The effect of lithium surface coatings on plasma performance in the National Spherical Torus Experiment

H. W. Kugel, M. G. Bell, J. W. Ahn, J. P. Allain, R. Bell, J. Boedo, C. Bush, D. Gates, T. Gray, S. Kaye, R. Kaita, B. Leblanc, R. Maingi, R. Majeski, D. Mansfield, J. Menard, D. Mueller, M. Ono, S. Paul, R. RamanA. L. Roquemore, P. W. Ross, S. Sabbagh, H. Schneider, C. H. Skinner, V. Soukhanovskii, T. Stevenson, J. Timberlake, W. R. Wampler, L. Zakharov

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Abstract

National Spherical Torus Experiment [which M. Ono, Nucl. Fusion 40, 557 (2000)] high-power divertor plasma experiments have shown, for the first time, that benefits from lithium coatings applied to plasma facing components found previously in limited plasmas can occur also in high-power diverted configurations. Lithium coatings were applied with pellets injected into helium discharges, and also with an oven that directed a collimated stream of lithium vapor toward the graphite tiles of the lower center stack and divertor. Lithium oven depositions from a few milligrams to 1 g have been applied between discharges. Benefits from the lithium coatings were sometimes, but not always, seen. These benefits sometimes included decreases in plasma density, inductive flux consumption, and edge-localized mode occurrence, and increases in electron temperature, ion temperature, energy confinement, and periods of edge and magnetohydrodynamic quiescence. In addition, reductions in lower divertor D, C, and O luminosity were measured.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number056118
JournalPhysics of Plasmas
Volume15
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 2008

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Condensed Matter Physics

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