Progress in the area of MHD stability and disruptions, since the publication of the 1999 ITER Physics Basis document Nucl. Fusion 39 2137-2664, is reviewed. Recent theoretical and experimental research has made important advances in both understanding and control of MHD stability in tokamak plasmas. Sawteeth are anticipated in the ITER baseline ELMy H-mode scenario, but the tools exist to avoid or control them through localized current drive or fast ion generation. Active control of other MHD instabilities will most likely be also required in ITER. Extrapolation from existing experiments indicates that stabilization of neoclassical tearing modes by highly localized feedback-controlled current drive should be possible in ITER. Resistive wall modes are a key issue for S128 Chapter 3: MHD stability, operational limits and disruptions advanced scenarios, but again, existing experiments indicate that these modes can be stabilized by a combination of plasma rotation and direct feedback control with non-axisymmetric coils. Reduction of error fields is a requirement for avoiding non-rotating magnetic island formation and for maintaining plasma rotation to help stabilize resistive wall modes. Recent experiments have shown the feasibility of reducing error fields to an acceptable level by means of non-axisymmetric coils, possibly controlled by feedback. The MHD stability limits associated with advanced scenarios are becoming well understood theoretically, and can be extended by tailoring of the pressure and current density profiles as well as by other techniques mentioned here. There have been significant advances also in the control of disruptions, most notably by injection of massive quantities of gas, leading to reduced halo current fractions and a larger fraction of the total thermal and magnetic energy dissipated by radiation. These advances in disruption control are supported by the development of means to predict impending disruption, most notably using neural networks. In addition to these advances in means to control or ameliorate the consequences of MHD instabilities, there has been significant progress in improving physics understanding and modelling. This progress has been in areas including the mechanisms governing NTM growth and seeding, in understanding the damping controlling RWM stability and in modelling RWM feedback schemes. For disruptions there has been continued progress on the instability mechanisms that underlie various classes of disruption, on the detailed modelling of halo currents and forces and in refining predictions of quench rates and disruption power loads. Overall the studies reviewed in this chapter demonstrate that MHD instabilities can be controlled, avoided or ameliorated to the extent that they should not compromise ITER operation, though they will necessarily impose a range of constraints.

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A survey has been carried out into the causes of all 2309 disruptions over the last decade of JET operations. The aim of this survey was to obtain a complete picture of all possible disruption causes, in order to devise better strategies to prevent or mitigate their impact. The analysis allows the effort to avoid or prevent JET disruptions to be more efficient and effective. As expected, a highly complex pattern of chain of events that led to disruptions emerged. It was found that the majority of disruptions had a technical root cause, for example due to control errors, or operator mistakes. These bring a random, non-physics, factor into the occurrence of disruptions and the disruption rate or disruptivity of a scenario may depend more on technical performance than on physics stability issues. The main root cause of JET disruptions was nevertheless due to neo-classical tearing modes that locked, closely followed in second place by disruptions due to human error. The development of more robust operational scenarios has reduced the JET disruption rate over the last decade from about 15% to below 4%. A fraction of all disruptions was caused by very fast, precursorless unpredictable events. The occurrence of these disruptions may set a lower limit of 0.4% to the disruption rate of JET. If one considers on top of that human error and all unforeseen failures of heating or control systems this lower limit may rise to 1.0% or 1.6%, respectively.

This paper reports the successful installation of the JET ITER-like Wall and the realisation of its technical objectives. It also presents an overview of the planned experimental programme which has been optimised to exploit the new wall and other JET enhancement in 2011/12. IntroductionThe ITER reference materials [pitts] have been tested in isolation in tokamaks, plasma simulators, ion beams and high heat flux test beds. However, an integrated test demonstrating both acceptable tritium retention, predicted to be one to two orders of magnitude lower than for a carbon wall [roth], and an ability to operate a large high power tokamak within the limits set by these materials has not yet been carried out. The ITER-like Wall now installed in JET by remote handling comprises solid beryllium limiters and a combination of bulk W and Wcoated CFC divertor tiles.Work is also well advanced in defining the 2011/12 JET experimental programme and setting up the teams. A phased approach will be adopted which maximises the scientific output early in the programme on the basic materials and fuel retention questions whilst minimising the risk associated with operation in an all metal machine. However, re-establishing H-modes at similar power levels to those with the carbon walls is a priority for establishing a reference database. The JET upgrades also include an increase in neutral beam heating power, up to 35MW for 20s [ciric], this has led to a requirement that the most critical first wall Be and W components are monitored in real time by an appropriate imaging protection system [Alves, Jouve, Stephen]. In the main chamber, an array of thermocouples has been fitted to unambiguously monitor the bulk temperature of critical tiles. Before this upgrade, only a divertor system was available which proved essential for interpretation of IR data [Eich] and this will be even more the case with an all metal wall due to reflection and uncertain emissivity. Safe expansion of operating space will also be a priority. Experiments will have to be carefully managed if they have the potential to jeopardise interpretation of the long term samples which are planned to be removed in a 2012 intervention. Here the concern is that

As part of the ITER Design Review, the physics requirements were reviewed and as appropriate updated. The focus of this paper will be on recent work affecting the ITER design with special emphasis on topics affecting near-term procurement arrangements. This paper will describe results on: design sensitivity studies, poloidal field coil requirements, vertical stability, effect of toroidal field ripple on thermal confinement, heat load requirements for plasma-facing components, edge localized modes control, resistive wall mode control, disruptions and disruption mitigation.

Abstract. Disruption mitigation is mandatory for ITER in order to reduce forces, to mitigate heat loads during the thermal quench (TQ) and to avoid runaway electrons. A fast disruption mitigation valve (DMV) has been installed at JET to study mitigation by massive gas injection (MGI). Different gas species and amounts have been investigated with respect to timescales and mitigation efficiency. We discuss the mitigation of halo currents as well as sideways forces during vertical displacement events, the mitigation of heat loads by increased energy dissipation through radiation, the heat loads which could arise by asymmetric radiation and the suppression of runaway electrons.

Disruptions are a major operational concern for next generation tokamaks, including ITER. They may generate excessive heat loads on plasma facing components, large electromagnetic forces in the machine structures and several MA of multi-MeV runaway electrons. A more complete understanding of the runaway generation processes and methods to suppress them is necessary to ensure safe and reliable operation of future tokamaks. Runaway electrons were studied at JET-ILW showing that their generation dependencies (accelerating electric field, avalanche critical field, toroidal field, MHD fluctuations) are in agreement with current theories.

Work is in progress to completely replace, in 2008/9, the existing JET CFC tiles with a configuration of plasma facing materials consistent with the ITER design. The ITER-like Wall (ILW) will be created with a combination of beryllium (Be), tungsten (W), W-Coated CFC and Be-Coated inconel tiles, with the material depending on the local anticipated heat flux and geometry. It is part of an integrated package of JET enhancements whose aim is to develop an understanding of the ITER materials issues and develop the techniques required to operate with inductive and advanced scenarios as close as possible to ITER parameters. Over 4000 tiles will be replaced and the ILW will accommodate additional heating up to at least 50 MW for 10 s. This paper describes the scientific background to the project, the technical objectives, the material configuration selected, the R&D behind the practical realisation of the objectives and the generic problems associated with the Be tiles (power handling capacity and disruption induced eddy currents). One of the objectives is to maintain or improve the existing CFC tile power handling performance which has been achieved in most cases by hiding bolt holes, optimising tile size and profile and introducing castellations on plasma facing surfaces.