Alcator C-Mod Run 950427 Information

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Miniproposals
Miniproposal:081
Date Filed: 1/22/1995
Title:Li pellet + ICRF ``PEP\'\' Mode
First Author:Yuichi Takase
Session Leader:Darren Garnier (shots 1-38)

Operators
Session leader(s):Darren Garnier
Physics operator(s):Earl Marmar
Engineering operator(s):Vinny Bertolino,Joe Daigle

Engineering Operator Run Comment
pep mode

Session Leader Plans

Physics Operators Plans

Session Leader Summaries
Entered: Jul 7 2004 03:49:13:583PM
Author: To Be Determined

From: ZENITH::GARNIER
Date: 28-APR-1995 20:05:51
Description: Run Summary 950427

Run Summary 950427 (and 950426 part II)

SL: Garnier
PO: Marmar
EO: Bertolino/Daigle

MP081 Li PEP Mode studies

This run was a continuation of MP081 which was begun in February.
(Run 950210). Our goals today were the following:

0. Obtain highest reactivity plasmas.
1. Optimize pellet/RF timing for different conditions.
2. Attempt PEP modes at lower currents/continue current scan.
3. Based on the idea that PEP modes are caused by reverse shear,
attempt to lengthen PEP mode by ramping current.
4. Attempt to diagnose causes of PEP mode.

We began the run on shot 30 of 950426 and began optimizing the PEP
mode at 800 kA. Our best neutron rate was obtained on shot 950426032
with 5.5e13/sec at 2.1MW. Attempts to optimize pellet/RF timing indicate
that the RF should be turned on just before the time of maximum XRay
peakedness.

Shots 34-35 and 9504027001-2 where attempts to lengthen the PEP mode
by ramping the current up. No significant improvements were seen.

Next, we attempted to expand the density scan done previously. By
raising the density we had several shots that showed very little
or no enhancement. The pellet peaking would often crash before
the RF and we had a return of the cannoli phenomena. Interestingly,
although we had asked for higher density, we didn't get it, so
perhaps it was just the puffing that caused the crash. We attempted
to answer this later but found that the pellet would disrupt the
plasma. With lower density, the neutron rate was lower for similar
powers. Conclusion: Nel_4 of 1e20 is optimum.

After shot 9 it was clear that the E port antenna was kaput, so
we gave up on trying to get the highest neutron rate. Shots
12-17 were double pellet experiments to take cigar data of
normal and pep-mode plasmas. This data will be fed into EFIT
to determine whether the current profile is profoundly different
during PEP mode.

Shot 18-21 were a return to Bob's killer pellet run. One thing
that wasn't tried then was to shoot the gold pellet into a non-VDE
plasma. On one pellet, the plasma did disrupt, but not very quickly.
The plasma survived the second pellet. My guess is that the 300ug
of gold did not ablate into the plasma. The next thing to try
would be a ~1mg piece of gold wire "sugar coated" to go in the injector
better.

Lowering the current to 600kA, we found that the PEP mode duration
and the post pellet particle confinement time doubled. However, the
peak neutron rate was less. An attempt was made to scan the density,
but the pellet injector proved unreliable (small pellets).

Finally, we attempted to ramp the current downward from 800 to 600 kA
immediately after the pellet. This effectively gave us a pep mode
with the 800kA neutron rate for the 600 kA duration.

Although we did not reach our goal of surpassing the record neutron rate
because of the antenna failure, and we were plagued by many disruptions,
this run was very successful. We were able to optimize pellet timing
and density and explore the effect of plasma current. The extensive
cigar data should also yield information about the mode.


LPI Summary:
49 Pellets requested.
13 missing. (this is abnormally bad.)

Physics Operator Summaries
Entered: Jul 7 2004 04:36:54:050PM
Author: To Be Determined

From: PHYSOP::MARMAR
Date: 27-APR-1995 18:14:37
Description: Physop summary 950427

Run 950427
In support of MP081 PEP mode studies

PO Marmar
SL Garnier
EO Bertolino/Daigle

The run was reasonably successful. We managed a rather complete density scan
at 0.8 MA, scanned the delay time between pellet and RF turn-on, explored .6
and .8 MA flat current, as well as current ramp-up and -down after the pellet.
See the session leader's summary for results.

Engineering systems ran flawlessly, with 32 plasmas in a row. The E-Port
antenna had problems, believed to be due to arcing in the transmission line. As
a result, after shot 9 we could get little more than 1 MW of auxiliary power.
This was enough to test certain aspects of the PEP modes, such as particle and
energy confinement, but the MP should not be considered complete until we have
a go with ~3MW available.

In the middle of the run, we devoted 4 shots to gold doped "killer" pellets;
in this case the pellets were injected into plasmas where the vertical
feedback was not turned off. Of the two shots with pellets (20 and 21) the
first disrupted, but not very quickly, and the second survived.

The run was turned over to Steve Horne at 4:00 pm, for power supply tests. His
summary can be found at the end of this bulletin.

