Ion cyclotron range of frequency heating experiments on the large helical device and high energy ion behavior

Ion cyclotron range of frequency (ICRF) heating experiments on the Large Helical Device (LHD) [O. Motojima Fus. Eng. Des. 20, 3 (1993)] achieved significant advances during the third experimental campaign carried out in 1999. They showed significant results in two heating modes; these are modes of the ICH-sustained plasma with large plasma stored energy and the neutral beam injection (NBI) plasma under additional heating. A long-pulse operation of more than 1 minute was achieved at a level of 1 MW. The characteristics of the ICRF heated plasma are the same as those of the NBI heated plasma. The energy confinement time is longer than that of International Stellarator Scaling 95. Three keys to successful ICRF heating are as follows: (1) an increase in the magnetic field strength, (2) the employment of an inward shift of the magnetic axis, (3) the installation of actively cooled graphite plates along the divertor legs. Highly energetic protons accelerated by the ICRF electric field were experimentally observed in the energy range from 30 to 250 keV and the tail temperature depended on the energy balance between the wave heating and the electron drag. The transfer efficiency from the high energy ions to the bulk plasma was deduced from the increase in the energy confinement time due to the high energy ions in the lower density discharge, which agrees fairly well with the result obtained by the Monte Carlo simulation. The transfer efficiency is expected to be 95% at an electron density of more than n(e)=5.0x10(19) m(-3) even in the high power heating of 10 MW. The accumulation of impurities, e.g., FeXVI and OV was not observed in high rf power and long pulse operation. The well-defined divertor intrinsic to LHD is believed to be useful in reducing the impurity influx. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.