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Title: Effect of Applied Toroidal Electric Field on the Growth/Decay of Plateau-Phase Runaway Electron Currents in DIII-D

Abstract

Large relativistic runaway electron currents (0.1-0.5 MA) persisting for similar to 100 ms are created in the DIII-D tokamak during rapid discharge shut down caused by argon pellet injection. Slow upward and downward ramps in runaway currents were found in response to externally applied loop voltages. Comparison between the observed current growth/decay rate and the rate expected from the knock-on avalanche mechanism suggests that classical collisional dissipation of runaways alone cannot account for the measured growth/damping rates. It appears that a fairly constant anomalous dissipation rate of order 10 s(-1) exists, possibly stemming from radial transport or direct orbit losses to the vessel walls, although the possibility of an apparent loss due to current profile shrinking cannot be ruled out at present.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [3];  [3];  [1];  [5];  [4];  [6];  [3];  [7];  [2];  [1]
  1. University of California, San Diego
  2. General Atomics
  3. General Atomics, San Diego
  4. ORNL
  5. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
  6. Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)
  7. University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1037085
DOE Contract Number:  
DE-AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Nuclear Fusion
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 51; Journal Issue: 10
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Citation Formats

Hollmann, E M, Parks, P B, Humphrey, D A, Brooks, N H, Commaux, Nicolas JC, Eidietis, N W, Evans, T E, James, A N, Jernigan, T C, Jernigan, Thomas C, Munoz, J, Strait, E J, Tsui, C, Wesley, J C, and Yu, J H. Effect of Applied Toroidal Electric Field on the Growth/Decay of Plateau-Phase Runaway Electron Currents in DIII-D. United States: N. p., 2011. Web. doi:10.1088/0029-5515/51/10/103026.
Hollmann, E M, Parks, P B, Humphrey, D A, Brooks, N H, Commaux, Nicolas JC, Eidietis, N W, Evans, T E, James, A N, Jernigan, T C, Jernigan, Thomas C, Munoz, J, Strait, E J, Tsui, C, Wesley, J C, & Yu, J H. Effect of Applied Toroidal Electric Field on the Growth/Decay of Plateau-Phase Runaway Electron Currents in DIII-D. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0029-5515/51/10/103026
Hollmann, E M, Parks, P B, Humphrey, D A, Brooks, N H, Commaux, Nicolas JC, Eidietis, N W, Evans, T E, James, A N, Jernigan, T C, Jernigan, Thomas C, Munoz, J, Strait, E J, Tsui, C, Wesley, J C, and Yu, J H. 2011. "Effect of Applied Toroidal Electric Field on the Growth/Decay of Plateau-Phase Runaway Electron Currents in DIII-D". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0029-5515/51/10/103026.
@article{osti_1037085,
title = {Effect of Applied Toroidal Electric Field on the Growth/Decay of Plateau-Phase Runaway Electron Currents in DIII-D},
author = {Hollmann, E M and Parks, P B and Humphrey, D A and Brooks, N H and Commaux, Nicolas JC and Eidietis, N W and Evans, T E and James, A N and Jernigan, T C and Jernigan, Thomas C and Munoz, J and Strait, E J and Tsui, C and Wesley, J C and Yu, J H},
abstractNote = {Large relativistic runaway electron currents (0.1-0.5 MA) persisting for similar to 100 ms are created in the DIII-D tokamak during rapid discharge shut down caused by argon pellet injection. Slow upward and downward ramps in runaway currents were found in response to externally applied loop voltages. Comparison between the observed current growth/decay rate and the rate expected from the knock-on avalanche mechanism suggests that classical collisional dissipation of runaways alone cannot account for the measured growth/damping rates. It appears that a fairly constant anomalous dissipation rate of order 10 s(-1) exists, possibly stemming from radial transport or direct orbit losses to the vessel walls, although the possibility of an apparent loss due to current profile shrinking cannot be ruled out at present.},
doi = {10.1088/0029-5515/51/10/103026},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1037085}, journal = {Nuclear Fusion},
number = 10,
volume = 51,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2011},
month = {Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2011}
}