Neoclassical Theory of Pedestal Flows and Comparison with Alcator C‐Mod Measurements

Abstract

Neoclassical implications of the strong radial electric field, inherently present in an H-mode tokamak pedestal, are considered. The main ion poloidal flow in the pedestal is predicted to be reduced in magnitude, or even reversed, compared with its core counterpart. The resulting change in the neoclassical formula for the impurity flow is shown to result in improved agreement with boron measurements in the Alcator C-Mod pedestal. In addition, due to the ion flow being modified, the bootstrap current is expected to be enhanced in the pedestal over conventional predictions.