Controlled NTM Healing by Fueling Pellets and its Impact on Electron Cyclotron Current Drive Requirements for Complete NTM Stabilization

doi:10.1088/1741-4326/ab472d

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Title: Controlled NTM Healing by Fueling Pellets and its Impact on Electron Cyclotron Current Drive Requirements for Complete NTM Stabilization

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Abstract

Controlled partial stabilization of core m=n = 2=1 Neoclassical Tearing Modes (NTMs) by fueling deuterium pellets is reported in DIII-D and KSTAR H-mode plasmas (m=n are the poloidal/toroidal mode numbers). Analyses of DIII-D data exploring possible physics origins show that an explanation is offered by NTM-turbulence multi-scale interaction, triggered by a sudden increase of local gradients near q=2 caused by the pellet. Pellet injection from the high-field side allows deep fueling which reaches the island region. In turn, low-k turbulent density uctuations (en) increase by 30% in the island region. This en can drive transport across the island separatrices, reducing the pressure at spot at the O-point and diminishing the NTM drive. The Mirnov probe array detects the reduction of the 2/1 magnetic amplitude by up to 20%. Causality between elevated gradients outside of the island, turbulence spreading into the island and reduced NTM drive is qualitatively supported by non-linear gyrokinetic turbulence simulations. These show increased penetration of ion-scale en from the background plasma to the O-point region when the background gradient is increased. This interaction has potentially far reaching consequences as it can can lead to a reduction of the required electron cyclotron current density (jECCD) for NTM suppressionmore »« less

Authors:

^[1];

; Bañon-Navarro, Alejandro; Shiraki, Daisuke; La Haye, Robert John; Park, S. H.;

;

; McKee, George R.; Woo, Minho; Park, B. H.; Jenko, Frank

General Atomics, La Jolla, CA (United States); Oak Ridge Associated Univ., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Publication Date:: 2019-09-24

Research Org.:: U.S. Dept. of Energy

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) (SC-24)

OSTI Identifier:: 1569040

Grant/Contract Number:: FC02-04ER54698

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Nuclear Fusion

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Name: Nuclear Fusion; Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5515

Publisher:: IOP Science

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Citation Formats


                    Bardoczi, Laszlo, Choi, Minjun J., Bañon-Navarro, Alejandro, Shiraki, Daisuke, La Haye, Robert John, Park, S. H., Knölker, M., Evans, Todd E., McKee, George R., Woo, Minho, Park, B. H., and Jenko, Frank. Controlled NTM Healing by Fueling Pellets and its Impact on Electron Cyclotron Current Drive Requirements for Complete NTM Stabilization.  United States: N. p., 2019. 
        Web.  doi:10.1088/1741-4326/ab472d.

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                    Bardoczi, Laszlo, Choi, Minjun J., Bañon-Navarro, Alejandro, Shiraki, Daisuke, La Haye, Robert John, Park, S. H., Knölker, M., Evans, Todd E., McKee, George R., Woo, Minho, Park, B. H., & Jenko, Frank. Controlled NTM Healing by Fueling Pellets and its Impact on Electron Cyclotron Current Drive Requirements for Complete NTM Stabilization.  United States.  doi:10.1088/1741-4326/ab472d.

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                    Bardoczi, Laszlo, Choi, Minjun J., Bañon-Navarro, Alejandro, Shiraki, Daisuke, La Haye, Robert John, Park, S. H., Knölker, M., Evans, Todd E., McKee, George R., Woo, Minho, Park, B. H., and Jenko, Frank. Tue .  
        "Controlled NTM Healing by Fueling Pellets and its Impact on Electron Cyclotron Current Drive Requirements for Complete NTM Stabilization".  United States.  doi:10.1088/1741-4326/ab472d.

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@article{osti_1569040,

  title        = {Controlled NTM Healing by Fueling Pellets and its Impact on Electron Cyclotron Current Drive Requirements for Complete NTM Stabilization},

  author       = {Bardoczi, Laszlo and Choi, Minjun J. and Bañon-Navarro, Alejandro and Shiraki, Daisuke and La Haye, Robert John and Park, S. H. and Knölker, M. and Evans, Todd E. and McKee, George R. and Woo, Minho and Park, B. H. and Jenko, Frank},

  abstractNote = {Controlled partial stabilization of core m=n = 2=1 Neoclassical Tearing Modes (NTMs) by fueling deuterium pellets is reported in DIII-D and KSTAR H-mode plasmas (m=n are the poloidal/toroidal mode numbers). Analyses of DIII-D data exploring possible physics origins show that an explanation is offered by NTM-turbulence multi-scale interaction, triggered by a sudden increase of local gradients near q=2 caused by the pellet. Pellet injection from the high-field side allows deep fueling which reaches the island region. In turn, low-k turbulent density uctuations (en) increase by 30% in the island region. This en can drive transport across the island separatrices, reducing the pressure at spot at the O-point and diminishing the NTM drive. The Mirnov probe array detects the reduction of the 2/1 magnetic amplitude by up to 20%. Causality between elevated gradients outside of the island, turbulence spreading into the island and reduced NTM drive is qualitatively supported by non-linear gyrokinetic turbulence simulations. These show increased penetration of ion-scale en from the background plasma to the O-point region when the background gradient is increased. This interaction has potentially far reaching consequences as it can can lead to a reduction of the required electron cyclotron current density (jECCD) for NTM suppression by 70%, as predicted by the modified Rutherford equation. This beneicial effect of fueling pellets can be important as jECCD is the anticipated active NTM control technique for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), but its efficiency will be lowered by third harmonic absorption in Pre-Fusion Power Operation-1 (PFPO-1) at half magnetic field.},

  doi          = {10.1088/1741-4326/ab472d},

  journal      = {Nuclear Fusion},

  number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {2019},

  month        = {9}

}

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