JET carbon screening experiments using methane gas puffing and its relation to intrinsic carbon impurities

JET carbon screening experiments were performed using methane gas injection. L-Mode experiments scanned parameters influencing the JET scrape-off-layer (SOL) and/or intrinsic impurity level. Scaling relations are derived to describe methane injected into L-Mode plasmas from the JET horizontal mid-plane. L-Mode screening was 3–20 times better for plasmas connected to the divertor than for similar limited plasmas. The screening was worse for methane injection from the mid-plane and best for injection from the divertor. The screening was 1.5–2 times worse for H-Mode than L-Mode. Both ELM-averaged and inter-ELM H-Mode screening was documented. The screening results were used to understand the intrinsic impurity levels. Zeff reduced at higher densities partly due to better carbon screening at the higher density, and partly due to decreased carbon influxes. Diverted L-Mode intrinsic carbon levels arose from both main chamber and divertor sources, while H-mode carbon primarily originated from the divertor. DIVIMP and EDGE2D were used to model the observed screening. The modelling indicated that carbon removal to the divertor required lower temperatures for Coulomb collisions to couple the impurity ions to the SOL deuterium flows. The carbon removal occurred primarily in the outer SOL regions.