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To support future ITER operation, experimental campaigns at the Joint European Torus (JET) with an ITER-like wall (tungsten divertor and beryllium main chamber) in pure deuterium (D), tritium (T) and Deuterium-Tritium (D-T) were performed. One of the most important challenges in recent years was the development of two main scenarios that investigated different approaches to achieve the high fusion power as well as good plasma confinement (Garzotti et al., 2023). The first one, so-called baseline scenario is relying on high plasma current (Ip≈3.5 MA), normalized beta βN 2 and safety factor q95 ≈ 4.8 (Hobirk et al., 2023).In this paper we focus on the impurity behaviour analysis for the baseline discharges at Ip = 3.5 MA and BT = 3.3 T with D, T and DT plasmas, in which the gas and power waveform were optimized to achieve the best possible performance. In particular, we study the impact of total heating power (Ptot + Palpha), flat-top gas flow and ELM (edge localized modes) frequency on mid-Z (Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu)) and high-Z (Tungsten (W)) impurities. In addition, we compared the two best performing pulses of the baseline scenario (Ip = 3.5MA, BT = 3.3 T and Pin ≈ 35 MW) in D and DT in order to identify the causes responsible for the increase in radiation during the DT pulse, which led to an early plasma termination. All presented results rely on the data collected by the VUV as well as the bolometry system. Detailed analysis indicates that in the baseline scenario, higher radiation, which is most likely due to the tungsten (W), is observed for T and DT plasmas in comparison to D. Moreover, for the two best performing baseline pulses, tomographic reconstructions show that the radiated power density is mainly emitted from the low field side (LFS) of the plasma and W does not accumulate in the plasma center (Telesca et al., 2024).

The reference ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating schemes for ITER deuterium–tritium (D-T) plasmas at the full magnetic field of 5.3 T are second harmonic heating of T and 3He minority heating. The wave-particle resonance location for these schemes coincide and are central at a wave frequency of 53 MHz at 5.3 T. Experiments have been carried out in the second major D-T campaign (DTE2) at JET, and in its prior D campaigns, to integrate these ICRF scenarios in JET high-performance plasmas and to compare their performance with the commonly used hydrogen (H) minority heating. In 50:50 D:T plasmas, up to 35% and 5% larger fusion power and diamagnetic energy content, respectively, were obtained with second harmonic heating of T as compared to H minority heating at comparable total input powers and gas injection rates. The core ion temperature was up to 30% and 20% higher with second harmonic T and 3He minority heating, respectively, with respect to H minority heating. These are favourable results for the use of these scenarios in ITER and future fusion reactors. According to modelling, adding ICRF heating to neutral beam injection using D and T beams resulted in a 10%–20% increase of on-axis bulk ion heating in the D-T plasmas due to its localisation in the plasma core. Central power deposition was confirmed with the break-in-slope and fast Fourier transform analysis of ion and electron temperature in response to ICRF modulation. The tail temperature of fast ICRF-accelerated tritons, their enhancement of the fusion yield and time behaviour as measured by an upgraded magnetic proton recoil spectrometer and neutral particle analyser were found in agreement with theoretical predictions. No losses of ICRF-accelerated ions were observed by fast ion detectors, which was as expected given the high plasma density of n e ≈ 7–8 × 1019 m−3 in the main heating phase that limited the formation of ICRF-accelerated fast ion tails. 3He was introduced in the machine by 3He gas injection, and the 3He concentration was measured by a high-resolution optical penning gauge in the sub-divertor region. The DTE2 experiments with 3He minority heating were carried with a low 3He concentration in the range of 2%–4% given the fact that the highest neutron rates with 3He minority heating in D plasmas were obtained at low 3He concentrations of ∼2%, which also coincided with the highest plasma diamagnetic energy content. In addition to 3He introduced by 3He gas injection, an intrinsic concentration of 3He of the order of 0.2%–0.4% was measured in D-T plasmas before 3He was introduced in the device, which is attributed to the radioactive decay of tritium to 3He. According to modelling, even such low intrinsic concentrations of 3He lead to significant changes in ICRF power partitioning during second harmonic heating of T due to absorption of up to 30% of the wave power by 3He. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two best performing pulses of the so called ITER-Baseline scenario ( I _p = 3.5 MA and P _in ≈ 35 MW) of JET-ITER like wall, one in deuterium (D) the other in deuterium–tritium (D–T) plasma are examined and compared in this study. Generally, the D–T Baseline pulses exhibit an electron density level higher than the D pulses and the plasma energy is higher than in the comparable D pulses by up to 20%, reaching about 12 MJ in the pulse studied here. In contrast with the D pulses, the D–T pulses are often characterised by the increase in time of the radiated power in the mantle region (0.70 < ρ < 0.95), which may lead to the loss of the edge localised mode activity when the threshold H–L transition power is approached and to the subsequent plasma disruption due to excessive radiation. In this study we try to identify the physical mechanisms responsible for this behaviour using the available experimental data (principally the total radiated power from the bolometry) and the results of the fluid COREDIV model (1D in the core, 2D in the scrape-off-layer (SOL)), self-consistent with respect to core-SOL and also to main plasma-impurities. In fact, the loss of power caused by impurity radiation affects the temperature profile and finally the power to the divertor plate. The electron density and temperature profiles are numerically reconstructed as well as the radiated power density profiles, indicating no major difference in impurity transport in D and D–T. Indeed, the impurity transport coefficients used in COREDIV to match the experimental radiated power profiles are similar in the two pulses. The computed tungsten sources and densities are lower in the D–T pulse and the divertor impurity retention capability is a little better in the D–T pulse, indicatinga stronger collisional drag force in the SOL. The higher electron density and the broadening of its profile are the main cause of the observed increase of the radiated power in the D–T pulse.

