Experimental identification of electric field excitation mechanisms in a structural transition of tokamak plasmas

Kobayashi, Tatsuya*; Ito, Kimitaka*; Ido, Takeshi*; Kamiya, Kensaku; Ito, Sanae*; Miura, Yukitoshi; Nagashima, Yoshihiko*; Fujisawa, Akihide*; Inagaki, Shigeru*; Ida, Katsumi*; et al.

Scientific Reports (Internet), 6, p.30720_1 - 30720_7, 2016/08

https://doi.org/10.1038/srep30720

In this Letter, we report model verifications for a key physics for the L-H transition. Radial electric field excitation, using discharges having a two-step transition. Examining time derivative of Poissons equation, it is found that the sum of the loss cone loss current and neoclassical bulk viscosity current agrees the experimentally observed current in the order of magnitude at the first transition. Following second transition and an ambipolar condition in the L-mode cannot be explained by the models.

"Relative rates method" for evaluating the effect of potential geological environmental change due to uplift/erosion to radionuclide migration of high-level radioactive waste

Ebashi, Takeshi; Kawamura, Makoto*; Inagaki, Manabu*; Koo, Shigeru*; Shibata, Masahiro; Itazu, Toru; Nakajima, Kunihiko*; Miyahara, Kaname; Apted, M. J.*

Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, Vol.1665, p.39 - 45, 2014/07

https://doi.org/10.1557/opl.2014.626

In Japan, the likelihood of uplift/erosion on repository performance and waste isolation can be typically greatly reduced or excluded by careful siting, however, the inability to completely exclude the uplift/erosion scenario may require an analysis of the consequences of such a scenario. For this purpose, an assessment approach has been developed to more realistically treat the effect of uplift/erosion for a hypothetical repository located in sedimentary host rock. A key advantage to this approach is the extrapolation of the geohistory of modern analogue sites to develop credible initial inputs for future volunteer sites that may be poorly characterized at the initial stages of site investigation. In addition, the approach provides a systematic basis for bounding the range of possible evolution in thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical conditions of a repository experiencing different uplift/ erosion rates.

Enhancement of the methodology of repository design and post-closure performance assessment for preliminary investigation stage, 2; Progress report on NUMO-JAEA collaborative research in FY2012 (Joint research)

Shibata, Masahiro; Sawada, Atsushi; Tachi, Yukio; Hayano, Akira; Makino, Hitoshi; Wakasugi, Keiichiro; Mitsui, Seiichiro; Oda, Chie; Kitamura, Akira; Osawa, Hideaki; et al.

JAEA-Research 2013-037, 455 Pages, 2013/12

JAEA-Research-2013-037.pdf:42.0MB

Following FY2011, JAEA and NUMO have conducted a collaborative research work which is designed to enhance the methodology of repository design and performance assessment in preliminary investigation stage. With regard to (1) study on rock suitability in terms of hydrology, the tree diagram of methodology of groundwater travel time has been extended for crystalline rock, in addition, tree diagram for sedimentary rock newly has been organized. With regard to (2) study on scenario development, the existing approach has been improved in terms of a practical task, and applied and tested for near field focusing on the buffer. In addition, the uncertainty of some important processes and its impact on safety functions are discussed though analysis. With regard to (3) study on setting radionuclide migration parameters, the approaches for parameter setting have been developed for sorption for rocks and solubility, and applied and tested through parameter setting exercises for key radionuclides.

Enhancement of the methodology of repository design and post-closure performance assessment for preliminary investigation stage; Progress report on NUMO-JAEA collaborative research in FY2011 (Joint research)

Shibata, Masahiro; Sawada, Atsushi; Tachi, Yukio; Makino, Hitoshi; Hayano, Akira; Mitsui, Seiichiro; Taniguchi, Naoki; Oda, Chie; Kitamura, Akira; Osawa, Hideaki; et al.

