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Efeitos da polarização eletrostática de eletrodos na periferia de tokamaks têm sido investigados em pequenos tokamaks e mesmo em alguns tokamaks de grande porte. Em geral as experiências são realizadas em condições em que bifurcação do campo elétrico radial é obtida, processo este identificado como modo H de polarização. No Tokamak TCABR, as experiências indicam que o confinamento aumenta para tensões aplicadas até +300 volts, atingindo um máximo de duas vezes o tempo de confinamento do modo L, mas sem bifurcação. Indícios de bifurcação foram notados com +400 V de polarização, mas a descarga termina devido à excitação da atividade MHD, ainda sob investigação. No presente trabalho, a pesquisa é aprofundada com a utilização de uma sonda de Langmuir com 18 pinos dispostos em duas fileiras sob a forma de um ancinho (rake probe) o que permite a medição da temperatura, densidade e flutuação de potencial ao longo do raio menor na periferia do Tokamak. A resolução temporal desse sistema é de cerca de 0,5 ms, para a temperatura, e 5 microssegundos para densidade e potencial flutuante do plasma. Outra sonda eletrostática com 5-pinos na mesma posição radial, mas em diferentes posições poloidal e toroidal foi usada para medições de turbulência e transporte de partículas. Os efeitos da polarização foram investigados e indicam que os níveis de turbulência e transporte começam a diminuir entre +150 e +200 V e para +300 V chegam a atingir uma quase supressão. Nesse mesmo intervalo de tensão a densidade começa a aumentar e para +300 V chega a ser um fator de aproximadamente 2. Quanto ao perfil de temperatura a variação é pouco significativa, mas as incertezas das medidas são maiores. Esses dados são compatíveis com a criação de uma barreira de transporte na região entre o eletrodo em r = 17 cm e o limitador em a = 18 cm. Além disso, o campo elétrico radial mostra forte cisalhamento nessa região. Tomando o início da subida do potencial flutuante como origem de uma escala de tempo, o atraso temporal do início da subida da densidade de elétrons e o atraso do início do decréscimo do transporte de partículas foram medidos. Os resultados são 50 microssegundos para a densidade de elétrons e 60 microssegundos para o transporte de partículas. A questão dos limiares de potência é discutida no texto. Os dados desta experiência indicam que o campo elétrico radial desempenha o papel principal para a melhoria do confinamento. / Electrode biasing effects in the periphery of tokamaks have been investigated in small tokamaks and in a few large tokamaks. Usually the experiments are performed in conditions were bifurcation of the radial electric field is achieved, identified as biased H mode. In the tokamak TCABR, the biasing experiments indicate that the confinement increases for applied voltages up to +300 Volts, reaching a maximum of twice the confinement time of the L mode, but without bifurcation. Indications of bifurcation were detected with +400 V biasing, but the discharge terminates due to excitation of MHD activity, still under investigation. In the present work, the research is improved with the use of a rake shaped 18-pins Langmuir probe, allowing the measurement of electron temperature, density and potential fluctuations along the minor radius near the edge of the tokamak with time resolution of about 0.5 ms, for the temperature and 5 microseconds for density and floating potential. Another electrostatic probe with 5-pins all in the same radial position, but in different poloidal and toroidal position was used for turbulence and particle transport measurements. The effects of biasing indicate that the levels of turbulence and transport begin to decrease between +150 and +200 V and for +300 V reaches an almost suppression. In that same voltage interval the density, begin to increase and for 300 V reach a factor of about 2. The temperature profile does not change significantly but the uncertainty of the measurements is larger. These data are compatible with the creation of a barrier between the position of the electrode at r = 17 cm and the limiter of the tokamak at a = 18 cm. In addition, the radial electric field data show strong shear in this region. Taking the start of the increasing of the fluctuation potential as the origin of a time scale, the temporal delay of the start of the edge electron density increase and transport decrease were measured. The results are 50 microseconds for the electron density and 60 microseconds for the particle transport. The power threshold for the confinement improvement is discussed in the text. The data obtained in this experiment confirm that the shear of the electric field has the stronger role for the confinement improvement with biasing in TCABR tokamak.

