Towards detachment-compatible I-mode plasma on EAST tokamak

Towards detachment-compatible I-mode plasma on EAST tokamak

The divertor detachment is important for the improved confinement mode (I-mode) to serve as a reliable operating scenario in future fusion reactors. A reproducible steady-state I-mode operation with the energy detachment of the inner target has been achieved with the lower single-null configuration...

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Main Authors: L. Yu, L. Wang, X.L. Zou, X. Lin, L.Y. Meng, Q.Q. Yang, X.M. Zhong, L.Q. Xu, A.D. Liu, R.R. Liang, Z.Q. Zhou, K.D. Li, Q. Zang, L. Zhang, T.F. Zhou, Y.M. Duan, Y.F. Jin, T.Q. Jia, M.R. Wang, H.Q. Liu, B. Zhang, G.S. Xu, Z.X. Liu, Y.T. Song, EAST I-mode Working Group, the EAST Team
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:Nuclear Fusion
Subjects:
I-mode
divertor detachment
neon seeding
closed divertor
EAST tokamak
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/addc80
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Summary:The divertor detachment is important for the improved confinement mode (I-mode) to serve as a reliable operating scenario in future fusion reactors. A reproducible steady-state I-mode operation with the energy detachment of the inner target has been achieved with the lower single-null configuration on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). Compared to the high confinement mode (H-mode), I-mode has a lower electron temperature on the inner divertor target and can achieve energy detachment at a lower density. In addition, dedicated experiments on neon (Ne) seeding to assist the exhaust of steady-state heat flux in I-mode discharges have also been successfully carried out on EAST. A significant reduction of the particle flux caused by the Ne impurity radiation was observed at both inner and outer divertor targets without I-L back-transition on EAST for the first time. This may be due to the ‘corner effect’ of the EAST right-angled divertor with a high divertor closure, which can effectively trap the impurity particles and thus reduce the influence of impurity on the main plasma. Furthermore, good core-edge compatibility was also obtained in the detached I-mode plasma with a radiative divertor. This study offers an attractive scenario of I-mode operation for avoiding excessively high transient and steady-state heat loads simultaneously in future fusion reactors.
ISSN:0029-5515

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