Alcator C-Mod Run 960126 Information

Back to runs

Miniproposals
Miniproposal:137a
Date Filed: 7/1/1996
Title:Local Edge Threshold for H-Mode (Rev. 1)
First Author:Rejean Boivin
Session Leader:Amanda Hubbard (shots 1-31)

Operators
Session leader(s):Amanda Hubbard
Physics operator(s):Joseph Snipes
Engineering operator(s):Frank Silva

Engineering Operator Run Comment
h mode snipes

Session Leader Plans

Physics Operators Plans

Session Leader Summaries
Entered: Jul 7 2004 03:49:15:023PM
Author: To Be Determined

From: LEADER::HUBBARD
Date: 26-JAN-1996 17:35:23
Subj: Session Leader's Summary, 960126

Run summary for 960126 MP137 "Edge Threshold for H-mode"

Run Plan:

This run plans to do a controlled scan of density and current, with RF powers
stepped up gradually so as to find the global and local H-mode thresholds.
We are looking for well diagnosed conditions at the threshold, not
necessarily long or record-breaking H-modes.

All going well, the run will proceed as follows:

a) Density scan at 800 kA, from lower density threshold to upper density
limit.

b) Repeat at 600 kA, with fewer densities.

c) Repeat scan at 1.1 MA (or 1 MA if we have operational trouble).

d) Several reproducible shots at 800 kA, 10^20 m-2, to scan ECE grating and
other diagnostics to get detailed profiles. Try to get scanning probe in
too.


How it really went:

Overall, the run was quite successful. The main accompishments were a) and d).

We got a nice density scan at fixed 800 kA equilibrium. (shots 3-19) A quick
analysis confirms that Te at the 95% surface is always close to 200 eV at the
L-H transition, with density varying over a factor of two. The behaviour at
the H-L threshold is less clear. One of the most
interesting aspects is that we managed to 'catch' the low density limit on
Shot 8 - the power threshold climbs steeply for nel= 6e19. Shortly before the
transition, the radiated power started dropping and edge Te rose to the
threshold. Shots 7 and 11 were similar but did not enter H-mode. These may
shed some light on the causes of the low density limit.


We experienced a lot of difficulty getting 600 kA discharges for the low
current scan (see physop summary). After some time we decided to skip this
and go to 1.1 MA. These ran well - we only had time for points at 1.0
and 1.15 e20 m-2. (Shots 26-28) It does seem that the edge temperature at
threshold is higher at this Ip.

Returning to 800 kA, we repeated shot 4 twice more (29, 31). Brian
succeeded in getting probe scans both in H-mode and just before the
transition. We also moved the GPC channels to get more profile points.
With a bit of luck and analysis we should be able to match up our Te and
ne profiles for the first time on ICRF shots.


Shot 1: Disrupts 200 ms - EFC problem.

Shot 2: Good fiducial - no moly monitor.

Shot 3: Good shot. 800 kA, 10^20 m-2.
Not quite the right outer gap.

Shot 4: Good threshold shot at 800 kA, 10^20.
Hmode transition at 745 ms, 750 kW. 1st shot of scan.

Shot 5: Good threshold point at 800 kA, 9 x 10^19m-2
Transition at 754 ms, 750 kW.

Shot 6: Good threshold point at 800 kA, 7 x 10^19m-2
Transition at 768 ms, 1.2 MW. Also an ohmic H-mode at 349 ms.

Shot 7: Nel 6e19 m-2. No H-mode with 1.5 MW. Must be below low ne limit.

Shot 8: Ne; 6e19 m-2. Goes to H-mode at 952 ms, with 1.8 MW. We must be on
the upwards curve of the low ne threshold. Interesting shot, in that
Prad decreases and edge Te increases shortly BEFORE the transition.

Shot 9: Disrupts 280 ms.

Shot 10 Fizzle.

Shot 11: nel 5.6 e19. No H-mode with 1.75 MW RF.

Shot 12: Fizzle

Shot 14: 1.2 e 20 m-2. RF tuning poor - no H-mode.

Shot 15: Fizzle.

Shot 16: Vertical disruption 0.4 secs.