JAEA-Research 2012-032, 298 Pages, 2012/09

JAEA-Research-2012-032.pdf:33.68MB

JAEA and NUMO have conducted a collaborative research work which is designed to enhance the methodology of repository design and performance assessment in preliminary investigation phase. The topics and the conducted research are follows; (1) Study on selection of host rock: in terms of hydraulic properties, items for assessing rock property, and assessment methodology of groundwater travel time has been organized with interaction from site investigation. (2) Study on development of scenario: the existing approach has been embodied, in addition, the phenomenological understanding regarding dissolution of and nuclide release from vitrified waste, corrosion of the overpack, long-term performance of the buffer are summarized. (3) Study on setting nuclide migration parameters: the approach for parameter setting has been improved for sorption and diffusion coefficient of buffer/rock, and applied and tested for parameter setting of key radionuclides. (4) Study on ensuring quality of knowledge: framework for ensuring quality of knowledge has been studied and examined aimed at the likely disposal facility condition.

Study on potential impacts of natural phenomena on a HLW geological disposal system

Kawamura, Makoto; Makino, Hitoshi; Sasao, Eiji; Niizato, Tadafumi; Yasue, Kenichi; Asamori, Koichi; Umeda, Koji; Ishimaru, Tsuneari; Osawa, Hideaki; Ebashi, Takeshi; et al.

JAEA-Research 2010-027, 85 Pages, 2010/09

JAEA-Research-2010-027.pdf:9.37MB

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) have developed a formal evaluation method to assess the potential impacts of natural phenomena (earthquakes and faulting; volcanism; uplift, subsidence, denudation and sedimentation; climatic and sea-level changes) on a high level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal system for the purpose of maintenance of evaluation method for potential impacts of natural phenomena within more realistic view. In this report, we developed a framework as a part of the total system performance assessment for two purposes: the first one is quantification of relationship of characteristic of natural phenomena between geological environmental conditions (T-H-M-C-G), and the other one is quantification of relationship of T-H-M-C-G condition between parameters of performance assessment. We tried to apply the framework to all natural phenomena to confirm the effectiveness of the framework. On the other hand, we applied an argument-diagram that was developed one of the methods of the knowledge management to elicit future tasks. As a result, to apply the framework, we could show that information integration could carry out efficiently, and information integration was attained by the common framework by combining information on geohistory and existing information of natural phenomena and geological environmental conditions as modern-analogue. We could show that suitable scenarios might be chosen by information integration. Furthermore, we were able to elicit future tasks to this study by applying the argument-diagram.

Dynamics of ion internal transport barrier in LHD heliotron and JT-60U tokamak plasmas

Ida, Katsumi*; Sakamoto, Yoshiteru; Yoshinuma, Mikiro*; Takenaga, Hidenobu; Nagaoka, Kenichi*; Hayashi, Nobuhiko; Oyama, Naoyuki; Osakabe, Masaki*; Yokoyama, Masayuki*; Funaba, Hisamichi*; et al.

Nuclear Fusion, 49(9), p.095024_1 - 095024_9, 2009/09

https://doi.org/10.1088/0029-5515/49/9/095024

Dynamics of ion internal transport barrier (ITB) formation and impurity transport both in the Large Helical Device (LHD) heliotron and JT-60U tokamak are described. Significant differences between heliotron and tokamak plasmas are observed. The location of the ITB moves outward during the ITB formation regardless of the sign of magnetic shear in JT-60U and the ITB becomes more localized in the plasma with negative magnetic shear. In LHD, the low Te/Ti ratio ( 1) of the target plasma for the high power heating is found to be necessary condition to achieve the ITB plasma and the ITB location tends to expand outward or inward depending on the condition of the target plasmas. Associated with the formation of ITB, the carbon density tends to be peaked due to inward convection in JT-60U, while the carbon density becomes hollow due to outward convection in LHD. The outward convection observed in LHD contradicts the prediction by neoclassical theory.

