Detailed analysis and simulation verification for reconstruction of plasma optical boundary with spectrometric technique on HL-2M tokamak

The plasma optical boundary reconstruction technique based on Hommen's theory is promising for future tokamaks with high parameters. In this work, we conduct detailed analysis and simulation verification to estimate the ‘logic loophole' of this technique. The finite-width effect and unpredictable errors reduce the technique's reliability, which leads to this loophole. Based on imaging theory, the photos of a virtual camera are simulated by integrating the assumed luminous intensity of plasma. Based on Hommen's theory, the plasma optical boundary is reconstructed from the photos. Comparing the reconstructed boundary with the one assumed, the logic loophole and its two effects are quantitatively estimated. The finite-width effect is related to the equivalent thickness of the luminous layer, which is generally about 2-4 cm but sometimes larger. The level of unpredictable errors is around 0.65 cm. The technique based on Hommen's theory is generally reliable, but finite-width effect and unpredictable errors have to be taken into consideration in some scenarios. The parameters of HL-2M are applied in this work.

Hot Vertical-Displacement-Event Process due to Internal Energy Perturbations for HL-2M Tokamak Plasma

During the tokamak operation, variation of the stored energy can cause internal perturbations of the plasma. These perturbations may develop into large-scale vertical movement of the whole column for the vertically elon- gated tokamak, eventually generating the hot vertical displacement event （VIDE,）. It will cause considerable damage to the machine. In this work, the hot VDE process due to stored energy perturbations is investigated by a mature non-linear time-evolution code DINA. The influence on the vertical instability, the displacement direction and the electromagnetic loads on in-vessel components during the hot VDE are analyzed. It is shown that a larger perturbation leads to faster development of the vertical instability. Meanwhile the variation of the Shafranov shift, due to the energy change, is related to the VDE direction. The vertical electromagnetic force on the vacuum vessel and the halo current flowing in the divertor baffle become larger in the case of VDE moving towards the X point.

Investigation on the Fatigue Characteristic in Support Structure of HL-2M Tokamak

In order to obtain enhanced plasma parameters a complete new tokamak HL-2M is now under construction in Southwestern Institute of Physics. To assure the structural safety of the device for the entire operation cycle, one of the most important issues is the lifetime-limiting effects due to the pulsed operation mode. Fatigue is one of the major failure modes to be considered in mechanical design, and pulsed operation imposes stress with significant alternating components on the support structure （SS）. Therefore, the reliability of the whole device is strongly affected by the stress and fatigue characteristic of the SS as the interface structure. This article introduces the SS design and details the fatigue life calculation methods based on the different characteristics of the sub-structures. The fatigue life in hazardous areas of the toroidal field coils anti-torque structure （TFCs-ATs） has been determined by non-linear analysis results. And with the stress- time history data of the vacuum vessel ＆ poloidal field coils support structure （VV＆PFCs SS）, the fatigue analysis of the hot spots has been completed based on rain-flow counting method and linear cumulative damage method. The calculated minimum fatigue life on TFCs-ATs and VVSzPFCs SS is 4.743E＋05 and 1.805E＋06 cycles, respectively. And the calculated fatigue life on sub-structures can meet the required life for HL-2M tokamak： 1.0E＋05 cycles.

Numerical analysis of the optimized performance of the electron cyclotron wave system in a HL-2M tokamak

The capabilities of current drive, neoclassical tearing mode （NTM） stabilization, and sawtooth control are analyzed for the electron-cyclotron wave （ECW） system in a HL-2M tokamak. Better performance of the upper launcher is demonstrated in comparison with that of a dropped upper launcher, in terms of JEc/Jbs for NTM stabilization and 1ECCD/（Aptor）2 for sawtooth control. 1-MW ECW power is enough for the 3/2 NTM stabilization, and 1.8-MW ECW power is required to suppress 2/1 NTM in a single null divertor equilibrium with 1.2-MA toroidal current with the upper launcher. Optimization simulation of electron-cyclotron current drive （ECCD） is carried out for three mirrors in an equatorial port, indicating that the middle mirror has a good performance compared with the top and bottom mirrors. The results for balanced co- and counter-ECCD in an equatorial port are also presented.

