Alcator C-Mod Run 990302 Information

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Miniproposals
Miniproposal:230
Date Filed: 1/15/1999
Title:Effect of Divertor Baffling on Confinement, Thresholds
First Author:Spencer Pitcher
Session Leader:Spencer Pitcher (shots 1-19)

Operators
Session leader(s):Spencer Pitcher
Physics operator(s):Ian Hutchinson
Engineering operator(s):Frank Silva

Engineering Operator Run Comment
MP230 Flappers/Hutch/Silva

Session Leader Plans

Physics Operators Plans

Session Leader Summaries
Entered: Jul 7 2004 03:49:19:743PM
Author: To Be Determined
Run Summary for 990302

MP 230 Effect of Divertor Baffling on Confinement, Thresholds
and the ELM-free/EDA Boundary

Session Leader: S Pitcher
Phys Op : I Hutchinson

Purpose:

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate
the effect of divertor baffling on confinement,
H-mode thresholds and the ELM-free/EDA boundary.
Conditions in the pedestal/edge region were
carefully monitored.

Summary:

The machine did not run well today. The machine
showed signs of 'running out of boronization', ie
unreliable EDA's at 1.5 MW and moly in the plasma.
No steady-state EDA's were achieved. Nevertheless,
some crude comparisons could be made between discharges
with flappers closed for the whole shot vs
others open for the whole shot. Comparing shots 12 (closed)
and 13 (open) for example, the divertor neutral pressure is approx
a factor of 2 lower with flappers open. In contrast, within error
the following are not affected by the flapper, fside midplane
pressure, Wmhd and Halpha.

Later we tried to do threshold studies using an RF power ramp
(shots >=17). Unfortunately, the flapper power supply
started to act up and we got no threshold comparisons
re flapper closed/open.

Conclusions:

The indications are that the flapper influences the
divertor neutral pressure in Ohmic and H-mode, reducing
it by ~ 2 when open. Main chamber neutrals are
not strongly affected, nor is confinement.

These results are preliminary, as better comparison
discharges are still needed.

Can't say much about thresholds at this point.

A new boronization is needed (tonight).



Physics Operator Summaries
Entered: Jul 7 2004 04:37:00:350PM
Author: To Be Determined
MP 230 Flappers and H-mode

Summary
_______

The object today was originally to get steady EDA H-modes and then
see the effects of the flappers open or closed on confinement. This was not
accomplished because of technical problems. Some information about the
power threshold (non)influence of the flappers was obtained.

The first couple of hours were lost to a disk corruption affecting the
models disk and clobbering MDSplus.

EF1L was misbehaving with a ~100V offset relative to its hybrid demand.
Engineers worked on it and it fixed itself after a while but without
strong confidence that it will stay fixed.

RF transmitter one did not run reliably today; so power was limited to
1.5 MW max from the other. This was insufficient to obtain H-modes
that avoided impurity accumulation, though there was some degree of
D-alpha enhancement. Radiation was rising rapidly during the H-mode
and led to a reversion to L-mode.

The last 3 shots 17-19 were devoted to a power ramp for threshold. This
seemed to indicate that the flappers had no discernible effect on the
threshold power at nl04=1.e20.


Scorecard
_________

Shot,Duration(s),Ipmax(MA) Shot,Duration(s),Ipmax
No Ip 1 2 0.000 0.005
3 0.000 0.021 4 0.000 0.027
5 1.673 0.782 6 1.693 0.786
7 1.686 0.787 8 0.000 0.034
9 1.703 0.792 10 1.700 0.797
11 1.701 0.802 12 1.656 0.802
13 1.684 0.807 14 1.682 0.807
15 1.672 0.802 16 1.678 0.812
17 1.661 0.792 18 1.672 0.792
19 1.654 0.792
Finished summary for 990302 Total of 19 shots.
19 shots. 14 plasmas. 2 fizzles. 3 power tests/duds.

No disruptions today.

