Transient transport experiments in the current-drive experiment upgrade spherical torus | CU Experts

Electron transport has been measured in the Current-Drive Experiment Upgrade (CDX-U) (T. Jones, Ph.D. thesis, Princeton University, 1995) using two separate perturbative techniques. Sawteeth at the q=1 radius (r/a∼0.15) induced outward-propagating heat pulses, providing time-of-flight information leading to a determination of χe as a function of radius. Gas modulation at the plasma edge introduced inward-propagating cold pulses, providing a complementary time-of-flight based χe profile measurement. This work represents the first localized measurement of χe in a spherical torus. Core (r/a<1/3) χe values from the sawtooth study are 1–2 m2/s, and from the gas modulation study are 1–6 m2/s, increasing by an order of magnitude or more outside of the core region. Furthermore, the χe profile exhibits a sharp transition near r/a=1/3. Spectral and profile analyses of the soft x-rays, scanning interferometer, and edge probe data show no evidence of a significant magnetic island causing the high χe region. Comparisons are performed to several theoretical models, with measured χe≈5–10× neoclassical estimates in the core.

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