[en] Highlights: • Kinetic effects are significant in the inner divertor plasma. Parallel heat flux in the entire SOL is strongly non-local. • Normalized power loads to the ID are above the classical values and are caused by non-Maxwellian super-thermal electrons. • Different divertor current regimes do not influence overall SOL parameters, except those of the divertor sheath. • Ions in the divertors plasma are colder than the electrons. • Modelling results are in a reasonable agreement with the experimental measurements. In this work we report on results of full size kinetic modelling of the COMPASS tokamak SOL. Presented simulations indicate, that i. kinetic effects are significant in the inner divertor (ID) plasma; ii. normalized power loads to the ID are above the classical values and are caused by non-Maxwellian super-thermal electrons; iii. different divertor current regimes do not influence overall SOL parameters, except those of the divertor sheath; iv. ions at the divertors plasma are colder than the electrons; v. parallel heat transport is strongly non-local. Modelling results are in a reasonable agreement with the experimental measurements.

[en] COMPASS Upgrade is a new medium size, high magnetic field tokamak (R = 0.9 m, B_t = 5 T, I_p = 2 MA) currently under design in the Czech Republic. It will provide unique capabilities for addressing some of the key challenges in plasma exhaust physics, advanced confinement modes and advanced plasma configurations as well as testing new plasma facing materials and liquid metal divertor concepts. This paper contains an overview of the preliminary engineering design of the main systems of the COMPASS Upgrade tokamak (vacuum vessel, central solenoid and poloidal field coils, toroidal field coils, support structure, cryostat, cryogenic system, power supply system and machine monitoring and protection system). The description of foreseen auxiliary plasma heating systems and plasma diagnostics is also provided as well as a summary of expected plasma performance and available plasma configurations.

[en] This contribution presents the experimentally observed edge plasma evolution during limit cycle oscillations (LCO) measured with a new Langmuir and ball-pen multi-pin probe head at the COMPASS tokamak. The observed LCO regime modulates the intensity of density fluctuations , radial electric field E _r and intensity of emission with a frequency 3–5 kHz. The density fluctuations grow after E _r decreases in strength which appears to be strongly correlated with the evolution of the pressure gradient . The magnetic signature of the LCO shows a left–right asymmetry with propagation from the low to high field side. High-frequency (above 100 kHz) precursor-like oscillations are observed as well. (paper)

[en] The COMPASS tokamak (R = 0.56 m, a = 0.2 m, B_T = 1.3 T, I_p ~ 300 kA, pulse duration 0.4 s) operates in ITER-like plasma shape in H-mode with Type-I ELMs. In 2019, we plan to install into the divertor a test target based on capillary porous system filled with liquid lithium/tin. This single target will be inclined toroidally in order to be exposed to ITER-relevant surface heat flux (20 MW/m²). Based on precisely measured actual heat fluxes, our simulations predict (for 45° inclination, without accounting for the lithium vapor shielding) the surface temperature rises up to 700°C within 120 ms of the standard ELMy H-mode heat flux with ELM filaments reaching hundreds MW/m². Significant lithium vaporization is expected. The target surface will be observed by spectroscopy, fast visible and infrared cameras. The scientific program will be focused on operational issues (redeposition of the evaporated metal, ejection of droplets, if any) as well as on the effect on the plasma physics (improvement of plasma confinement, L–H power threshold, Z_eff, etc.). After 2024, a closed liquid divertor may be installed into the planned COMPASS Upgrade tokamak (R = 0.84 m, a = 0.3 m, B_T = 5 T, I_p = 2 MA, P_in = 8 MW, pulse duration ~2 s) with ITER-relevant heat fluxes loading the entire toroidal divertor.

[en] Microsecond probe measurements of the electron temperature during the tokamak edge localised mode (ELM) instability show that the peak values significantly exceed those obtained by conventional techniques. The temperatures measured at the plasma facing component (divertor) are around 80% of the initial value (at the pedestal). This challenges the current understanding, where only several percent of the pedestal value are measured at the divertor. Our results imply a negligible energy transfer from the electrons to the ions during the ELM instability, and therefore no associated increase of the ion power loads on the divertor. This observation is supported by the simple analytic free-streaming model, as well as by full kinetic simulations. The energetic ELM ion loads are expected to be one of the main divertor damaging factors; therefore, the obtained results give an optimistic prediction for next generation fusion devices. (paper)

[en] Currents flowing in the scrape-off layer (SOL) are routinely observed in a number of tokamaks. They are usually closed through the divertor plates, either between the inner and outer target or between different poloidal sections of each target. The most common driving mechanisms of SOL currents are the thermoelectric effect (due to electron temperature difference between the two targets) and Pfirsch–Schlüter flows caused by radial pressure gradient. The SOL currents are commonly used for diagnostic purposes—e.g. as ELM monitors or for real-time estimation the divertor electron temperature. In this paper, we report on attempts to extract the SOL currents and related electrical power from the tokamak COMPASS using a dedicated insulated divertor tile and electronics setup, which allows for fast switching between grounded and floating state. It is observed that plasma acts as an ideal power source and that the magnitude of SOL currents scales with upstream separatrix temperature T _e,sep. (paper)

