The separatrix electron density in JET, ASDEX upgrade and alcator C-Mod H-mode plasmas: A common evaluation procedure and correlation with engineering parameters

Abstract

The separatrix electron density is an important parameter for core-edge scenario integration in tokamak devices, as it influences plasma confinement, divertor detachment and disruption avoidance. This quantity has been measured in H-mode discharges on JET, ASDEX Upgrade and Alcator C-Mod by applying the same fitting function to Thomson scattering measurements, and by employing the same analysis technique based on scrape-off layer power balance. To estimate the power crossing the separatrix, the inter-ELM time derivative of the plasma energy $dW/dt$ has been experimentally evaluated and found to be approximately a constant fraction of the absorbed heating power. Correlations between $n_{e,\mathrm{sep}}$ and engineering parameters have been investigated, revealing that $n_{e,\mathrm{sep}}$ scales with the divertor neutral pressure $p_{0,\mathrm{div}}$ in a similar manner across all devices. Additionally, when $n_{e,\mathrm{sep}}$ is normalized to the obtained $p_{0,\mathrm{div}}$ dependency, no clear correlation with the plasma current is found. These observations are in agreement with the 2-point model, which suggests that the upstream separatrix density is mainly set by the recycling at the divertor target.