Efeitos da polarização eletrostática de eletrodos na periferia de tokamaks têm sido investigados em pequenos tokamaks e mesmo em alguns tokamaks de grande porte. Em geral as experiências são realizadas em condições em que bifurcação do campo elétrico radial é obtida, processo este identificado como modo H de polarização. No Tokamak TCABR, as experiências indicam que o confinamento aumenta para tensões aplicadas até +300 volts, atingindo um máximo de duas vezes o tempo de confinamento do modo L, mas sem bifurcação. Indícios de bifurcação foram notados com +400 V de polarização, mas a descarga termina devido à excitação da atividade MHD, ainda sob investigação. No presente trabalho, a pesquisa é aprofundada com a utilização de uma sonda de Langmuir com 18 pinos dispostos em duas fileiras sob a forma de um ancinho (rake probe) o que permite a medição da temperatura, densidade e flutuação de potencial ao longo do raio menor na periferia do Tokamak. A resolução temporal desse sistema é de cerca de 0,5 ms, para a temperatura, e 5 microssegundos para densidade e potencial flutuante do plasma. Outra sonda eletrostática com 5-pinos na mesma posição radial, mas em diferentes posições poloidal e toroidal foi usada para medições de turbulência e transporte de partículas. Os efeitos da polarização foram investigados e indicam que os níveis de turbulência e transporte começam a diminuir entre +150 e +200 V e para +300 V chegam a atingir uma quase supressão. Nesse mesmo intervalo de tensão a densidade começa a aumentar e para +300 V chega a ser um fator de aproximadamente 2. Quanto ao perfil de temperatura a variação é pouco significativa, mas as incertezas das medidas são maiores. Esses dados são compatíveis com a criação de uma barreira de transporte na região entre o eletrodo em r = 17 cm e o limitador em a = 18 cm. Além disso, o campo elétrico radial mostra forte cisalhamento nessa região. Tomando o início da subida do potencial flutuante como origem de uma escala de tempo, o atraso temporal do início da subida da densidade de elétrons e o atraso do início do decréscimo do transporte de partículas foram medidos. Os resultados são 50 microssegundos para a densidade de elétrons e 60 microssegundos para o transporte de partículas. A questão dos limiares de potência é discutida no texto. Os dados desta experiência indicam que o campo elétrico radial desempenha o papel principal para a melhoria do confinamento. / Electrode biasing effects in the periphery of tokamaks have been investigated in small tokamaks and in a few large tokamaks. Usually the experiments are performed in conditions were bifurcation of the radial electric field is achieved, identified as biased H mode. In the tokamak TCABR, the biasing experiments indicate that the confinement increases for applied voltages up to +300 Volts, reaching a maximum of twice the confinement time of the L mode, but without bifurcation. Indications of bifurcation were detected with +400 V biasing, but the discharge terminates due to excitation of MHD activity, still under investigation. In the present work, the research is improved with the use of a rake shaped 18-pins Langmuir probe, allowing the measurement of electron temperature, density and potential fluctuations along the minor radius near the edge of the tokamak with time resolution of about 0.5 ms, for the temperature and 5 microseconds for density and floating potential. Another electrostatic probe with 5-pins all in the same radial position, but in different poloidal and toroidal position was used for turbulence and particle transport measurements. The effects of biasing indicate that the levels of turbulence and transport begin to decrease between +150 and +200 V and for +300 V reaches an almost suppression. In that same voltage interval the density, begin to increase and for 300 V reach a factor of about 2. The temperature profile does not change significantly but the uncertainty of the measurements is larger. These data are compatible with the creation of a barrier between the position of the electrode at r = 17 cm and the limiter of the tokamak at a = 18 cm. In addition, the radial electric field data show strong shear in this region. Taking the start of the increasing of the fluctuation potential as the origin of a time scale, the temporal delay of the start of the edge electron density increase and transport decrease were measured. The results are 50 microseconds for the electron density and 60 microseconds for the particle transport. The power threshold for the confinement improvement is discussed in the text. The data obtained in this experiment confirm that the shear of the electric field has the stronger role for the confinement improvement with biasing in TCABR tokamak.

The profile of the poloidal velocity in the edge region of tokamak plasmas has been identified as playing a major role in the confinement of particles and energy. It has been suggested that a strongly sheared poloidal flow can reduce particle and energy losses by the stabilization of unstable modes and decorrelation of turbulence the edge region of the plasma. A Gundestrup probe, a Mach probe array, is used to measure both the parallel and perpendicular flow velocities in the Saskatchewan Torus-Modified (STOR-M) tokamak during several discharge conditions. It is observed that during Ohmic discharges there is no velocity shear and the direction of the parallel flow is independent of the direction of the toroidal magnetic field. During H-mode induced by a turbulent heating current pulse, a region of strong velocity shear develops in the plasma edge and an edge transport barrier develops. This results in a short period of improved particle and energy confinement with reduced fluctuation amplitudes. During electrode biasing experiments, a stainless steel biasing electrode is inserted into the plasma up to r = 82 mm and biased to +500 V relative to the vacuum chamber. It is observed that the particle confinement improves during the biasing phase while the energy confinement is degraded. A region of weak shear in the poloidal flow is observed in the plasma scrapeoff layer (SOL). The results from STOR-M are compared with results from data taken in the Czech Academy of Sciences Torus (CASTOR) tokamak during both Ohmic discharges and discharges with electrode biasing.

