Impact of T_(i)/T_(e )ratio on ion transport based on EAST H-mode plasmas

At the EAST tokamak, the ion temperature(T_(i)) is observed to be clamped around 1.25 keV in electron cyclotron resonance(ECR)-heated plasmas, even at core electron temperatures up to 10 keV(depending on the ECR heating power and the plasma density). This clamping results from the lack of direct ion heating and high levels of turbulence-driven transport. Turbulent transport analysis shows that trapped electron mode and electron temperature gradient-driven modes are the most unstable modes in the core of ECR-heated H-mode plasmas. Nevertheless, recently it was found that the T_(i)/T_(e)ratio can increase further with the fraction of the neutral beam injection(NBI) power, which leads to a higher core ion temperature(Ti0). In NBI heating-dominant H-mode plasmas, the ion temperature gradient-driven modes become the most unstable modes.Furthermore, a strong and broad internal transport barrier(ITB) can form at the plasma core in high-power NBI-heated H-mode plasmas when the T_(i)/T_(e)ratio approaches ~1, which results in steep core Teand Tiprofiles, as well as a peaked neprofile. Power balance analysis shows a weaker Teprofile stiffness after the formation of ITBs in the core plasma region, where Ticlamping is broken,and the core Tican increase further above 2 keV, which is 80% higher than the value of Ticlamping in ECR-heated plasmas. This finding proposes a possible solution to the problem of Ticlamping on EAST and demonstrates an advanced operational regime with the formation of a strong and broad ITB for future fusion plasmas dominated by electron heating.

Cleaning of two mirrors in the first mirror unit using radiofrequency capacitively coupled plasma

First mirror(FM)cleaning,using radio frequency(RF)plasma,has been proposed to recover FM reflectivity in nuclear fusion reactors such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor(ITER).To investigate the influence of simultaneous cleaning of two mirrors on mirror cleaning efficiency and uniformity,experiments involving single-mirror cleaning and dual-mirror cleaning were conducted using RF capacitively coupled plasma in the laboratory.For the test and simultaneous cleaning of two mirrors,the FM and second mirror(SM),both measuring 110 mm×80 mm,were placed inside the first mirror unit(FMU).They were composed of 16 mirror samples,each with a dimension of 27.5 mm×20 mm.These mirror samples consist of a titanium-zirconium-molybdenum alloy substrate,a 500 nm Mo intermediate layer and a 30 nm Al_(2)O_(3) surface coating as a proxy for Be impurities.The cleaning of a single first mirror(SFM)and the simultaneous cleaning of the FM and SM(DFM and DSM)lasted for 9 h using Ar plasma at a pressure of 1 Pa.The total reflectivity of mirror samples on the DSM did not fully recover and varied with location,with a self-bias of−140 V.With a self-bias of−300 V,the total reflectivity of mirror samples on the SFM and DFM was fully recovered.The energy dispersive spectrometer results demonstrated that the Al_(2)O_(3) coating had been completely removed from these mirror samples.However,the mass loss of each mirror sample on the SFM and DFM before and after cleaning varied depending on its location,with higher mass loss observed for mirror samples located in the corners and lower loss for those in the center.Compared with SM cleaning,the simultaneous cleaning of two mirrors reduced the difference between the highest and lowest mass loss.Furthermore,this mass loss for the mirror samples of the DFM facing the DSM was increased.This indicated that mirror samples cleaned face to face in the FMU simultaneously could influence each other,highlighting the need for special attention in future studies.

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.

Experimental Investigations of Quasi-Coherent Micro-Instabilities in J-TEXT Ohmic Plasmas

Quasi-coherent micro-instabilities is one of the key topics of magnetic confinement fusion. This work focuses on the quasi-coherent spectra of ion temperature gradient(ITG) and trapped-electron-mode instabilities using newly developed far-forward collective scattering measurements within ohmic plasmas in the J-TEXT tokamak.The ITG mode is characterized by frequencies ranging from 30 to 100 k Hz and wavenumbers(k_(θρs)) less than 0.3. Beyond a critical plasma density threshold, the ITG mode undergoes a bifurcation, which is marked by a reduction in frequency and an enhancement in amplitude. Concurrently, enhancements in ion energy loss and degradation in confinement are observed. This ground-breaking discovery represents the first instance of direct experimental evidence that establishes a clear link between ITG instability and ion thermal transport.