Shot 17: Good transition at 1.3 e20 m-2, 1.5 MW (827 ms).

Shot 18: Good shot. 1.5 e20 m-2. No H-mode with 1.5 MW.

Shot 19: Good shot. 1.5 e20 m-2. No H-mode with 1.9 MW.
Since this is about the maximum power available today, declare the
800 kA density scan complete.

Shot 20: Attempt 600 kA, 10^20 m-2. Disrupts ~250 ms.

Shot 21: Similar.

Shot 22: Another disruption, with an injection.

Shot 23: Fiducial - ran well.

Shot 24: Fizzle

Shot 25: Disrupts 260 ms.

Shot 26: 1.1 MA, 1.0 e20. Nice H-mode threshold (but bad disruption)

Shot 27: Repeat with changes in outer gap and GPC position. Good threshold
point (and nice rampdown)

Shot 28: 1.1 MA, 1.15e20. Good transition, but getting cutoff as ne rises.

Shot 29: Repeat shot 4, 800 kA, 1e20. Brian got probe in just after RF pulse
(ELMy H-mode)

Shot 30: Disrupts 0.3 sec.

Shot 31: Repeat again. Probe inserted 0.7 s, just before L-H transition.

Physics Operator Summaries
Entered: Jul 7 2004 04:36:55:927PM
Author: To Be Determined
MP 137 H-mode edge Te threshold 960126
Session Leader: Amanda Hubbard
Physics Operator: Joseph Snipes
Engineer in Charge: Frank Silva

Overnight discharge cleaning in helium.

Run plan:
Start with the engineering setup from shot 960124024, for an initial
fiducial shot. Then, perform a density scan at 5.3 T and 0.8 MA with (0.5
MW) steps in the RF power to determine the H-mode edge Te threshold at
various densities. Then, we will go down to 0.6 MA and do a short density
scan, then up to 1.1 MA and do a final short density scan.

The run went reasonably well at higher current. There were many H-modes
with clear threshold values. Preliminary indications are that the H-L edge
temperatures were higher than the L-H temperatures this time around. But,
the L-H temperature thresholds were rather consistent at about 200 eV. We
had great difficulty getting 600 kA plasmas. We had vertical instabilities
at about 0.2 sec on many shots, even some that were intended to go to 800 kA.
So, we did not succeed in getting any data at 600 kA. Then, we went to 1.1 MA
and had no problems. The first shot was copied from 960125021 and it
disrupted just after the current turned over, leading to one strike. I
then changed the rampdown and succeeded in getting decent rampdowns at 1.1 MA.
We then returned to 800 kA so that LaBombard could insert the FSP to get
H-mode profiles of the edge and we succeeded in getting good data by
notching the RF power.

