Empirical scaling of sawtooth period for onset of neoclassical tearing modes

Chapman, I. T.*; Buttery, R. J.*; Coda, S.*; Gerhardt, S.*; Graves, J. P.*; Howell, D. F.*; Isayama, Akihiko; La Haye, R. J.*; Liu, Y.*; Maget, P.*; et al.

Nuclear Fusion, 50(10), p.102001_1 - 102001_7, 2010/10

https://doi.org/10.1088/0029-5515/50/10/102001

no abstracts in English

Neoclassical tearing mode control using electron cyclotron current drive and magnetic island evolution in JT-60U

Isayama, Akihiko; Matsunaga, Go; Kobayashi, Takayuki; Moriyama, Shinichi; Oyama, Naoyuki; Sakamoto, Yoshiteru; Suzuki, Takahiro; Urano, Hajime; Hayashi, Nobuhiko; Kamada, Yutaka; et al.

Nuclear Fusion, 49(5), p.055006_1 - 055006_9, 2009/05

https://doi.org/10.1088/0029-5515/49/5/055006

no abstracts in English

Evaluating electron cyclotron current drive stabilization of neoclassical tearing modes in ITER; Implications of experiments in ASDEX upgrade, DIII-D, JET, and JT-60U

La Haye, R. J.*; Prater, R.*; Buttery, R. J.*; Hayashi, Nobuhiko; Isayama, Akihiko; Maraschek, M. E.*; Urso, L.*; Zohm, H.*

Proceedings of 21st IAEA Fusion Energy Conference (FEC 2006) (CD-ROM), 8 Pages, 2007/03

http://www-naweb.iaea.org/napc/physics/FEC/FEC2006/html/node490.htm#97368

Resistive neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) islands will be the principal limit on stability and performance in ITER as beta is well below the ideal kink limit. NTM island control in ITER is predicted to be challenging both because of the relatively narrower marginal island widths and the relatively broader electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD). Measurements from ASDEX Upgrade, DIII-D, and JET in beta rampdown experiments are used to determine the marginal island size for m/n=3/2 NTM removal. This is compared to data from ASDEX Upgrade, DIII-D and JT-60U with elimination of the m/n=3/2 island by continuous ECCD at near constant beta. The empirical marginal island size is consistent in both sets of removal experiments and found to be about twice the ion banana width. A common methodology is developed for fitting the saturated m/n=3/2 island before (or without) ECCD in all four experimental devices. To this is added (and model tested to experiments) the effect of unmodulated co-ECCD on island stabilization including both replacing the missing bootstrap current and making the classical tearing stability index more negative. The experimentally benchmarked model is then used to evaluate ITER. The ITER ECCD upper launcher with up to 20 MW of injected power is appraised with or without modulation for both the m/n=3/2 mode and the m/n=2/1 NTM (which can lock to the resistive wall and induce disruption). An m/n=2/1 rotating island model with drag from eddy current induced in the resistive wall is used to predict the necessary ECCD to keep the island from locking as a function of the rotation in ITER. The planned relatively wide ECCD should be capable of regulating the island width to avoid mode locking with the anticipated rotation in ITER but there is little margin available for inevitable misalignment. Narrower ECCD of more power and/or more rotation in ITER would increase confidence in island control and successful operation.

The Physics base for NTM stabilization by ECCD in ITER

Zohm, H.*; Hayashi, Nobuhiko; La Haye, R. J.*; Isayama, Akihiko; Maraschek, M. E.*; Sauter, O.*; Urso, L.*

Proceedings of 14th Joint Workshop on Electron Cyclotron Emission and Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (EC-14), p.334 - 339, 2006/00

no abstracts in English

MHD limits to tokamak operation and their control

Zohm, H.*; Gantenbein, G.*; Isayama, Akihiko; Keller, A.*; La Haye, R. J.*; Maraschek, M.*; Mck, A.*; Nagasaki, Kazunobu*; Pinches, S. D.*; Strait, E. J.*

Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, 45(12A), p.A163 - A173, 2003/12

https://doi.org/10.1088/0741-3335/45/12A/012

A review of magnetohydrodynamic limits to tokamak operation in terms of current, density and pressure is given. Although the current and density limits in a tokamak usually lead to disruptive termination of the discharge, it is argued that these can be avoided by staying away from the respective limits. This is especially true since operation close to these limits is not really desirable, due to the decreased confinement at very high density and the high disruptivity at low q. On the other hand, the limit to plasma pressure set by neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) and resistive wall modes (RWMs) is too low to guarantee economic operation of future fusion reactors. Therefore, active control of these two instabilities is now being studied. Noticeable progress has been made by NTM stabilization with ECCD. Avoidance of NTMs and RWMs by tailoring sawteeth and spinning the plasma, shows promising results. Also, experiments on direct RWM stabilization by active coils are showing their first encouraging results.

Neoclassical tearing mode stabilization by electron cyclotron current drive in JT-60U

Isayama, Akihiko; Matsunaga, Go; Kobayashi, Takayuki; Moriyama, Shinichi; Oyama, Naoyuki; Sakamoto, Yoshiteru; Suzuki, Takahiro; Urano, Hajime; Hayashi, Nobuhiko; Kamada, Yutaka; et al.

no journal, , 

no abstracts in English

Development and demonstration of remote experiment system with high security in JT-60U

Ozeki, Takahisa; Suzuki, Yoshio; Totsuka, Toshiyuki; Iba, Katsuyuki*; Sakata, Shinya; Miyato, Naoaki; Isayama, Akihiko; Ide, Shunsuke; Urso, L.*; Behler, K.*; et al.

no journal, ,