Understanding of Neutral Gas Transport in the Alcator C-Mod Tokamak Divertor

Technical Report · Tue May 07 04:00:00 EDT 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/798165· OSTI ID:798165

Stotler, D P ^[1]; Pitcher, C S; Boswell, C J; LaBombard, B; Terry, J L; Elder, J D; Lisgo, S

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1. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

A series of experiments on the effect of divertor baffling on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak provides stringent tests on models of neutral gas transport in and around the divertor region. One attractive feature of these experiments is that a trial description of the background plasma can be constructed from experimental measurements using a simple model, allowing the neutral gas transport to be studied with a stand-alone code. The neutral-ion and neutral-neutral elastic scattering processes recently added to the DEGAS 2 Monte Carlo neutral transport code permit the neutral gas flow rates between the divertor and main chamber to be simulated more realistically than before. Nonetheless, the simulated neutral pressures are too low and the deuterium Balmer-alpha emission profiles differ qualitatively from those measured, indicating an incomplete understanding of the physical processes involved in the experiment. Some potential explanations are examined and opportunities for future exploration a re highlighted. Improvements to atomic and surface physics data and models will play a role in the latter.

• Research Organization: Princeton Plasma Physics Lab., NJ (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (US)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH03073
• OSTI ID: 798165
• Report Number(s): PPPL-3690.pdf
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
DEUTERIUM
DIVERTORS
ELASTIC SCATTERING
EXPLORATION
GAS FLOW
PHYSICS
PLASMA
TRANSPORT