Measurements of magnetic field fluctuations in TJ-II plasmas with new in-vessel helical arrays of magnetic coils

Abstract

This paper describes two new helical arrays of magnetic coils recently installed inside the TJ-II vacuum vessel. Their main objective is the precise measurement of the spatial periodicity of the magnetohydrodynamic perturbations usually found in the TJ-II plasmas. Given the high probability of coil failures due to the harsh plasma environment and in view of the extremely difficult access to the TJ-II vessel interior for maintenance, the coil system has been divided in two quasi-identical helical arrays. Both arrays consist of 32 triaxial sensors measuring orthogonal components of the local magnetic field along an ideal helical path whose trajectory runs close to the plasma edge. A description of the main characteristics of coils and arrays as well as their nominal positioning along an ideal helical path, inside the vessel, is given. A precise experimental determination of the real spatial orientation of the coils is performed by comparing the signals measured in current ramp-up and ramp-down experiments with calculations based on a filamentary model for the TJ-II magnetic coils. After this fine calibration procedure, it is possible to analyze the dependence of the amplitude of the measured magnetic field and its fluctuations as a function of the coil distance to the last closed flux surface. The study of the phase evolution of the parallel and perpendicular oscillatory components is also enabled. Finally, two examples of mode number determination are shown. One corresponds to a low frequency mode appearing in pure electron cyclotron resonance heating plasma, and the other one shows several modes observed during combined injection of both co and counter neutral beams and identified as shear Alfvén waves.

Overview of the TJ-II stellarator research programme towards model validation in fusion plasmas

“…From the experimental point of view, a new helicoidal array of Mirnov coils, able to measure perturbations of the magnetic field in all directions, has been recently commissioned and will allow to determine the toroidal mode number (n) of the perturbations [23]. This set of probes will complement the already existing poloidal array, used to determine the poloidal mode number (m).…”