The extensive design effort for KSTAR has been focused on two major aspects of the KSTAR project mission - steady-state-operation capability and advanced tokamak physics. The steady state aspect of the mission is reflected in the choice of superconducting magnets, provision of actively cooled in-vessel components, and long pulse current drive and heating systems. The advanced tokamak aspect of the mission is incorporated in the design features associated with flexible plasma shaping, double null divertor and passive stabilizers, internal control coils and a comprehensive set of diagnostics. Substantial progress in engineering has been made on superconducting magnets, the vacuum vessel, plasma facing components and power supplies. The new KSTAR experimental facility with cryogenic system and deionized water cooling and main power systems has been designed, and the construction work is under way for completion in 2004.

Radial profiles of the ion saturation current and its fluctuation statistics are presented from probe measurements in L-mode, neutral beam heated plasmas at the outboard mid-plane region of KSTAR. The familiar two-layer structure, seen elsewhere in tokamak L-mode discharges, with a steep near-SOL profile and a broad far-SOL profile, is observed. The profile scale length in the far-SOL increases drastically with lineaveraged density, thereby enhancing plasma interactions with the main chamber walls. Time series from the far-SOL region are characterised by large-amplitude bursts attributed to the radial motion of blob-like plasma filaments. Analysis of a data time series of several seconds duration under stationary plasma conditions reveals the statistical properties of these fluctuations, including the rate of level crossings and the average duration of periods spent above a given threshold level. This is shown to be in excellent agreement with predictions of a stochastic model, giving novel predictions of plasma-wall interactions due to transient transport events. * odd.erik.garcia@uit.no

We report recent experimental results from HL-2A and KSTAR on ELM mitigation by supersonic molecular beam injection (SMBI). Cold particle deposition within the pedestal by SMBI is verified in both machines.The signatures of ELM mitigation by SMBI are an ELM frequency increase and ELM amplitude decrease.These persist for an SMBI influence time τI. Here, τI is the time for the SMBI influenced pedestal profile to refill. An increase in f SMBI ELM /f 0 ELM and a decrease in the energy loss per ELM WELM were achieved in both machines. Physical insight was gleaned from studies of density and vφ(toroidal rotation velocity) evolution, particle flux and turbulence spectra, divertor heat load. The characteristic gradients of the pedestal density soften and a change in vφwas observed during a τI time. The spectra of the edge particle flux Г~ < ˜vr˜ne> and density fluctuation with and without SMBI were measured in HL-2A and in KSTAR, respectively. A clear phenomenon observed is the decrease in divertor heat load during the τI time in HL-2A. Similar results are the profiles of saturation current density Jsat with and without SMBI in KSTAR. We note that τI/τp (particle confinement time) is close to ~1, although there is a large difference in individual τI between the two machines. This suggests that τI is strongly related to particle-transport events. Experiments and analysis of a simple phenomenological model support the important conclusion that ELM mitigation by SMBI results from an increase in higher frequency fluctuations and transport events in the pedestal.

The 4 th KSTAR campaign in 2011 concentrated on active ELM control by various methods such as non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations, supersonic molecular beam injection (SMBI), vertical jogs of the plasma column, and edge electron heating. The segmented in-vessel control coil (IVCC) system is capable of applying n≤2 perturbed field with different phasing among top, middle, and bottom coils. Application of an n=1 perturbed field showed desirable ELM suppression result. Fast vertical jogs of the plasma column achieved ELM pace making and ELMs locked to 50 Hz vertical jogs were observed with a high probability of phase locking. A newly installed SMBI system was utilized for ELM control and a state of mitigated ELMs was sustained by the optimized repetitive SMBI pulse for a few tens of ELM periods. A change of ELM behavior was seen due to edge electron heating although the effect of ECH launch needs supplementary analyses. The ECEI images of suppressed/mitigated ELM states showed apparent differences when compared to natural ELMy states. Further analyses are ongoing to explain the observed ELM control results.

