[en] The HBT-EP Tokamak has been designed, built, and is now fully operational in the Columbia University Plasma Physics Laboratory. One of the primary purposes of this facility is to study the effects of a conducting wall on the MHD modes that lead up to plasma disruptions. Of particular interest are the types of instabilities that are driven by the kinetic pressure of the plasma, because these instabilities are believed to be responsible for the present limit to plasma β with β ∝ < p>/B², where the < p> is the volume averaged pressure and B is the magnetic field. To this end, a movable conducting wall has been installed inside the HBT-EP vacuum chamber. The primary result of this thesis are the initial results from experiments that study the effect of this wall on plasma instabilities. The experiment shows that the conducting wall significantly reduces the growth rate of instabilities that precede a plasma disruption that occurs when the value of β is near the Troyon limit. The location of the wall required for significant stabilization is b/a ∼1.2 where a is the minor radius of the plasma and b is the minor radial location of the wall. Moving the wall closer than b/a = 1.2 slightly degrades the stabilizing effect, which is consistent with recent theories

[en] Long-pulse, high-beta scenarios have been established on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). Beta(sub)t(always equal to 2μ(sub)0·< P>/B²(sub)t0) ∼ 35% has been achieved during transient discharges. The machine improvements that lead to these results, including error field reduction and high-temperature bakeout of plasma-facing components are described. The highest Beta(sub)t plasmas have high triangularity (delta = 0.8) and elongation (k = 2.0) at low-aspect ratio A always equal to R/a = 1.4. The strong shaping permits large values of normalized current, I(sub)N(always equal to I(sub)p /(aB(sub)t0)) approximately equal to 6 while maintaining moderate values of q(sub)95 = 4. Long-pulse discharges up to 1 sec in duration have been achieved with substantial bootstrap current. The total noninductive current drive can be as high as 60%, comprised of 50% bootstrap current and ∼10% neutral-beam current drive. The confinement enhancement factor H89P is in excess of 2.7. Beta(sub)N * H(sub)89P approximately or greater than 15 has been maintained for 8 * tau(sub)E ∼ 1.6 * tau(sub)CR, where tau(sub)CR is the relaxation time of the first radial moment of the toroidal current density. The ion temperature for these plasmas is significantly higher than that predicted by neoclassical theory

[en] Calculations of collisional thermal and particle diffusivities in toroidal magnetic plasma confinement devices order the toroidal gyroradius to be small relative to the poloidal gyroradius. This ordering is central to what is usually referred to as neoclassical transport theory. This ordering is incorrect at low aspect ratio, where it can often be the case that the toroidal gyroradius is larger than the poloidal gyroradius. We calculate the correction to the particle and thermal diffusivities at low aspect ratio by comparing the diffusivities as determined by a full orbit code (which we refer to as omni-classical diffusion) with those from a gyroaveraged orbit code (neoclassical diffusion). In typical low aspect ratio devices the omni-classical diffusion can be up to 2.5 times the calculated neoclassical value. We discuss the implications of this work on the analysis of collisional transport in low aspect ratio magnetic confinement experiments

[en] Rapid variations in the rotation frequency of a 2/1 tearing mode have been observed in the COMPASS-D tokamak when the frequency is in the range 5kHz - 500Hz. This range of frequencies, referred to as the ''forbidden'' frequency band, is explained in terms of an analytical model for toroidal force balance. The model balances the toroidal torque due to viscous fluid coupling between the island and the naturally rotating plasma against the electromagnetic forces on the mode due to interaction with a resistive wall and interaction with any error fields which may be resonant with the mode. Simple analytical expressions are derived for the values of the upper and lower bounds of the ''forbidden'' band. The model is also employed to explain modes that alternate in frequency between the upper and lower limits of the ''forbidden'' band, a phenomena referred to as mode ''skipping'', when a low level error field is applied. (author)

[en] A simple analog circuit that measures the NSTX axisymmetric eddy current distribution has been designed and constructed. It is based on simple circuit model of the NSTX vacuum vessel that was calibrated using a special axisymmetric eddy current code which was written so that accuracy was maintained in the vicinity of the current filaments. The measurement and the model have been benchmarked against data from numerous vacuum shots and they are in excellent agreement. This is an important measurement that helps give more accurate equilibrium reconstructions