Optical design of vertical edge Thomson scattering on HL-2M tokamak

A vertical edge Thomson scattering(ETS) diagnostic system on HL-2M tokamak has been designed.The ETS system collects the scattered light from Nd:YAG laser(1064 nm,2 J,30 Hz,15 ns).The laser beam propagates vertically through the plasma region and the polarization is parallel to the toroidal magnetic field.A special designed Galileo-type telescope with long Rayleigh length is applied to focus the laser size and ensure collimation.A group of doubleGaussian collection lenses image the 600 mm vertical scattered region onto rectangular fiber arrays with a spatial resolution of 10 mm.The 2.20 mm × 2.86 mm fiber optic bundle consists of 130 low hydroxyl(OH) 200/220 μm(core/cladding) diameter fibers with numerical aperture NA=0.22,carrying the light to remotely located multi-channel polychromators.Effect of oblique incidence on narrow band filter has been analyzed.The designed electron temperatures range from 5 to 1000 eV and electron densities from 5 × 10^(18) to 1×10^(20) m^(-3).

Computation of the Magnetic Field and Ripple for the Toroidal Coils in HL-2M Tokamak

The magnetic induction and its ripple due to reconstructive toroidal coils are calculated. The field ripple is so small that the influence of ripple can be omitted for the plasma discharge.

Recent Development in Data Processing and Control Research on the HL-2A ＆ HL-2M Tokamak

In 2006, except the basic improvement on HL-2A tokamak control system, data acquisition and processing system, a series of research activities have been developed in computer and control division. They include the construction of the high performance computer （HPC） system, the plasma configuration real-time reconstruction with EFIT code, the immigration of plasma simulation codes, the improvement of the poloidal field control system with circulating current, the design of the new data acquiring device with higher anti-disturbing power, the new software on soft X-ray spectrum measurement providing the multi-channel Te evolution, the upgrade to the HL-2A data storage system and experimental net. On the other hand, according to the arrangement of HL-2A modification project, a series of designs such as new plasma configuration, poloidal field coils distribution and plasma shape and position control system are on the processing.

HL-2M装置内部输运垒湍流输运的GTC模拟研究

HL-2M托卡马克是我国新一代磁约束聚变等离子体装置,目前已经实现了等离子体电流1 MA的高参数运行模式。本文采用回旋动理学GTC(Gyrokinetic Toroidal Code)程序,研究了具有双输运垒结构的先进运行模式下该装置内部输运垒(Internal Transport Barrier,ITB)的湍流输运。研究结果表明:ITB湍流输运呈现两次连续饱和过程,计算获得的平均离子热扩散系数约为首次饱和水平的两倍。对湍流发展的极向谱和线性色散关系的研究表明,第一次饱和湍流输运由波长kθρi~2.15的短波模式主导,而第二次饱和以kθρi~0.49的长波模式主导;同时,体系湍流的能量由短波模式反向级联到长波模式,湍流饱和阶段径向热扩散系数在输运垒位置处呈现“M”形分布。考虑等离子体带状流结构,数值模拟结果表明:该运行模式下带状流对湍流输运饱和水平没有明显的影响。此外,输运垒等离子体温度和密度梯度最大处对应的湍流饱和期的径向离子热扩散系数最低,极大地增强了对等离子体的约束。

Progress of microwave diagnostics development on the HL-2A tokamak

Sets of powerful microwave diagnostic systems have been developed on the HL-2 A tokamak,including 18 subsystems with high spatial and temporal resolutions.These systems have been applied in the HL-2 A tokamak experiments to investigate the core plasma transport,turbulence,MHD,energetic particle physics and so on.In this paper,the microwave diagnostics and their applications are reviewed.Some new technologies,including GHz sampling digital correlation electron cyclotron emission（DCECE）,multi-channel correlation reflectometers,and solid state terahertz interferometers,are also presented in the paper.

