Local edge parameters on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak are investigated at the L-mode to H-mode transition, during phases with various types of edge-localized modes (ELMs), and at the density limit. A scaling law for the boundary electron temperature,e,b B 0.8 t I 0.5 p , is found which describes the H-mode threshold for deuterium-puffed discharges with favourable ion ∇B-drift direction. The region of stable operation is bounded by type I ELMs near the ideal ballooning limit and by a minimum temperature necessary to avoid thermal instability of the plasma edge. Stationary operation with type III ELMs imposes an upper limit on the edge temperature. Within the entire range of boundary densities investigated (n e,b 8 × 10 19 m −3 ), both L-mode and H-mode are found to be accessible. During type I ELMy H-mode, a relation of global confinement with the edge pressure gradient is found which is connected with a loss of the favourable density dependence predicted by the ITER-92P and ITER-93H ELMy H-mode scalings. At high density, better confinement is achieved in H-modes with an edge pressure gradient below the ideal ballooning limit, e.g. during type III ELMy H-mode with impurity-seeded radiation.

H modes with good confinement and small ELMs with the characteristics of type II or grassy ELMs have been observed on ASDEX Upgrade. Such an ELM behaviour is essential to minimize erosion of the divertor tiles in any next step device. For the first time, operation with this favourable ELM type could be demonstrated close to the Greenwald density. Even for such high densities, energy confinement times were close to recent H mode scalings. High density even seems to be favourable, since steady state pure type II ELMy H mode phases on ASDEX Upgrade are obtained only above ne/nGW ≥ 0.85. Additional requirements are q95 ≥ 4.2 and an equilibrium close to a double null configuration with an average triangularity δ = 0.40. For these small ELMs magnetic precursors are observed with a frequency of ≈30 kHz and dominant mode numbers of toroidally 3 and 4 and poloidally ≥14.

The transport of silicon has been investigated for various heating scenarios in ASDEX Upgrade H-mode discharges. Inside of r ≈ a/4, the diffusion coefficient D is either mainly neoclassical or anomalous depending on the heating method. For all investigated scenarios with NBI-heating and off-axis ECRH or off-axis ICRH, the diffusion coefficient is approximately neoclassical, and the effective heat diffusion coefficient χ eff is below the neoclassical ion heat diffusion χ i,neo in the plasma core. When central ECRH is added, χ eff is above χ i,neo , and D strongly increases by a factor of 3-10, i.e. becomes predominantly anomalous. For central ICRH, D is above the neoclassical level by a factor of 2.For radii outside of r ≈ a/4, D is always anomalous and increases towards the plasma edge. For r a/4, we find a clear scaling of D in terms of χ eff , where D is about equal or above χ eff . A strong inward drift parameter v/D is only observed in the core and only for cases, when the diffusion coefficient is neoclassical. With central wave heating, the drift parameter decreases to small values.

For the first time, scalings for density peaking in tokamaks are obtained from a database consisting of observations from two devices, ASDEX Upgrade and JET. The investigation relies on an inversion method for the interferometer signals which grants consistent reconstructions despite differences in interferometer geometries. By combining observations from these devices, correlations between physics parameters investigated for their role in determining density peaking are reduced. Multiple regression analyses show that in the combined database collisionality is the most relevant parameter. The particle source provided by neutral beam injection provides a contribution to the peaking, which, although not negligible, is not large enough to explain the whole observed variation of density peaking. The device size, introduced as an alias for possible systematic differences between the devices not captured by the regression parameters, is found to play only a small role in regressions which include collisionality. Device size becomes relevant in scalings which exclude collisionality and include the ratio of the density to the Greenwald density limit. This indicates that density peaking is more likely to be a function of collisionality rather than of the fraction of the density limit. All the scalings which include collisionality in the regression variables predict a peaked density profile for the ITER standard scenario.

Energy transport by the electrons in a tokamak is examined in steady-state and power modulation experiments using electron cyclotron heating. The results are consistent with the assumption that temperature profiles are limited by a critical gradient length, leading to "stiff" profiles. The modulation experiments show that the stiffness factor increases with temperature. They strongly suggest that turbulence driven by the electron temperature gradient may be a dominant mechanism of electron transport. Although possibly not universal, these results are valid under various plasma conditions.

Abstract. After completion of the tungsten coating of all plasma facing components, ASDEX Upgrade has been operated without boronization for 1 1/2 experimental campaigns. This has allowed the study of fuel retention under conditions of relatively low D co-deposition with low-Z impurities as well as the operational space of a full-tungsten device for the unfavourable condition of a relatively high intrinsic impurity level. Restrictions in operation were caused by central accumulation of tungsten in combination with density peaking, resulting in H-L backtransitions induced by too low separatrix power flux. Most important control parameters have been found to be the central heating power, as delivered predominantly by ECRH, and the ELM frequency, most easily controlled by gas puffing. Generally, ELMs exhibit a positive impact, with the effect of impurity flushing out of the pedestal region overbalancing the ELM induced W source. The restrictions of plasma operation in the unboronized W machine occured predominantly under low or medium power conditions. Under medium-high power conditions, stable operation with virtually no difference between boronized and unboronized discharges was achieved. Due to the reduced intrinsic radiation with boronization and the limited power handling capability of VPS coated divertor tiles ( 10 MW/m 2 ), boronized operation at high heating powers was possible only with radiative cooling. To enable this, a previously developed feedback system using (thermo-)electric current measurements as approximate sensor for the divertor power flux was introduced into the standard AUG operation. To avoid the problems with reduced ELM frequency due to core plasma radiation, nitrogen was selected as radiating species since its radiative characteristic peaks at lower electron temperatures in comparison to Ne and Ar, favouring SOL and divertor radiative losses. Nitrogen seeding resulted not only in the desired divertor power load reduction, but also in improved energy confinement, as well as in smaller ELMs.

Global and local H-mode threshold analyses are presented and discussed. The density window was extended up to the density limit towards which the power threshold exhibits a dramatic increase. First results with the new divertor are compared to the previous threshold scaling. Local edge measurements at the L-H transition show that the temperature decreases slightly with density and increases with magnetic field, and that the ion collisionality at the plasma edge is always clearly above unity, between 5 and 15. Experiments at high power threshold exhibit improved L-mode confinement and suggest that two mechanisms are required for the L-H transition.

This paper describes experiments with highly shaped JET H-mode plasmas, which were directed to developing regimes where Type I ELMs are replaced by other edge relaxations, while maintaining the pedestal pressure of Type I ELMy H-modes. It was found that Type II ELMs coexisted with Type I, up to densities of the order of the Greenwald limit, where Type III ELMs appear, and the good confinement was lost. Only at the highest edge collisionality was it observed that Type II ELMs completely replace Type I. At high β p and q 95 , 'grassy' ELMs replace Type I completely. The MHD spectra characteristics for grassy ELMs are significantly different from those of Type II ELMs. This paper details the experiments, briefly compares the results to those obtained elsewhere and suggests open lines of investigations for the assessment of the potential of grassy ELM regimes as an ELM mitigation technique.