Title: Radiative detached divertor with acceptable separatrix Z_eff

Abstract

The feasibility study is performed for the radiative detached divertor (RDD) concept, which characterizes a variety of detached plasmas with impurity amounts providing the highest levels of divertor radiation without X-point MARFE (XPM), based on a set of restrictive criteria for the leading plasma parameters (LPPs) including, e.g., tolerable peak power loads below 1 MW/m2, low separatrix densities, allowable impurity concentrations, and acceptable Z_eff values for a DIII-D like tokamak. For this, extensive simulations with the 2-D edge plasma transport code were done scanning the deuterium and impurity inventories practically for all impurity elements from beryllium to neon and the analysis of LPP variations in these scans is presented. It is shown that, for a given D inventory, the total radiation fraction with an increase in the impurity inventory reaches a flat top level, f_rad = 0.85 ± 0.01, whereas the higher f_rad corresponds to XPM. This critical fraction is the same for all elements and values of the D inventory. Successful RDD solutions with a flat top radiation meeting all ad hoc LPP criteria are found for some elements. Boron and nitrogen are shown to be the most promising elements for seeding, since they are capable of providing alonemore » the successful RDD at the lowest concentrations. Several important effects on impurity radiation are considered including: cross-field impurity transport in regions with strong temperature gradients, multi-species thermal force, charge-exchange of impurity ions with D atoms originating from recombination, impurity entrainment by parallel flows, flows caused by inner/outer divertor asymmetries, and Mach ∼ 1 flows reached inside radiation-ionization fronts. The impurity radiation profiles of various elements are analyzed suggesting three patterns differing in the radiation front position with respect to the D ionization source. The modeled relocation of D from the pedestal into divertor regions; an enhanced pedestal enrichment for impurities with high first ionization potential; and RDD capability of confining inside the divertors the large D inventories as neutral atoms, are considered as effects of increasing impurity inventory. The responses of a flat-top RDD to the input parameters variation are studied. For example, dependencies of LPPs on the input power increase, which express the sharp and even bifurcation transitions between two distinct branches corresponding to the detached and attached divertors, are discussed.« less

Authors:

Pigarov, A. Yu. ^[1]

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1. Univ. of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)

Publication Date:

Fri Oct 27 00:00:00 EDT 2017

Research Org.:

Univ. of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)

OSTI Identifier:

1524548

Alternate Identifier(s):

OSTI ID: 1405217

Grant/Contract Number:  

FG02-04ER54739

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Physics of Plasmas

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 24; Journal Issue: 10; Journal ID: ISSN 1070-664X

Publisher:

American Institute of Physics (AIP)

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY