Recent results from DIII-D and their implications for next generation tokamaks

Conference · Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:6447655

Luxon, J L; Bramson, G; Burrell, K H; Brooks, N H; Callis, R W; Carlstrom, T N; Chu, M S; Colleraine, A P; DeBoo, J C; Ferron, J R; Freeman, R; Gohil, P; Greenfield, C M; Groebner, R J; Hong, R; Howl, W; Hsieh, C L; Jackson, G L; Jensen, T; Kellman, A G ; Kim, J; Lao, L L; La Haye, R; Leikind, B; Lippmann, S I; Lohr, J; Luce, T C; Mahdavi, M A; Mayberry, M; Moeller, C P; Osborne, T H; Overskei, D O

Recent results from the DIII-D tokamak have provided significant contributions to the understanding of many of the elements of tokamak physics and the application of this understanding to the design of next generation devices including ITER and CIT. The limitations of magnetohydrodynamics stability on the values of plasma beta (the ratio of kinetic pressure to the containing pressure of the magnetic field) that can be attained has been experimentally demonstrated and found to be described by existing theory. Values of beta (10.7%) well in excess of those required for proposed devices (ITER and CIT) have been demonstrated. Regimes of confinement (H-mode) have been established that scale favorably to proposed next generation devices, and experiments demonstrating the dependence of the energy confinement on plasma size have been completed. Understanding of confinement is rapidly developing especially in the areas of bulk transport and the role of turbulence in the plasma edge. Key experimental results in areas of plasma transport and edge plasma phenomena are found to be in agreement with theories based on short wavelength turbulence. Control of the divertor heat loads and impurity influx has been demonstrated, and new progress has been made in the understanding of plasma edge phenomena. Experiments with ion Bernstein wave heating have not found regimes in which these waves can produce effective central ion heating. Electron cyclotron current drive experiments have demonstrated 70 kA of driven current in 400 kA discharges.

• Research Organization: General Atomics, San Diego, CA (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/ER
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-89ER51114
• OSTI ID: 6447655
• Report Number(s): GA-A-20181; CONF-900602-21; ON: DE91001316; TRN: 91-000062
• Resource Relation: Conference: 17. European conference on controlled fusion and plasma heating, Amsterdam (Netherlands), 25-29 Jun 1990
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
DOUBLET REACTORS
H-MODE PLASMA CONFINEMENT
BERNSTEIN MODE
CHARGED-PARTICLE TRANSPORT
CONFINEMENT TIME
DESIGN
DIVERTORS
ECR HEATING
IMPURITIES
MHD EQUILIBRIUM
NON-INDUCTIVE CURRENT DRIVE
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PRESSURE GRADIENTS
RF SYSTEMS
TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION
THERMAL DIFFUSIVITY
CONFINEMENT
EQUILIBRIUM
HEATING
HIGH-FREQUENCY HEATING
INSTABILITY
OSCILLATION MODES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
PLASMA HEATING
RADIATION TRANSPORT
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
TOKAMAK TYPE REACTORS
700101* - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Confinement
Heating
& Production
700107 - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Instabilities