential information for navigating the path forward,ensuring a comprehensive understanding of challenges and opportunities in the development of plasma-based CCU process.

Incorporating empirical knowledge into data-driven variable selection for quantitative analysis of coal ash content by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS)has become a widely used atomic spectroscopic technique for rapid coal analysis.However,the vast amount of spectral information in LIBS contains signal uncertainty,which can affect its quantification performance.In this work,we propose a hybrid variable selection method to improve the performance of LIBS quantification.Important variables are first identified using Pearson's correlation coefficient,mutual information,least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)and random forest,and then filtered and combined with empirical variables related to fingerprint elements of coal ash content.Subsequently,these variables are fed into a partial least squares regression(PLSR).Additionally,in some models,certain variables unrelated to ash content are removed manually to study the impact of variable deselection on model performance.The proposed hybrid strategy was tested on three LIBS datasets for quantitative analysis of coal ash content and compared with the corresponding data-driven baseline method.It is significantly better than the variable selection only method based on empirical knowledge and in most cases outperforms the baseline method.The results showed that on all three datasets the hybrid strategy for variable selection combining empirical knowledge and data-driven algorithms achieved the lowest root mean square error of prediction(RMSEP)values of 1.605,3.478 and 1.647,respectively,which were significantly lower than those obtained from multiple linear regression using only 12 empirical variables,which are 1.959,3.718 and 2.181,respectively.The LASSO-PLSR model with empirical support and 20 selected variables exhibited a significantly improved performance after variable deselection,with RMSEP values dropping from 1.635,3.962 and 1.647 to 1.483,3.086 and 1.567,respectively.Such results demonstrate that using empirical knowledge as a support for datadriven variable selection can be a viable approach to improve the accuracy and reliability of LIBS quantification.

Investigations on MoS_(2)plasma by infra-red pulsed laser irradiation in high vacuum

MoS_(2)targets were irradiated by infra-red(IR)pulsed laser in a high vacuum to determine hot plasma parameters,atomic,molecular and ion emission,and angular and charge state distributions.In this way,pulsed laser deposition(PLD)of thin films on graphene oxide substrates was also realized.An Nd:YAG laser,operating at the 1064 nm wavelength with a 5 ns pulse duration and up to a 1 J pulse energy,in a single pulse or at a 10 Hz repetition rate,was employed.Ablation yield was measured as a function of the laser fluence.Plasma was characterized using different analysis techniques,such as time-of-flight measurements,quadrupole mass spectrometry and fast CCD visible imaging.The so-produced films were characterized by composition,thickness,roughness,wetting ability,and morphology.When compared to the MoS_(2)targets,they show a slight decrease of S with respect to Mo,due to higher ablation yield,low fusion temperature and high sublimation in vacuum.The pulsed IR laser deposited Mo Sx(with 1<x<2)films are uniform,with a thickness of about 130 nm,a roughness of about 50 nm and a higher wettability than the MoS_(2)targets.Some potential applications of the pulsed IR laser-deposited Mo Sx films are also presented and discussed.

Design of a 3D-printed liquid lithium divertor target plate and its interaction with high-density plasma

A liquid Li divertor is a promising alternative for future fusion devices.In this work a new divertor model is proposed,which is processed by 3D-printing technology to accurately control the size of the internal capillary structure.At a steady-state heat load of 10 MW m^(-2),the thermal stress of the tungsten target is within the bearing range of tungsten by finite-element simulation.In order to evaluate the wicking ability of the capillary structure,the wicking process at 600℃ was simulated by FLUENT.The result was identical to that of the corresponding experiments.Within 1 s,liquid lithium was wicked to the target surface by the capillary structure of the target and quickly spread on the target surface.During the wicking process,the average wicking mass rate of lithium should reach 0.062 g s^(-1),which could even supplement the evaporation requirement of liquid lithium under an environment>950℃.Irradiation experiments under different plasma discharge currents were carried out in a linear plasma device(SCU-PSI),and the evolution of the vapor cloud during plasma irradiation was analyzed.It was found that the target temperature tends to plateau despite the gradually increased input current,indicating that the vapor shielding effect is gradually enhanced.The irradiation experiment also confirmed that the 3D-printed tungsten structure has better heat consumption performance than a tungsten mesh structure or multichannel structure.These results reveal the application potential and feasibility of a 3D-printed porous capillary structure in plasma-facing components and provide a reference for further liquid-solid combined target designs.

