Improvement of ECH-driven plasma current startup by control of pitch angles of fast tail electrons

2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23360411
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Nuclear fusion studies
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: MAEKAWA Takashi 京都大学, エネルギー科学研究科, 教授 (20127137)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TANAKA Hitoshi (90183863) ; UCHIDA Masaki (90322164)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-01 – 2014-03-31
• Keywords: ECH/ECCD / 電子バーンスタイン波 / 無誘導磁気面形成 / プラズマ電流立ち上げ

Research Abstract

One of issues to realize fusion power plant is reduction of the construction cost. While low aspect ratio torus plasma with a slim center solenoid is promising for cost reduction, non-inductive alternative to start up the plasma current is required. Among various methods of non-inductive start up the ECH/ECCD method is promising since it needs no structure in the vicinity of the plasma. It has been theoretically and experimentally shown that X wave mode-converted upon mirror reflection on the inboard wall from the oblique O wave injected from the lower field side is useful for the start up in large fusion devices. It has been also shown in a small device of the Low Aspect ratio Torus Experiment device that Electron Bernstein waves mode-converted at the upper hybrid resonance layer is useful to start up the plasma current.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] (2013)
  • Author(s): Y.Noguchi, M.Hibino, M.Uchida, H.Tanaka, T.Maekawa
  • Journal Title: Plasma Phys. Control. Fusio Volume: Vol.55 Pages: 125005(12)
  • DOI: 10.1088/0741-3335/55/12/125005
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] (2012)
  • Author(s): F.Watanabe, M.Uchida, H.Tanaka, T.Maekawa
  • Journal Title: Plasma and Fusion Research Volume: Vol.7 Pages: 1202005(3)
  • DOI: 10.1585/pfr.7.1202005
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] (2012)
  • Author(s): T.Maekawa, T.Yoshinaga, M.Uchida, F.Watanabe, H.Tanaka
  • Journal Title: Nuclear Fusion Volume: Vol.52 Pages: 083008(19)
  • DOI: 10.1088/0029-5155/52/8/083008
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] (2012)
  • Author(s): K.Kuroda, M.Uchida, H.Tanaka, T.Maekawa
  • Journal Title: Plasma and Fusion Research Volume: Vol.7 Pages: 1302098(4)
  • DOI: 10.1585/prf.7.1302098
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] (2012)
  • Author(s): M.Uchida, T.Maekawa, H.Tanaka, F. Watanabe, Y. Noguchi, K. Kuroda, S. Omi,T. Fukunaga, R. Hayashi, T. Kanemitsu, J. Katsuma, H. Mizogami
  • Journal Title: Proc. 24th IAEA Fusion Energy Conf. San Diego Pages: 6-18(総ページ8p)
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] (2011)
  • Author(s): T.Maekawa, T.Yoshinaga, H. Tanaka, M.Uchida, F. Watanabe
  • Journal Title: Plasma Science and Technology Volume: Vol.13 Pages: 342-346
  • DOI: 10.1088/1009-0630/13/3/13
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] (2011)
  • Author(s): M.Uchida,T.Maekawa,H.Tanaka,S.Ide,Y.Tak ase,F.Watanabe, S.Nishi
  • Journal Title: Nuclear Fusion Volume: Vol.51 Pages: 063031(9)
  • DOI: 10.1088/0029-5515/51/6/063031
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] Non-inductive Current Start-up by Electron Cyclotron Heating and Current Drive in KSTAR (2014)
  • Author(s): H.Tanaka, M.Uchida, T.Maekawa, Y-S. Bae, M. Joung, J. H. Jeong
