Sawtooth Pacing by Real-Time Auxiliary Power Control in a Tokamak Plasma

Journal Article · Fri Jun 17 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.106.245002· OSTI ID:21567468

Goodman, T P; Felici, F; Sauter, O; Graves, J P ^[1]

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1. Centre de Recherches en Physiques des Plasmas, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (CRPP-EPFL), Lausanne, CH-1015 (Switzerland)

In the standard scenario of tokamak plasma operation, sawtooth crashes are the main perturbations that can trigger performance-degrading, and potentially disruption-generating, neoclassical tearing modes. This Letter demonstrates sawtooth pacing by real-time control of the auxiliary power. It is shown that the sawtooth crash takes place in a reproducible manner shortly after the removal of that power, and this can be used to precisely prescribe, i.e., pace, the individual sawteeth. In combination with preemptive stabilization of the neoclassical tearing modes, sawtooth pacing provides a new sawtooth control paradigm for improved performance in burning plasmas.

• OSTI ID: 21567468
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 106, Issue 24; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.245002; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
DISTURBANCES
NEOCLASSICAL TRANSPORT THEORY
PERFORMANCE
PERTURBATION THEORY
PLASMA
SAWTOOTH OSCILLATIONS
STABILIZATION
TEARING INSTABILITY
TOKAMAK DEVICES
CHARGED-PARTICLE TRANSPORT THEORY
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
INSTABILITY
OSCILLATIONS
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
TRANSPORT THEORY