Scorecard: 31 shots, 27 plasmas, 4 fizzles

Shot 1: Copied shot 960124024 for a fiducial. Disrupted at 0.19 sec.
Problem with EFC.
Shot 2: Repeat. Good fiducial shot. H-modes from 0.78 to 1.05 sec.
Moly monitor gate valve failed to open.
Shot 3: Moved RCUR out by 5 mm to reduce outer gap for RF coupling.
Increased flattop duration of Ip to 1.1 sec. Good shot, but the
RF is rather choppy before the H-mode.
Shot 4: Moved RCUR back in by 2 mm to 0.669 m to increase the outer
gap a bit. Good shot. H-mode from 0.74 - 1.01 sec.
Shot 5: Density reduced to nl = 7.5 x 10^19 m^-2. Ar gas puff enabled
with 19 msec duration at 0.28 sec. H-modes from 0.74 - 1.01.
Shot 6: Density reduced to nl = 6 x 10^19 m^-2. Good shot. Ohmic H-mode
from 0.34 sec to 0.67 sec, then dithering until 0.82 sec, then
ICRF H-modes from 0.82 to 1.02 sec.
Shot 7: Turned off pre-programmed gas puffing after 0.2 sec. Good shot.
No H-mode. Density around 6 x 10^19 m^-2.
Shot 8: Increased RCUR by 2 mm to 0.671 m. Good shot. Short H-mode from
0.95 to 1 sec at 1.8 MW of RF power.
Shot 9: Disrupted at 0.3 sec. Vertical instability when the plasma goes
diverted early.
Shot 10: Reduced initial ramp of CLEARIN from 0.1 to 0.2 sec instead of 0.1
to 0.16 sec as before. Fizzle!
Shot 11: Repeat. Good shot. Density had some problems. No H-mode.
Shot 12: Increased pre-programmed gas during segment 2 to get the
programmed density. Fizzle!
Shot 13: Increased pre-puff by 2 msec to 14 msec duration. Increased nl to
1.25 x 10^20 m^-2. Good shot. RF coupling poor.
Shot 14: Repeat to tune RF. Good shot. Only 0.6 MW of RF for 50 msec.
Shot 15: Increased ZXL and reduced CLEARIN, RCUR, and ZXU to try to improve
the ramp down. One more time for tuning. Fizzle!
Shot 16: Reduced pre-puff by 1 msec to 13 msec duration. Reduced Br offset
by 0.5 mT to 5.9 mT. Disrupted at 0.41 sec.
Shot 17: Reduced rate of rise of the density around 0.2 sec. Good shot.
H-mode from 0.83 to 1.02 sec. RF steps up from 1 to 1.5 MW at 0.8
sec.
Shot 18: Raised nl to 1.5 x 10^20 m^-2 and increased pre-programmed gas
feed in segment 2 to 45 V from 0.4 to 1 sec. Good shot. No
H-mode. RF power up to 1.3 MW.
Shot 19: Reduced ZXU and increased ZXL after 1.1 sec to reduce the plasma
elongation during the rampdown. Good shot. No H-mode. RF up to
1.9 MW. No more RF available today, so we will go to 0.6 MA.
Shot 20: Reduced Ip to 0.6 MA, nl to 1 x 10^20 m^-2. Reduced
pre-programmed gas in segment 2 to 30 V until 0.4 sec, then 0 V.
Disrupted at 0.2 sec. Vertical instability.
Shot 21: Moved crowbars on OH1 and OH2 from 0.2 sec to 0.1 sec to slow down
the current rise. Disrupted at 0.2 sec.
Shot 22: Set Ip to reach 0.6 MA at 0.2 sec. Reduced the rate of rise of
the density so that it should reach 5 x 10^19 m^-2 by 0.2 sec.
Overcurrent on OH2U by 40 kA. Disrupted at 0.19 sec.
Shot 23: Returning to shot 960124024 to do a fiducial. Good shot.
H-mode from 0.79 to 1.01 sec.
Shot 24: Reduced Ip to 0.6 MA, copied RCUR from shot 960126022. Reduced
rate of rise of the density. Fizzle!
Shot 25: Reduced Br offset by 0.5 mT to 5.9 mT. Increased pre-puff by 1
msec to 13 msec flattop. Returned to density from 960126023 and
kept the same rate of rise until 0.05 sec, then reduced the rate
of rise until 0.4 sec. Disrupted at 0.25 sec.
Shot 26: Punt. Copied shot 960125021 with Ip = 1.1 MA. Reduced Br offset by
0.5 mT to 5.9 mT. Good shot. Disrupted at 1.2 sec.
Shot 27: Start rampdown of Ip at 1.1 sec. Moved RCUR out by 1 mm during
the flattop to 0.67 m. Moved RCUR in by 1 mm during the rampdown.
Ramped CLEARIN faster during the rampdown. Good shot. H-mode from
0.65 to 1.02 sec.
Shot 28: Raised nl to 1.2 x 10^20 m^-2 and raised pre-programmed gas
puffing to 40 V from 0.4 to 0.97 sec. Good shot. H-mode from 0.79
to 1.02 sec.
Shot 29: Returned to shot 960126004 to insert the FSP. Good shot. H-mode
from 0.76 to 0.98 sec.
Shot 30: Reduced Br offset by 0.5 mT to 5.9 mT. Disrupted at 0.3 sec.
Vertical instability.
Shot 31: Reduced the rate of rise of the density. Good shot. H-mode from
0.75 to 0.99 sec.

