Study of the mutual dependence between Lower Hybrid current drive and heavy impurity transport in tokamak plasmas

Global energy consumption has increased significantly over the last century. In 1973, for example, there was 6,000 million tonnes of oil equivalent, and in 2016 it was already over 13,200 million tonnes of it. Global energy demand is expected to continue to grow in the near future. Fossil fuels are currently the dominant source of energy and account for about 80% of global energy consumption. However, fossil fuel reserves are limited. Therefore, controlled thermonuclear fusion could be a prime candidate for energy production in the future. The tokamak device is currently the most promising solution for controlled thermonuclear fusion and future energy production. In this device, the fusion plasma is maintained by means of a strong toroidal magnetic field induced by external coils and a poloidal magnetic field generated by the current flowing in the plasma. However, there are still many scientific and technological challenges on the way to building a fusion power plant. One such challenge is the effective control of the current profile flowing in the plasma to ensure the stability of its maintenance in the tokamak. Of the many techniques, a method based on the emission of electromagnetic waves at frequencies corresponding to the so-called lower hybrid frequency plays a key role in controlling the current profile by optimising the deposition of electromagnetic wave energy in the plasma. The meeting will focus on specific issues related to current profile control in fusion reactors by means of e-m waves.

Closed event. No registration for external audience.