The profile of the poloidal velocity in the edge region of tokamak plasmas has been identified as playing a major role in the confinement of particles and energy. It has been suggested that a strongly sheared poloidal flow can reduce particle and energy losses by the stabilization of unstable modes and decorrelation of turbulence the edge region of the plasma. A Gundestrup probe, a Mach probe array, is used to measure both the parallel and perpendicular flow velocities in the Saskatchewan Torus-Modified (STOR-M) tokamak during several discharge conditions. It is observed that during Ohmic discharges there is no velocity shear and the direction of the parallel flow is independent of the direction of the toroidal magnetic field. During H-mode induced by a turbulent heating current pulse, a region of strong velocity shear develops in the plasma edge and an edge transport barrier develops. This results in a short period of improved particle and energy confinement with reduced fluctuation amplitudes. During electrode biasing experiments, a stainless steel biasing electrode is inserted into the plasma up to r = 82 mm and biased to +500 V relative to the vacuum chamber. It is observed that the particle confinement improves during the biasing phase while the energy confinement is degraded. A region of weak shear in the poloidal flow is observed in the plasma scrapeoff layer (SOL). The results from STOR-M are compared with results from data taken in the Czech Academy of Sciences Torus (CASTOR) tokamak during both Ohmic discharges and discharges with electrode biasing.

High-resolution Thomson scattering system on the COMPASS tokamak provides electron temperature and density profiles in the central and edge plasma region. The spatial resolution in the edge plasma region is optimized for edge transport barrier studies. Formation of characteristic edge profiles (pedestals) is observed during high-confinement mode, i.e. the core electron temperature and density are raised up by the value of pedestal height. Both the electron and density pedestals are well-fitted by a modified hyperbolic tangent (mtanh) function, a five parameter model giving important parameters such as pedestal height and width, necessary for further analysis of the physics behind the transport barrier formation. A fitting technique of the full radial profiles of electron temperature, density and pressure during H-mode is also described. Using the fitting, electron temperature and density on top of pedestal are statistically processed to find a possible threshold for various H-mode regimes.

Dans cette thèse nous étudions l'impact de perturbations magnétiques résonnantes sur la dynamique de la barrière de transport dans un tokamak. Pour cela nous avons réalisé des simulations numériques tridimensionnelles de turbulence dans le plasma de bord du tokamak. Nos simulations numériques ont reproduit les résultats expérimentaux observés dans différents tokamaks. Dans le régime de confinement amélioré (mode H), la barrière de transport n'est pas stable : elle effectue des oscillations de relaxation, qui partagent des caractéristiques communes avec les "modes localisés au bord'' (Edge Localized Modes, ELMs). Ces ELMs ont à la fois des avantages et des inconvénients. D'un côté, ils permettent d'évacuer les impuretés présentes dans le coe ur du plasma. Mais d'un autre côté, la charge thermique induite sur la paroi pendant un ELM peut endommager les matériaux de première paroi. Pour cette raison, ils doivent être contrôlés. Cette thèse s'inscrit dans le contexte du projet ITER actuellement en construction en France. Sur ITER, le contrôle des ELMs sera indispensable en raison de la quantité d'énergie évacuée. Parmi les différentes façons de contrôler les ELMs, les perturbations magnétiques résonnantes (Resonant Magnetic Perturbations, RMPs) semblent prometteuses. Ces perturbations magnétiques résonnantes sont créées par des bobines externes. Nous nous plaçons dans le cas du tokamak TEXTOR et nous considérons deux configurations pour les bobines externes : dans un premier temps, une perturbation magnétique résonnante comprenant plusieurs harmoniques, qui permet d'avoir une zone stochastique au bord du plasma lorsque les chaînes d'îlots magnétiques se superposent. / In this PhD thesis we study the impact of resonant magnetic perturbations on the transport barrier dynamics in a tokamak. In this goal we have performed turbulence tridimensional numerical simulations in the edge plasma of a tokamak, which reproduced the experimental results observed in different tokamaks. In the improved confinement regime (H mode), the transport barrier is not stable : it does relaxation oscillations, which share common features with the ``Edge Localized Modes'' (ELMs). These ELMs both have advantages and drawbacks. On the one hand, they enable to push away the impurities present in the plasma core. But on the other hand, the thermal load induced on the wall during an ELM can damage the first wall materials. For this reason, they must be controlled. This PhD thesis belongs to the frame of the ITER project, which is today in construction in France. On ITER the ELMs control will be compulsory due to the quantity of energy released. Among the different ways of controlling the ELMs, the resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) seem promising. These resonant magnetic perturbations are created by external coils. We consider the TEXTOR tokamak case and we consider two configurations for the external coils : first, a resonant magnetic perturbation with several harmonics, which enables to have a stochastic zone at the plasma edge when the magnetic island chains overlap ; then, a resonant magnetic perturbation with a single harmonic, which therefore creates a single magnetic island chain. In this PhD thesis, we focus on the non-axisymmetric equilibrium created in the plasma by the resonant magnetic perturbation.