The Progress of a Microbeam Facility in the Institute of Plasma Physics

The progress of a microbeam facility in the Institute of Plasma Physics was discussed in this paper. This kind of equipment can supply single-particle beam which may be implanted into cells in micrometer-radius and measured by a new outstanding detector among global microbeam systems. Measurements by some plain targets showed that the highest current after the accelerator tube can be larger than 20 /μA, the H_2^+ current before the second bending magnet is near 0.9 /μA, the current after the second bending magnet is near 0.8 μA, and the current of the beam line (after a 2-mm diameter aperture) is near 0.25 nA which is enough for the single-particle microbeam experiment. It took scientists 3 months to do their microbeam experiment after setting up the accelerator beam line and get the microbeam from this equipment. Two pre-collimators were installed between the 2-mm diameter aperture and the collimator to survey the beam. Tracks on the CR39 film etched in the solution of NaOH showed that the beam can go through the collimator including a 10 μm diameter aperture and the 3.5 μm thick vacuum sealing film (Mylar). A new method, which is called optimization of the beam quality, was put forward in this paper, in order to get smaller diameter of beam-spot in microbeam system.

The Experiment of Obtaining Micron Beam in the Single-Particle Microbeam Facility of the Institute of Plasma Physics

The Experiments, methods and results of obtaining micron beam in the Microbeam Facility of the Institute of Plasma Physics were discussed in this paper. The H+2 beam was accelerated by the Van de GraafF electrostatic accelerator, and the collimator at the end of the beam line is a 60 μm thick stainless steel chip. And as a result, particle tracks on the solid track probes (CR39 film) etched in the solution of NaOH showed that the beam can go through the collimator with a small aperure (2000, 300, 55, 30, or 10 μm) and 3.5 μm thick vacuum film (Mylar). Besides the CR39 method, the beam was measured by an energy spectrum detector after the 10 μm diameter aperture and the 3.5 μm thick vacuum film too.

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.

Forward modelling of the Cotton-Mouton effect polarimetry on EAST tokamak

Measurement of plasma electron density by far-infrared laser polarimetry has become a routine and indispensable tool in magnetic confinement fusion research.This article presents the design of a Cotton-Mouton polarimeter interferometer,which provides a reliable density measurement without fringe jumps.Cotton-Mouton effect on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST)is studied by Stokes equation with three parameters(s_(1),s_(2),s_(3)).It demonstrates that under the condition of a small Cotton-Mouton effect,parameter s_(2)contains information about Cotton-Mouton effect which is proportional to the line-integrated density.For a typical EAST plasma,the magnitude of Cotton-Mouton effects is less than 2πfor laser wavelength of 432μm.Refractive effect due to density gradient is calculated to be negligible.Time modulation of Stokes parameters(s_(2),s_(3))provides heterodyne measurement.Due to the instabilities arising from laser oscillation and beam refraction in plasmas,it is necessary for the system to be insensitive to variations in the amplitude of the detection signal.Furthermore,it is shown that non-equal amplitude of X-mode and O-mode within a certain range only affects the DC offset of Stokes parameters(s_(2),s_(3))but does not greatly influence the phase measurements of Cotton-Mouton effects.

