Experimental investigation of density regimes in the helical divertor at TEXTOR

Using the capabilities of the dynamic ergodic divertor in the limiter tokamak TEXTOR, we have experimentally investigated the hydrogen recycling in a complex, three-dimensional, helical divertor structure similar to divertor structures found in stellarators. The observations were then compared with results from modelling with the three-dimensional transport code EMC3-EIRENE. The measurements showed that the recycling flux at the divertor target increases linearly with increasing plasma density, a high recycling regime is not observed. At highest plasma densities before the density limit disruption, the formation of a poloidally structured and helically inclined radiating belt, a helical divertor MARFE, is observed. The radial penetration depth of the neutral hydrogen particles (λn ≈ 3 cm) estimated from spectroscopic measurements was found to be often larger than the varying radial extent of the scrape-off layer of the helical divertor (few mm up to 6 cm) which points to convective heat transport reducing parallel temperature gradients and inhibiting flux amplification. The detailed comparison of the experimental observations and the modelling results showed agreement in this high density behaviour confirming the absence of a high recycling regime. Also agreement in the absolute values of the calculated and measured target particle fluxes was observed. Simulations using different cross-field transport coefficients showed, that this agreement is only found above a certain level of cross-field transport (D⊥ = 1 m2 s−1).