Experimental analysis of two couples of pulses in the range of input power of 26–32 MW, shows that addition of pellet throughput to high gas dosing pulses does not modify the plasma energy, but leads to better conditions as far as the tungsten concentration and core radiation are concerned. Significantly decreasing the gas dosing with addition of high pellet throughput causes the increase of plasma energy, but the W concentration increases from 5.2 × 10−5 to 6.9 × 10−5 and the core radiation from 7.5 to 11 MW. From the numerical results of the self‐consistent core‐SOL COREDIV code two mechanisms appear to be responsible for the observed different W concentrations: the core residence time of W, which is related to the energy and particle confinement time, and the divertor impurity screening efficiency, dependent on the electron density and on the perpendicular transport coefficient in the SOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reference ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating schemes for ITER deuterium–tritium (D-T) plasmas at the full magnetic field of 5.3 T are second harmonic heating of T and ^3 He minority heating. The wave-particle resonance location for these schemes coincide and are central at a wave frequency of 53 MHz at 5.3 T. Experiments have been carried out in the second major D-T campaign (DTE2) at JET, and in its prior D campaigns, to integrate these ICRF scenarios in JET high-performance plasmas and to compare their performance with the commonly used hydrogen (H) minority heating. In 50:50 D:T plasmas, up to 35% and 5% larger fusion power and diamagnetic energy content, respectively, were obtained with second harmonic heating of T as compared to H minority heating at comparable total input powers and gas injection rates. The core ion temperature was up to 30% and 20% higher with second harmonic T and ^3 He minority heating, respectively, with respect to H minority heating. These are favourable results for the use of these scenarios in ITER and future fusion reactors. According to modelling, adding ICRF heating to neutral beam injection using D and T beams resulted in a 10%–20% increase of on-axis bulk ion heating in the D-T plasmas due to its localisation in the plasma core. Central power deposition was confirmed with the break-in-slope and fast Fourier transform analysis of ion and electron temperature in response to ICRF modulation. The tail temperature of fast ICRF-accelerated tritons, their enhancement of the fusion yield and time behaviour as measured by an upgraded magnetic proton recoil spectrometer and neutral particle analyser were found in agreement with theoretical predictions. No losses of ICRF-accelerated ions were observed by fast ion detectors, which was as expected given the high plasma density of n _e ≈ 7–8 × 10 ^19 m ^−3 in the main heating phase that limited the formation of ICRF-accelerated fast ion tails. ^3 He was introduced in the machine by ^3 He gas injection, and the ^3 He concentration was measured by a high-resolution optical penning gauge in the sub-divertor region. The DTE2 experiments with ^3 He minority heating were carried with a low ^3 He concentration in the range of 2%–4% given the fact that the highest neutron rates with ^3 He minority heating in D plasmas were obtained at low ^3 He concentrations of ∼2%, which also coincided with the highest plasma diamagnetic energy content. In addition to ^3 He introduced by ^3 He gas injection, an intrinsic concentration of ^3 He of the order of 0.2%–0.4% was measured in D-T plasmas before ^3 He was introduced in the device, which is attributed to the radioactive decay of tritium to ^3 He. According to modelling, even such low intrinsic concentrations of ^3 He lead to significant changes in ICRF power partitioning during second harmonic heating of T due to absorption of up to 30% of the wave power by ^3 He.