Session Leader Comments
Jan 26 1996 08:42:10:940AMAmanda HubbardThis run plans to do a controlled scan of density and current, with RF powers
stepped up gradually so as to find the global and local H-mode thresholds.
We are looking for well diagnosed conditions at the threshold, not
necessarily long or record-breaking H-modes.

All going well, the run will proceed as follows:

a) Density scan at 800 kA, from lower density threshold to upper density
limit.

b) Repeat at 600 kA, with fewer densities.

c) Repeat scan at 1.1 MA (or 1 MA if we have operational trouble).

d) Several reproducible shots at 800 kA, 10^20 m-2, to scan ECE grating and
other diagnostics to get detailed profiles. Try to get scanning probe in
too.

Jan 26 1996 08:51:23:520AM960126001Amanda HubbardDisrupts at 200 ms - chopper problems?

Physics Operator Comments
Jan 26 1996 08:54:46:620AMJoseph SnipesMP 137 H-mode edge Te threshold 960126
Session Leader: Amanda Hubbard
Physics Operator: Joseph Snipes
Engineer in Charge: Frank Silva

Overnight discharge cleaning in helium.

Run plan:
Start with the engineering setup from shot 960124024, for an initial
fiducial shot. Then, perform a density scan at 5.3 T and 0.8 MA with (0.5
MW) steps in the RF power to determine the H-mode edge Te threshold at
various densities. Then, we will go down to 0.6 MA and do a short density
scan, then up to 1.1 MA and do a final short density scan.


Jan 26 1996 08:55:17:260AM960126001Joseph SnipesShot 1: Copied shot 960124024 for a fiducial. Disrupted at 0.19 sec.
Problem with EFC.


Jan 26 1996 09:14:00:160AM960126002Joseph SnipesShot 2: Repeat. Good fiducial shot. H-modes from 0.78 to 1.05 sec.
Moly monitor gate valve failed to open.


Jan 26 1996 09:22:43:170AM960126003Joseph SnipesShot 3: Moved RCUR out by 5 mm to reduce outer gap for RF coupling.
Increased flattop duration of Ip to 1.1 sec. Good shot, but the
RF is rather choppy before the H-mode.


Jan 26 1996 09:51:30:090AM960126004Joseph SnipesShot 4: Moved RCUR back out by 2 mm to 0.669 m to increase the outer
gap a bit. Good shot. H-mode from 0.74 - 1.01 sec.


Jan 26 1996 10:03:21:890AM960126005Joseph SnipesShot 5: Density reduced to nl = 7.5 x 10^19 m^-2. Ar gas puff enabled
with 19 msec duration at 0.28 sec. H-modes from 0.74 - 1.01.


Jan 26 1996 10:25:33:020AM960126006Joseph SnipesShot 6: Density reduced to nl = 6 x 10^19 m^-2. Good shot. Ohmic H-mode
from 0.34 sec to 0.67 sec, then dithering until 0.82 sec, then
ICRF H-modes from 0.82 to 1.02 sec.


Jan 26 1996 10:35:13:100AM960126007Joseph SnipesShot 7: Turned off pre-programmed gas puffing after 0.2 sec. Good shot.
No H-mode. Density around 6 x 10^19 m^-2.


Jan 26 1996 11:06:46:020AM960126008Joseph SnipesShot 8: Increased RCUR by 2 mm to 0.671 m. Good shot. Short H-mode from
0.95 to 1 sec at 1.8 MW of RF power.


Jan 26 1996 11:07:26:420AM960126009Joseph SnipesShot 9: Disrupted at 0.3 sec. Vertical instability when the plasma goes
diverted early.


Jan 26 1996 11:07:43:850AM960126009Joseph SnipesShot 10: Reduced initial ramp of CLEARIN from 0.1 to 0.2 sec instead of 0.1
to 0.16 sec as before. Fizzle!


Jan 26 1996 11:39:59:930AM960126010Joseph SnipesShot 10: Reduced initial ramp of CLEARIN from 0.1 to 0.2 sec instead of 0.1
to 0.16 sec as before. Fizzle!


