Progress, since the ITER Physics Basis publication (ITER Physics Basis Editors et al 1999 Nucl. Fusion 39 2137–2664), in understanding the processes that will determine the properties of the plasma edge and its interaction with material elements in ITER is described. Experimental areas where significant progress has taken place are energy transport in the scrape-off layer (SOL) in particular of the anomalous transport scaling, particle transport in the SOL that plays a major role in the interaction of diverted plasmas with the main-chamber material elements, edge localized mode (ELM) energy deposition on material elements and the transport mechanism for the ELM energy from the main plasma to the plasma facing components, the physics of plasma detachment and neutral dynamics including the edge density profile structure and the control of plasma particle content and He removal, the erosion of low- and high-Z materials in fusion devices, their transport to the core plasma and their migration at the plasma edge including the formation of mixed materials, the processes determining the size and location of the retention of tritium in fusion devices and methods to remove it and the processes determining the efficiency of the various fuelling methods as well as their development towards the ITER requirements. This experimental progress has been accompanied by the development of modelling tools for the physical processes at the edge plasma and plasma–materials interaction and the further validation of these models by comparing their predictions with the new experimental results. Progress in the modelling development and validation has been mostly concentrated in the following areas: refinement in the predictions for ITER with plasma edge modelling codes by inclusion of detailed geometrical features of the divertor and the introduction of physical effects, which can play a major role in determining the divertor parameters at the divertor for ITER conditions such as hydrogen radiation transport and neutral–neutral collisions, modelling of the ion orbits at the plasma edge, which can play a role in determining power deposition at the divertor target, models for plasma–materials and plasma dynamics interaction during ELMs and disruptions, models for the transport of impurities at the plasma edge to describe the core contamination by impurities and the migration of eroded materials at the edge plasma and its associated tritium retention and models for the turbulent processes that determine the anomalous transport of energy and particles across the SOL. The implications for the expected performance of the reference regimes in ITER, the operation of the ITER device and the lifetime of the plasma facing materials are discussed.

/pdf/chapter-4-power-and-particle-control-3l68lj0fxw.pdf

Chapter 4: Power and particle control

Steady-state radiative cooling rates for low-density, high-temperature plasmas

A summary is given of the present status of research on plasma-surface interactions in tokamaks. Three groups of important interactions are considered: recycling of the principal ion species, usually hydrogen or deuterium; the release and effect of low-Z contaminants; and the release and effect of high-Z contaminants. In each case the basic physical processes are reviewed and the relevant data from particlebeam measurements are summarized. Emphasis is given to discussing the effect of the various surface interactions in present-day tokamak discharges and in future fusion reactors. Surface studies in tokamaks are reviewed and methods of controlling the surface interactions and their effects are considered.

Plasma-surface interactions in tokamaks

The physics of magnetically confined plasmas has had much of its development as part of the program to develop fusion energy and is an important element in the study of space and astrophysical plasmas. Closely related areas of physics include Hamiltonian dynamics, kinetic theory, and fluid turbulence. A number of topics in physics have been developed primarily through research on magnetically confined plasmas. The physics that underlies the magnetic confinement of plasmas is reviewed here to make it more accessible to those beginning research on plasma confinement and for interested physicists.

Physics of magnetically confined plasmas

A tokamak edge phenomenon, dubbed the 'marfe' (for multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge), is described. This phenomenon, observed in medium- to high-density Alcator C discharges, is characterized by greatly increased radiation, density and density fluctuations, and decreased temperature in a relatively small volume at the inner major radius edge of the plasma. The marfe appears to be confined to minor radii greater than or of the order of that of the limiter. The affected region is typically above the midplane, extending poloidally for about 30° and toroidally for 360°. The temperature and density of the core plasma are unaffected by the marfe. A simple transport model is used to show that the marfe is the manifestation of a thermal instability, with impurity radiation being the main energy loss mechanism out of the marfe volume. A density threshold nm for marfe onset is observed; nm is found to be an increasing function of plasma current and a decreasing function of intrinsic low-Z impurity levels. Detailed observations from spectroscopy, bolometry, Langmuir probe measurements, interferometry and CO2 scattering are presented.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0029-5515/24/8/002/pdf

Marfe: an edge plasma phenomenon

The impurity radiation for typical tokamak parameters has been numerically calculated using an "average-ion model". Coronal equilibrium values for the emission of oxygen, iron, molybdenum, tungsten and gold were determined from the steady-state solutions of a set of related rate equations which included the effects of electron collisional ionization and excitation, dielectronic and radiative recombination, Δn = 0 and Δn ≠ 0 line transitions, and bremsstrahlung. The results for oxygen, iron, and molybdenum compare very well with other calculations. Since impurities diffusing in a tokamak are not expected to be in coronal equilibrium, time-dependent radiation calculations were also performed. A comparison of these non-equilibrium loss rates with those calculated under the assumption of coronal equilibrium indicates that coronal radiation calculations do not significantly underestimate the moderate- and high-Z impurity radiation losses for neoclassical diffusion velocities in large tokamaks, such as Princeton Large Torus and Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor. Finally, the detailed steady-state emission rates were used to investigate the effects of various concentrations of impurities on the neτ requirements for breakeven, ignition, and Q = 5 beam-driven reactor experiments.

/pdf/calculations-of-impurity-radiation-and-its-effects-on-2ib69o0wbj.pdf

W. H. Grasberger

Papers

Steady-state radiative cooling rates for low-density, high-temperature plasmas

Calculations of impurity radiation and its effects on tokamak experiments