skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: H-mode plasmas at very low aspect ratio on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment

Journal Article · · Nuclear Fusion

H-mode is obtained at $$A\sim 1.2$$ in the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment via Ohmic heating, high-field-side fueling, and low edge recycling in both limited and diverted magnetic topologies. These H-mode plasmas show the formation of edge current and pressure pedestals and a doubling of the energy confinement time to $${{H}_{98y,2}}\sim 1$$ . The L–H power threshold $${{P}_{\text{LH}}}$$ increases with density, and there is no $${{P}_{\text{LH}}}$$ minimum observed in the attainable density space. The power threshold is equivalent in limited and diverted plasmas, consistent with the FM3 model. However, the measured $${{P}_{\text{LH}}}$$ is $$\sim 15\,\,\times $$ higher than that predicted by conventional International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) scalings, and $${{P}_{\text{LH}}}/{{P}_{\text{ITPA}08}}$$ increases as $$A\to 1$$ . Small ELMs are present at low input power $${{P}_{\text{IN}}}\sim {{P}_{\text{LH}}}$$ , with toroidal mode number $$n\leqslant 4$$ . At $${{P}_{\text{IN}}}\gg {{P}_{\text{LH}}}$$ , they transition to large ELMs with intermediate 5 < n < 15. The dominant-n component of a large ELM grows exponentially, while other components evolve nonlinearly and can damp prior to the crash. Direct measurements of the current profile in the pedestal region show that both ELM types exhibit a generation of a current-hole, followed by a pedestal recovery. Large ELMs are shown to further expel a current-carrying filament. Small ELM suppression via injection of low levels of helical current into the edge plasma region is also indicated.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-96ER54375
OSTI ID:
1333880
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1327562
Journal Information:
Nuclear Fusion, Vol. 57, Issue 2; Related Information: K.E. Thome, M.W. Bongard, J.L. Barr, G.M. Bodner, M.G. Burke, R.J. Fonck, D.M. Kriete, J.M. Perry, J.A. Reusch, and D.J. Schlossberg, "Public Data Set: H-mode Plasmas at Very Low Aspect Ratio on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment," DOI: 10.18138/1236495; ISSN 0029-5515
Publisher:
IOP ScienceCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 14 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (51)

