OVERVIEW OF TFTR TRANSPORT STUDIES

A review of TFTR plasma transport studies is presented. Parallel transport and the confinement of suprathermal ions are found to be relatively well described by theory. Cross-field transport of the thermal plasma, however, is anomalous with the momentum diffusivity being comparable to the ion thermal diffusivity and larger than the electron thermal diffusivity in neutral beam heated discharges. Perturbative experiments have studied non-linear dependencies in the transport coefficients and examined the role of possible non-local phenomena. The underlying turbulence has been studied using microwave scattering, beam emission spectroscopy and microwave reflectometry over a much broader range in k perpendicular-to than previously possible. Results indicate the existence of large-wavelength fluctuations correlated with enhanced transport. MHD instabilities set important operational constraints. However, by modifying the current profile using current ramp-down techniques, it has been possible to extend the operating regime to higher values of both epsilon-beta-p and normalized beta-T. In addition, the interaction of MHD fluctuations with fast ions, of potential relevance to alpha - particle confinement in D-T plasmas, has been investigated. The installation of carbon-carbon composite tiles and improvements in wall conditioning, in particular the use of Li pellet injection to reduce the carbon recycling, continue to be important in the improvement of plasma performance.