Spectroscopic Investigation of Heavy Impurity Behaviour During ICRH with the JET ITER-Like Wall

Magnetically confined plasmas, such as those produced in the tokamak JET, contain measurable amounts of impurity ions produced during plasma-wall interactions (PWI) from the plasma-facing components and recessed wall areas. The impurities, including high- and mid-Z elements such as tungsten (W) from first wall tiles and nickel (Ni) from Inconel structure material, need to be controlled within tolerable limits, to ensure they do not significantly affect the performance of the plasma. This contribution focuses on documenting W and Ni impurity behavior during Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH) operation with the new ITER-Like Wall (ILW). Ni- and W-concentration were derived from VUV spectroscopy and the impact of applied power level, relative phasing of the antenna straps, plasma separatrix - antenna strap distance, IC resonance position, edge density and different plasma configuration, on the impurity release during ICRH are presented. For the same ICRH power the Ni and W concentration was lower with dipole phasing than in the case of -pi/2 phasing. The Ni concentration was found to increase with ICRH power and for the same NBI power level, ICRH-heated plasmas were characterized by two times higher Ni impurity content. Both W and Ni concentrations increased strongly with decreasing edge density which is equivalent to higher edge electron temperatures and more energetic ions responsible for the sputtering. In either case higher levels were found in ICRH than in NBI heated discharges. When the central plasma temperature was similar, ICRH on-axis heating resulted in higher core Ni impurity concentration in comparison to off-axis ICRH in L-mode. It was also found that the main core radiation during ICRH came from W.