Search arXivSearch

arXiv subjects

T. Long

Publications and source records attributed to T. Long.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Density Limit Experiments and Core-localized Kinetic MHD Activities in HL-2A Ohmic Heating Plasmas

The density limit is a mysterious barrier to magnetic confinement nuclear fusion, and is still an unresolved issue. In this paper, we will present the experimental results of the density limit and core-localized kinetic MHD instabilities on HL-2A. Firstly, the high density shots with $ne/ne_G>1$ have been achieved by the conventional gas-puff fuelling method in Ohmic heating plasmas, and the corresponding duration time is close to $t\sim500$ ms ($\sim$ $30\tau_E$), where $\tau_E$ is the global energy confinement time. Secondly, it is found for the first time that there are kinetic MHD instabilities in the core plasmas while $ne/ne_G\sim1$. The analysis suggests that the core-localized MHD activities belong to Alfv{\'e}nic ion temperature gradient (AITG) modes or kinetic ballooning modes (KBM), and firstly it is found on experiment that they trigger the minor or major disruption of bulk plasmas while the density profile is peaked. These new findings are of great importance to figure out and understand the origin of the density limit.

physics.plasm-ph

Impact of edge turbulence spreading on broadening the heat flux width with plasma approaching the density limit

This paper investigates the impact of edge turbulence spreading on broadening the heat flux width in Ohmic-plasma approaching the density limit of the J-TEXT tokamak. At the plasma edge, the EXB shear flow collapses while turbulence transport and spreading enhances significantly when approaching the density limit. The heat flux width increases with normalized density. An energy production ratio model is used to quantify the contribution of edge turbulence spreading to the origin of the SOL turbulence. Experimental data show that the energy production ratio is much larger than 1, indicating that turbulence spreading at separatrix is the origin of the SOL turbulence. The heat flux widths increase with edge turbulence spreading as well as the energy production ratio. The impact of blob-induced transport on the heat flux width is investigated in detail. Especially, the average blob-induced spreading is about 81% of the total edge spreading in the high-density scenario. Blobs with larger radial scales enhance edge spreading into the SOL, thus dominating the SOL turbulence and consequently broadening the heat flux width. These results suggest that edge turbulence spreading plays a crucial role in broadening the heat flux width as plasma approaches the density limit.

physics.plasm-ph

Inhomogeneous mixing: From microscopic dynamics to mesoscopic staircases

Inhomogeneous mixing and the consequent mesoscopic layered structure have been observed in many physical systems, including magnetically confined fusion plasmas. Especially, in plasmas, mixing can be enhanced through turbulence spreading by intermittent coherent structures (blobs/voids), or suppressed due to the formation of transport barriers (sheared zonal flows). Interestingly, blobs/voids and zonal flows are not independent, and they can co-exist in a state of inhomogeneous mixing, often called the E x B staircase. In this paper, we first introduce recent experimental progress on the physics of blobs/voids: how turbulence spreading by blobs/voids occurs, the consequences of enhanced turbulence spreading for the scrape-off layer (SOL) power decay length, and the interaction between blobs/voids and zonal flows. Then, we provide a brief review of experimental results on staircases, or more generally layered mesoscopic transport barriers. Staircases are often elusive in experiments, requiring integrating multi-diagnostic data, utilizing high-dimensional diagnostics, or extracting hidden information from signals for their identification. Our understanding is still incomplete. This paper serves as an initial step toward applying insights gained from inhomogeneous mixing due to blobs/voids to the understanding of a staircase.

physics.plasm-ph

Mechanical Ventilator Milano (MVM): A Novel Mechanical Ventilator Designed for Mass Scale Production in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Presented here is the design of the Mechanical Ventilator Milano (MVM), a novel mechanical ventilator designed for rapid mass production in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to address the urgent shortage of intensive therapy ventilators in many countries, and the growing difficulty in procuring these devices through normal supply chains across borders. This ventilator is an electro-mechanical equivalent of the old and reliable Manley Ventilator, and is able to operate in both pressure-controlled and pressure-supported ventilation modes. MVM is optimized for the COVID-19 emergency, thanks to the collaboration with medical doctors in the front line. MVM is designed for large-scale production in a short amount of time and at a limited cost, as it relays on off-the-shelf components, readily available worldwide. Operation of the MVM requires only a source of compressed oxygen (or compressed medical air) and electrical power. Initial tests of a prototype device with a breathing simulator are also presented. Further tests and developments are underway. At this stage the MVM is not yet a certified medical device but certification is in progress.

physics.med-ph

An accelerating approach of designing ferromagnetic materials via machine learning modeling of magnetic ground state and Curie temperature

Magnetic materials have a plethora of applications ranging from informatics to energy harvesting and conversion. However, such functionalities are limited by the magnetic ordering temperature. In this work, we performed machine learning on the magnetic ground state and the Curie temperature (TC), using generic chemical and crystal structural descriptors. Based on a database of 2805 known intermetallic compounds, a random forest model is trained to classify ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic compounds and to do regression on the TC for the ferromagnets. The resulting accuracy is about 86% for classification and 92% for regression (with a mean absolute error of 58K). Composition based features are sufficient for both classification and regression, whereas structural descriptors improve the performance. Finally, we predict the magnetic ordering and TC for all the intermetallic magnetic materials in the Materials Project. Our work paves the way to accelerate the development of magnetic materials for technological applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Development of a New Gas Puff Imaging Diagnostic on the HL-2A Tokamak

A new gas puff imaging (GPI) diagnostic has been developed on the HL-2A tokamak to study two-dimensional plasma edge turbulence in poloidal vs. radial plane. During a discharge, neutral helium or deuterium gas is puffed at the edge of the plasma through a rectangular multi-capillary nozzle to generate a gas cloud on the observing plane. Then a specially designed telescope and a high-speed camera are used to observe and photograph the emission from the neutral gas cloud. The brightness and contrast in the 2-D poloidal vs. radial frames reveal the structures and movements of the turbulence. The diagnostic was put into the first experiment during the latest campaign and successfully captured blob structures of different shapes and sizes in scrape-off layer (SOL).

physics.plasm-ph