Angular dependence measurements of Magnum-PSI plasmas using MAST-U angled-tip Langmuir probes



Leland, J, Elmore, S, Kirk, A, van der Meiden, HJ, Scholten, J, Allan, SY and Bradley, JW
(2021) Angular dependence measurements of Magnum-PSI plasmas using MAST-U angled-tip Langmuir probes. Nuclear Materials and Energy, 27. p. 100954.

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Abstract

© 2021 The Authors Measurements made using flush-mounted Langmuir probes in tokamaks are difficult to interpret when operating at grazing angles of magnetic field incidence due to the effects of sheath expansion on the probe collection area. The Super-X divertor on the upgraded Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST-U) can have very shallow angles of magnetic field incidence to plasma facing components (1–10°), making the use of conventional flush-mounted probes problematic. A novel probe tip geometry, based on the angled-tip design used successfully on JET and DIII-D, has therefore been used in MAST-U to mitigate sheath expansion effects by increasing the projected probe extent. To verify whether the new design of probe tip allows temperature (Te) and density (ne) measurements to be performed accurately at low angles of incidence, a 4-probe array based on this design was used on Magnum-PSI. Parameter scans were made on a range of hydrogen plasmas in conditions comparable to those expected in MAST-U. Plasma parameters were extracted from the measured IV characteristics – using a novel fitting approach which minimised a goodness-of-fit parameter (TeδTe) – and compared to Magnum-PSI Thomson scattering measurements. The measured plasma parameters show that the MAST-U angled-tip design seems to successfully mitigate the effects of sheath expansion at low angles of magnetic field incidence. The standard MAST-U Langmuir probe also shows an apparent upper operational limit of θ=8°. This covers the vast majority of expected plasma configurations in MAST-U when running both conventional and Super-X configurations.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: MAST-U, Langmuir probe, Magnum-PSI, Angled-tip probe, Sheath expansion
Divisions: Faculty of Science and Engineering > School of Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Computer Science
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 22 Mar 2021 09:11
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2023 22:55
DOI: 10.1016/j.nme.2021.100954
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3117929