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A new version of the Weiland model has been used in predictive JETTO simulations of toroidal rotation. The model includes a self-consistent calculation of the toroidal momentum diffusivity (khph) which contains both diagonal and non-diagonal (pinch) contributions to the momentum flux. Predictive transport simulations of JET H-mode, L-mode and hybrid discharges are presented.It is shown that experimental temperatures and toroidal velocity were well reproduced by the simulations. The model predicts the ion heat diffusivity (khi) to be larger than the momentum diffusivity and it gives Prandtl numbers (Pr = khph/khi) between 0.1 and 1. The Prandtl numbers are often, depending on the plasma conditions, predicted to be significantly smaller than unity. This is in accordance with experimental findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Core density profile peaking and electron particle transport have been extensively studied by performing several dimensionless collisionality (υ*) scans with other matched dimensionless profiles in various plasma operation scenarios on the Joint European Torus (JET). This is the first time when electron particle transport coefficients in the H-mode have been measured on JET with high resolution diagnostics, and therefore we are in a position to distinguish between the neutral beam injection (NBI) source and inward electron particle pinch in contributing to core density peaking. The NBI particle source is found to contribute typically 50%–60% to the electron density peaking in JET H-mode plasmas where Te/Ti ~ 1 or smaller and at υ*  =  0.1–0.5 (averaged between r/a  =  0.3–0.8), and being independent of υ* within that range. In these H-mode plasmas, the electron particle transport coefficients, De and ve, are small, thus giving rise to the large influence of NBI fueling with respect to transport effect on peaking. In L-mode plasma conditions, the role of the NBI source is small, typically 10%–20%, and the electron particle transport coefficients are large. These dimensionless υ* scans give the best possible data for model validation. TGLF simulations are in good agreement with the experimental results with respect to the role of NBI particle source versus inward pinch in affecting density peaking, both for the H-mode and L-mode υ* scans. It predicts, similarly to experimental results, that typically about half of the peaking originates from the NBI fuelling in the H-mode and 10%–20% in the L-mode. GENE simulation results also support the key role of NBI fuelling in causing a peaked density profile in JET H-mode plasma (Te/Ti ~ 1 and υ*  =  0.1–0.5) and, in fact, give an even higher weight on NBI fuelling than that experimentally observed or predicted by TGLF. For the non-fuelled H-mode plasma at higher Te/Ti  =  1.5 and lower βN and υ*, both TGLF and GENE predict peaked density profiles, therefore agreeing well with experimental steady-state density peaking. Overall, the various modelling results give a fairly good confidence in using TGLF and GENE in predicting density peaking in quite a wide range of plasma conditions in JET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport modelling of Joint European Torus (JET) dimensionless collisionality scaling experiments in various operational scenarios is presented. Interpretative simulations at a fixed radial position are combined with predictive JETTO simulations of temperatures and densities, using the TGLF transport model. The model includes electromagnetic effects and collisions as well as shear in Miller geometry. Focus is on particle transport and the role of the neutral beam injection (NBI) particle source for the density peaking. The experimental 3-point collisionality scans include L-mode, and H-mode (D and H and higher beta D plasma) plasmas in a total of 12 discharges. Experimental results presented in (Tala et al 2017 44th EPS Conf.) indicate that for the H-mode scans, the NBI particle source plays an important role for the density peaking, whereas for the L-mode scan, the influence of the particle source is small. In general, both the interpretative and predictive transport simulations support the experimental conclusions on the role of the NBI particle source for the 12 JET discharges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NBI-heated L-mode plasmas have been obtained in JET with the Be/W ITER-like wall (JET-ILW) in H and D, with matched profiles of the dimensionless plasma parameters, ρ*, ν*, β and q in the plasma core confinement region and same Ti/Te and Zeff. The achieved isotope identity indicates that the confinement scale invariance principle is satisfied in the core confinement region of these plasmas, where the dominant instabilities are Ion Temperature Gradient (ITG) modes. The dimensionless thermal energy confinement time, ΩiτE,th, and the scaled core plasma heat diffusivity, A χeff/BT, are identical in H and D within error bars, indicating lack of isotope mass dependence of the dimensionless L-mode thermal energy confinement time in JET-ILW. Predictive flux driven simulations with JETTO-TGLF of the H and D identity pair is in very good agreement with experiment for both isotopes: the stiff core heat transport, typical of