Optimized profiles for improved confinement and stability in the DIII-D tokamak
- General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); and others
Simultaneous achievement of high energy confinement, {tau}{sub E}, and high plasma beta, {beta}, leads to an economically attractive compact tokamak fusion reactor. High confinement enhancement, H = {tau}{sub E}/{tau}{sub E-ITER89P} = 4, and high normalized beta {beta}{sub N} = {beta}/(I/aB) = 6%-m-T/MA, have been obtained in DIII-D experimental discharges. These improved confinement and/or improved stability limits are observed in several DIII-D high performance operational regimes: VH-mode, high {ell}{sub i} H-mode, second stable core, and high beta poloidal. The authors have identified several important features of the improved performance in these discharges: details of the plasma shape, toroidal rotation or ExB flow profile, q profile and current density profile, and pressure profile. From the improved physics understanding of these enhanced performance regimes, they have developed operational scenarios which maintain the essential features of the improved confinement and which increase the stability limits using localized current profile control. The stability limit is increased by modifying the interior safety factor profile to be nonmonotonic with high central q, while maintaining the edge current density consistent with the improved transport regimes and the high edge bootstrap current. They have calculated high beta equilibria with {beta}{sub N} = 6.5, stable to ideal n = 1 kinks and stable to ideal ballooning modes. The safety factor at the 95% flux surface is 6, the central q value is 3.9 and the minimum in q is 2.6. The current density profile is maintained by the natural profile of the bootstrap current, and a modest amount of electron cyclotron current drive.
- Research Organization:
- General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-89ER51114; AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 46709
- Report Number(s):
- GA-A-21757; CONF-9406270-8; ON: DE95009606; TRN: 95:010995
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 21. EPS conference on controlled fusion and plasma physics, Montpellier (France), 27 Jun - 1 Jul 1994; Other Information: PBD: Feb 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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