Enhanced carbon influx into TFTR supershots
Under some conditions, a very large influx of carbon into TFTR occurs during beam injection into low recycling plasmas (the Supershot regime). These carbon blooms'' result in serious degradation of plasma parameters. The sources of this carbon have been identified as hot spots on the TFTR bumper limiter at or near the last closed flux surface. Two separate temperature thresholds have been identified. One, at about 1650{degree}C, is consistent with radiation enhanced sublimation. The other, at about 2300{degree}C, appears to be thermal sublimation of carbon from the limiter. To account for the increased density caused by the blooms, near unity recycling of the carbon at the limiter by physical sputtering is required; this effect is expected from laboratory measurements, and we believe we are seeing it on TFTR. The sources of the carbon blooms are sites which have either loosely attached fragments of limiter material (caused by damage) or surfaces nearly perpendicular to the magnetic field lines. Such surfaces may have local power depositions two orders of magnitude higher than usual. The TFTR team modified the limiter during the opening of Winter 1989--90. The modifications greatly reduced the number and magnitude of the blooms, so that they are no longer a problem.
- Research Organization:
- Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE/ER
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH03073
- OSTI ID:
- 6168984
- Report Number(s):
- PPPL-2701; ON: DE91004956; TRN: 91-000098
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Experiments on TFTR supershot plasmas
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Related Subjects
TFTR TOKAMAK
PLASMA IMPURITIES
BEAM INJECTION
CARBON
ION TEMPERATURE
LIMITERS
MODIFICATIONS
SPUTTERING
SUBLIMATION
TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION
ELEMENTS
EVAPORATION
IMPURITIES
NONMETALS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
TOKAMAK TYPE REACTORS
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