Formation of diffuse and spark discharges between two needle electrodes with the scattering of particles

The development of a nanosecond discharge in a pin-to-pin gap filled with air at atmospheric pressure has been studied with high temporal and spatial resolutions from a breakdown start to the spark decay.Positive and negative nanosecond voltage pulses with an amplitude of tens of kilovolts were applied.Time-resolved images of the discharge development were taken with a fourchannel Intensified Charge Coupled Device(ICCD)camera.The minimum delay between the camera channels could be as short as≈0.1 ns.This made it possible to study the gap breakdown process with subnanosecond resolution.It was observed that a wide-diameter streamer develops from the high-voltage pointed electrode.The ionization processes near the grounded pin electrode started when the streamer crossed half of the gap.After bridging the gap by the streamer,a diffuse discharge was formed.The development of spark leaders from bright spots on the surface of the pointed electrodes was observed at the next stage.It was found that the rate of development of the spark leader is an order of magnitude lower than that of the wide-diameter streamer.Long thin luminous tracks were observed against the background of a discharge plasma glow.It has been established that the tracks are adjacent to brightly glowing spots on the electrodes and are associated with the flight of small particles.

Effects of spot size on the operation mode of Ga As photoconductive semiconductor switch employing extrinsic photoconductivity

To guide the illuminating design to improve the on-state performances of gallium arsenide(GaAs)photoconductive semiconductor switch(PCSS),the effect of spot size on the operation mode of GaAsPCSS based on a semi-insulating wafer with a thickness of 1 mm,triggered by a 1064-nm extrinsic laser beam with the rectangular spot,has been investigated experimentally.It is found that the variation of the spot size in length and width can act on the different parts of the output waveform integrating the characteristics of the linear and nonlinear modes,and then significantly boosts the PCSS toward different operation modes.On this basis,a two-channel model containing the active and passive parts is introduced to interpret the relevant influencing mechanisms.Results indicate that the increased spot length can peak the amplitude of static domains in the active part to enhance the development of the nonlinear switching,while the extended spot width can change the distribution of photogenerated carriers on both parts to facilitate the linear switching and weaken the nonlinear switching,which have been proved by comparing the domain evolutions under different spot sizes.

Coated boron layers by boronization and a real-time boron coating using an impurity powder dropper in the LHD

In the Large Helical Device(LHD),diborane(B2H6)is used as a standard boron source for boronization,which is assisted by helium glow discharges.In 2019,a new Impurity Powder Dropper(IPD)system was installed and is under evaluation as a real-time wall conditioning technique.In the LHD,which is a large-sized heliotron device,an additional helium(He)glow discharge cleaning(GDC)after boronization was operated for a reduction in hydrogen recycling from the coated boron layers.This operational time of 3 h was determined by spectroscopic data during glow discharges.A flat hydrogen profile is obtained on the top surface of the coated boron on the specimen exposed to boronization.The results suggest a reduction in hydrogen at the top surface by He-GDC.Trapped oxygen in coated boron was obtained by boronization,and the coated boron,which has boron-oxide,on the first wall by B-IPD was also shown.Considering the difference in coating areas between B2H6 boronization and B-IPD operation,it would be most effective to use the IPD and B2H6 boronization coating together for optimized wall conditioning.

Investigating the occurrence and predictability of pitch angle scattering events at ADITYA-Upgrade tokamak with the electron cyclotron emission radiometer

This paper describes the experimental analysis and preliminary investigation of the predictability of pitch angle scattering(PAS) events through the electron cyclotron emission(ECE)radiometer signals at the ADITYA-Upgrade(ADITYA-U) tokamak. For low-density discharges at ADITYA-U, a sudden abnormal rise is observed in the ECE signature while other plasma parameters are unchanged. Investigations are done to understand this abrupt rise that is expected to occur due to PAS. The rise time is as fast as 100 μs with a single step and/or multiple step rise in ECE radiometer measurements. This event is known to limit the on-axis energy of runaway electrons. Being a repetitive event, the conditions of its repetitive occurrence can be investigated, thereby exploring the possibility of it being triggered and surveyed as an alternate runaway electron mitigation plan. Functional parameterization of such events with other discharge parameters is obtained and the possibility to trigger these events is discussed.PREDICT code is used to investigate the possible interpretations for the PAS occurrence through modeling and supporting the ECE observations. The trigger values so obtained experimentally are set as input criteria for PAS occurrence. Preliminary modeling investigations provide reliable consistency with the findings.

Mutual effects between a gliding arc discharge and a premixed flame

Mutual effects between a gliding arc(GA)discharge at atmospheric pressure and a premixed CH_(4)/air flame were experimentally investigated.Effects of the flame on the GA were studied using simultaneous measurements of the current,the voltage,and the instantaneous images of the plasma columns.The GA in the flame has a thicker and more diffusive plasma column,and it is more frequently ignited at a smaller breakdown voltage than that in the air.The GA extension velocity and the gliding velocity in the flame are larger than those in the air.The electrode voltage drop of the GA discharge in the flame is about 160 V,whereas that in the air is about 220 V.Compared with the GA in the air,the different features of the GA in the flame can be explained by high-temperature,weakly ionized,and species-abundant environment that are generated by the premixed CH_(4)/air flame.Effects of the gliding arc discharge on the premixed flames were demonstrated using planar laser-induced fluorescence of hydroxyl radicals(OH)and formaldehyde(CH_(2)O).OH and CH_(2)O can be formed in the CH_(4)/air mixture in the presence of the GA due to kinetic effects,and the increase of OH and CH_(2)O shows the great potential of the GA for combustion enhancement.