Empirical Scaling Laws of Neutral Beam Injection Power in HL-2A Tokamak

We present an experimental method to obtain neutral beam injection （NBI） power scaling laws with operating parameters of the NBI system on HL-2A, including the beam divergence angle, the beam power transmission efficiency, the neutralization efficiency and so on. With the empirical scaling laws, the estimating power can be obtained in every shot of experiment on time, therefore the important parameters such as the energy confinement time can be obtained precisely. The simulation results by the tokamak simulation code （TSC） show that the evolution of the plasma parameters is in good agreement with the experimental results by using the NBI power from the empirical scaling law.

The first results of divertor discharge and supersonic molecular beam injection on the HL-2A tokamak

HL-2A tokamak is the first tokamak with divertors in China. The plasma boundary and the position of the striking point on the target plates of the HL-2A closed diwrtor were simulated by the current filament code and they were in agreement with the diagnostic results in the divertor. Supersonic molecular beam injection （SMBI） system was first installed and tested on the HL-2A tokamak in 2004. In the present experiment low pressure SMBI fuelling on the HL-2A closed divertor was carried out. The experimental results indicate that the divertor was operated in the ＇linear regime＇ and during the period of SMB pulse injection into the HL-2A plasma the power density eonvected at the target plate surfaces was 0.4 times of that before or after the beam injection. It is a useful fuelling method for decreasing the heat load on the neutralizer plates of the divertor.

Simulations of the effects of density and temperature profile on SMBI penetration depth based on the HL-2A tokamak configuration

Using the trans-neut module of the BOUT＋＋ code, we study how the fueling penetration depth of supersonic molecular beam injection（SMBI） is affected by plasma density and temperature profiles. The plasma densities and temperatures in L-mode are initialized to be a set of linear profiles with different core plasma densities and temperatures. The plasma profiles are relaxed to a set of steady states with different core plasma densities or temperatures. For a fixed gradient, the steady profiles are characterized by the core plasma density and temperature. The SMBI is investigated based on the final steady profiles with different core plasma densities or temperatures. The simulated results suggest that the SMB injection will be blocked by dense core plasma and high-temperature plasma. Once the core plasma density is set to be N（i0）= 1.4N0（N0= 1 × 10^19m^-3） it produces a deeper penetration depth. When N（i0） is increased from 1.4N0 to 3.9N0 at intervals of 0.8N0, keeping a constant core temperature of T（e0）= 725 eV at the radial position of ψ = 0.65, the penetration depth gradually decreases. Meanwhile, when the density is fixed at N（i0）= 1.4N0 and the core plasma temperature T（e0） is set to 365 eV,the penetration depth increases. The penetration depth decreases as T（e0） is increased from 365 eV to 2759 eV. Sufficiently large N（i0） or T（e0） causes most of the injected molecules to stay in the scrape-off-layer（SOL） region, lowering the fueling efficiency.

Study of Plasma MHD Equilibrium in HL-2A Tokamak

EFIT（Equilibrium Fitting） code is successfully transplanted for HL-2A tokamak parameters. The evolution of the equilibrium configurations for shot 2898 is simulated. It is shown that the discharge starts with a limiter configuration and develops into a divertor configuration gradually after t = 200 ms. The latter lasts until the end of the discharge at t = 900 ms. The evolution of the major plasma shape parameters such as the boundary magnetic fluxes, the positions of the x-point and magnetic axis, and the minor radii obtained are calculated and compared with the experimental results. The agreement between the simulation and experiments are shown to be reasonable. The possibility for discharge quality improvement is discussed.

Preliminary Study of Ideal Operational MHD Beta Limit in HL-2A Tokamak Plasmas

Magnetohydrodynamic （MHD） n=1 kink mode with n the toroidal mode number is studied and the operational beta limit, constrained by the mode, is calculated for the equilibrium of HL-2A by using the GATO code. Approximately the same beta limit is obtained for configurations with a value of the axial safety factor q0 both larger and less than 1. Without the stabilization of the conducting wall, the beta limit is found to be 0.821% corresponding to a normalized beta value of βN^c=2.56 for a typical HL-2A discharge with a plasma current Ip=0.245 MA, and the scaling of βN^c -constant is confirmed.

