The narrow scrape-off layer power component observed in COMPASS inner wall limiter circular discharges by means of IR thermography is investigated by Langmuir probes embedded in the limiter. The ...power flux profiles are in good agreement with IR observations and can be described by a double-exponential decay with a short decay length (<5mm) just outside the separatrix and a longer one (∼50mm) for the rest of the profile in the main scrape-off layer. Non-ambipolar currents measured at the limiter apex play a relatively modest role in the formation of the narrow component. The fraction of the deposited power due to non-ambipolarity varies between 2% and 45%. On the other hand, the measured power widths are roughly consistent in magnitude with a model that takes into account drift effects, suggesting these effects may be dominant.
Abstract
The lithium vapor box divertor is a proposed divertor design that will minimize contamination of the upstream plasma in a fusion device, while also ensuring protection of the target. In this ...design lithium is evaporated near the target by high temperature lithium surfaces, dissipating the plasma heat flux. The lithium vapor box has been predicted via the fluid-kinetic code scrape off layer plasma simulator (SOLPS-ITER) to achieve low (
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0.05) upstream concentrations of lithium and low target heat fluxes. Here we compare two choices of deuterium gas puff location using SOLPS-ITER, the private flux region (PFR) and the common flux region (CFR), and find significant differences in the contamination level required to reach an acceptable target heat flux (defined here as q
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10 MW m
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). Deuterium gas puffing from the PFR is seen to better reduce upstream lithium contamination. The difference in puffing location is seen to cause changes in the upstream flow of lithium ions. The PFR puff, having better access to the separatrix, can better reduce the upstream-directed flow of lithium near the separatrix which is the primary source of contamination due to a large thermal force in this region. Puffing from the CFR, partially due to inefficacy at reducing separatrix lithium flow, has higher lithium concentration within the plasma. Solutions that reduce the heat flux to below 10 MW m
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have a range of lithium concentrations between
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0.01–0.12 depending on puff intensity, location, evaporator temperature and recycling at the various plasma facing components. The efficacy of the puffs is tested for sensitivity to deuterium recycling coefficient at the target, evaporators, and main chamber walls. A CFR located puff is found to be more dependent on the recycling coefficients used than a PFR located puff. regardless of the set of recycling coefficients chosen, PFR puffing achieves lower lithium contamination than CFR puffing for a given heat flux.
•This paper generalizes the highly successful Heuristic Drift model of the power scrape-off width to include collisional effects relevant at high density, as well as finite target temperature effects ...relevant at very low density.•Reasonable agreement is found with recent power-scrape-off width measurements made on ASDEX-Upgrade.•The flow shearing rates calculated for the SOL of H-Mode plasmas substantially exceed their interchange growth rates, which could explain the low turbulence level of these plasmas.•Furthermore, the generalized HD (GHD) model predicts that this flow shear is reduced at higher densities, leading ultimately to the transition back from H-Mode to L-Mode at the point where the shearing rate equals the interchange growth rate.•This is found to be consistent with ASDEX-Upgrade high-density H-mode limit studies.•ITER H-Modes are predicted to have extremely high shearing rates compared with interchange growth rates, perhaps indicating that exceptionally high quality H-modes may be accessible.
We generalize the low-gas-puff Heuristic Drift (HD) model of the power scrape-off layer width to take into account both the enhanced parallel confinement time in the SOL at high collisionality, due to enhanced thermal resistivity, and the increase of the upstream temperature at very low collisionality, due to finite target temperature. We find a wide range of separatrix densities over which the original HD model is applicable. However, at the region of high separatrix density and collisionality accessible with strong gas puffs the SOL widens, in reasonable agreement with experimental data from ASDEX-Upgrade and JET. We further find that for typical low-gas-puff H-mode conditions, the projected E×B flow shearing rate in the SOL dominates over the interchange growth rate, while at the high separatrix densities at which H-Modes return to L-Mode, the interchange growth rate approximately equals the shearing rate. The result is related to that of Halpern and Ricci with respect to the steep gradient region of the SOL of inner-wall-limiter discharges, which also show HD-like scale lengths. It is also consistent with calculations of shear-flow stabilization of interchange modes by Zhang and Krasheninnikov. Taking ωs>γint as the criterion for retaining H-Mode performance, we use the generalized HD (GHD) model to predict the scaling for the H→L back transition. The power requirements to sustain H-Mode for existing machines and for ITER are in the range of a factor of 2 below the predictions for the L→H transition, consistent with the limited available studies of H-Mode hysteresis. We find reasonable agreement with the scaling of the density at the H→L back transition found by Bernert on ASDEX-Upgrade. Finally, we speculate that the shearing rate in the SOL of H-Mode plasmas contributes to the reduced core turbulence that supports the formation of the H-Mode pedestal and comment on the implications for ITER.