Analysis and verification of electrodynamic force,thermal stress and current sharing for CRAFT converter structure design

In the design realm of fusion power supplies,structural components play a pivotal role in ensuring the safety of fusion devices.To verify the reliability of the converter structure design at the Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology(CRAFT),meticulous analysis of the converter's dynamic impact is carefully performed based on the worst fault current(400k A),firstly.Subsequently,the thermal stress analysis based on the maximum allowable steadystate temperature is finished,and the equivalent thermal stress,thermal deformation,maximum shear stress of a single bridge arm and the whole converter are studied.Furthermore,a simple research method involving the current-sharing characteristics of a bridge arm with multithyristor parallel connection is proposed using a combination of Simplorer with Q3D in ANSYS.The results show that the current-sharing characteristics are excellent.Finally,the structural design has been meticulously tailored to meet the established requirements.

Simulation of deuterium pellet ablation and deposition in the EAST tokamak with HPI2 code

Pellet injection is a primary method for fueling the plasma in magnetic confinement devices.For that goal the knowledges of pellet ablation and deposition profiles are critical.In the present study,the pellet fueling code HPI2 was used to predict the ablation and deposition profiles of deuterium pellets injected into a typical H-mode discharge on the EAST tokamak.Pellet ablation and deposition profiles were evaluated for various pellet injection locations,with the aim at optimizing the pellet injection to obtain a deep fueling depth.In this study,we investigate the effect of the injection angle on the deposition depth of the pellet at different velocities and sizes.The ablation and deposition of the injected pellet are mainly studied at each injection position for three different injection angles:0°,45°,and 60°.The pellet injection on the high field side(HFS)can achieve a more ideal deposition depth than on the low field side(LFS).Among these angles,horizontal injection on the middle plane is relatively better on either the HFS or the LFS.When the injection location is 0.468 m below the middle plane on the HFS or 0.40 m above the middle plane of the LFS,it can achieve a similar deposition depth to the one of its corresponding side.When the pre-cooling effect is taken into account,the deposition depth is predicted to increase only slightly when the pellet is launched from the HFS.The findings of this study will serve as a reference for the update of pellet injection systems for the EAST tokamak.

Physical design and recent experimental results of the new ICRF antenna on EAST

Two new ICRF antennas operating in the ion cyclotron radio frequency(ICRF) range have been developed for EAST to overcome the low coupling problem of the original antennas.The original ICRF antennas were limited in their power capacity due to insufficient coupling.The new antenna design takes into account both wave coupling and absorption processes through comprehensive wave coupling and absorption codes,with the dominant parallel wave number k∥of 7.5 m-1at dipole phasing.Through the use of these new ICRF antennas,we are able to achieve 3.8 MW output power and 360 s operation,respectively.The initial experimental results demonstrate the reliability of the antenna design method.

3D electromagnetic simulation of the coupling characteristics and double-stub Ferrite tuners impedance matching for EAST ICRH four-strap antenna

A program developed with COMSOL software integrates EAST four-strap antenna coupling with the double-stub Ferrite tuners(FT)impedance matching,obtaining physical quantities crucial for predicting the overall performance of the ion cyclotron resonance heating(ICRH)antenna and matching system.These quantities encompass S-matrix,port complex impedance,reflection coefficients,electric field and voltage distribution,and optimal matching settings.In this study,we explore the relationship between S-matrix,reflection coefficients,port complex impedance,and frequency.Then,we analyze the impact of Faraday screens placement position and transparency,the distance from the Faraday screen(FS)to the current straps(CS),the relative distance between ports,and the characteristic impedance of the transmission line on the coupling characteristic impedance of the EAST ICRH system.Finally,we simulate the electric field distribution and voltage distribution of the EAST ICRH system for plasma heating with double-stub FT impedance matching.Using optimized parameters,the coupling power of the ICRH system can be approximately doubled.The results present herein may offer guidance for the design of high-power,long-pulse operation ICRH antenna systems.