The Designed Operation of the Machine Control System on HL-2A Tokamak

The Ethernet and field-bus communications are used in the machine control system （MCS） of HL-2A. The control net, with a programmable logic controller （PLC） as its logic control master, an engineering control management station as its net server, and a timing control PC connected to a number of terminals, flexibly and freely transfers information among the nodes on it with the Ethernet transmission techniques. The PLC masters the field bus, which carries small pieces of information between PLC and the field sites reliably and quickly. The control net is connected into the data net, where Internet access and sharing of more experimental data are enabled. The communication in the MCS guarantees the digitalization, automation and centralization. Also provided are a satisfactory degree of safety, reliability, stability, expandability and flexibility for maintenance.

The Principle of Plasma Boundary Identification on HL-2A Tokamak

Plasma boundary identification is a basic task for studies on equilibrium and confinement in a divertor tokamak. With the progress on the experiments after engineering experiments, the boundary identification becomes an important issue for HL-2A. In order to satisfy the requirements of preciseness, simplified measurements and quickness, the filament current method instead of solving the equilibrium equations is used to identify plasma boundary on HL-2A. The involved principle, mathematics and the progresses, which have been made with this method, are given.

Evolution of edge turbulent transport induced by L-mode detachment in the HL-2A tokamak

This paper presents the characteristics of L-mode detachment,together with the behavior of edge turbulent transport and plasma confinement on the HL-2A tokamak.Partially detached and pronounced detached states have been achieved in L-mode plasma.Stored energy was maintained before and after detachment.Edge turbulence and its transport have increased obviously in the partially detached state.In the pronounced detached state,redistribution of the density and temperature profiles due to detachment leads to low amplitude of electron temperature and pressure,as well as very weak edge turbulence and transport.Despite strong plasma radiation in the pronounced detached state,reduced edge turbulent transport contributes to maintaining stored energy in detached L-mode plasma in HL-2A.Different detachment states play an important role in the redistribution of density and temperature profiles,which requires further study.

MHD Equilibrium Configuration Reconstructions for HL-2A Tokamak

The EFIT （Equilibrium Fitting） code is modified for the equilibrium configuration reconstruction in HL-2A. Signals from Langmuir probe （LP） at the divertor target plates are employed in the reconstruction of divertor configurations. The results show that discharge #2895 starts with a limiter configuration and develops gradually into a divertor configuration after t = 230 ms. This transition process is clearly demonstrated by the LP signals for the reconstruction. The profiles of plasma parameters such as safety factor q, pressure and current density as well as the evolution of major shape parameters of plasma, such as the boundary magnetic fluxes, the positions of both x-point and magnetic axis, are calculated from the reconstructed configurations. The possibility to apply the method to the swing of strike point on the target plate is discussed.

Upgrade of an integrated Langmuir probe system on the closed divertor target plates in the HL-2A tokamak

A newly designed divertor Langmuir probe diagnostic system has been installed in a rare closed divertor of the HL-2A tokamak and steadily operated for the study of divertor physics involved edge-localized mode mitigation,detachment and redistribution of heat flux,etc.Two sets of probe arrays including 274 probe tips were placed at two ports(approximately 180°separated toroidally),and the spatial and temporal resolutions of this measurement system could reach6 mm and 1μs,respectively.A novel design of the ceramic isolation ring can ensure reliable electrical insulation property between the graphite tip and the copper substrate plate where plasma impurities and the dust are deposited into the gaps for a long experimental time.Meanwhile,the condition monitoring and mode conversion between single and triple probe of the probe system could be conveniently implemented via a remote-control station.The preliminary experimental result shows that the divertor Langmuir probe system is capable of measuring the high spatiotemporal parameters involved the plasma density,electron temperature,particle flux as well as heat flux during the ELMy H-mode discharges.

等离子体破裂时HL-2M真空室的结构应力分析

利用ANSYS有限元程序分析计算了等离子体线性大破裂时HL-2M真空室上的感应电流及电磁力,并对真空室进行了结构应力分析。结果表明,真空室上主要产生环向感应电流和径向电磁力,且主要集中在真空室壳体的柱状段;在破裂产生的电磁力及其他机械载荷的作用下,真空室的结构设计能较好地满足强度和刚度要求。