The resonant interaction between magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instability modes and the externally applied helical magnetic field is demonstrated in the Saskatchewan Torus-Modified (STOR-M) tokamak. The study is conducted both numerically and experimentally using a 2D MHD equilibrium code in the former and an (l = 2, n = 1) helical coil carrying a short current pulse in the latter. It is shown numerically that the resonant helical current can efficiently suppress the magnetic islands resonating on the (m = 2, n = 1) magnetic surface when the value of the safety factor at the plasma edge is relatively low (⩽4). It is also found numerically that (2, 1) islands are induced when the applied helical current exceeds a threshold. The experimental study is performed in STOR-M during low-q ohmic discharges with high MHD activities. The amplitude and frequency of (2, 1) Mirnov fluctuations are significantly reduced after the activation of the resonant field. Lesser suppression in sideband islands is also observed. Moreover, a phase of improved plasma confinement, characterized by a reduction in Hα emission level, a reduction in loop voltage and an increase in the soft x-ray emission, is induced after application of the resonant field.

In the Saskatchewan torus-modified (STOR-M) tokamak, tangential compact torus injection (CTI) experiments have been performed with normal (counter-clockwise, CCW, top view) and reversed (clockwise, CW, top view) plasma current directions while the compact torus (CT) injection direction remains in the CCW direction. The intrinsic toroidal flow direction reverses when the discharge current is reversed. However, the change in the toroidal flow direction is always toward the CTI direction (CCW). It has been determined that the momentum in high density and high velocity CT is more than ten times larger than the intrinsic toroidal rotation momentum in the typical STOR-M plasma. Therefore, the modification of the plasma toroidal rotation velocity is attributed to momentum transfer from CT to the tokamak discharge.

In compact torus injection (CTI) experiments on the STOR-M tokamak, an ion Doppler spectrometer is installed to observe the effects of CTI on toroidal plasma flows. The intrinsic toroidal flow in ohmic discharges without CTI is sheared with counter plasma current flow in the core region and co-current direction at the periphery. With tangential CTI along the co-current direction, the flow velocity in the core region decreases by more than 5 km s −1 , while in the periphery the flow velocity increases by 3-4 km s −1 . These data indicate that the observed flow change is due to the injection of toroidal momentum. Density increase and high soft x-ray emission after CTI are observed during the changes in the toroidal flow.

A technique is presented for determining the radial location of the rotating magnetic islands in the STOR-M tokamak by use of soft x-ray (SXR) detector arrays. The location is determined by examining the difference in the integrated SXR emission intensities through two adjacent lines of sight. A model for calculating dependence of the line integrated SXR emission intensity on the radius, the mode numbers and the magnetic island geometry, has been developed. The SXR difference signal shows phase inversion when the impact parameter of the line of sight sweeps across the magnetic islands. Experimentally, the difference SXR signals significantly reduce noise and suppress the influence of background plasma fluctuations through common mode rejection when a dominant mode exists in the STOR-M tokamak. The radial locations of the m = 2 magnetic islands have been determined under several experimental conditions in the STOR-M discharges. With the decrease in the tokamak discharge current and thus the increase of the safety factor at the edge, the radial location of the m = 2 magnetic islands has been found to move radially inward.

Radial electric field shear and poloidal plasma rotation are important factors affecting transport and confinement in tokamaks. Alteration of the electric field and plasma rotation in the vicinity of magnetic islands is also an important factor in tokamak plasma confinement. In the STOR-M tokamak, fast (∼1 ms) simultaneous alterations of the radial electric field, plasma rotation (M || = 0-0.4 in the plasma current direction), floating potential fluctuations in the periphery and MHD activity generated by rotating islands have been observed experimentally during normal ohmic discharges. The observed time and magnitude of the changes depend on the average electron density and poloidal beta at the beginning of the discharge. In discharges with high initial poloidal beta these changes are accompanied by a reduction in H α emission and an increase in the line averaged density. Drastic decreases in H α and increases in line averaged electron density and estimation of poloidal beta suggest that STOR-M confinement is significantly affected in ohmic discharges without an external additional energy input or biasing. MHD activity in STOR-M is damped when a negative electric field is observed at the limiter region of the plasma edge. MHD frequency is observed to decrease with the negative electric field.