DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Improvement on the plasma performances via application of flowing lithium limiters in EAST tokamak

Abstract

Three generation of flowing liquid lithium (FLiLi) limiters have been developed and successfully tested in EAST since 2014. It was confirmed that liquid Li could be driven by an innovative in-vessel DC electromagnetic J × B pump to form a recirculating loop. The FLiLi design was continuously upgraded, resulting in improvement of the liquid Li surface coverage (>80%), elimination of surface erosion, and the increase of heat exhaust capability. Promising results are obtained during FLiLi operations, including a reduction of impurities and recycling to improve plasma confinement, and a mitigation of ELM activity in H-mode plasmas. The FLiLi limiter program has shown basic compatibility with H-mode discharges with auxiliary heating power up to 8.3 MW. These efforts will expand to flowing liquid Li PFC in high heat flux zones, e.g. near the divertor strike point in reactors.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]; ORCiD logo [5];  [1];  [4];  [6];  [7];  [8];  [1];  [1]
  1. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hefei (China). Inst. of Plasma Physics
  2. Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
  3. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hefei (China). Inst. of Plasma Physics ; Univ. of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China)
  4. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hefei (China). Inst. of Plasma Physics; Shenzhen Univ. (China)
  5. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hefei (China). Inst. of Plasma Physics ; Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
  6. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hefei (China). Inst. of Plasma Physics; Univ. of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China)
  7. Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States)
  8. Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1619053
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-09CH11466; 11775261; 11625524; and 11605246; 2017YFE0301100; 2017YFA0402500
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physica Scripta
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: T171; Journal ID: ISSN 0031-8949
Publisher:
IOP Publishing
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY

Citation Formats

Zuo, G. Z., Hu, J. S., Maingi, R., Li, C. L., Meng, X. C., Sun, Z., Huang, M., Xu, W., Qian, Y. Z., Andruczyk, D., Tritz, K., Gong, X. Z., and Li, J. G.. Improvement on the plasma performances via application of flowing lithium limiters in EAST tokamak. United States: N. p., 2020. Web. doi:10.1088/1402-4896/ab3bed.
Zuo, G. Z., Hu, J. S., Maingi, R., Li, C. L., Meng, X. C., Sun, Z., Huang, M., Xu, W., Qian, Y. Z., Andruczyk, D., Tritz, K., Gong, X. Z., & Li, J. G.. Improvement on the plasma performances via application of flowing lithium limiters in EAST tokamak. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/1402-4896/ab3bed
Zuo, G. Z., Hu, J. S., Maingi, R., Li, C. L., Meng, X. C., Sun, Z., Huang, M., Xu, W., Qian, Y. Z., Andruczyk, D., Tritz, K., Gong, X. Z., and Li, J. G.. Wed . "Improvement on the plasma performances via application of flowing lithium limiters in EAST tokamak". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/1402-4896/ab3bed. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1619053.
@article{osti_1619053,
title = {Improvement on the plasma performances via application of flowing lithium limiters in EAST tokamak},
author = {Zuo, G. Z. and Hu, J. S. and Maingi, R. and Li, C. L. and Meng, X. C. and Sun, Z. and Huang, M. and Xu, W. and Qian, Y. Z. and Andruczyk, D. and Tritz, K. and Gong, X. Z. and Li, J. G.},
abstractNote = {Three generation of flowing liquid lithium (FLiLi) limiters have been developed and successfully tested in EAST since 2014. It was confirmed that liquid Li could be driven by an innovative in-vessel DC electromagnetic J × B pump to form a recirculating loop. The FLiLi design was continuously upgraded, resulting in improvement of the liquid Li surface coverage (>80%), elimination of surface erosion, and the increase of heat exhaust capability. Promising results are obtained during FLiLi operations, including a reduction of impurities and recycling to improve plasma confinement, and a mitigation of ELM activity in H-mode plasmas. The FLiLi limiter program has shown basic compatibility with H-mode discharges with auxiliary heating power up to 8.3 MW. These efforts will expand to flowing liquid Li PFC in high heat flux zones, e.g. near the divertor strike point in reactors.},
doi = {10.1088/1402-4896/ab3bed},
journal = {Physica Scripta},
number = ,
volume = T171,
place = {United States},
year = {2020},
month = {2}
}

Works referenced in this record:

Performance projections for the lithium tokamak experiment (LTX)
journal, April 2009


Conference Report on the 4rd International Symposium on Lithium Applications
journal, September 2016


Compatibility of lithium plasma-facing surfaces with high edge temperatures in the Lithium Tokamak Experiment
journal, May 2017

  • Majeski, R.; Bell, R. E.; Boyle, D. P.
  • Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 24, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4977916

Methods and preliminary measurement results of liquid Li wettability
journal, February 2014

  • Zuo, G. Z.; Hu, J. S.; Ren, J.
  • Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 85, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4865118

Effects of large area liquid lithium limiters on spherical torus plasmas
journal, March 2005


Experiments with lithium limiter on T-11M tokamak and applications of the lithium capillary-pore system in future fusion reactor devices
journal, May 2006

  • Mirnov, S. V.; Azizov, E. A.; Evtikhin, V. A.
  • Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, Vol. 48, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1088/0741-3335/48/6/009

Upgraded flowing liquid lithium limiter for improving Li coverage uniformity and erosion resistance in EAST device
journal, December 2017

  • Zuo, G. Z.; Hu, J. S.; Maingi, R.
  • Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 88, Issue 12
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4997806

Lithium–metal infused trenches (LiMIT) for heat removal in fusion devices
journal, August 2011


Impact of lithium-coated walls on plasma performance in the TJ-II stellarator
journal, June 2009


First results of lithium experiments on EAST and HT-7
journal, August 2011


Edge properties with the liquid lithium limiter in FTU—experiment and transport modelling
journal, June 2007

  • Pericoli-Ridolfini, V.; Apicella, M. L.; Mazzitelli, G.
  • Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, Vol. 49, Issue 7
  • DOI: 10.1088/0741-3335/49/7/S09

Observation of Flat Electron Temperature Profiles in the Lithium Tokamak Experiment
journal, July 2017


Conference Report on the 3rd International Symposium on Lithium Application for Fusion Devices
journal, January 2015


Liquid lithium surface control and its effect on plasma performance in the HT-7 tokamak
journal, December 2014


Enhanced Energy Confinement and Performance in a Low-Recycling Tokamak
journal, August 2006


Lithium erosion experiments and modelling under quiescent plasma conditions in DIII-D
journal, April 2004


Liquid lithium divertor system for fusion reactor
journal, June 2009


Overview of the FTU results
journal, September 2007


Review of FTU results with the liquid lithium limiter
journal, November 2010


Results from an improved flowing liquid lithium limiter with increased flow uniformity in high power plasmas in EAST
journal, November 2018