Details
_______

990302xxx HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 8:41:28:793AM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MP 230 Flappers!
Pitcher/Hutch

Cold Start. Engineering settings from 990225001.
Load from 990225003. This is a 0.8 kA shot with a TF twiddle at .58-.65s.
It has 30 ms Ar puff. Also a zxl ramp apparently to compensate something
else.

Flappers are reported ready.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302001 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 9:06:42:123AM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Apparently all the plcs needed to be rebooted.
Tuesday OH test.

Many CAMAC errors. But we won't bother to do it again.
Tom working on fixing the errors.
Load the shot into model.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302001 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 9:31:33:280AM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
cmod$models disk is reported corrupted and needing to be rebuilt from
backup. TWF indicates at least a one hour delay.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302002 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 10:50:49:030AM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wolfe filling in for Ian.
Before shot #2, restarted PCS with PCS/NOCOPY and loaded into model.
This should put the model file Ian was working on into the live area.
According to TWF, no coldstart is required.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302002 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 11:05:22:686AM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chopper test. It worked. Camac seems to have worked as well.

Set up for plasma.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302003 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 11:11:16:483AM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dud NO EF2. Engineering operator error.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302003 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 11:24:47:140AM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wolfe points out that EF1L is not following its demand.
This is the usual problem
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302004 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 11:43:32:356AM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fizzle. EF1L is over 100A more negative than on the corresponding shot I
loaded from. It seems highly likely that this problem with the power supply
is the cause of this fizzle. Therefore we ask for engineering to fix this PS.

Engineering goes out and probes the board but the problem has gone. They
say this has happened before and that probing it like this makes it go away
possibly for weeks.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302005 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 12:05:42:200PM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plasma. The EF1L problem is not fixed but is smaller.
Got only 1 MW RF, not 2. Late ELM-free H-mode.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302006 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 12:25:50:623PM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plasma. Similar shot. CAmac failure on some of the magnetics.

Zxl is riding about +1cm despite the request for a ramp from
zero to -1cm. I suspect this is caused by the voltage offset in
EF1L that is still present. The programmed voltage is about zero.
zxl phys A out has about +8000 during the later part of the ramp.
gain is 8.
Mout is +100V. But actual voltage is about +30V.

RF just over 1MW. The second transmitter is not working.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302007 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 12:44:51:750PM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plasma. Still only about 1MW RF. This is what is holding us up.

Put +70V in EF1L Vs in segment 2 to try to compensate for the power
supply offset and hence get zxl substantially closer to what we are
asking for.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302008 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 1:20:25:700PM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fizzle. EF1l a bit more negative.

Cell access for Boivin, Fiore, and RF attenuator switch.
Removed the EF1L voltage tweak because engineering thinks the PS is fixed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302009 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 1:39:56:576PM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plasma. EF1L is not fixed. RF about 1.2 MW plus ratty behaviour.
H-modes are essentially ELM-free.

Load from 990302008 to get back my EF1L voltage offset correction.
Open the flappers next shot. Added a second TF twiddle from .9 to 1.05s.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302010 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 2:02:30:543PM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plasma. EF1L works correctly to spite me. Flappers opened.

Install offset correction of -0.01 in zxl. It seems that not all
of the offset is caused by the power supply.
Flappers closed next shot.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302011 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 2:29:02:640PM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plasma. Got 1.5MW from transmitter 2. Giving up on transmitter 1 except
for tuning.
Zxl offset does not seem to have done anything. That is because its units
are Amp Meters.

Put zxl offset to +8000.
Disable argon.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302012 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 2:47:14:686PM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plasma. 1.5MW. Still has radiation accumulation. zxl finally responds.


Reduce Rcur by about 3mm to increase the outer gap.
zxl offset ot 6000. It was a little high.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302013 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 3:09:33:216PM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plasma. Radiation seems slightly better controlled but still reverts to
L-mode.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302014 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 3:18:40:623PM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plasma. Flappers open at 0.8s. H-mode somewhat stabilizes but still not a
very good EDA.


