Since the installation of an ITER-like wall, the JET programme has focused on the consolidation of ITER design choices and the preparation for ITER operation, with a specific emphasis given to the bulk tungsten melt experiment, which has been crucial for the final decision on the material choice for the day-one tungsten divertor in ITER. Integrated scenarios have been progressed with the re-establishment of long-pulse, high-confinement H-modes by optimizing the magnetic configuration and the use of ICRH to avoid tungsten impurity accumulation. Stationary discharges with detached divertor conditions and small edge localized modes have been demonstrated by nitrogen seeding. The differences in confinement and pedestal behaviour before and after the ITER-like wall installation have been better characterized towards the development of high fusion yield scenarios in DT. Post-mortem analyses of the plasma-facing components have confirmed the previously reported low fuel retention obtained by gas balance and shown that the pattern of deposition within the divertor has changed significantly with respect to the JET carbon wall campaigns due to the absence of thermally activated chemical erosion of beryllium in contrast to carbon. Transport to remote areas is almost absent and two orders of magnitude less material is found in the divertor.
Recent studies dedicated to the characterisation of in-vessel dust in JET with the new ITER-like wall (ILW) show that dust levels are orders of magnitude lower compared with the latter stages of the carbon-wall (CW) period and are decreasing with operational time. Less than 1 g of dust was recovered in a recent inspection, compared with more than 200 g of material recovered at the end of the JET-CW life. Recent inspection of the ILW shows low rates of re-deposition with only small areas of damage of a type likely to create particulate matter. Quantifiers from laser scattering techniques also indicate an order of magnitude reduction in dust relative to the JET-CW and show that the amount of dust mobilized after a disruption is proportional to the dynamic vessel forces. It is not possible to infer what fraction of dust (if any) might be created by disruptions. However, disruption mitigation is found to reduce the amount of dust seen after moderate disruptions by a factor of 4. Analysis of the transient impurity events (TIEs) associated with dust show that tungsten dominates. A significant contribution to TIEs is also seen from iron, nickel and chromium (probably from steel and Inconel components). The incidence of severe negative effects on operations from TIEs is found to be relatively rare, with <1% of ILW disruptions linked to TIEs. The evolution of the TIE rate closely follows changes in the laser scattering dust quantifiers; both trend downwards in time but peak during periods of higher disruption rate (thought to be primarily driven by the mobilization of existing dust).
a b s t r a c tThe occurrence of transient impurity events (TIE) leading to intense radiation spikes in JET plasma discharges has been studied since the installation of the ITER-like wall (ILW). To generate the observed average increase in radiated power of 1.5 MW, a spherical particle of solid W of radius >90 lm would be required. The drop in plasma energy caused by W-TIEs is fully recovered in 90% of all cases, only 1% inducing a longer term loss in plasma energy which sometimes leads to the shut-down of plasma operation. TIEs are correlated with disruptions and with measurements of the dust mobilized by disruptions using the high resolution Thomson scattering (HRTS) diagnostic. The dust characteristics giving rise to TIEs have been studied using the dust transport code DTOKS and the 1D impurity transport code STRAHL.
Abstract. Transient impurity events leading to unexpected increase in radiated power have been studied in JET from the installation of the ITER-like wall. A total of 1800 events over 2800 plasma discharges have been detected. None have led to permanent changes in plasma conditions. Of all events 60% show traces of W, 25% of either Ni, Fe or Cr from either Inconel or steel structures. They occur mainly in diverted magnetic configuration, independently of strike-point position. The effect of disruptions on dust redistribution has been investigated using the Thomson scattering diagnostic and correlated with TIE occurrence. The number of dust events detected increases with disruption force and, in comparison to the full-C wall, the amount of dust mobilized is found to be about an order of magnitude lower. Their time evolution correlates well with that of the transient impurity events.PACS numbers:
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