Next-generation and present fusion devices such as the Joint European Torus (JET) aim for plasma operations in H-mode, a plasma regime with high confinement and low loss of energy and fuel that results from a barrier for heat and particle transport at the plasma edge, the pedestal. Due to steep gradients of the density, temperature and pressure profiles, the pedestal experiences instabilities called Edge-localized-modes (ELMs) which lead to large fluxes of heat and particles that might damage machine components. A theoretical value for the critical threshold for the pressure gradient is determined by the Peeling-Ballooning (PB) model. Although this model has been rather reliable, experiments have shown a discrepancy between the experimental pedestal pressure gradient and the critical pressure gradient determined by the model. A number of experimental gradients were significantly lower than the predicted gradients. The mechanisms responsible for this discrepancy are not fully understood yet. The present hypothesis identifies the relative shift between the positions of the temperature and density pedestals and neutral pressure as key parameters, related to input power and gas dosing among other engineering parameters. Further impact could arise from the assumption of equal ion and electron temperature and the neglecting of the plasma rotation (velocity). In order to investigate this issue more thoroughly, JET established a comprehensive database containing pedestal characteristics. As a part of this work, a software has been implemented to visualize the data since such a tool did not exist yet. The tool enables the plotting of pedestal related parameters while specific data subsets can be selected or neglected. The tool has been used to investigate the impact of ion temperature and plasma rotation on the discrepancy between the theoretical and experimental critical gradients. Hereby, many relevant parameters needed to be constrained to observe an isolated impact of ion temperature and plasma rotation. The results of this investigation support the hypothesis that mainly the relative shift affects the discrepancy between experimental and predicted pressure gradient, but that also the use of experimental ion temperature can contribute to reduce the discrepancy. / Nästa generations och nuvarande fusionsanordningar, såsom Joint European Torus (JET), syftar till plasmaoperationer i H-läge, en plasmaregim med hög inneslutning och låg förlust av energi och bränsle som är ett resultat av en barriär för värme­ och partikeltransport vid plasmakanten, piedestalen. På grund av branta gradienter i densitets-, temperatur- och tryckprofilerna, är piedestalen instabil. Instabiliteten kallas Edge-Localised-Mode (ELM) och leder till stora flöden av värme och partiklar som kan skada maskinkomponenter. En kritisk tröskel för tryckgradienten bestäms av modellen Peeling-Ballooning (PB). Även om denna modell har varit ganska tillförlitlig, har experiment visat en diskrepans mellan den experimentella piedestaltryckgradienten och den kritiska tryckgradienten som bestäms av modellen. Ett antal experimentellt uppmätta kritiska gradienter är signifikant lägre än de förväntade enligt modellen. De mekanismer som ligger bakom denna diskrepans är ännu inte helt klarlagda. Den nuvarande hypotesen identifierar skillander i pos positionen av temperature- och täthetspiedestalen, samt trycket från neutraler som nyckelparametrar, relaterade till inmatad effekt och gasdosering bland andra ingenjörparametrar. Ytterligare påverkan kan uppstå genom antagandet att joner och elektroner har samma temperatur och försummandet av plasmarotationen. För att undersöka denna fråga mer ingående upprättade JET en omfattande databas med piedestalegenskaper. Som en del av detta arbete har en programvara implementerats för att visualisera data eftersom ett sådant verktyg inte funnits tidigare. Verktyget möjliggör plottning av piedestalrelaterade parametrar medan specifika data delmängder kan väljas eller väljas bort. Verktyget har använts för att undersöka inverkan av jontemperatur och plasmarotation på diskrepansen mellan teoretiska och experimentell kritiska tryckgradienten. För denna analys behövde många relevanta parametrar begränsas för att observera en isolerad påverkan av jontemperatur och plasmarotationen. Resultaten av denna undersökning stödjer hypotesen att det relativa skiftet främst påverkar diskrepansen mellan experimentell och förutsedd tryckgradient men att även användning av experimentell jontemperatur kan bidra till att minska diskrepansen.