Reinke, M.; Brunner, D.; Golfinopoulos, T.; ... - Nuclear Fusion
In order to more completely demonstrate the I-mode regime as a compelling fusion reactor operating scenario, the first dedicated attempts at I-mode radiative heat exhaust and detachment were carried out on Alcator C-Mod. Results conclusively show that within the parameter space explored, an I/L back-transition is triggered prior to meaningful reductions in parallel heat flux, q
║, target temperature, T
e,tar and target pressure, p
e,tar at the outer divertor. The exact mechanism for the I/L trigger remains uncertain, but a multi-diagnostic investigation suggests the pedestal regulation physics is impacted promptly by small amounts of N
2 seeded into the private flux region. Furthermore,
more » the time delay between when N2 contacts the plasma and the I/L transition is triggered varied from 30–120 ms, approximately 0.7-3×τE, and the delay varied inversely with I-mode pedestal-top pressure, pe,95. Power and nitrogen influx scans indicate that the I/L transitions are not linked to excessive bulk-plasma impurity radiation. Additionally, it is also shown that in the subsequent L-mode following nitrogen seeding, q║ and Te,tar can be reduced by factors of ~10. The I/L transition and L-mode exhaust results using N2 are compared to similar attempts using Ne where such q║ and Te,tar reductions in L-mode are limited to factors of 2-3. Implications for the I-mode regime are discussed, including needs for follow-up experiments on other facilities.« less
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