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Edge localized mode (ELM) characteristics in a large spherical tokamak (ST) with significant auxiliary heating are explored. High confinement is achieved in mega ampere spherical tokamak (MAST) at low ELM frequencies even though the ELMs exhibit many type III characteristics. These ELMs are associated with a reduction in the pedestal density but no significant change in the pedestal temperature or temperature profile, indicating that energy is convected from the pedestal region into the scrape-off layer. Power to the targets during an ELM arrives predominantly at the low field outboard side. ELM effluxes are observed up to 20 cm from the plasma edge at the outboard mid-plane and are associated with the radial motion of a feature at an average velocity of 0.75 km s−1. The target balance observed in MAST is potentially rather favourable for the ST since H-mode access is facilitated in a regime where ELM losses flow mostly to the large wetted area, outboard targets and, in addition, the target heat loads are reduced by an even distribution of power between the upper and lower targets.

Note: Proc. 19th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Lyon, France, October 2002, IAEA-CN-94/EX/OV2-3 Reference CRPP-CONF-2002-068 Record created on 2008-05-13, modified on 2017-05-12

A dual laser Thomson scattering system is implemented in the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST). The complementary features of each approach are exploited. One system is ideally suited to measuring detailed profile behavior across the plasma while the other is ideally suited though not exclusively to studying fast changing events and general characterization of the plasma. Both systems are designed to be flexible and allow future expansion to suit the needs of a changing physics program.

One of the clearest signatures of the transitions from L- to H-mode plasmas is the steepening of the edge density gradient. A concomitant narrowing of the visible radiation, usually dominated by Balmer Dα emission, is generally observed. Typically, the Dα emissivity width is 4–6 cm for the L-mode, similar for ELMs, and 1–3 cm for H-mode MAST plasmas, comparable with typical edge ne scale lengths. A means of extracting electron densities from this narrowing of the radial Dα emissivity profile was pioneered on the START device and developed further on MAST. It takes advantage of the near insensitivity to electron temperature of both the ionization and emission rates of hydrogen at temperatures well in excess of the ionization potential (13.6 eV). The Dα emissivity profile is obtained from spatial inversion of line-of-sight integrated intensities recorded by a linear camera (Δt=125 μs, 256 pixels). The 300 point Thomson scattering diagnostic has been used as a yardstick in comparing experimental data from a ...

Spontaneous transitions from the low “L-mode” to high “H-mode” of tokamak plasma confinement, first observed during neutral beam heating experiments on ASDEX, are now routinely achieved in many tokamak experiments. The H-mode regime is attractive as it offers the possibility of enhanced confinement, and thus a route towards a more “compact” and cost-efficient fusion power-plant. Transition to H-mode is now routinely achievable in the Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST) [A. C. Darke et al., Fusion Technology 1994 (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1995), Vol. 1, p. 799] for both Ohmically and neutral beam injection (NBI) heated plasmas (PNBI∼0.5–1.7 MW). H-mode plasmas can be either center stack limited or X-point diverted, exhibiting regular Type III edge localized modes (ELMs). Global confinement in H-mode with low frequency ELMs is consistent with the international IPB(y,2) scaling and exceeds the scaling by a factor ∼1.5–2.0 for high performance discharges. Confinement degrades with increasing ELM frequency (which in...

Operating scenarios in the Mega-Ampere Spherical Tokamak (MAST) have been recently developed to access routinely H-mode plasmas over a wide range of plasma conditions. Gas refuelling at the inboard mid-plane has proved invaluable in facilitating L- to H-mode transitions. Already, a comprehensive range of H-mode behaviour has been observed providing similar and contrasting comparisons with conventional tokamaks. For example, similarities are found in H-mode edge and global evolutions, increases in confinement and ELM behaviour. In contrast, H-mode threshold powers are about an order of magnitude higher in MAST than those predicted by conventional aspect ratio tokamak scalings. At the highest β θ values obtained so far, transient confinement times of ∼100 ms are achieved and calculations indicate that bootstrap currents may approach 50% of the plasma current.

This Letter provides information on the spatial and temporal structure of periodic eruptions observed in magnetically confined laboratory fusion plasmas, called edge-localized modes (ELMs), and highlights similarities with solar eruptions. Taken together, the observations presented in this Letter provide strong evidence for ELMs being associated with a filamentlike structure. These filaments are extended along a field line, are generated on a $100\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{s}$ time scale, erupt from the outboard side, and connect back into the plasma. Such structures are predicted by a theoretical model based on the ``ballooning'' instability, developed for both solar and tokamak applications.

The MAST (Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak) experiment has been operational since Jan 2000. Results from MAST are important both in evaluating the potential of future ST fusion devices, and in developing understanding of processes relevant to conventional aspect ratio tokamaks. In this paper methods of initiating, ramping up, and sustaining the high plasma currents associated with ST fusion devices are discussed. New physics results, including the effectiveness of inboard gas puffing, the threshold power required for the L-H transition, and the 'natural' divertor configuration are given. Plans for improvements during 2002 are outlined.