JET-ILW NBI heated L-modes, overcomes the local gyro-Bohm scaling of gradient-driven TGLF, explaining the lack of isotope mass dependence in the confinement region of these plasmas. The effect of E  ×  B shearing on the predicted heat and particle transport channels is found to be negligible for these low beta and low momentum input plasmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of fast ions on turbulent particle transport, driven by ion temperature gradient (ITG)/trapped electron mode turbulence, is studied. Two neutral beam injection (NBI) heated JET discharges in different regimes are analyzed at the radial position ρt = 0.6, one of them an L-mode and the other one an H-mode discharge. Results obtained from the computationally efficient fluid model EDWM and the gyro-fluid model TGLF are compared to linear and nonlinear gyrokinetic GENE simulations as well as the experimentally obtained density peaking. In these models, the fast ions are treated as a dynamic species with a Maxwellian background distribution. The dependence of the zero particle flux density gradient (peaking factor) on fast ion density, temperature and corresponding gradients, is investigated. The simulations show that the inclusion of a fast ion species has a stabilizing influence on the ITG mode and reduces the peaking of the main ion and electron density profiles in the absence of sources. The models mostly reproduce the experimentally obtained density peaking for the L-mode discharge whereas the H-mode density peaking is significantly underpredicted, indicating the importance of the NBI particle source for the H-mode density profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle transport in tokamak plasmas has been intensively studied in the past, particularly in relation to density peaking and the presence of anomalous inward particle convection in L- and H-modes. While in the L-mode case the presence of the anomalous inward pinch has previously been unambiguously demonstrated, particle transport in the H-mode was unclear. The main difficulty of such studies is that particle diffusion and convection could not be measured independently in steady-state conditions in the presence of a core particle flux. Therefore, it is usually not possible to separate the transport effect(inward convection), from the source effect (slow diffusion of particles introduced to the plasma core by neutral beam injection heating). In this work we describe experiments done on JET with mixtures of two hydrogenic isotopes: H and D. It is demonstrated that in the case of several ion species, convection and diffusion can be separated in a steady plasma without implementation of perturbative techniques such as gas puff modulation. Previous H-mode density peaking studies suggested that for this relatively high electron collisionality plasma scenario, the observed density gradient is mostly driven by particle source and low particle diffusivity D  <  0.5 * χeff. Transport coefficients derived from observation of the isotope profiles in the new experiments far exceed that value—ion particle diffusion is found to be as high as D  ⩾  2 * χeff, combined with a strong inward convection. Apparent disagreement with previous findings was explained by significantly faster transport of ion components with respect to the electrons, which could not be observed in a single main ion species plasma. This conclusion is confirmed by quasilinear gyrokinetic simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-axisymmetric magnetic fields are used to perturbatively probe momentum transport physics in MAST L-mode plasmas. The low beta L-mode target was chosen to complement previous experiments conducted in high beta NSTX H-mode plasmas (βN  =  3.5–4.6) where an inward momentum pinch was measured. In those cases quasi-linear gyrokinetic simulations of unstable ballooning micro-instabilities predict weak or outward momentum convection, in contrast to the measurements. The weak pinch was predicted to be due to both electromagnetic effects at high beta and low aspect ratio minimizing the symmetry-breaking of the instabilities responsible for momentum transport. In an attempt to lessen these electromagnetic effects at low aspect ratio, perturbative experiments were run in MAST L-mode discharges at lower beta (βN  =  2). The perturbative transport analysis used the time-dependent response following the termination of applied 3D fields that briefly brake the plasma rotation (similar to the NSTX H-mode experiments). Assuming time-invariant diffusive (χφ) and convective (Vφ) transport coefficients, an inward pinch is inferred with magnitudes, (RVφ/χφ)  =  (−1)–(−9), similar to those found in NSTX H-modes and in conventional tokamaks. However, if experimental uncertainties due to non-stationary conditions during and after the applied 3D field are considered, a weak pinch or even outward convection is inferred, (RVφ/χφ)  =  (−1)–(+5). Linear gyrokinetic simulations indicate that for these lower beta L-modes, the predicted momentum pinch is predicted to be relatively small, (RVφ/χφ)sim  ≈  −1. While this falls within the experimentally inferred range, the uncertainties are practically too large to quantitatively validate the predictions. Challenges and implications