Type I ELMy H-mode operation in JET with the ITER-like Be/W wall (JET-ILW) generally occurs at lower pedestal pressures compared to those with the full carbon wall (JET-C). The pedestal density is similar but the pedestal temperature where type I ELMs occur is reduced and below to the so-called critical type I–type III transition temperature reported in JET-C experiments. Furthermore, the confinement factor H98(y,2) in type I ELMy H-mode baseline plasmas is generally lower in JET-ILW compared to JET-C at low power fractions Ploss/Pthr,08 < 2 (where Ploss is (Pin − dW/dt), and Pthr,08 the L–H power threshold from Martin et al 2008 (J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 123 012033)). Higher power fractions have thus far not been achieved in the baseline plasmas. At Ploss/Pthr,08 > 2, the confinement in JET-ILW hybrid plasmas is similar to that in JET-C. A reduction in pedestal pressure is the main reason for the reduced confinement in JET-ILW baseline ELMy H-mode plasmas where typically H98(y,2) = 0.8 is obtained, compared to H98(y,2) = 1.0 in JET-C. In JET-ILW hybrid plasmas a similarly reduced pedestal pressure is compensated by an increased peaking of the core pressure profile resulting in H98(y,2) ⩽ 1.25. The pedestal stability has significantly changed in high triangularity baseline plasmas where the confinement loss is also most apparent. Applying the same stability analysis for JET-C and JET-ILW, the measured pedestal in JET-ILW is stable with respect to the calculated peeling–ballooning stability limit and the ELM collapse time has increased to 2 ms from typically 200 µs in JET-C. This indicates that changes in the pedestal stability may have contributed to the reduced pedestal confinement in JET-ILW plasmas. A comparison of EPED1 pedestal pressure prediction with JET-ILW experimental data in over 500 JET-C and JET-ILW baseline and hybrid plasmas shows a good agreement with 0.8 < (measured pped)/(predicted pped,EPED) < 1.2, but that the role of triangularity is generally weaker in the JET-ILW experimental data than in the model predictions.

This paper is an overview of recent results relating to turbulent particle and heat transport, and to the triggering of internal transport barriers (ITBs). The dependence of the turbulent particle pinch velocity on plasma parameters has been clarified and compared with experiment. Magnetic shear and collisionality are found to play a central role. Analysis of heat transport has made progress along two directions: dimensionless scaling laws, which are found to agree with the prediction for electrostatic turbulence, and analysis of modulation experiments, which provide a stringent test of transport models. Finally the formation of ITBs has been addressed by analysing electron transport barriers. It is confirmed that negative magnetic shear, combined with the Shafranov shift, is a robust stabilizing mechanism. However, some well established features of internal barriers are not explained by theory.

Results from the first measurements of a core plasma poloidal rotation velocity (upsilontheta) across internal transport barriers (ITB) on JET are presented. The spatial and temporal evolution of the ITB can be followed along with the upsilontheta radial profiles, providing a very clear link between the location of the steepest region of the ion temperature gradient and localized spin-up of upsilontheta. The upsilontheta measurements are an order of magnitude higher than the neoclassical predictions for thermal particles in the ITB region, contrary to the close agreement found between the determined and predicted particle and heat transport coefficients [K.-D. Zastrow, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 46, B255 (2004)]. These results have significant implications for the understanding of transport barrier dynamics due to their large impact on the measured radial electric field profile.

The effect of a sheared toroidal velocity on a transport barrier is studied. This analysis is done by using three-dimensional global fluid simulations of electrostatic ion temperature gradient driven turbulence in tokamaks. The barrier is produced with a reversed magnetic shear. For a flat density profile, and at low collisionality, co-rotation leads to an outward motion of the barrier, whereas counter rotation leads to an inward displacement. However, the barrier displacement saturates when increasing the torque at fixed heat source. This saturation is attributed to the onset of Kelvin–Helmholtz modes. Also the central temperature is larger without external torque because the width of the transport barrier is wider. The consequence is that better confinement is obtained in absence of external torque.