Unusually high power loads on the beryllium limiter caused by neutral beam re-ionisation, and much cooler divertor target surfaces were observed during the recent JET tokamak tritium campaign. As both phenomena are driven by scrape-off layer (SOL) physics, the SOL features of 72 tritium H-mode discharges and their deuterium references have been studied. The majority (70) of tritium H-mode discharges had exponentially decaying SOL profiles. The tritium plasmas are observed to have increased separatrix density and collisionality compared to their deuterium references. This is associated with $ \approx 2 - 3$ times broader SOL width for both density and temperature profiles. This is consistent with previous observations in highly collisional deuterium H-mode plasma on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak (Sun et al 2015 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 57 125011) and interpreted as high collisionality enhancing cross-field transport across the separatrix and resulting in the broadening of near SOL above a critical value. The other two tritium H-mode discharges had near flat SOL density profiles, similar to the so-called ‘ density shoulder formation ’ observed in L-mode plasma. The SOL collisionality of these two pulses lies within the range of T pulses without density shoulder formation. This supports the conclusion of previous studies (Vianello et al 2017 Nucl. Fusion 57 116014; Wynn et al 2018 Nucl. Fusion 58 056001) that increased collisionality is not sufficient for the formation of a ‘ density shoulder ’ and additional factors, likely divertor condition or interaction with neutrals, are required. JET tritium plasma provides evidence of favourable and unfavourable effects of enhanced cross-field SOL transport on machine operation. The larger limiter power loads due to re-ionisation of neutral beam injection observed in the T pulses relative to their D references has been shown to be consistent with the combined effects of the broadening of the SOL profile and larger beam ion Larmor radius. The enhanced cross-field particle transport and the resulting broader SOL width provides more particles to ionize the fast Beam neutrals, causing the unfavourable power load issue on the beryllium limiter. The broader near SOL profiles of the T plasma spreads the heat load over a larger area and, together with the increased separatrix density, results in a favourably cooler divertor target surface.

Abstract Operation of the JET tokamak with beryllium and tungsten ITER-like wall provides unique opportunity for detailed studies on dust generation: quantity, morphology, location, etc. The programme carried out in response to ITER needs for safety assessment comprises: (i) remotely controlled vacuum cleaning of the divertor; (ii) local sampling of loosely bound matter from plasma-facing components (PFC); (iii) collection of mobilized dust on various erosion-deposition probes located in the divertor and in the main chamber. Results of comprehensive analyses performed by a number of complementary techniques, e.g. a range of microscopy methods, electron and ion spectroscopy, liquid scintillography and thermal desorption, are summarized by following points: (a) Total amount of dust collected by vacuum cleaning after three campaigns is about 1–1.4 g per campaign (19.1–23.5 h plasma operation), i.e. over 100 times smaller than in JET operated with carbon walls (i.e. in JET-C). (b) Two major categories of Be dust are identified: flakes of co-deposits formed on PFC and droplets (2–10 μm in diameter). Small quantifies, below 1 g, of Be droplets and splashes are associated mainly with melting of beryllium limiters. (c) Tungsten dust occurs mainly as partly molten flakes originating from the W-coated tiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of the JET Programme in Support for ITER, campaigns with pure Tritium (TT) fuel and Deuterium-Tritium (DT) mixtures are planned at JET. Unlike previous DT campaigns a much higher tritium flow rate, particularly during TT operation, is required. Five Tritium Introduction Modules (TIMs), fed from the Active Gas Handling System (AGHS), are to be installed; three in the divertor region, one in the mid-plane and another at the top of the machine. The selected TIM locations, the design and operational characteristics, were chosen so that most of the existing deuterium experiments can be replicated in tritium. The purpose of the TIMs is to supply precisely controlled quantities of tritium to the JET machine and this is achieved by controlling the piezoelectric valve openings. These control valves are located after the reservoir volumes, which contain tritium at sub-atmospheric pressure (charged initially to ∼800 mbar). Prototype piezoelectric valves developed by VAT Vacuumvalves AG, require an estimated stroke of 160 μm for the valve orifice area of 5.2 mm 2 . These valves are at present being tested, with the aim of delivering a maximum flow of 1.6 bar.l/s with tritium at 800 mbar. This paper presents statistics to justify the operational requirements and details the TIM design including the operation sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper deals with the heat flux estimation and the thermal characterization of the poorly attached Surface Carbon Layer (SCL) to the Plasma Facing Component (PFC) observed on the inner vertical tiles of the JET Tokamak. A nonlinear unsteady calculation combined with the Conjugate Gradient Method (CGM) and the adjoint state is achieved in order to estimate the time variation of the heat flux necessary to characterize in situ the space and time variations of the thermal resistance R th of the SCL. The method is applied on L mode power step plasma discharge (#58850). One embedded thermocouple (TC) is used to the heat flux estimation (another embedded TC is used for validate the estimation) and infrared (IR) measurements coming from the IR camera KL3 are used to estimate the SCL thermal resistance. The estimated SCL thermal resistance is compared to the history of the strike point location to highlight the correlation between the spatial distribution of the SCL thermal resistance and the location of the maximum heat flux. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]