Experiments on the TCV tokamak have shown that rapid vertical movement of diverted ELMy H-mode plasmas can affect the time sequence of Edge Localised Modes. The effect is attributed to the induction of an edge current during the movement of the plasma column in the spatially inhomogeneous vacuum field of a single null configuration. In TCV the fast vertical movement is provoked by the positional control coils inside the vacuum vessel, however it is argued that a similar effect might be produced in larger devices only using poloidal field coils external to the vessel. A simple model, which includes plausible elements of the dynamical behaviour of the edge pressure gradient and edge current, which together dictate the MHD stability of the discharge against edge-localised, current-driven modes, is used to reproduce some of the features seen in these experiments.
Active charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CXRS) is used in most of the present fusion experiments as a proven tool for local measurements of the main ions in the plasma [R. Isler, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 36, 171 (1994)]. A comprehensive diagnostic coverage of intrinsic and injected impurities is essential for any self-consistent plasma simulation and prediction of plasma performance. In particular, for the assessment of local helium ash densities [M. von Hellermann et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 35, 799 (1993)], CXRS will play a key role for future fusion devices such as ITER. However, it should be emphasized that any helium ash analysis is only viable in a fully diagnosed plasma, that is, all other ions need to be measured as well. Two fundamental limitations are considered in the following assessment. First is the detectability of a weak CX signal against a strong background of plasma continuum radiation. A second, equally important requirement is the accuracy with which local neutral beam densities can be established in order to derive absolute ion densities from the extracted active CX signals. The second problem can be approached either by experimental data from beam emission spectroscopy (M. von Hellerman et al., Conference on Advanced Diagnostics for Magnetic and Inertial Fusion Varenna, Sept. 2001), or calculated by beam attenuation codes using electron and both bulk and impurity ion density profiles. This report includes a description of the CXRS measurement concept, the experimental and optical scheme of measurements for ITER (S. Tugarinov et al., Conference on Advanced Diagnostics for Magnetic and Inertial Fusion, Varenna, Sept. 2001), and the main conclusions and recommendation that we have made from the results of a signal-to-noise (SN) value calculations. The main conclusions are the following: CXRS at ITER appears to be a viable diagnostic tool and the projected diagnostic neutral beam will provide adequate SN ratios for spectral analysis. A comprehensive approach to helium ash measurement, making use of a simultaneous measurement of the main low-Z impurities, will considerably increase the overall data consistency and will also significantly reduce the statistical error of each single impurity density determination. Three periscopes located in upper port for the intrinsic impurity measurements will also provide ion temperature, plasma rotation, and deuteron density profiles.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.