SOLPS calculations of lithium vapor box divertor designs on NSTX-U are presented. Predictive high power simulations (Pheat=10 MW, qpeakunmitigated∼65 MW/m2) are used to compare and contrast two ...divertor designs. Specifically a baffled “box” divertor, where a region of neutral density is allowed to build up, is compared to a more typical slot divertor geometry. It is found that significant differences in lithium containment lead to profoundly different viability of the two designs. These differences are seen to be due to far SOL flow patterns that change based on the presence of baffling as well differences in efficiency of the lithium evaporator. Outer-midplane (OMP) separatrix lithium content is found to be strongly detrimental to upstream temperature when nLi/ne>0.1 is reached. This regime of high upstream contamination is avoided via baffling. The reduction in upstream lithium allows access to low heat flux solutions below 5 MW/m2 with very little reduction to upstream temperature from the unmitigated, 65 MW/m2 solution. The slot is able to reach sub-10 MW/m2 heat fluxes though raising the evaporation rate much further reduces the upstream temperature, such that the range of stable evaporation rates with low heat flux to the target is small. Higher performance solutions (low heat flux and low upstream lithium content) are accessible by controlling recycling coefficients of deuterium on the walls above the box.
•SOLPS is used to predictively model a lithium vapor divertor in a 10 MW NSTX-U operating scenario.•Baffled and slot divertor designs are compared.•The baffled design has improved lithium containment and cooling power.
The unmitigated heat flux in attached operation of a fusion power plant is predicted to be destructive to any solid divertor surface. Detachment, whereby the plasma pressure drops significantly ...before reaching the divertor target thus greatly reducing the heat flux and sputtering, will be necessary to ensure adequate lifetime of plasma facing components (PFCs). The lithium vapor box divertor aims to detach the divertor plasma via evaporating and condensing lithium surfaces. By evaporating lithium near or at the divertor plate and condensing it closer to the main chamber, a lithium vapor density gradient can be created. This density gradient ties energy losses to poloidal distance between the target and the detachment point. The radiation zone is then prevented from reaching the X-point as the lithium ionization rate decreases when the detachment front moves away from the divertor target. Here we present Scrape Off Layer Plasma Simulator (SOLPS) simulations of a lithium vapor box divertor using an NSTX-U equilibrium and PFC geometry. The parameters for the core boundary conditions, gas puff intensity, and heat and particle transport coefficients are chosen to match experimental values. Acceptable agreement with experimental Scrape-Off Layer (SOL) widths is found, indicating a reasonable choice of transport coefficients. In predictive simulations, lithium is added via evaporation at the target. Predictions for peak heat fluxes and upstream impurity concentration are given for a variety of evaporation rates. Target electron temperature is predicted to be able to be reduced to recombination levels (below 1 eV) for lithium evaporation rates of 1⋅1023 Li/s, indicating detachment. Peak heat flux at the lower outer target could be reduced by as much as a factor of six while maintaining upstream lithium fractions below 2%. The prevention of lithium from reaching the midplane is shown to be due to an increase in frictional forces acting on the lithium from a deuterium gas puff. Lithium is also shown to be redeposited close to the evaporator which is favorable for initial tests and future capillary porous systems.
•SOLPS-ITER is used for predictive modeling of a lithium vapor box divertor on NSTX-U.•Detachment using lithium evaporation is simulated.•Upstream lithium concentration were controlled via a fueling gas puff.•Simulations show the lithium condenses in favorable locations for a recirculation system.
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