for this particular experimental technique are discussed, as well as additional possible physical mechanisms that may be important in understanding momentum transport in these low aspect ratio plasmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we show that changing from an ion temperature gradient (ITG) to a trapped electron mode (TEM) dominant turbulence regime (based on linear gyrokinetic simulations) results experimentally in a strong density pump-out (defined as a reduction in line-averaged density) in low collisionality, low power H-mode plasmas. We vary the turbulence drive by changing the heating from predominantly ion heated using neutral beam injection to electron heated using electron cyclotron heating, which changes the ratio and the temperature gradients. Perturbed gas puff experiments show an increase in transport outside , through a strong increase in the perturbed diffusion coefficient and a decrease in the inward pinch. Linear gyrokinetic simulations with TGLF show an increase in the particle flux outside the mid-radius. In conjunction an increase in intermediate-scale length density fluctuations is observed, which indicates an increase in turbulence intensity at typical TEM wavelengths. However, although the experimental changes in particle transport agree with a change from ITG to TEM turbulence regimes, we do not observe a reduction in the core rotation at mid-radius, nor a rotation reversal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma current density simulations of JET and JT-60U shots in reverse-q advanced scenarios based on the previous data analysis of the identity plasma experiments have been performed. The effects of the main differences between the shots (neutral beam current density (jnbi), electron density and geometry) have been studied. The reversed q-profile (which was the target in this identity experiment and is observed at the beginning of each shot) was sustained in JT-60U while it became flat in JET towards the end of the shot. In JET, jnbi is peaked on-axis whereas in JT-60U it is peaked off-axis (at ρ = 0.5) while the NBI fraction of the selected shots is the same (22–24%). A strong density ITB appeared (at ρ = 0.5) in JT-60U but not in JET. The plasma geometry was mainly set to match but it was not identical. In addition, the extrapolation to JET steady-state operation has been done by testing the sensitivity of q to different externally driven currents, electron density and geometry in predictive current diffusion simulations. Moreover, critical bootstrap current density has been analysed.The reasons for the different time evolution of q-profile have been studied with predictive current simulations with the 1.5D transport code JETTO. The current diffusion model was validated against reverse-q shots, and simulations were performed with experimental data profiles, jNBI given by ASCOT and neoclassical resistivity and bootstrap current calculated by NCLASS.Bootstrap current density was the most efficient way to sustain the beneficial reverse shape of q-profile. Replacing the JET ne profile with one from JT-60U leads to an increase of 0.2–0.3 MA in the bootstrap current (f bs increases from 15% to 30%). However, sustaining the stationary reverse q is not achieved in JET with bootstrap current induced by the density gradient of JT-60U. Even 10 times larger gradient than in JT-60U helps to sustain the shape of the q-profile longer than the experimentally observed density profile in JET but the minimum value of q moves closer to central plasma and the shape of q is not stationary in a 10 s simulation. The effect of different shape of NBI current density profile is negligible due to quite small fraction. Sustaining the reverse q requires 45% or larger added off-axis fraction. However, increasing the inverse aspect ratio increases bootstrap current and decreases the critical bootstrap current more effectively than increasing the density gradient: two times larger inverse aspect ratio produces almost three times larger bootstrap fraction but ten times larger density gradient only two times larger bootstrap fraction. The conclusions based on these simulations indicate that the need for bootstrap current is larger in JET and the same conditions cause smaller bootstrap fraction, which suggests that achieving steady-state operation in JET under these conditions is unlikely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of a toroidal field (TF) ripple on the formation and performance of internal transport barriers (ITBs) has been studied in JET. It was found that the TF ripple had a profound effect on the toroidal plasma rotation. An increased TF ripple up to d = 1% led to a lower rotation and reduced the rotational shear in the region where the ITBs were formed. ITB triggering events were observed in all cases and it is thought that the rotational shear may be less important for this process than, for example, the q-profile. However, the increase in the pressure gradient following the ITB trigger was reduced in discharges with a larger TF ripple and consequently a lower rotational shear. This suggests that toroidal rotation and its shear play a role in the growth of the ITB once it has been triggered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]