Jan 26 1996 11:40:18:920AM960126011Joseph SnipesShot 11: Repeat. Good shot. Density had some problems. No H-mode.


Jan 26 1996 11:40:40:790AM960126012Joseph SnipesShot 12: Increased pre-programmed gas during segment 2 to get the
programmed density. Fizzle!


Jan 26 1996 11:58:34:450AM960126013Joseph SnipesShot 13: Increased pre-puff by 2 msec to 14 msec duration. Increased nl to
1.25 x 10^20 m^-2. Good shot. RF coupling poor.


Jan 26 1996 11:58:49:140AM960126014Joseph SnipesShot 14: Repeat to tune RF. Good shot. Only 0.6 MW of RF for 50 msec.


Jan 26 1996 12:17:59:560PM960126015Joseph SnipesShot 15: Increased ZXL and reduced CLEARIN, RCUR, and ZXU to try to improve
the ramp down. One more time for tuning. Fizzle!


Jan 26 1996 12:41:20:180PM960126016Joseph SnipesShot 16: Reduced pre-puff by 1 msec to 13 msec duration. Reduced Br offset
by 0.5 mT to 5.9 mT. Disrupted at 0.41 sec.


Jan 26 1996 12:41:37:650PM960126017Joseph SnipesShot 17: Reduced rate of rise of the density around 0.2 sec. Good shot.
H-mode from 0.83 to 1.02 sec. RF steps up from 1 to 1.5 MW at 0.8
sec.


Jan 26 1996 01:08:06:220PM960126018Joseph SnipesShot 18: Raised nl to 1.5 x 10^20 m^-2 and increased pre-programmed gas
feed in segment 2 to 45 V from 0.4 to 1 sec. Good shot. No H-mode.
RF power up to 1.3 MW.


Jan 26 1996 01:21:17:860PM960126019Joseph SnipesShot 19: Reduced ZXU and increased ZXL after 1.1 sec to reduce the plasma
elongation during the rampdown. Good shot.


Jan 26 1996 01:23:18:060PM960126019Joseph SnipesShot 19: Reduced ZXU and increased ZXL after 1.1 sec to reduce the plasma
elongation during the rampdown. Good shot. No H-mode. RF up to
1.9 MW. No more RF available today, so we will go to 0.6 MA.


Jan 26 1996 02:49:02:420PM960126020Joseph SnipesShot 20: Reduced Ip to 0.6 MA, nl to 1 x 10^20 m^-2. Reduced
pre-programmed gas in segment 2 to 30 V until 0.4 sec, then 0 V.
Disrupted at 0.2 sec. Vertical instability.


Jan 26 1996 02:49:17:820PM960126021Joseph SnipesShot 21: Moved crowbars on OH1 and OH2 from 0.2 sec to 0.1 sec to slow down
the current rise. Disrupted at 0.2 sec.


Jan 26 1996 02:49:35:410PM960126022Joseph SnipesShot 22: Set Ip to reach 0.6 MA at 0.2 sec. Reduced the rate of rise of
the density so that it should reach 5 x 10^19 m^-2 by 0.2 sec.
Overcurrent on OH2U by 40 kA. Disrupted at 0.19 sec.


Jan 26 1996 02:49:51:530PM960126023Joseph SnipesShot 23: Returning to shot 960124024 to do a fiducial. Good shot.
H-mode from 0.79 to 1.01 sec.


Jan 26 1996 04:27:27:330PM960126024Joseph SnipesShot 24: Reduced Ip to 0.6 MA, copied RCUR from shot 960126022. Reduced
rate of rise of the density. Fizzle!


Jan 26 1996 04:27:45:160PM960126025Joseph SnipesShot 25: Reduced Br offset by 0.5 mT to 5.9 mT. Increased pre-puff by 1
msec to 13 msec flattop. Returned to density from 960126023 and
kept the same rate of rise until 0.05 sec, then reduced the rate
of rise until 0.4 sec. Disrupted at 0.25 sec.


