Fast‐wave ion cyclotron resonance heating experiments on the Alcator C tokamak

In this paper, minority regime fast‐wave ICRF (Ion cyclotron range of frequency) heating experiments conducted on the Alcator C tokamak [Nucl. Fusion 2 6, 1665 (1986)] are described. Up to 450 kW of rf (radio frequency) power at frequency f=180 MHz was injected into plasmas composed of deuterium maj...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physics of fluids. B, Plasma physics Plasma physics, 1991-07, Vol.3 (7), p.1657-1670
Main Authors: Shepard, T. D., Fiore, C. L., McDermott, F. S., Parker, R. R., Porkolab, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700101 - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Confinement, Heating, & Production
ALCATOR DEVICE
AUXILIARY HEATING
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
COLLISIONAL PLASMA
COUPLING
DEUTERIUM
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
ELEMENTS
ENERGY TRANSFER
Exact sciences and technology
FREQUENCY RANGE
HEAT TRANSFER
HEATING
HIGH-FREQUENCY HEATING
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ICR HEATING
ION TEMPERATURE
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MHZ RANGE
MHZ RANGE 100-1000
NONMETALS
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
Physics
Physics of gases, plasmas and electric discharges
Physics of plasmas and electric discharges
PLASMA
PLASMA HEATING
Plasma production and heating
RADIATIONS
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
SPACE HEATING
STABLE ISOTOPES
THERMAL CONDUCTION
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
TOKAMAK DEVICES
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Summary:In this paper, minority regime fast‐wave ICRF (Ion cyclotron range of frequency) heating experiments conducted on the Alcator C tokamak [Nucl. Fusion 2 6, 1665 (1986)] are described. Up to 450 kW of rf (radio frequency) power at frequency f=180 MHz was injected into plasmas composed of deuterium majority and hydrogen minority ion species at magnetic fields of B 0≂12 T, densities 0.8≤n̄ e ≤5×1020 m−3, and minority concentrations 0.25≲ηH≤8%. Typical ion temperatures were T D(0)∼1 keV, while, depending on density, typical electron temperatures were in the range T e (0)∼1.5–2.5 keV. Central deuterium ion temperature increases of ΔT D(0)=400 eV were observed at n̄ e =1×1020 m−3, while significantly smaller ion temperature increases were observed at higher densities. At the highest densities, ion heating became insignificant due in part to a limitation on power handling by the antenna that became more severe with increasing density. Significant electron heating was not observed at any density. Heating of the minority species at low densities indicated severe losses, but at higher densities it was consistent with efficient collisional coupling of the rf power from the hydrogen minority species to the deuterium majority species. Analysis of the deuterium power balance indicated no significant change in the deuterium thermal transport properties as a function of rf power. This may be consistent with the fact that the rf power never exceeded the Ohmic heating (OH) contribution. However, a very strong dependence of the deuterium transport properties on density was observed, and appears to be the dominant process limiting the effectiveness of ICRF heating at high density.
ISSN:0899-8221
2163-503X
DOI:10.1063/1.859686