The shot by shot summary:

1 start from 950426035, with ZCUR to -.5cm and ZXL moved down by .5cm
fill 2.1e-5
.8 MA ramp up to 1 MA after pellet; asked for and got 1 pellet; disrupt at
.8 MA (halo warning)
2 fill 1.9e-5, argon on
move rcur in 2 mm, .8MA to 1 MA to .7 MA , disrupt after 2'nd pellet,
.7 MA
3 rcur in 2 more mm, .8 MA straight across, disrupt after 2'nd pellet, .8 MA
4 reload shot 950426035, .8 to 1 MA ramp, disrupt at .645 s, no pellet
5 reload shot 950426034, early disrupt, a few hards
6 fill 2.1e-5, no pellets, no RF, good plasma, many tiny moly injections
7 disrupt on second pellet, at .8 second, .8MA
8 nl_04 to 1.2e20, fiddle with RCUR, ZXL and RXL after 1 second, disrupt .8s,
halo warning
9 reduce clearin 5mm, move rcur in 2 mm, fire only 1'st pellet, disrupt at
1.07 s, .75 MA, halo warning
10 one pellet, at .6s, D port antenna only, didn't get the pellet, ramped to
.5 MA, a few hards early
11 fill 2.3e-5 try for 2 pellets closer together, D port antenna only,
disrupt after 1'st pellet, plasma got unhappy at ~.5s
12 nl_04 to 8e19, got 2 pellets, second cigar at 76 cm, then disrupt
13 got no pellets, ramped down to .3MA
14 2 pellets, disrupt
15 no argon, lasted a little longer
16 add deriv gain to nl_04 feedback, only got first pellet
17 2 pellets, then disrupt
18 switch to gold doped pellet MP; first a no pellet ohmic, nl_04=6e19, good
shot
19 300 microgram Au pellet at .6 seconds, didn't get the pellet
20 try again; got it this time, disrupt, but not terribly fast
21 try again, survived
22 2 Li pellets, disrupt after second, .8MA
23 repeat, first pellet delayed 30 msec, only got 1'st pellet,
24 raise nl_04 to 1.5e20, disrupt at first pellet
25 small pellet at .6s, got in, disrupt .97s, .8MA
26 nl_04 1.0e20, medium pellet at .6 s, disrupt at 1.03, .74MA
27 decrease clearin and rcur 4 mm, lower nl_04 after pellet, pellet 20ms
earlier
28 Ip .6 MA, prompt disrupt after pellet
29 small pellet, survived
30 nl_04 8e20, pellet didn't go
31 retry, no pellet
32 ramp Ip down from .9 to .6 MA after medium pellet, good shot, long particle
confinement after pellet, PEP mode lasts longer than at higher current


Summary: 32 plasma attempts, 32 plasmas, 0 fizzles, 0 duds.

______________________________________________________________________________

Shots 34-38 were tests of the OH2 and EF1 supplies. There has been
speculation in some quarters that the various improvements to the OH2 supplies
have significantly degraded their dynamic response, thus enhancing their
ability to produce vertical disruptions. These shots were based on one from
MP#42 by Tinios; the OH2 and EF1 supplies were driven at various frequencies
(50,80,100,140,180 Hz); the results will be compared to those obtained in
April 1994.

Session Leader Comments

Physics Operator Comments

Engineering Operator Comments
ShotTimeTypeStatusComment
108:39:56:140AMPlasmaOk
208:56:29:210AMPlasmaOk
309:12:28:790AMPlasmaOk
409:28:53:050AMPlasmaOk
509:42:04:470AMPlasmaOk
609:56:15:390AMPlasmaOk
710:07:33:760AMPlasmaOk
810:20:33:560AMPlasmaOk
910:34:04:160AMPlasmaOk
1010:49:01:870AMPlasmaOk
1111:14:29:940AMPlasmaOk
1211:26:44:730AMPlasmaOk
1311:39:25:600AMPlasmaOk
1411:52:01:940AMPlasmaOk
1512:06:34:380PMPlasmaOk
1612:19:55:060PMPlasmaOk
1712:31:02:420PMPlasmaOk
1812:42:43:940PMPlasmaOk
1912:58:06:930PMPlasmaOk
2001:12:18:810PMPlasmaOkNo Faults.
2101:26:16:900PMPlasmaOkNo faults.
2201:42:31:110PMPlasmaOkNo Faults.
2301:54:14:190PMPlasmaOkNo Faults.
2402:07:06:970PMPlasmaOkNo Faults.
2502:19:21:480PMPlasmaOkNo Faults.
2602:32:06:700PMPlasmaOkNo Faults.
2702:48:15:730PMPlasmaOkNo Faults.
2803:01:48:390PMPlasmaOkNo Faults.
2903:16:38:720PMPlasmaOkNo Faults.
3003:31:32:160PMPlasmaOkNo Faults
3103:45:58:780PMPlasmaOkNo Faults.
3204:02:22:150PMPlasmaOkno faults.
3304:14:27:420PMTestOkbaseline shot
3404:25:54:780PMTestOkno faults
3504:38:45:790PMTestOkno faults
3604:49:30:360PMTestOkno faults
3705:00:07:550PMTestOkno faults
3805:11:17:000PMPlasmaOkno shot computer locked up