Since the first H-mode discharges in 2010, the duration of the H-mode state has been extended and a significantly wider operational window of plasma parameters has been attained. Using a second neutral beam (NB) source and improved tuning of equilibrium configuration with real-time plasma control, a stored energy of W tot ∼ 450 kJ has been achieved with a corresponding energy confinement time of τ E ∼ 163 ms. Recent discharges, produced in the fall of 2012, have reached plasma β N up to 2.9 and surpassed the n = 1 ideal no-wall stability limit computed for H-mode pressure profiles, which is one of the key threshold parameters defining advanced tokamak operation. Typical H-mode discharges were operated with a plasma current of 600 kA at a toroidal magnetic field B T = 2 T. L-H transitions were obtained with 0.8-3.0 MW of NB injection power in both single-and double-null configurations, with H-mode durations up to ∼15 s at 600 kA of plasma current. The measured power threshold as a function of lineaveraged density showed a roll-over with a minimum value of ∼0.8 MW at ne ∼ 2×10 19 m −3 . Several edge-localized mode (ELM) control techniques during H-mode were examined with successful results including resonant magnetic perturbation, supersonic molecular beam injection (SMBI), vertical jogging and electron cyclotron current drive injection into the pedestal region. We observed various ELM responses, i.e. suppression or mitigation, depending on the relative phase of in-vessel control coil currents. In particular, with the 90 • phase of the n = 1 RMP as the most resonant configuration, a complete suppression of type-I ELMs was demonstrated. In addition, fast vertical jogging of the plasma column was also observed to be effective in ELM pace-making. SMBI-mitigated ELMs, a state of mitigated ELMs, were sustained for a few tens of ELM periods. A simple cellular automata ('sand-pile') model predicted that shallow deposition near the pedestal foot induced small-sized high-frequency ELMs, leading to the mitigation of large ELMs. In addition to the ELM control experiments, various physics topics were explored focusing on ITER-relevant physics issues such as the alteration of toroidal rotation caused by both electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) and externally applied 3D fields, and the observed rotation drop by ECRH in NB-heated plasmas was investigated in terms of either a reversal of the turbulence-driven residual stress due to the transition of ion temperature gradient to trapped electron mode turbulence or neoclassical toroidal viscosity (NTV) torque by the internal kink mode. The suppression of runaway electrons using massive gas injection of deuterium showed that runaway electrons were avoided only below 3 T in KSTAR. Operation in 2013 is expected to routinely exceed the n = 1 ideal MHD no-wall stability boundary in the long-pulse H-mode ( 10 s) by applying real-time shaping control, enabling n = 1 resistive wall mode active control studies. In addition, intensive works for ELM mitigation, ELM dynamics, toroidal ro...

Since the successful first plasma generation in the middle of 2008, three experimental campaigns were successfully made for the KSTAR device, accompanied with a necessary upgrade in the power supply, heating, wall-conditioning and diagnostic systems. KSTAR was operated with the toroidal magnetic field up to 3.6 T and the circular and shaped plasmas with current up to 700 kA and pulse length of 7 s, have been achieved with limited capacity of PF magnet power supplies. The mission of the KSTAR experimental program is to achieve steady-state operations with high performance plasmas relevant to ITER and future reactors. The first phase (2008–2012) of operation of KSTAR is dedicated to the development of operational capabilities for a super-conducting device with relatively short pulse. Development of start-up scenario for a super-conducting tokamak and the understanding of magnetic field errors on start-up are one of the important issues to be resolved. Some specific operation techniques for a super-conducting device are also developed and tested. The second harmonic pre-ionization with 84 and 110 GHz gyrotrons is an example. Various parameters have been scanned to optimize the pre-ionization. Another example is the ICRF wall conditioning (ICWC), which was routinely applied during the shot to shot interval. The plasma operation window has been extended in terms of plasma beta and stability boundary. The achievement of high confinement mode was made in the last campaign with the first neutral beam injector and good wall conditioning. Plasma control has been applied in shape and position control and now a preliminary kinetic control scheme is being applied including plasma current and density. Advanced control schemes will be developed and tested in future operations including active profiles, heating and current drives and control coil-driven magnetic perturbation.

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The development of the plasma shape control system of the Korea Superconducting Tokamak and Advanced Research (KSTAR) continues from the first utilization for plasma current/major radii to the full-scale utilizations of the poloidal superconducting magnets and the in-vessel stabilization coils for the highly elongated (κ ∼ 2.0) plasmas planned in 2009/2010. In this paper the shape control of KSTAR is analyzed as a complete integrated form, including the operation design and experiences. In the first plasma campaign held in 2008, the plasma shape control system has been prepared as part of the pulse operation controls for the first daily operation. A time-synchronized shot sequence supervisions and actuator integrations has been done by the full-digital centralization scheme via the EPICS communicating layers and the dedicated fast communication layers. In the end a reliable real-time plasma feedback system have been accomplished for making/sustaining plasma current and major radius. The status of the shape control upgrade proposed for upcoming years is shown as well as the actuator control developments and the newly-introduced in-vessel vertical stabilization control scheme.

A compact and unique design of the integrated quench protection (QP) system for the high-current superconducting magnet coils has been fabricated and tested for the toroidal field (TF) coil system of the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) device. The QP system is capable of protecting the TF superconducting magnet coils, which consist of 16 identical coils serially connected with a stored energy of 495 MJ at the design operation level, 35.2 kA per turn.Since the power supply for the TF coils can only ramp up or maintain the coil current, the design of the QP system included two features. The first is a basic fast discharge function to protect the TF magnets by a dump resistor circuit with a 7 sec time constant in case of coil quench events. The second is a slow discharge function with a time constant ~ 360 seconds for a daily TF discharge or for a stop demand from the tokamak control system.The QP system has been tested up to 40 kA with a short circuit and up to 32 kA with superconducting TF coils successfully in the second campaign of KSTAR. This paper will describe characteristics of the TF and the QP systems and test results of the second plasma experiment of KSTAR in 2009.