PG3 V to 50 volts during 40-80ms. Target density to 1.2e20 nl04.
Reenable argon.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302015 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 3:52:16:826PM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plasma. H-modes become clearly ELM-free. Probably raising the density
was the wrong direction to go.


Lower nl04 demand to 0.7. Disable argon.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302016 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 4:19:13:763PM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plasma. Still not a long-pulse EDA.


Back to 1.e20 nl04. Install an RF ramp for threshold studies.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302017 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 4:42:46:060PM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plasma. H threshold about 0.9MW. Flappers closed.


Cooling is very slow today.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302018 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 4:52:50:513PM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plasma. Flappers open but CSP is not quite certain.
Threshold about 0.96MW, essentially just the same
as with them closed.


Last shot: repeat.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
990302018 HUTCH PHYSICS_OPERATOR Mar 2 1999 5:02:44:560PM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plasma. Threshold 0.96MW. Flappers open?

Session Leader Comments
Mar 2 1999 09:04:03:357AMSpencer PitcherMP 230 Effect of Divertor Baffling on Confinement, Thresholds
and the ELM-free/EDA Boundary


The purpose of this experiment is to investigate
the effect of divertor baffling on confinement,
H-mode thresholds and the ELM-free/EDA boundary.
Conditions in the pedestal/edge region will be
carefully monitored.


We will perform two distinct types of discharges in this
mini-proposal, although not necessarily in the following order.

The first, essentially a shot by shot target
density scan at fixed RF power, will (potentially) map out
the effect on ELM-free, EDA and L-mode discharges, and
in the process determine ELM-free - EDA - L-mode boundaries.
(We presume that the effect of the flapper on Ohmic
confinement will already be known from an earlier use
of the flapper.) We will run alternate discharges, i.e. first with
flaps closed for the entire discharge and then
a comparison discharge with all flaps open. At a later
point, if steady state conditions are obtained, e.g. in EDA
or L-mode discharges, then we will open the flaps during
the discharge.

The second experiment, consisting of an
RF (step-wise) power ramp at different
target densities will investigate the effect of mid-plane pressure
on H-mode threshold. Again, we will run alternate discharges,
flapper closed and then flapper open.
Mar 2 1999 11:55:21:577AM990302005Spencer Pitcherflapper closed

RF power only 1 MW, poor H-mode
Mar 2 1999 12:20:50:123PM990302006Spencer Pitcherflapper closed

RF power only 1 MW, poor H-mode
Mar 2 1999 01:56:55:717PM990302010Spencer Pitcherflappers open at t = -0.2 s, close at t = 1.5 s

shot 10 has roughly half the divertor neutral pressure of shot 9

Mar 2 1999 02:11:11:013PM990302011Spencer Pitcherflappers closed



Mar 2 1999 02:36:11:483PM990302012Spencer Pitcherflappers closed



Mar 2 1999 03:01:53:763PM990302013Spencer Pitcherflappers open t = -.2 s, closed t = 1.5 s

compare shots 12,13........shot 13 div press approx factor 2 lower



Mar 2 1999 03:25:34:717PM990302014Spencer Pitcherflappers open t = 0.8 s, closed t = 1.5 s
divertor neutral density pumps out at t = 0.8
Mar 2 1999 06:32:02:013PM990302015Spencer Pitcherflappers open t = 0.8 s, closed t = 1.5 s
problem with flapper power supply, however, flaps open
as requested

improve? EDA by using higher target density
Mar 2 1999 03:44:37:153PM990302016Spencer Pitcherflappers closed
improve? EDA by using lower target density
Mar 2 1999 04:18:26:200PM990302017Spencer Pitcherflappers closed
RF power ramp, 0.5 MW @ 0.5 s to 1.5 MW @ 1.2 s
jumps to H-mode at 0.95 MW, nl04 = 1.0
Mar 2 1999 06:02:54:607PM990302018Spencer Pitcherflappers from t = -0.2 s to 1.5 s, problem with flapper
power supply, flaps open approx 15 deg (fully open = 70 deg, fully closed = 0 deg)


