Long-pulse plasma discharges by upgraded ECH system in the LHD

Abstract

Until 2009, three high-power, over 1MW each, 77GHz gyrotrons have been installed and applied to the LHD experiment. In addition, a 154GHz gyrotron of 1MW was installed in 2012. The 77GHz gyrotrons suffer gradual increases of internal pressure during long-pulse operation delivering power to LHD. To mitigate the problem, quasi-steady operation by combination of on-off operations of the 77GHz gyrotrons was performed. Applying two 77GHz gyrotrons alternately with intervals of two minutes and an 84GHz gyrotron continuously, a 30 min. long-pulse discharge with the line average electron density ne-ave of 0.7×1019m-3 and the central electron temperature Te0 of 1.7keV was achieved by the time average injection power Pinj of 260kW in 2012, showing significant progress in sustained density from the former 65 min. discharge with ne-ave of 0.15×1019m-3 and Te0 of 1.7keV by Pinj of 110kW of 84GHz wave. In 2013, one of the 77GHz gyrotron was improved to furnish a sub-window to remove stray radiation inside the tube. And the new 154GHz gyrotron was applied to the long-pulse discharge experiment. Using three gyrotrons: 154, the improved and an existing 77GHz with Pinj of 340kW in total, higher temperature plasma having steep temperature gradient typical for internal transport barrier, with ne-ave of 1.1×1019m-3 and Te0 of 3.5keV was quite stably sustained for 325s.