[en] We report the latest results on fast measurements of the electron temperature and parallel heat flux in the COMPASS tokamak scrape-off layer (SOL) and divertor region during ELMy H-mode plasmas. The system of ball-pen and Langmuir probes installed on the divertor target, the horizontal reciprocating manipulator and the fast data-acquisition system with sampling frequency rate f  =  5 MSa s⁻¹ allow us to measure the electron temperature and parallel heat flux during inter-ELM and ELM periods with high temporal resolution. The filamentary structure of the electron temperature and parallel heat flux was observed during ELMs in the SOL as well as in the divertor region. The position of the filaments within ELMs is not regular and therefore the resulting conditionally averaged ELM neglects the peak values of the electron temperature and parallel heat flux. We have found a substantial difference between the value of the radial power decay length in the inter-ELM period λ _q,inter  =  2.5 mm and the decay length of the peak ELM heat flux λ _q,ELM  =  13.1 mm. The decay length of the ELM energy density was found to be λ _E,ELM  =  5.4 mm. (paper)

[en] Because the gaps between plasma-facing components in fusion devices are comparable in size to the ion Larmor radius (of the order of 1 mm), magnetic field line tracing, the so-called 'optical approximation', cannot accurately predict the fine scale heat load distribution around the gap edges. Finite Larmor radius effects dominate ion deposition. The poloidal component of the ion flux striking the surface is always in the diamagnetic/EXB drift direction, meaning that ions preferentially load one side of the gap. Usually electrons can be described optically due to their smaller Larmor radius. Depending on the local inclination of magnetic flux surfaces, it is possible that ions and electrons wet the same side of the gap, or opposite sides. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations and dedicated experiments performed in the COMPASS tokamak are used to better understand processes responsible for plasma deposition on the sides of toroidal gaps between castellated plasma-facing components in tokamaks. The different contributions of the total incoming flux along a toroidal gap have been observed experimentally for the first time in COMPASS. These experimental results confirm the model predictions, demonstrating that in specific cases the heat deposition does not necessarily follow the optical approximation. The role played by electric fields in the deposition pattern is marginal, contrary to local non-ambipolarity that can change the asymmetrical plasma deposition from one side of the toroidal gap to the other. (authors)

[en] Highlights: • A new fast divertor IR system was put into operation on the COMPASS tokamak. The system provides in-situ calibration possibility using a special heated divertor tile. • Radial profiles of the divertor heat flux are routinely measured for both the inner and the outer divertor target with spatial resolution ∼1 mm and frequency up to ∼60 kHz. • First experimental divertor heat flux measurements using the new system were successfully performed in both L-mode and H-mode. -- Abstract: A new fast divertor infra-red thermography system was put into operation on COMPASS. It provides full radial coverage of the bottom open divertor with pixel resolution ∼0.6–1.1 mm/px on the target surface and temporal resolution better than 20 μs. The system consists of fast IR camera TELOPS Fast-IR 2K placed in a magnetic shielding box, a positionable holder, a 1 m long IR endoscope consisting of 14 Ge and Si lenses securing off-axis view from an upper inner vertical port and a special graphite divertor tile optimized for IR thermography. The tile is equipped with a heating system allowing tile preheating up to 250 °C. Embedded thermoresistors and a calibration target (a deep narrow hole acting as a black body radiator) allows in-situ calibration of the system including estimation of the target surface emissivity. Furthermore, a roof-top shaped structure on top of the tile increases magnetic field incidence angles above 3 degrees. Laboratory tests of the system performed during its commissioning are presented. The global transmission of the optical system was found to be τ ≈ 40–50%. Poor spatial resolution compared to the design value was observed. Too large surface error of individual lenses was identified as the main cause and re-manufacturing of the most critical lens was suggested. First experimental results obtained using the IR system are presented: divertor heat flux profiles in L-mode with the heat flux decay length ${\lambda }_q^{\mathrm{omp}}=2.1-3.3$ mm and average H-mode heat flux profiles in an inter-ELM period and during an ELM heat flux maximum with ${\lambda }_q^{\mathrm{omp}}\approx 0.6$ mm and ${\lambda }_q^{\mathrm{omp}}\approx 6.7$ mm, respectively.

[en] A new system of probes was recently installed in the divertor of tokamak COMPASS in order to investigate the ELM energy density with high spatial and temporal resolution. The new system consists of two arrays of rooftop-shaped Langmuir probes (LPs) used to measure the floating potential or the ion saturation current density and one array of Ball-pen probes (BPPs) used to measure the plasma potential with a spatial resolution of ∼3.5 mm. The combination of floating BPPs and LPs yields the electron temperature with microsecond temporal resolution. We report on the design of the new divertor probe arrays and first results of electron temperature profile measurements in ELMy H-mode and L-mode. We also present comparative measurements of the parallel heat flux using the new probe arrays and fast infrared termography (IR) data during L-mode with excellent agreement between both techniques using a heat power transmission coefficient γ  =  7. The ELM energy density ${\mathrm{\epsilon <!--\; ??\; -->}}_{\parallel <!--\; ???\; -->}$ was measured during a set of NBI assisted ELMy H-mode discharges. The peak values of ${\mathrm{\epsilon <!--\; ??\; -->}}_{\parallel <!--\; ???\; -->}$ were compared with those predicted by model and with experimental data from JET, AUG and MAST with a good agreement. (paper)