Tailoring tokamak error fields to control plasma instabilities and transport

SeongMoo Yang (), Jong-Kyu Park, YoungMu Jeon, Nikolas C. Logan, Jaehyun Lee, Qiming Hu, JongHa Lee, SangKyeun Kim, Jaewook Kim, Hyungho Lee, Yong-Su Na, Taik Soo Hahm, Gyungjin Choi, Joseph A. Snipes, Gunyoung Park and Won-Ha Ko
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SeongMoo Yang: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Jong-Kyu Park: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
YoungMu Jeon: Korea Institute of Fusion Energy
Nikolas C. Logan: Columbia University
Jaehyun Lee: Korea Institute of Fusion Energy
Qiming Hu: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
JongHa Lee: Korea Institute of Fusion Energy
SangKyeun Kim: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Jaewook Kim: Korea Institute of Fusion Energy
Hyungho Lee: Korea Institute of Fusion Energy
Yong-Su Na: Seoul National University
Taik Soo Hahm: Seoul National University
Gyungjin Choi: Seoul National University
Joseph A. Snipes: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Gunyoung Park: Korea Institute of Fusion Energy
Won-Ha Ko: Korea Institute of Fusion Energy

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract A tokamak relies on the axisymmetric magnetic fields to confine fusion plasmas and aims to deliver sustainable and clean energy. However, misalignments arise inevitably in the tokamak construction, leading to small asymmetries in the magnetic field known as error fields (EFs). The EFs have been a major concern in the tokamak approaches because small EFs, even less than 0.1%, can drive a plasma disruption. Meanwhile, the EFs in the tokamak can be favorably used for controlling plasma instabilities, such as edge-localized modes (ELMs). Here we show an optimization that tailors the EFs to maintain an edge 3D response for ELM control with a minimized core 3D response to avoid plasma disruption and unnecessary confinement degradation. We design and demonstrate such an edge-localized 3D response in the KSTAR facility, benefiting from its unique flexibility to change many degrees of freedom in the 3D coil space for the various fusion plasma regimes. This favorable control of the tokamak EF represents a notable advance for designing intrinsically 3D tokamaks to optimize stability and confinement for next-step fusion reactors.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45454-1

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