We present an ultrafast neural network (NN) model, QLKNN, which predicts core tokamak transport heat and particle fluxes. QLKNN is a surrogate model based on a database of 300 million flux calculations of the quasilinear gyrokinetic transport model QuaLiKiz. The database covers a wide range of realistic tokamak core parameters. Physical features such as the existence of a critical gradient for the onset of turbulent transport were integrated into the neural network training methodology. We have coupled QLKNN to the tokamak modelling framework JINTRAC and rapid control-oriented tokamak transport solver RAPTOR. The coupled frameworks are demonstrated and validated through application to three JET shots covering a representative spread of H-mode operating space, predicting turbulent transport of energy and particles in the plasma core. JINTRAC-QLKNN and RAPTOR-QLKNN are able to accurately reproduce JINTRAC-QuaLiKiz T i,e and n e profiles, but 3 to 5 orders of magnitude faster. Simulations which take hours are reduced down to only a few tens of seconds. The discrepancy in the final source-driven predicted profiles between QLKNN and QuaLiKiz is on the order 1%-15%. Also the dynamic behaviour was well captured by QLKNN, with differences of only 4%-10% compared to JINTRAC-QuaLiKiz observed at mid-radius, for a study of density buildup following the L-H transition. Deployment of neural network surrogate models in multi-physics integrated tokamak modelling is a promising route towards enabling accurate and fast tokamak scenario optimization, Uncertainty Quantification, and control applications.

The disagreement between the weak dependence of the energy confinement time on normalized pressure, β, observed in dedicated scans and the strongly negative dependence in the confinement scaling laws used for the design of next step tokamaks and future reactors, remains an outstanding problem. As such, scans of β have been undertaken in single null, low triangularity (δ ≈ 0.2) ELMy H-mode plasmas in JET with the MarkIIGB-SRP divertor. The scans varied β by a factor of 2.8 (normalized β from 0.72 to 2.04) and covered a range of magnetic fields (1.5-2.3 T), plasma currents (1.5-2.75 MA) and safety factors (q 95 = 2.8 and 3.3). A weak β dependence was observed both globally (B 0 τ E varied less than 9% across any one scan) and locally. A scan within Type I ELMy H-modes suggests that this weaker dependence is not due to ELM regimes. A statistical analysis indicates that these results are consistent with log-linear regressions performed on a wide JET database of ELMy H-modes, if correlations in this database are considered.

Experiments on JET with a carbon-fibre composite wall have explored the reduction of steady-state power load in an ELMy H-mode scenario at high Greenwald fraction ∼0.8, constant power and close to the L to H transition. This paper reports a systematic study of power load reduction due to the effect of fuelling in combination with seeding over a wide range of pedestal density ((4–8) × 1019 m−3) with detailed documentation of divertor, pedestal and main plasma conditions, as well as a comparative study of two extrinsic impurity nitrogen and neon. It also reports the impact of steady-state power load reduction on the overall plasma behaviour, as well as possible control parameters to increase fuel purity. Conditions from attached to fully detached divertor were obtained during this study. These experiments provide reference plasmas for comparison with a future JET Be first wall and an all W divertor where the power load reduction is mandatory for operation.

Abstract. At JET the dynamics of Internal Transport Barriers (ITBs) has been explored by trying to decouple the effects of heating on one hand and torque on the other with the ultimate objective of identifying the minimum torque required for the formation of transport barriers. The experiments shed light on the physics behind the initial trigger for ITBs, which often shows to be linked to the shape of the q profile and magnetic shear, while the further development was influenced by the strength of the rotational shear. In discharges with a small amount of rotational shear ITBs were triggered, which suggest that the rotational shear is not the dominant factor in the triggering process. However, the subsequent growth of the barrier was limited if the rotational shear was too low at the time of triggering. This growth phase may be highly non-linear, with several possible positive feedback loops, such as the increases of the toroidal and poloidal component of the rotational shear caused by the ITB itself.