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The renewable evolution in the energy industry and the depletion of natural resources are putting pressure on the waste industry to shift towards flexible treatment technologies with efficient materials and/or energy recovery. In this context, a thermochemical conversion method of recent interest is plasma gasification, which is capable of producing syngas from a wide variety of waste streams. The produced syngas can be valorized for both energetic (heat and/or electricity) and chemical (ammonia, hydrogen or liquid hydrocarbons) end-purposes. This paper evaluates the performance of experiments on a single-stage plasma gasification system for the treatment of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) from excavated waste. A comparative analysis of the syngas characteristics and process yields was done for seven cases with different types of gasifying agents (CO2+O2, H2O, CO2+H2O and O2+H2O). The syngas compositions were compared to the thermodynamic equilibrium compositions and the performance of the single-stage plasma gasification of RDF was compared to that of similar experiments with biomass and to the performance of a two-stage plasma gasification process with RDF. The temperature range of the experiment was from 1400 to 1600 K and for all cases, a medium calorific value syngas was produced with lower heating values up to 10.9 MJ/Nm(3), low levels of tar, high levels of CO and H2 and which composition was in good agreement to the equilibrium composition. The carbon conversion efficiency ranged from 80% to 100% and maximum cold gas efficiency and mechanical gasification efficiency of respectively 56% and 95%, were registered. Overall, the treatment of RDF proved to be less performant than that of biomass in the same system. Compared to a two-stage plasma gasification system, the produced syngas from the single-stage reactor showed more favourable characteristics, while the recovery of the solid residue as a vitrified slag is an advantage of the two-stage set-up., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Gas puff imaging (GPI) [S. J. Zweben, D. P. Stotler et al., Phys. Plasmas 9, 1981 (2002); R. J. Maqueda, G. A. Wurden et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 74, 2020 (2003)] is a powerful diagnostic that permits a two-dimensional measurement of turbulence in the edge region of a fusion plasma and is based on the observation of the local emission of a neutral gas, actively puffed into the periphery of the plasma. The developed in-vessel GPI telescope observes the emission from the puffed gas along local (at the puff) magnetic field lines. The GPI telescope is specially designed to operate in severe TEXTOR conditions and can be treated as a prototype for the GPI systems on next generation machines. Also, the gas puff nozzle is designed to have a lower divergence of the gas flow than previous GPI diagnostics. The resulting images show poloidally and radially propagating structures, which are associated with plasma blobs. We demonstrate that the local gas puff does not disturb plasma properties. Our results indicate also that the neutral gas emission intensity is more sensitive to the electron density than the electron temperature. Here, we present implementation details of the GPI system on TEXTOR and discuss some design and diagnostic issues related to the development of GPI systems in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporal characteristics of intermittent positive bursts of plasma density in the scrape-off layer of the CASTOR and Tore Supra tokamaks are investigated. A monotonic radial decrease of average burst rate together with an increase of average burst duration is observed in the Tore Supra tokamak [I. Nanobashvili et al., Czech. J. Phys. 56, 1339 (2006); I. Nanobashvili et al., J. Nucl. Mater. 363–365, 622 (2007)]. At the edge of the CASTOR tokamak the temporal characteristics stay nearly constant within a quite wide radial region. The reason is that radially elongated turbulent structures (streamers) govern the radial transport in CASTOR [P. Devynck et al., Phys. Plasmas 13, 102505 (2006)]. A comparative analysis allows to conclude that radial transport at the edge of the Tore Supra tokamak is governed by blob-like structures. Plasma biasing at the edge of CASTOR significantly modifies the burst characteristics, reduces plasma transport, and considerably improves the confinement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An experimental plasmachemical reactor equipped with the novel IPP-ASCR hybrid gas–water stabilized DC torch (160kW) has recently been started at IPP Prague for the innovative and environmentally friendly plasma treatment of waste streams with a view to their sustainable energetic and chemical valorization and to a reduction of the emission of greenhouse gases. Since the process energy is provided by direct heat transfer from plasma, gases of widely varying chemical composition may be used. The use of electrical energy also reduces the gas flows and requirements for exhaust-gas treatment, and offers control over the chemistry. Pyrolysis of biomass was experimentally studied using wood chips as a model substance. Syngas with a high content of hydrogen and CO was produced. The influence of adding CO2 for increase of oxygen content in the reactor was investigated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The plasma potential Φ[sub pl] and its fluctuations &Φtilde;[sub pl] were measured by electron emissive probes in the edge plasma regions of two fusion experiments: the Instituto Superior Técnico Tokamak (ISTTOK) (Lisbon, Portugal), and the Czech Academy of Sciences Torus (CASTOR) tokamak (Prague, Czech Republic). Into ISTTOK, three emissive probes were inserted outside the last closed flux surface (LCFS) on different minor radii. In CASTOR, two emissive probes, poloidally separated, and two cold cylindrical probes, mounted on the same shaft, were used, which could be radially shifted outside and inside the LCFS. The advantages of a sufficiently emissive probe are that in principle Φ[sub pl] and &Φtilde;[sub pl] can be measured directly, without being affected by electron temperature fluctuations or drifting electrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ion current collected by a probe in a magnetized plasma is sensitive to the angle between its surface and the flow streamlines. This intuitive concept is the basis of the Gundestrup probe, a polar array of planar collectors mounted around an insulating housing. Probe theory for measuring flows has been developed on two fronts: Recent kinetic and fluid models, reviewed here, give similar predictions for the collected current within the range of applicability of the model assumptions. A comparison with measurements by a rotating Mach probe in the CASTOR tokamak (Czech Academy of Sciences Torus) [J. Stöckel, J. Badalec, I. Duran et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion, 41, 577 (1999)] highlights the role of magnetization in ion collection at grazing angles of incidence between the probe surface and the magnetic field lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes recent improvements in the measurement of C6+ impurity ion poloidal rotation velocities in the core plasma of JET using charge exchange recombination spectroscopy. Two independent techniques are used to provide an accurate line calibration. The first method uses a Perkin–Elmer type 303–306 samarium hollow cathode discharge lamp, with a Sm I line at 528.291 nm close to the C VI line at 529.1 nm. The second method uses the Be II at 527.06 nm and C III at 530.47 nm in the plasma spectrum as two marker lines on either side of the C VI line. Since the viewing chords have both a toroidal and poloidal component, it is important to determine the contribution of the toroidal rotation velocity component separately. The toroidal rotation velocity in the plasma core is measured with an independent charge exchange recombination spectroscopy diagnostic, looking tangentially at the plasma core. The contribution of this velocity along the lines of sight of the poloidal rotation diagnostic has been determined experimentally in L-mode plasmas keeping the poloidal component constant (K. Crombé et al., Proc. 30th EPS Conference, St. Petersburg, Russia, 7–11 July 2003, p. 1.55). The results from these experiments are compared with calculations of the toroidal contribution that take into account the original design parameters of the diagnostic and magnetic geometry of individual shots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed tunnel probes for localized measurements of the electron and ion temperature in the edge plasma region of smaller tokamaks and stellarators. A normal tunnel probe for Te measurements consists of a metallic tunnel of 5 mm diameter and 5 mm length, with the axis parallel to the magnetic field. One side is open, the other side is closed by a metallic backplate, isolated from the tunnel. If both electrodes are biased negatively, ions flow into the office, and their current is distributed between the tunnel and the backplate. The ratio of the two ion currents is a function of Te. With an additional diaphragm in front of the orifice, the probe becomes ion sensitive, since the electrons are prevented from the tunnel because of their smaller gyroradius, but ions can still reach it. In this way, the perpendicular ion temperature can be derived. By segmenting the tunnel axially into two parts, also an approximate measure for the parallel ion temperature can be found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The turbulent transport of particles is investigated using rake probes at the top of the scrape-off layer (SOL) of circular ohmically heated L-mode plasmas in the Tore Supra tokamak [G. Giruzzi et al., Nucl. Fusion 49, 104010 (2009)]. Both radial and poloidal non-linear fluxes are estimated by means of two reciprocating arrays separated toroidally by 120°. The time average of the radial (poloidal) flux is positive (negative) through the whole SOL profile. The respective effective transport velocity are about r>t≈30m s-1 and θ>t≈-60m s-1 close to the last closed flux surface. Both components present a standard deviation about 10 times higher than their respective mean amplitude, and time-distributions highly skewed toward values of the same sign as their mean values. The existence of a nonlinear poloidal flux is associated with the local tilt of filament eddies due to electric and magnetic shear. At the last closed flux surface, where plasma filaments experience their early life, the orientation of the velocity field is consistent with structure dynamics which originate from the outboard midplane and spread along field lines toward the rest of the poloidal section. The localized tilt of the eddy structures corresponds to the effect of the magnetic shear. Further into the SOL, the orientation of the velocity field evolves along radius in agreement with a simple model of propagating filaments progressively tilted by an electric shear. The combined effects of electric and magnetic shear on the eddy tilting have potentially a crucial impact on the existence of a Reynolds stress rvθ>t component, which is strongly poloidally asymmetric at the edge of tokamak plasmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In fusion devices, in the region next to high temperature plasma, material could be eroded from plasma-facing materials in one location and is transported to other, sometimes remote, locations throughout the device. These plasma-created materials are so-called mixed materials. Previous studies on JET samples have shown that compositional changes in the depth profiles of the mixed-material surfaces can be correlated to the operational history of the machine. SEM and detailed EDX analysis of CFC Be and T contaminated samples coming from the JET divertor (shutdown 2007) have been carried out in the SCKCEN hot cell facilities. The main aim of these measurements is to have a clear image of the erosion/deposition pattern in those samples for each element. The processes for material migration and the morphology of the deposits are discussed. XPS/AES measurements will also be carried out to understand the possible compound processes, mainly focussed on Be2C formations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: For given conditions, significant change in main particle and carbon transport is observed in TEXTOR under the action of the Dynamic Ergodic Divertor, DED, operating both in 6/2 and 3/1 basic modes. In particular, the stochastic layer created at the plasma edge by the applied perturbing field, is responsible for the so called pump out, PO, effect (observed in DIII-D and on JET during experiments of ELM mitigation) characterized by a decrease in the plasma density and the reduction in the intrinsic carbon concentration in the plasma core. For a sufficiently high value of the applied field strength, in DED 3/1 basic operational mode a 3/1 island connects to the wall, with related further enhancement of particle transport. With respect to carbon, this phenomenon simply leads to a further carbon de-contamination from the central plasma. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Results of a new dedicated experiment addressing the problem of impurity deposition at the bottom in gaps are presented along with modelling. A test limiter with an isolated gap was exposed to the scrape-off layer plasma in TEXTOR. The exposure was accompanied by injection of 13C-marked methane in the vicinity of the gap. Deposition at the bottom of the gap was monitored in situ with Quartz-Microbalance diagnostics. The 13C deposition efficiency of about 2.6×10−5 was measured. Post mortem analysis of resulting deposited layers performed with SIMS and EPMA techniques yields about a factor 2 smaller value corresponding to approximately 10% contribution of the gap bottom to the total 13C deposition in the gap. This measured contribution is effectively much smaller than observed earlier in TEXTOR, taking the difference in geometry into account, and is in reasonable agreement with modelling performed with ERO and 3D-GAPS codes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]