Operational Space of the First Physics Campaign of MAST-U

Operational Space of the First Physics Campaign of MAST-U

Operational Space of the First Physics Campaign of MAST-U 150 150 UKAEA Opendata
UKAEA-CCFE-PR(22)55

Operational Space of the First Physics Campaign of MAST-U

The MAST-U fusion plasma research device, the upgrade to the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak, has recently completed its first campaign of physics operation. MAST-U operated with Ohmic, or one or two neutral beams for heating, at 400-800 kA plasma current, in conventional or “SuperX” divertor configurations. Equilibrium reconstructions provide key plasma physics parameters vs. time for each discharge, and diagrams are produced which show where the prevalence of operation occurred as well as the limits in various operational spaces. When compared to stability limits, the operation of MAST-U so far has generally stayed out of the low q, low density instability region, and below the high density Greenwald limit, high beta global stability limits, and high elongation vertical stability limit. MAST-U still has the potential to reach higher elongation, which could benefit the plasma performance.

Collection:
Journals
Journal:
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Publisher:
IOP (Institute of Physics)