Enhanced diagnostics and an expanded operational space in Mega Ampere Spherical Tokamak (MAST) has lead to a wealth of data on the plasma boundary becoming available over the last year of operations and has significantly advanced the understanding of this region in the spherical tokamak and, more generally, is contributing to an improved understanding of the underlying plasma phenomena for this important region of the tokamak. Amongst the observations reported in this paper are that MAST is able to achieve simultaneous high confinement and high density with Type III ELMs for connected double-null discharges in which most (>93%) of the power efflux from the core observed at the targets (including during ELMs) arrives at the large wetted area outboard targets and is evenly distributed between the upper and lower divertor regions. Significant particle fluxes are reported well beyond the outboard separatrix during ELMs (up to 20 cm distant from the plasma) and appear to be associated with the radial expansion of a localised structure at around 1 km s −1 . The result of preliminary experiments to broaden the SOL by asymmetric divertor biasing are also presented which show an encouraging, qualitative agreement with theory and demonstrate clear evidence for both SOL broadening and target power reduction.

H-mode plasmas have been achieved on the MAST spherical tokamak at input power considerably higher than predicted by conventional threshold scalings. Following L-H transition, a clear improvement in energy confinement is obtained, exceeding recent international scalings even at densities approaching the Greenwald density limit. Transition is accompanied by an order-of-magnitude increase in edge-density gradient, a marked decrease in turbulence, the efficient conversion of internal electron Bernstein waves into free space waves, and the onset and saturation of edge poloidal rotation.

First physics results are presented from MAST (Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak), one of the new generation of purpose built spherical tokamaks (STs) now commencing operation. Some of these results demonstrate, for the first time, the novel effects of low aspect ratio, for example, the enhancement of resistivity due to neo-classical effects. H-mode is achieved and the transition to H-mode is accompanied by a tenfold steepening of the edge density gradient which may enable the successful application of electron Bernstein wave heating in STs. Studies of halo currents show that these less than expected from conventional tokamak results, and measurements of divertor power loading confirm that most of the power flows to the outer strike points, easing the power handling on the inner points (a critical issue for STs). (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Experimental data are presented showing filamentation of the Rijnhuizen tokamak project (RTP) plasma. These filaments are only resolved by the high-resolution double pulse Thomson scattering diagnostic, and appear as multiple peaks in the T-e profile with a typical width of 5-10 mm and an amplitude as high as 1 keV in a 2 keV ambient plasma. This paper shows the occurrence of filaments under various plasma conditions. It shows that filaments are statistically significant plasma physical phenomena. A parameter study shows a weak dependence of their amplitude on q(a), whereas a strong inverse dependence on plasma density has been found. It takes filaments several milliseconds to develop after the switch-on of electron cyclotron heating; they are wiped out by a sawtooth crash and take only a few hundred microseconds to reappear after such a crash. They mainly occur in the centre of additionally heated plasmas by means of electron cyclotron heating, but have also been observed in transiently heated plasmas and off-axis in non-centrally heated plasmas. Finally, two interpretations of filament topology are tested by means of three experiments. It turns out that the interpretation of filaments as independent closed tube-like structures seems to best fit the RTP data.

MAST is one of the new generation of large, purpose-built spherical tokamaks (STs) now becoming operational, designed to investigate the properties of the ST in large, collisionless plasmas. The first six months of MAST operations have been remarkably successful. Operationally, both merging-compression and the more usual solenoid induction schemes have been demonstrated, the former providing over 400 kA of plasma current with no demand on solenoid flux. Good vacuum conditions and operational conditions, particularly after boronization in trimethylated boron, have provided plasma current of over 1 MA with central plasma temperatures (ohmic) of order I keV. The Hugill and Greenwald limits can be exceeded and H mode achieved at modest additional NBI power. Moreover, particle and energy confinement show an immediate increase at the L-H transition, unlike the case of START, where this became apparent only at the highest plasma currents. Halo currents are small, with low toroidal peaking factors, in accordance with theoretical predictions, and there is evidence of a resilience to the major disruption.

The present paper reports on electron Bernstein wave (EBW) emission, heating and current drive experiments conducted on COMPASS‐D and MAST. Plasma heating and current drive experiments have been conducted in COMPASS‐D, where EBWs were excited from the high field side of the tokamak at different toroidal launch angles. It has been found experimentally that X‐mode injection perpendicular to the magnetic field provides maximum heating efficiency. Non‐inductive currents of up to 100 kA were found to be driven by the EBW‐mode in the counter direction. This result is consistent with EBW beam‐tracing and quasilinear Fokker‐Planck simulations. EBW emission measurements are a valuable tool for optimisation of heating scenarios. Both X‐mode and O‐mode polarised emission were observed from overdense plasmas at angles perpendicular to the magnetic field and at angles close to the optimum for Bernstein‐extraordinary‐ordinary (B‐X‐O) mode conversion. EBW spectra from high electron cyclotron harmonics are presented and discussed. A steerable antenna has been recently installed in MAST. Preliminary results on ECRH breakdown and EBW plasma heating in MAST are discussed.