Comparison of transport coefficients before and after density pump-out induced by resonant magnetic perturbation using a BOUT++ six-field model on the EAST tokamak

Many experiments have demonstrated that resonant magnetic perturbation(RMP) can affect the turbulent transport at the edge of the tokamak. Through the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST) density modulation experiment, the particle transport coefficients were calculated using the experimental data, and the result shows that the particle transport coefficients increase with RMP. In this study, the six-field two-fluid model in BOUT++ is used to simulate the transport before and after density pump-out induced by RMP,respectively referred as the case without RMP and the case with RMP. In the linear simulations,the instabilities generally decreases for cases with RMP. In the nonlinear simulation, ELM only appears in the case without RMP. Additionally, the particle transport coefficient was analyzed,and the result shows that the particle transport coefficient becomes larger for the case with RMP,which is consistent with the experimental conclusion. Moreover, its magnitude is comparable to the results calculated from experimental data.

Effects of cold rolling path on recrystallization behavior and mechanical properties of pure copper during annealing

The recrystallization behavior,grain boundary characteristic distribution,and mechanical properties of pure Cu sheets that were subjected to different cold rolling paths,and then annealed at 400°C for 10,30,60,and 420 min,were investigated.Different rolling paths changed the grain boundary orientations of cold-rolled copper,causing recrystallized grains to nucleate and grow in an oriented manner.However,the evolution of the texture indicated that cold-rolled copper with different rolling paths did not show an obvious preferred orientation after annealing.The RD-60 specimen exhibited the smallest grain size(6.6μm).The results indicated that the grain size and low-ΣCSL grain boundaries worked together to provide RD-60 samples with appropriate mechanical properties and high plasticity.The yield strength,ultimate tensile strength,and elongation of RD-60 sample were 81 MPa,230 MPa,and 49%,respectively.These results could provide guidance for tuning the microstructures and properties of pure Cu foils,as well as designing fabrication routes for pure Cu foils through processes such as rolling and drawing.

Observation of Doppler shift f_(D) modulated by the internal kink mode using conventional reflectometry in the EAST tokamak

In this paper we present a new experimental observation using a conventional reflectometry technique,poloidal correlation reflectometry(PCR),in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST).The turbulence spectrum detected by the PCR system exhibits an asymmetry and induced Doppler shift f_(D)during the internal kink mode(IKM)rotation phase.This Doppler shift f_(D)is the target measurement of Doppler reflectometry,but captured by conventional reflectometry.Results show that the Doppler shift f_(D)is modulated by the periodic changes in the effective angle between the probing wave and cutoff layer normal,but not by plasma turbulence.The fishbone mode and saturated long-lived mode are typical IKMs,and this modulation phenomenon is observed in both cases.Moreover,the value of the Doppler shift f_(D)is positively correlated with the amplitude of the IKM,even when the latter is small.However,the positive and negative frequency components of the Doppler shift f_(D)can be asymmetric,which is related to the plasma configuration.A simulated analysis is performed by ray tracing to verify these observations.These results establish a clear link between f_(D)and IKM rotation,and are helpful for studying the characteristics of IKM and related physical phenomena.

Simulation of charge-exchange induced NBI losses on EAST

The neutral beam injection is widely adopted in tokamaks as a key heating tool,playing a crucial role in generating burning plasmas.However,the loss of beam ions can damage the first wall and reduce the heating efficiency,resulting in failure to maintain steady-state conditions.In this work,the effect of neutral particles in the edge on fast ions generated by NBI in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST)device is studied using the particle tracer code(PTC).The poloidal distribution of neutral particles is calculated by edge plasma simulation code SOLPS-ITER.In this simulation,four beam lines in EAST are considered:co-current tangential(co-tang),co-current perpendicular(co-perp),counter-current tangential(ctr-tang)and counter-current perpendicular(ctr-perp).It is shown that,in the absence of neutral particles,the loss fraction of ctr-injection is considerably higher than that of the co-injection.When considering the neutral particles,it is found that the ctr-perp injection demonstrates a significant variation in particles loss fraction(ranging from 18.56%to 25.42%)compared to the other three injection configurations.In terms of the loss fraction induced by neutral particles,ctr-injection exceeds co-injection,and perpendicular configuration exceeds tangential configuration.Furthermore,the difference of charge exchange ratios of three different energy(full energy,half energy,one third energy)of the four injections can be attributed to variations in the poloidal trajectories associated with each of these injections.Moreover,approximately half of fast ions which undergo neutralization directly lose to the first wall while the rest re-enter the bulk plasma and re-ionize.Except for the ctr-tang injection,the reionization ions from the other three injections exhibit effective confinement.