Illustration of an approach to evaluate the effect of the uplift and denudation for a groundwater scenario of a geological disposal concept in a hypothetical sedimentary rock

Ebashi, Takeshi; Kawamura, Makoto; Inagaki, Manabu; Koo, Shigeru*; Shibata, Masahiro; Itazu, Toru; Nakajima, Kunihiko*; Miyahara, Kaname

JAEA-Research 2008-117, 36 Pages, 2009/03

JAEA-Research-2008-117.pdf:3.18MB

It is considered that it is possible to avoid the effect of the uplift and denudation process on geological disposal system by siting and a repository design. However, since the uplift/denudation continues far into the future, it is important to enhance the confidence of the methodology to evaluate such an effect, based on the understanding of geohistorical information and potential impact on the disposal system. This paper presents an evolution pattern of the geological environment and the influence analysis in terms of system performance affected by the uplift and denudation process based on the relevant conceptual models for groundwater scenarios of the disposal system for a hypothetical sedimentary rock. As a result, it is indicated that the conceptual model is capable to identify a specific combination of patterns of system evolution of the geological environment in terms of features on the uplift and denudation process, and also provides technical basis for setting up parameters of nuclide migration model and the subsequent influence analysis. Consequently, it is also indicated that the evaluation methodology applied in this study is valuable to evaluate the uplift/denudation phenomena with specific geological environment, and the results obtained by the analysis could be valuable information for site investigation and/or the prediction of a future change trend for the uplift/denudation.

Transition between internal transport barriers with different temperature-profile curvatures in JT-60U tokamak plasmas

Ida, Katsumi; Sakamoto, Yoshiteru; Takenaga, Hidenobu; Oyama, Naoyuki; Ito, Kimitaka*; Yoshinuma, Mikiro*; Inagaki, Shigeru*; Kobuchi, Takashi*; Isayama, Akihiko; Suzuki, Takahiro; et al.

Physical Review Letters, 101(5), p.055003_1 - 055003_4, 2008/08

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.055003

A spontaneous transition phenomena between two meta-stable states of plasmas with internal transport barrier (ITB), that are characterized by different radial profiles of second derivative of ion temperature inside the ITB region where the ion temperature gradient is large, is observed in the steady-state phase of magnetic shear in the negative magnetic shear plasma in JT-60U tokamak. The curvature asymmetry factor evaluated from the radial profile of second derivative of ion temperature profiles changes from 0.08 (symmetric curvature ITB) to -0.43 (asymmetric curvature ITB) during transition phase.

Electron cyclotron heating applied to the JT-60U tokamak

Hoshino, Katsumichi; Suzuki, Takahiro; Isayama, Akihiko; Ide, Shunsuke; Takenaga, Hidenobu; Kubo, Hirotaka; Fujita, Takaaki; Kamada, Yutaka; Fujii, Tsuneyuki; Tsuda, Takashi; et al.

Fusion Science and Technology, 53(1), p.114 - 129, 2008/01

https://doi.org/10.13182/FST08-A1659

We report on the applications of the ECH to the JT-60U tokamak. The ECH contributes to the advanced tokamak study in JT-60U in such respects as (1)NTM suppression, (2)Study on the internal transport barrier, (3)Impurity exhaust, (4)Tokamak start-up without center solenoid, (5)Current hole study, (6)Confinement and transport study, and (7)Start-up and shut-down assist. These contributions comes from the good local coupling of the ECH to the tokamak plasma.

Comparison of transient electron heat transport in LHD helical and JT-60U tokamak plasmas

Inagaki, Shigeru*; Takenaga, Hidenobu; Ida, Katsumi*; Isayama, Akihiko; Tamura, Naoki*; Takizuka, Tomonori; Shimozuma, Takashi*; Kamada, Yutaka; Kubo, Shin*; Miura, Yukitoshi; et al.

Nuclear Fusion, 46(1), p.133 - 141, 2006/01

https://doi.org/10.1088/0029-5515/46/1/015

no abstracts in English