The latest results of confinement and edge-localized mode (ELM) characteristics of Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) H-mode plasmas are reported. The estimation of fast ion contribution to the total stored energy, calculated by both the NUBEAM and ASTRA simulations, and of the effective total heating power is used to derive the thermal energy confinement time (τ E,thermal), which is compared with a multi-machine database. The measured power threshold for the L–H transition (P thr) as a function of density shows a roll-over with minimum value at . KSTAR H-mode plasmas exhibit three distinctive types of ELMs: large type-I ELMs, intermediate ELMs and a mixed (type-I and small ELM peaks) ELM regime. Power scans show that the frequency of the large ELMs increases with increasing heating power, a feature of type-I ELMs. The quality of confinement is higher for type-I and mixed ELMy H-mode (H 98(y,2) ∼ 0.9–1) than for the intermediate ELM regime (H 98(y,2) ∼ 0.7). Type-I ELMs have precursor-like signals from the magnetics measurement, while the other two ELM types do not. The low-field side (LFS) profile of electron temperature (T e), from the ECE measurement, and the pedestal profile of the toroidal velocity (V t), from charge-exchange spectroscopy, show a continuous build up on the LFS during the inter-ELM period. However, the pedestal ion temperature (T i) remains unchanged for most of the inter-ELM period until it rapidly rises in the last stage of the ELM cycle (⩾70–80%). The estimated electron pedestal collisionality for a type-I ELMy regime is . The confinement and ELM characteristics for the ELM suppression discharges by the application of an n = 1 magnetic perturbation (MP) have also been investigated for each of the identified stages during the MP application. A second L–H transition during the L-mode phase after the end of first H-mode stage occurs for some discharges when the divertor configuration is restored by the plasma control system. Characteristics of this late H-mode are compared with those for the main H-mode.

The Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research, KSTAR, is designed to operate a steady-state, high beta plasma while retaining global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability to establish the scientific and technological basis of an economically attractive fusion reactor. An equilibrium model is established for stability analysis of KSTAR. Reconstructions were performed for the experimental start-up scenario and experimental first plasma operation using the EFIT code. The VALEN code was used to determine the vacuum vessel current distribution. Theoretical high beta equilibria spanning the expected operational range are computed for various profiles including generic L-mode and DIII-D experimental H-mode pressure profiles. Ideal MHD stability calculations of toroidal mode number of unity using the DCON code shows a factor of 2 improvement in the wall-stabilized plasma beta limit at moderate to low plasma internal inductance. The planned stabilization system in KSTAR comprises passive stabilizing plates and actively cooled in-vessel control coils (IVCCs) designed for non-axisymmetric field error correction and stabilization of slow timescale MHD modes including resistive wall modes (RWMs). VALEN analysis using standard proportional gain shows that active stabilization near the ideal wall limit can be reached with feedback using the midplane segment of the IVCC. The RMS power required for control using both white noise and noise taken from NSTX active stabilization experiments is computed for beta near the ideal wall limit. Advanced state-space control algorithms yield a factor of 2 power reduction assuming white noise while remaining robust with respect to variations in plasma beta.

DIII-D physics research addresses critical challenges for the operation of ITER and the next generation of fusion energy devices. This is done through a focus on innovations to provide solutions for high performance long pulse operation, coupled with fundamental plasma physics understanding and model validation, to drive scenario development by integrating high performance core and boundary plasmas. Substantial increases in off-axis current drive efficiency from an innovative top launch system for EC power, and in pressure broadening for Alfven eigenmode control from a co-/counter-I p steerable off-axis neutral beam, all improve the prospects for optimization of future long pulse/steady state high performance tokamak operation. Fundamental studies into the modes that drive the evolution of the pedestal pressure profile and electron vs ion heat flux validate predictive models of pedestal recovery after ELMs. Understanding the physics mechanisms of ELM control and density pumpout by 3D magnetic perturbation fields leads to confident predictions for ITER and future devices. Validated modeling of high-Z shattered pellet injection for disruption mitigation, runaway electron dissipation, and techniques for disruption prediction and avoidance including machine learning, give confidence in handling disruptivity for future devices. For the non-nuclear phase of ITER, two actuators are identified to lower the L–H threshold power in hydrogen plasmas. With this physics understanding and suite of capabilities, a high poloidal beta optimized-core scenario with an internal transport barrier that projects nearly to Q = 10 in ITER at ∼8 MA was coupled to a detached divertor, and a near super H-mode optimized-pedestal scenario with co-I p beam injection was coupled to a radiative divertor. The hybrid core scenario was achieved directly, without the need for anomalous current diffusion, using off-axis current drive actuators. Also, a controller to assess proximity to stability limits and regulate β N in the ITER baseline scenario, based on plasma response to probing 3D fields, was demonstrated. Finally, innovative tokamak operation using a negative triangularity shape showed many attractive features for future pilot plant operation.

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