  • Organizer: 18th Joint Workshop on Electron Cyclotron Emission and Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating
  • Year and Date: 20140422-25
• [Presentation] Noninductive formation of an extremely overdense spherical tokamak by electron Bernstein wave heating and current drive on LATE (2014)
  • Author(s): M.Uchida, T.Maekawa, H.Tanaka, Y. Noguchi
  • Organizer: 18th Joint Workshop on Electron Cyclotron Emission and Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating
  • Year and Date: 20140422-25
• [Presentation] Recent Progress in ECH/ECCD Experiments on LATE (2013)
  • Author(s): T.Maekawa
  • Organizer: 9th Asian Plasma and Fusion Association Conference
  • Place of Presentation: Hotel Hilton, Gyeongju City, Korea
  • Year and Date: 20131105-08
• [Presentation] CS-less Tokamak Start-up by ECH/ECCD in KSTAR (2013)
  • Author(s): H.Tanaka
  • Organizer: 9th Asian Plasma and Fusion Association Conference
  • Place of Presentation: Hotel Hilton, Gyeongju City, Korea
  • Year and Date: 20131105-08
• [Presentation] プラズマ波動とモード変換の物理 (2013)
  • Author(s): 前川孝
  • Organizer: 日本物理学会秋の大会
  • Place of Presentation: 徳島大学工学部
  • Year and Date: 20130925-28
• [Presentation] Fast magnetic activity accompanied with plasma ejection across last closed flux surface in an EC started up plasma in the LATE device (2013)
  • Author(s): T.Maekawa, R.Hayashi, F.Watanabe, H.Tanaka, M.Uchida
  • Organizer: 17th International Spherical Torus Workshop
  • Place of Presentation: York Plasma Institute, York, UK
  • Year and Date: 20130916-19
• [Presentation] 磁場を横切る両極性電位 : トロイダルECRプラズマにおける流れの調整役 (2012)
  • Author(s): 前川孝, 黒田賢剛
  • Organizer: プラズマ核融合学会
  • Place of Presentation: クローバープラザ(福岡県春日市)
  • Year and Date: 2012-11-29
• [Presentation] Initiation of closed flux surfaces and subsequent current ramp-up by ECH/ECCD in the LATE device (2011)
  • Author(s): H.Tanaka, T.Maekawa, M.Uchida, F. Watanabe, Y. Noguchi
  • Organizer: The 8th International Workshop "Strong Microwaves and Terahertz Waves : Sources and Applications"
  • Place of Presentation: Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
  • Year and Date: 20110709-16
• [Presentation] Formation of spherical tokamak at ～10 times the plasma cutoff density by electron Bernstein wave in the LATE device (2011)
  • Author(s): M.Uchida, T.Maekawa, H.Tanaka, F. Watanabe, Y.Noguchi
  • Organizer: 36th EPS Conference on Plasma Physics
  • Place of Presentation: Strasbourg, France
  • Year and Date: 20110627-01
• [Presentation] Production of High Energy Tail Electrons by Electron Bernstein Waves during the Current Start-up Discharges in the LATE Device (2011)
  • Author(s): H.Tanaka, M.Uchida, F.Watanabe, Y. Noguchi and T.Maekawa
  • Organizer: 19th Topical Conference on Radio Frequency Power in Plasmas
  • Place of Presentation: Newport, Rhode Island, USA
  • Year and Date: 20110601-03
• [Presentation] LATE での遮断密度の10 倍の電子密度領域での 球状トカマク形成 (2011)
  • Author(s): 打田正 樹,田中仁, 前川孝, 他10名
  • Organizer: Plasma Conference 2011
  • Place of Presentation: 金沢市石川県立音楽堂
  • Year and Date: 2011-11-22
• [Presentation] 磁場を横切る高速通過電子群による初期磁気面形成 (2011)
  • Author(s): 前川孝, 田中仁, 打田正樹, 渡辺文武, 吉永智一
  • Organizer: Plasma Conference 2011
  • Place of Presentation: 金沢市石川県立音楽堂
  • Year and Date: 2011-11-22
• [Remarks] Title: Electron cyclotron wave can startup tokamak
  • URL: http://iopscience.iop.org/0029-5515/labtalk-article/46687