Edge transport studies in the edge and scrape-off layer of the National Spherical Torus Experiment with Langmuir probes
- University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, California 92093 (United States)
- Lodestar Research Corp, 2400 Central Ave., Boulder, Colorado 80301 (United States)
- Princeton University, PO Box 451, Princeton, New Jersey 08543 (United States)
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, PO Box 2008, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830 (United States)
- University of California Los Angeles, PO Box 957099, Los Angeles, California 90095 (United States)
Transport and turbulence profiles were directly evaluated using probes for the first time in the edge and scrape-off layer (SOL) of NSTX [Ono et al., Nucl. Fusion 40, 557 (2000)] in low (L) and high (H) confinement, low power (P{sub in}∼ 1.3 MW), beam-heated, lower single-null discharges. Radial turbulent particle fluxes peak near the last closed flux surface (LCFS) at ≈4×10{sup 21} s{sup −1} in L-mode and are suppressed to ≈0.2×10{sup 21} s{sup −1} in H mode (80%–90% lower) mostly due to a reduction in density fluctuation amplitude and of the phase between density and radial velocity fluctuations. The radial particle fluxes are consistent with particle inventory based on SOLPS fluid modeling. A strong intermittent component is identified. Hot, dense plasma filaments 4–10 cm in diameter, appear first ∼2 cm inside the LCFS at a rate of ∼1×10{sup 21} s{sup −1} and leave that region with radial speeds of ∼3–5 km/s, decaying as they travel through the SOL, while voids travel inward toward the core. Profiles of normalized fluctuations feature levels of 10% inside LCFS to ∼150% at the LCFS and SOL. Once properly normalized, the intermittency in NSTX falls in similar electrostatic instability regimes as seen in other devices. The L-H transition causes a drop in the intermittent filaments velocity, amplitude and number in the SOL, resulting in reduced outward transport away from the edge and a less dense SOL.
- OSTI ID:
- 22252993
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 21, Issue 4; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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