Enhanced performance discharges in the DIII-D tokamak with lithium wall conditioning

Lithium wall conditioning has been used in a recent campaign evaluating high performance negative central shear (NCS) discharges. During this campaign, the highest values of stored energy (4.4 MJ), neutron rate (2.4 x 10(16)/s), and nT(i) tau (7 x 10(20) m(-3) keV s) achieved to date in DIII-D were obtained. High performance NCS discharges was achieved prior to beginning Lithium conditioning, but it is clear that shot reproducibility and performance were improved by lithium conditioning. Central and edge oxygen concentrations were reduced, after lithium conditioning. Lithium conditioning, consisting of up to four pellets injected at the end of the preceding discharge, allowed the duration of the usual inter-shot helium glow discharge to be reduced and reproducible high auxiliary power discharges, P-NBI less than or equal to 22 MW, were obtained with plasma currents up to 2.4 Mg.