RF power ramp, 0.5 MW @ 0.5 s to 1.5 MW @ 1.2 s
jumps to H-mode at 1.0 MW, nl04 = 1.0
Mar 2 1999 06:33:26:090PM990302019Spencer Pitcherflappers from t = -0.2 s to 1.5 s, problem with flapper
power supply, flaps open approx 30 deg (fully open = 70 deg, fully closed = 0 deg)
(this problem was fixed after the run by turning off power supply and relay unit
and switching back on again)


RF power ramp, 0.5 MW @ 0.5 s to 1.5 MW @ 1.2 s
jumps to H-mode at 1.0 MW, nl04 = 1.0

Physics Operator Comments
Mar 2 1999 08:41:28:793AMIan HutchinsonMP 230 Flappers!
Pitcher/Hutch

Cold Start. Engineering settings from 990225001.
Load from 990225003. This is a 0.8 kA shot with a TF twiddle at .58-.65s.
It has 30 ms Ar puff. Also a zxl ramp apparently to compensate something
else.

Flappers are reported ready.
Mar 2 1999 09:06:42:123AM990302001Ian HutchinsonApparently all the plcs needed to be rebooted.
Tuesday OH test.

Many CAMAC errors. But we won't bother to do it again.
Tom working on fixing the errors.
Load the shot into model.
Mar 2 1999 09:31:33:280AM990302001Ian Hutchinsoncmod$models disk is reported corrupted and needing to be rebuilt from
backup. TWF indicates at least a one hour delay.
Mar 2 1999 10:50:49:030AM990302002Ian HutchinsonWolfe filling in for Ian.
Before shot #2, restarted PCS with PCS/NOCOPY and loaded into model.
This should put the model file Ian was working on into the live area.
According to TWF, no coldstart is required.
Mar 2 1999 11:05:22:687AM990302002Ian HutchinsonChopper test. It worked. Camac seems to have worked as well.

Set up for plasma.
Mar 2 1999 11:11:16:483AM990302003Ian HutchinsonDud NO EF2. Engineering operator error.
Mar 2 1999 11:24:47:140AM990302003Ian HutchinsonWolfe points out that EF1L is not following its demand.
This is the usual problem
Mar 2 1999 11:43:32:357AM990302004Ian HutchinsonFizzle. EF1L is over 100A more negative than on the corresponding shot I
loaded from. It seems highly likely that this problem with the power supply
is the cause of this fizzle. Therefore we ask for engineering to fix this PS.

Engineering goes out and probes the board but the problem has gone. They
say this has happened before and that probing it like this makes it go away
possibly for weeks.
Mar 2 1999 12:05:42:200PM990302005Ian HutchinsonPlasma. The EF1L problem is not fixed but is smaller.
Got only 1 MW RF, not 2. Late ELM-free H-mode.
Mar 2 1999 12:25:50:623PM990302006Ian HutchinsonPlasma. Similar shot. CAmac failure on some of the magnetics.

Zxl is riding about +1cm despite the request for a ramp from
zero to -1cm. I suspect this is caused by the voltage offset in
EF1L that is still present. The programmed voltage is about zero.
zxl phys A out has about +8000 during the later part of the ramp.
gain is 8.
Mout is +100V. But actual voltage is about +30V.

RF just over 1MW. The second transmitter is not working.
Mar 2 1999 12:44:51:750PM990302007Ian HutchinsonPlasma. Still only about 1MW RF. This is what is holding us up.

Put +70V in EF1L Vs in segment 2 to try to compensate for the power
supply offset and hence get zxl substantially closer to what we are
asking for.
Mar 2 1999 01:20:25:700PM990302008Ian HutchinsonFizzle. EF1l a bit more negative.