Public Data Set: Continuous, Edge Localized Ion Heating During Non-Solenoidal Plasma Startup and Sustainment in a Low Aspect Ratio Tokamak dataset January 2017
Measurement of Peeling Mode Edge Current Profile Dynamics journal July 2011
Characterization of peeling modes in a low aspect ratio tokamak journal November 2014
Public Data Set: Advancing Local Helicity Injection for Non-Solenoidal Tokamak Startup dataset January 2019
Public Data Set: Non-inductively Driven Tokamak Plasmas at Near-Unity βt in the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment
  • Reusch, Joshua; Bodner, Grant; Bongard, Michael
  • Pegasus-Supplementary information for journal article at DOI: 10.1063/1.5017966, 1 file (5.1 MB) https://doi.org/10.18138/1410490
dataset March 2018
Roles of aspect ratio, absolute B and effective Z of the H-mode power threshold in tokamaks of the ITPA database journal April 2004
Equilibrium properties at very low aspect ratio in the Pegasus toroidal experiment journal August 2008
Characteristics of type I and type III ELM precursors in ASDEX upgrade journal January 1998
High- performance of the START spherical tokamak journal December 1997
Current carrying blob filaments and edge-localized-mode dynamics journal October 2007
H-mode plasmas in the MAST spherical tokamak journal April 2002
High Confinement Mode and Edge Localized Mode Characteristics in a Near-Unity Aspect Ratio Tokamak journal April 2016
Confinement physics of H-mode discharges in DIII-D journal August 1989
Analysis of current drive using MSE polarimetry without equilibrium reconstruction journal August 2002
Modelling of edge localised modes and edge localised mode control journal February 2015
Features of spherical torus plasmas journal June 1986
Chapter 2: Plasma confinement and transport journal December 1999
Overview of physics results from MAST journal September 2009
Critical edge parameters for H-mode transition in DIII-D journal May 1998
Public Data Set: A Power-Balance Model for Local Helicity Injection Startup in a Spherical Tokamak dataset May 2018
H-mode pedestal, ELM and power threshold studies in NSTX journal August 2005
Magnetic Topology Changes Induced by Lower Hybrid Waves and their Profound Effect on Edge-Localized Modes in the EAST Tokamak journal June 2013
Observation of the L H Confinement Bifurcation Triggered by a Turbulence-Driven Shear Flow in a Tokamak Plasma journal March 2014
Public Data Set: Initiation and Sustainment of Tokamak Plasmas with Local Helicity Injection as the Majority Current Drive
  • Perry, Justin; Bodner, Grant; Bongard, Michael
  • Pegasus-Supplementary information for journal article at DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/aac72e, 1 file (17.1 MB) https://doi.org/10.18138/1419641
dataset July 2018
Edge-localized-modes in tokamaks journal September 2014
Tokamak startup using outboard current injection on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment journal June 2011
Edge localized modes (ELMs) journal February 1996
Multi-point, high-speed passive ion velocity distribution diagnostic on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment journal October 2012
Mode coupling and aspect ratio effects on low and high- n plasma instabilities journal June 2015
Pedestal stability comparison and ITER pedestal prediction journal July 2009
Performance and stability of near-unity aspect ratio plasmas in the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment journal May 2003
Rotation Reversal Bifurcation and Energy Confinement Saturation in Tokamak Ohmic L -Mode Plasmas journal December 2011
Progress on Thomson scattering in the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment journal November 2013
Public Data Set: Radially Scanning Magnetic Probes to Study Local Helicity Injection Dynamics
  • Richner, Nathan; Bongard, Michael; Fonck, Raymond
  • Pegasus-Supplementary information for journal article at DOI: 10.1063/1.5036527, 1 file (9.4 MB) https://doi.org/10.18138/1432455
dataset July 2018
A review of theories of the L-H transition journal December 1999
H-mode physics of near double null plasmas in MAST and its applications to other tokamaks journal December 2005
Dependence of the L–H transition on X-point geometry and divertor recycling on NSTX journal October 2013
Overview of L–H power threshold studies in NSTX journal May 2010
Effect of gas fuelling location on H-mode access in NSTX journal April 2004
Simple analytic form of the relativistic Thomson scattering spectrum journal October 1980
A Hall sensor array for internal current profile constraint journal October 2010
Evolution of Filament Structures during Edge-Localized Modes in the MAST Tokamak journal May 2006
A new model of the L–H transition in tokamaks journal April 2012
Power requirement for accessing the H-mode in ITER journal July 2008
The influence of gas fuelling location on H-mode access in the MAST spherical tokamak journal May 2004
Progress in the peeling-ballooning model of edge localized modes: Numerical studies of nonlinear dynamics journal May 2005
ELM control strategies and tools: status and potential for ITER journal March 2013
L–H threshold studies in NSTX journal October 2011
Intrinsic rotation generation in NSTX ohmic H-mode plasmas journal May 2013
Scaling of H-mode threshold power and L–H edge conditions with favourable ion grad- B drift in Alcator C-Mod tokamak journal January 2012
Nonlinear MHD simulations of edge-localized-modes in JET journal April 2011

Cited By (12)

Non-inductively driven tokamak plasmas at near-unity βt in the P egasus toroidal experiment journal May 2018
Public Data Set: Continuous, Edge Localized Ion Heating During Non-Solenoidal Plasma Startup and Sustainment in a Low Aspect Ratio Tokamak dataset January 2017
Public Data Set: Advancing Local Helicity Injection for Non-Solenoidal Tokamak Startup dataset January 2019
Radially scanning magnetic probes to study local helicity injection dynamics journal October 2018
Public Data Set: Non-inductively Driven Tokamak Plasmas at Near-Unity βt in the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment
  • Reusch, Joshua; Bodner, Grant; Bongard, Michael
  • Pegasus-Supplementary information for journal article at DOI: 10.1063/1.5017966, 1 file (5.1 MB) https://doi.org/10.18138/1410490
dataset March 2018
Public Data Set: A Power-Balance Model for Local Helicity Injection Startup in a Spherical Tokamak dataset May 2018
Public Data Set: Radially Scanning Magnetic Probes to Study Local Helicity Injection Dynamics
  • Richner, Nathan; Bongard, Michael; Fonck, Raymond
  • Pegasus-Supplementary information for journal article at DOI: 10.1063/1.5036527, 1 file (9.4 MB) https://doi.org/10.18138/1432455
dataset July 2018
Long-lived coupled peeling ballooning modes preceding ELMs on JET journal March 2019
Public Data Set: Spatial Heterodyne Spectroscopy for High Speed Measurements of Stark Split Neutral Beam Emission in a High Temperature Plasma dataset January 2018
Formation of the non-axisymmetric helical current driven by a biased electrode in the scrape-off layer on J-TEXT journal August 2019
Public Data Set: H-mode Plasmas at Very Low Aspect Ratio on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment dataset January 2016
Public Data Set: Initiation and Sustainment of Tokamak Plasmas with Local Helicity Injection as the Majority Current Drive
  • Perry, Justin; Bodner, Grant; Bongard, Michael
  • Pegasus-Supplementary information for journal article at DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/aac72e, 1 file (17.1 MB) https://doi.org/10.18138/1419641
dataset July 2018