Real-time data processing method for CO_(2) dispersion interferometer on EAST

A real-time data processing system is designed for the carbon dioxide dispersion interferometer(CO_(2)-DI)on EAST.The system utilizes the parallel and pipelining capabilities of an fieldprogrammable gate array(FPGA)to digitize and process the intensity of signals from the detector.Finally,the real-time electron density signals are exported through a digital-to-analog converter(DAC)module in the form of analog signals.The system has been successfully applied in the CO_(2)-DI system to provide low-latency electron density input to the plasma control system on EAST.Experimental results of the latest campaign with long-pulse discharges on EAST(2022–2023)demonstrate that the system can respond effectively in the case of rapid density changes,proving its reliability and accuracy for future electron density calculation.

Analyses of nonequilibrium transport in atmospheric-pressure direct-current argon discharge under different modes

The key plasma parameters under different discharge modes, such as heavy-particle and electron temperatures, electron number density, and nonequilibrium volume of plasmas, play important roles in various applications of gas discharge plasmas. In this study, a self-consistent two-dimensional nonequilibrium fluid model coupled with an external circuit model is established to reveal the mechanisms related to the discharge modes, including the normal glow, abnormal glow,arc, and glow-to-arc transition modes, with an atmospheric-pressure direct-current(DC) argon discharge as a model plasma system. The modeling results show that, under different discharge modes, the most significant difference between the preceding four discharge modes lies in the current and energy transfer processes on the cathode side. On one hand, the current to the cathode surface is mainly delivered by the ions coming from the plasma column under the glow discharge mode due to the low temperature of the solid cathode, whereas the thermionic and secondary electrons emitted from the hot cathode surface play a very important role under the arc mode with a higher cathode surface temperature and higher ion flux toward the cathode. On the other hand, the energy transfer channel on the cathode side changes from mainly heating the solid cathode under the glow mode to simultaneously heating both the solid cathode and plasma column under the arc mode with an increase in the discharge current. Consequently, the power density in the cathode sheath(P_c) was used as a key parameter for judging different discharge modes, and the range of(0.28–1.2) × 10^(12) W m^(-3) was determined as a critical window of P_c corresponding to the glow-to-arc-mode transition for the atmospheric-pressure DC argon discharge, which was also verified by comparison with the experimental results in this study and the data in the previous literature.

Effects of vacuum magnetic field region on the compact torus trajectory in a tokamak plasma

The trajectory of the compact torus(CT)within a tokamak discharge is crucial to fueling.In this study,we developed a penetration model with a vacuum magnetic field region to accurately determine CT trajectories in tokamak discharges.This model was used to calculate the trajectory and penetration parameters of CT injections by applying both perpendicular and tangential injection schemes in both HL-2A and ITER tokamaks.For perpendicular injection along the tokamak's major radius direction from the outboard,CTs with the same injection parameters exhibited a 0.08 reduction in relative penetration depth when injected into HL-2A and a 0.13reduction when injected into ITER geometry when considering the vacuum magnetic field region compared with cases where this region was not considered.In addition,we proposed an optimization method for determining the CT's initial injection velocity to accurately calculate the initial injection velocity of CTs for central fueling in tokamaks.Furthermore,this paper discusses schemes for the tangential injection of CT into tokamak discharges.The optimal injection angle and CT magnetic moment direction for injection into both HL-2A and ITER were determined through numerical simulations.Finally,the kinetic energy loss occurring when the CT penetrated the vacuum magnetic field region in ITER was reduced byΔEk=975.08 J by optimizing the injection angle for the CT injected into ITER.These results provide valuable insights for optimizing injection angles in fusion experiments.Our model closely represents actual experimental scenarios and can assist the design of CT parameters.

Effect of high-energy Ne ions irradiation on mechanical properties difference between Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5)metallic glass and crystalline W

In this paper,high-energy Ne ions were used to irradiate Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5) metallic glass(MG)and crystalline W to investigate their difference in mechanical response after irradiation.The results showed that with the irradiation dose increased,the tensile micro-strain increased,nano-hardness increased from 7.11 GPa to 7.90 GPa and 8.62 GPa,Young’s modulus increased,and H3/E2 increased which indicating that the plastic deformability decreased in crystalline W.Under the same irradiation conditions,the Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5) MG still maintained the amorphous structure and became more disordered despite the longer range and stronger displacement damage of Ne ions in Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5) MG than in crystalline W.Unlike the irradiation hardening and embrittlement behavior of crystalline W,Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5) MG showed the gradual decrease in hardness from 6.02 GPa to 5.89 GPa and 5.50 GPa,the decrease in modulus and the increase in plastic deformability with the increasing dose.Possibly,the irradiation softening and toughening phenomenon of Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5) MG could provide new ideas for the design of nuclear materials.