[en] Recently reported numerical results for axisymmetric devices with low aspect ratio A found radial transport enhanced over the expected neoclassical value by a factor of 2 to 3. In this paper, we provide an explanation for this enhancement. Transport theory in toroidal devices usually assumes large A, and that the ratio B_p/B_t of the poloidal to the toroidal magnetic field is small. These assumptions result in transport which, in the low collision limit, is dominated by banana orbits, giving the largest collisionless excursion of a particle from an initial flux surface. However in a small aspect ratio device one may have B_p/B_t ∼ 1, and the gyroradius may be larger than the banana excursion. Here, we develop an approximate analytic transport theory valid for devices with arbitrary A. For low A, we find that the enhanced transport, referred to as omniclassical, is a combination of neoclassical and properly generalized classical effects, which become dominant in the low-A, B_p/B_t ∼ 1 regime. Good agreement of the analytic theory with numerical simulations is obtained

[en] The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) is a proof of scientific principle experiment as a magnetic fusion containment device. A primary goal of NSTX operations is control of the plasma current, position and shape in real time for a wide range of plasma pressure and current density profiles. In order to employ the best calculation of the plasma current, position and shape, it is planned to implement the equilibrium analysis code, EFIT, in real-time, RTEFIT. EFIT inverts the Grad-Shafranov equation and performs a least squares fit to the magnetics data. RTEFIT is also capable of providing the plasma current profile and the plasma pressure profile from analysis of diagnostic data. The calculation time for RTEFTI using the present NSTX control computer system is comparable to the expected energy confinement time on NSTX and is thus slower than desired. A computer upgrade based upon 604e processors will permit the RTEFIT calculation loop to complete in about 3 ms. The presence of the passive plates further complicates the control algorithm to be used in conjunction with RTEFIT. The planned approach is to measure the eddy currents in the passive plates and to use the transient response of the coils to minimize the total shell current effect

[en] A novel concept for incorporating a iron core transformer within a axisymmetric toroidal plasma containment device with a high neutron flux is described. This design enables conceptual design of low aspect ratio devices which employ standard transformer-driven plasma startup by using all-metal high resistance separators between the toroidal field windings. This design avoids the inherent problems of a multiturn air core transformer which will inevitably suffer from strong neutron bombardment and hence lose the integrity of its insulation, both through long term material degradation and short term neutron-induced conductivity. A full 3-dimensional model of the concept has been developed within the MAXWELL program and the resultant loop voltage calculated. The utility of the result is found to be dependent on the resistivity of the high resistance separators. Useful loop voltage time histories have been obtained using achievable resistivities.

[en] The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) has as one of its primary goals the demonstration of the attractiveness of the spherical torus concept as a fusion power plant. Central to this goal is the achievement of high plasma β ( = 2 micro₀ < p>/B² a measure of the efficiency of a magnetic plasma confinement system). It has been demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally that the maximum achievable β is a strong function of both local and global plasma parameters. It is therefore important to optimize control of the plasma. To this end a phased development plan for digital plasma control on NSTX is presented. The relative level of sophistication of the control system software and hardware will be increased according to the demands of the experimental program in a three phase plan. During Day 0 (first plasma), a simple coil current control algorithm will initiate plasma operations. During the second phase (Day 1) of plasma operations the control system will continue to use the preprogrammed algorithm to initiate plasma breakdown but will then change over to a rudimentary plasma control scheme based on linear combinations of measured plasma fields and fluxes. The third phase of NSTX plasma control system development will utilize the rtEFIT code, first used on DIII-D, to determine, in real-time, the full plasma equilibrium by inverting the Grad-Shafranov equation. The details of the development plan, including a description of the proposed hardware will be presented

[en] The implementation of the rtEFIT-isoflux algorithm in the digital control system for NSTX has led to improved ability to control the plasma shape. In particular, it has been essential for good gap control for radio-frequency experiments, for control of drsep in H-mode studies, and for X-point height control and κ control in a variety of experiments