Jan 26 1996 04:28:11:390PM960126026Joseph SnipesShot 26: Punt. Copied shot 960125021 with Ip = 1.1 MA. Reduced Br offset by
0.5 mT to 5.9 mT. Good shot. Disrupted at 1.2 sec.


Jan 26 1996 04:28:34:280PM960126027Joseph SnipesShot 27: Start rampdown of Ip at 1.1 sec. Moved RCUR out by 1 mm during
the flattop to 0.67 m. Moved RCUR in by 1 mm during the rampdown.
Ramped CLEARIN faster during the rampdown. Good shot.


Jan 26 1996 04:28:53:290PM960126028Joseph SnipesShot 28: Raised nl to 1.2 x 10^20 m^-2 and raised pre-programmed gas
puffing to 40 V from 0.4 to 0.97 sec. Good shot.


Jan 26 1996 04:36:54:230PM960126028Joseph SnipesShot 28: Raised nl to 1.2 x 10^20 m^-2 and raised pre-programmed gas
puffing to 40 V from 0.4 to 0.97 sec. Good shot. H-mode from 0.79
to 1.02 sec.


Jan 26 1996 04:37:08:510PM960126029Joseph SnipesShot 29: Returned to shot 960126004 to insert the FSP. Good shot. H-mode
from 0.76 to 0.98 sec.


Jan 26 1996 05:19:08:150PM960126030Joseph SnipesShot 30: Reduced Br offset by 0.5 mT to 5.9 mT. Disrupted at 0.3 sec.
Vertical instability.


Jan 26 1996 05:19:22:470PM960126031Joseph SnipesShot 31: Reduced the rate of rise of the density. Good shot. H-mode from
0.75 to 0.99 sec.


Jan 26 1996 05:20:01:550PM960126031Joseph SnipesThe run went reasonably well at higher current. There were many H-modes
with clear threshold values. Preliminary indications are that the H-L edge
temperatures were higher than the L-H temperatures this time around. But,
the L-H temperature thresholds were rather consistent at about 200 eV. We
had great difficulty getting 600 kA plasmas. We had vertical instabilities
at about 0.2 sec on many shots, even some that were intended to go to 800 kA.
So, we did not succeed in getting any data at 600 kA. Then, we went to 1.1 MA
and had no problems. The first shot was copied from 960125021 and it
disrupted just after the current turned over, leading to one strike. I
then changed the rampdown and succeeded in getting decent rampdowns at 1.1 MA.
We then returned to 800 kA so that LaBombard could insert the FSP to get
H-mode profiles of the edge and we succeeded in getting good data by
notching the RF power.


Engineering Operator Comments
ShotTimeTypeStatusComment
108:28:40:510AMPlasmaOkoh2 selfpower, no efc
208:53:59:810AMPlasmaOkfiducial
309:14:42:870AMPlasmaOk
409:31:32:580AMPlasmaOk
509:50:54:040AMPlasmaOk
610:08:46:330AMPlasmaOk
710:22:58:340AMPlasmaOk
810:37:25:720AMPlasmaOkno faults
910:51:02:930AMPlasmaOk
1011:04:34:560AMPlasmaOk
1111:14:22:060AMPlasmaOk
1211:27:21:040AMPlasmaOk
1311:40:44:170AMPlasmaOk
1411:52:37:780AMPlasmaOk
1512:07:47:420PMPlasmaOk
1612:19:00:470PMPlasmaOkoh2u bypass comm fault
1712:34:37:450PMPlasmaOk
1812:48:44:240PMPlasmaOk
1901:04:45:690PMPlasmaOk
2001:23:22:010PMPlasmaOk
2101:40:57:860PMPlasmaOkSelf powered fired OH1 & OH2U [bypass]
2202:00:07:880PMPlasmaOkoh2U IOC & Self powered fired [bypass]
2302:32:10:910PMPlasmaOk
2402:50:00:230PMPlasmaOk
2503:02:45:880PMPlasmaOk
2603:17:22:880PMPlasmaOk
2703:48:01:070PMPlasmaOk
2804:06:50:560PMPlasmaOk
2904:25:39:750PMPlasmaOk
3004:41:18:380PMPlasmaOk
3104:52:19:760PMPlasmaOk