Research and development of a 0.5-m-long helical superconducting undulator prototype

The helical undulator is in high demand in synchrotron radiation facilities for circular polarization generation.Owing to the higher field strength provided by the superconducting undulator compared to the conventional permanent-magnet undulator,greater research efforts should be directed toward this area.The helical superconducting undulator holds great potential in synchrotron radiation facilities,especially in low-energy storage rings that seek circularly polarized radiation with the highest possible radiation flux.Following the successful development of planar superconducting undulators,the Institute of High Energy Physics conducted research and development for the helical superconducting undulator.A 0.5-m-long Deltatype superconducting undulator prototype was developed and tested.Detailed information on the design,fabrication,and cryogenic testing of the prototype is presented and discussed.

Initial measurement of ultrafast charge exchange recombination spectroscopy on the EAST tokamak

Ultrafast charge exchange recombination spectroscopy(UF-CXRS)has been developed on the EAST tokamak(Yingying Li et al 2019 Fusion Eng.Des.146522)to measure fast evolutions of ion temperature and toroidal velocity.Here,we report the preliminary diagnostic measurements after relative sensitivity calibration.The measurement results show a much higher temporal resolution compared with conventional CXRS,benefiting from the usage of a prismcoupled,high-dispersion volume-phase holographic transmission grating and a high quantum efficiency,high-gain detector array.Utilizing the UF-CXRS diagnostic,the fast evolutions of the ion temperature and rotation velocity during a set of high-frequency small-amplitude edgelocalized modes(ELMs)are obtained on the EAST tokamak,which are then compared with the case of large-amplitude ELMs.

Wavelength calibration and spectral analysis of vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy in EAST

A vacuum ultraviolet(VUV)spectroscopy with a focal length of 1 m has been engineered specifically for observing edge impurity emissions in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST).In this study,wavelength calibration for the VUV spectroscopy is achieved utilizing a zinc lamp.The grating angle and charge-coupled device(CCD)position are carefully calibrated for different wavelength positions.The wavelength calibration of the VUV spectroscopy is crucial for improving the accuracy of impurity spectral data,and is required to identify more impurity spectral lines for impurity transport research.Impurity spectra of EAST plasmas have also been obtained in the wavelength range of 50–300 nm with relatively high spectral resolution.It is found that the impurity emissions in the edge region are still dominated by low-Z impurities,such as carbon,oxygen,and nitrogen,albeit with the application of fulltungsten divertors on the EAST tokamak.

Linear analysis of plasma pressure-driven mode in reversed shear cylindrical tokamak plasmas

The linear behavior of the dominant unstable mode(m=2,n=1)and its high order harmonics(m=2n,n≥2)are numerically investigated in a reversed magnetic shear cylindrical plasma with two q=2 rational surfaces on the basis of the non-reduced magnetohydrodynamics(MHD)equations.The results show that with low beta(beta is defined as the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic field pressure),the dominant mode is a classical double tearing mode(DTM).However,when the beta is sufficiently large,the mode is driven mainly by plasma pressure.In such a case,both the linear growth rate and mode structures are strongly affected by pressure,while almost independent of the resistivity.This means that the dominant mode undergoes a transition from DTM to pressure-driven mode with the increase of pressure,which is consistent with the experimental result in ASDEX Upgrade.The simulations also show that the distance between two rational surfaces has an important influence on the pressure needed in mode transition.The larger the distance between two rational surfaces,the larger the pressure for driving the mode transition is.Motivated by the phenomena that the high-m modes may dominate over low-m modes at small inter-resonance distance,the high-m modes with different pressures and q profiles are studied too.