Award Description
The integration of a high-performance steady-state fusion core and a dissipative divertor has been widely identified as a critical gap for the design of future fusion reactors. The X-point radiator (XPR) is a promising power exhaust approach by radiating high fraction of power inside the separatrix to achieve high degree of dissipation, while the XPR could lead to strong pedestal performance degradation. This experiment aims to integrate the X-point radiator (XPR) with high poloidal beta core plasmas, leverage the large radius internal transport barrier to improve the plasma performance and investigate the XPR detachment physics and the core-edge interaction under XPR. The experiment will explore the compact radiative divertor (CRD) concept by moving the plasma X-point closer to the divertor target and investigate the effects of flux expansion on the XPR divertor operation. The experiment data could also be used to study other important physics topics, such as the impurity transport and control under high performance core and highly dissipative divertor, and the effects of impurity on the plasma instabilities including ELM dynamics. The exploration of integration of high betaP core with advanced power exhaust scenarios (XPR & CRD) could provide strong reference for the design and operation for a future fusion reactor.