Cell access for Boivin, Fiore, and RF attenuator switch.
Removed the EF1L voltage tweak because engineering thinks the PS is fixed.
Mar 2 1999 01:39:56:577PM990302009Ian HutchinsonPlasma. EF1L is not fixed. RF about 1.2 MW plus ratty behaviour.
H-modes are essentially ELM-free.

Load from 990302008 to get back my EF1L voltage offset correction.
Open the flappers next shot. Added a second TF twiddle from .9 to 1.05s.
Mar 2 1999 02:02:30:543PM990302010Ian HutchinsonPlasma. EF1L works correctly to spite me. Flappers opened.

Install offset correction of -0.01 in zxl. It seems that not all
of the offset is caused by the power supply.
Flappers closed next shot.
Mar 2 1999 02:29:02:640PM990302011Ian HutchinsonPlasma. Got 1.5MW from transmitter 2. Giving up on transmitter 1 except
for tuning.
Zxl offset does not seem to have done anything. That is because its units
are Amp Meters.

Put zxl offset to +8000.
Disable argon.
Mar 2 1999 02:47:14:687PM990302012Ian HutchinsonPlasma. 1.5MW. Still has radiation accumulation. zxl finally responds.


Reduce Rcur by about 3mm to increase the outer gap.
zxl offset ot 6000. It was a little high.
Mar 2 1999 03:09:33:217PM990302013Ian HutchinsonPlasma. Radiation seems slightly better controlled but still reverts to
L-mode.
Mar 2 1999 03:18:40:623PM990302014Ian HutchinsonPlasma. Flappers open at 0.8s. H-mode somewhat stabilizes but still not a
very good EDA.


PG3 V to 50 volts during 40-80ms. Target density to 1.2e20 nl04.
Reenable argon.
Mar 2 1999 03:52:16:827PM990302015Ian HutchinsonPlasma. H-modes become clearly ELM-free. Probably raising the density
was the wrong direction to go.


Lower nl04 demand to 0.7. Disable argon.
Mar 2 1999 04:19:13:763PM990302016Ian HutchinsonPlasma. Still not a long-pulse EDA.


Back to 1.e20 nl04. Install an RF ramp for threshold studies.

Mar 2 1999 04:42:46:060PM990302017Ian HutchinsonPlasma. H threshold about 0.9MW. Flappers closed.


Cooling is very slow today.
Mar 2 1999 04:52:50:513PM990302018Ian HutchinsonPlasma. Flappers open but CSP is not quite certain.
Threshold about 0.96MW, essentially just the same
as with them closed.


Last shot: repeat.
Mar 2 1999 05:02:44:560PM990302018Ian HutchinsonPlasma. Threshold 0.96MW. Flappers open?

Engineering Operator Comments
ShotTimeTypeStatusComment
108:58:21:200AMTestBadoh supplies appear to be all right on the reat time scope/ CAMAC fail
211:00:58:967AMTestOkefc chopper test
311:08:32:357AMPlasmaBadef2 u,l plc current limit set to 0
411:22:16:030AMPlasmaOkno faults/fizzel
511:42:37:450AMPlasmaOkNo Faults / Plasma
612:00:36:340PMPlasmaOkno faults/plasma
712:23:26:060PMPlasmaOkNo Faults / Plasma
812:43:53:810PMPlasmaOkNo Faults
901:23:04:170PMPlasmaOkno faults plasma
1001:40:56:437PMPlasmaOkNo Faults / Plasma
1102:02:30:467PMPlasmaOkno faults/plasma
1202:25:06:077PMPlasmaOkno faults/plasma
1302:45:47:543PMPlasmaOkNo Faults / Plasma
1403:08:33:357PMPlasmaOkNo Faults / Plasma
1503:30:40:043PMPlasmaOkno faults/plasma
1603:49:37:483PMPlasmaOkNo Faults / Plasma
1704:12:20:140PMPlasmaOkNo Faults / Plasma
1804:34:49:077PMPlasmaOkNo Faults / Plasma
1904:54:08:577PMPlasmaOkNo Faults / Plasma