The dynamic features of the low-intermediate-high-(L-I-H) confinement transitions on HL-2A tokamak are presented. Here we report the discovery of two types of limit cycles (dubbed type-Y and type-J), which show opposite temporal ordering between the radial electric field and turbulence intensity. In type-Y, which appears first after an L-I transition, the turbulence grows first, followed by the localized electric field. In contrast, the electric field leads type-J. The turbulence-induced zonal flow and pressure-gradient-induced drift play essential roles in the two types of limit cycles, respectively. The condition of transition between types-Y and -J is studied in terms of the normalized radial electric field. An I-H transition is demonstrated to occur only from type-J.

Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 58 (2016) 074005 (11pp) q imp mm, thus consolidating the 50 mm width used to optimize the FW panel toroidal shape.

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Edge shear flow and its effect on regulating turbulent transport have long been suspected to play an important role in plasmas operating near the Greenwald density limit n G . In this study, equilibrium profiles as well as the turbulent particle flux and Reynolds stress across the separatrix in the HL-2A tokamak are examined as n G is approached in ohmic L-mode discharges. As the normalized line-averaged densityn e /n G is raised, the shearing rate of the mean poloidal flow ω sh drops, and the turbulent drive for the low-frequency zonal flow (the Reynolds power P Re ) collapses. Correspondingly, the turbulent particle transport increases drastically with increasing collision rates. The geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) gain more energy from the ambient turbulence at higher densities, but have smaller shearing rate than low-frequency zonal flows. The increased density also introduces decreased adiabaticity which not only enhances the particle transport but is also related to reduction in the eddy-tilting and the Reynolds power. Both effects may lead to cooling of edge plasmas and therefore the onset of MHD instabilities that limit the plasma density.1