Abstract
The aim of this study is to analyze the destabilization of Alfven Eigenmodes (AEs) by multiple energetic particle (EP) species in DIII-D and LHD discharges. We use the reduced MHD equations to describe the linear evolution of the poloidal flux and the toroidal component of the vorticity in a full 3D system, coupled with equations of density and parallel velocity moments for the energetic particle species, including the effect of the acoustic modes, diamagnetic currents, and helical couplings. We add the Landau damping and resonant destabilization effects using a closure relation. The simulations with multiple neutral beam injector (NBI) lines show three different regimes: the nondamped regime where the multibeam AE growth rate is larger compared to the growth rate of the AEs destabilized by the individual NBI lines, the interaction regime where the multibeam AE growth rate is smaller than the single NBI AEs, and the damped regime where the AEs are suppressed. Operations in the damped regime require EP species with different density profile flatness or gradient locations. In addition, the AE growth rate in the interaction regime is further reduced if the combined NBI lines have similar beam temperatures and the β of the NBI line with a flatter EP density profile increases. Then, optimization trends are identified in DIII-D high poloidal β and LHD low density/magnetic field discharges with multiple NBI lines as well as the configuration requirements to operate in the damped and interaction regimes. DIII-D simulations show a decrease in the n = 2 to 6 AE growth rate and n = 1 AE are stabilized in the LHD case. The helical coupling effects in LHD simulations lead to a transition from the interaction to the damped regime of the n = 2, -8, 12 helical family.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 062502 |
Journal | Physics of Plasmas |
Volume | 26 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 1 2019 |
Funding
This material based on work was supported both by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with UT-Battelle, LLC and U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, using the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, a DOE Office of Science user facility, under Award No. DE-FC02-04ER54698. DIII-D data shown in this paper can be obtained in digital format by following the links at https://fusion.gat.com/global/D3D_DMP. This research was sponsored in part by the Ministerio of Economia y Competitividad of Spain under Project No. ENE2015-68265-P, National Natural Science Foundation of China Grant No. 11575249, and National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Energy Research Program of China under Contract Nos. 2015GB110005 and 2015GB102000. The authors would like to thank A. Garofalo, J. Qian, C. Holcomb, A. Hyatt, J. Ferron, and C. Collins for their role creating the profiles and kinetic EFIT used in the study.
Funders | Funder number |
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National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Energy Research Program of China | 2015GB110005, 2015GB102000 |
U.S. Department of Energy | |
Office of Science | DE-AC05-00OR22725, DE-FC02-04ER54698 |
Fusion Energy Sciences | |
National Natural Science Foundation of China | 11575249 |
Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad | ENE2015-68265-P |