Operational Regimes of the National Spherical Torus Experiment

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) is a proof-of-principle experiment designed to study the physics of Spherical Tori (ST), i.e., low-aspect-ratio toroidal plasmas. Important issues for ST research are whether the high-eta stability and reduced transport theoretically predicted for this configuration can be realized experimentally. In NSTX, the commissioning of a digital real-time plasma control system, the provision of flexible heating systems, and the application of wall conditioning techniques were instrumental in achieving routine operation with good confinement. NSTX has produced plasmas with R/a {approx} 0.85 m/0.68 m, A {approx} 1.25, Ip * 1.1 MA, BT = 0.3-0.45 T, k * 2.2, d * 0.5, with auxiliary heating by up to 4 MW of High Harmonic Fast Waves, and 5 MW of 80 keV D0 Neutral Beam Injection (NBI). The energy confinement time in plasmas heated by NBI has exceeded 100 ms and a toroidal beta (bT = 2m0<p>/BT02, where BT0 is the central vacuum toroidal magnetic field) up to 22% has be en achieved. HHFW power of 2.3 MW has increased the electron temperature from an initial 0.4 keV to 0.9 keV both with and without producing a significant density rise in the plasma. The early application of both NBI and HHFW heating has slowed the penetration of the inductively produced plasma current, modifying the current profile and, thereby, the observed MHD stability