Abstract Nuclear fusion could offer clean, abundant energy. However, managing the power exhausted from the core fusion plasma towards the reactor wall remains a major challenge. This is compounded in emerging compact reactor designs promising more cost-effective pathways towards commercial fusion energy. Alternative Divertor Configurations (ADCs) are a potential solution. In this work, we demonstrate exhaust control in ADCs, employing a novel method to diagnose the neutral gas buffer, which shields the target. Our…

Abstract After a long device enhancement phase, scientific operation resumed in 2022. The main new device components are the water cooling of all plasma facing components and the new water-cooled high heat flux divertor units. Water cooling allowed for the first long-pulse operation campaign. A maximum discharge length of 8 min was achieved with a total heating energy of 1.3 GJ. Safe divertor operation was demonstrated in attached and detached mode. Stable detachment is readily achieved in some magnetic configurat…

Abstract Within the 9th European Framework programme, since 2021 EUROfusion is operating five tokamaks under the auspices of a single Task Force called ‘Tokamak Exploitation’. The goal is to benefit from the complementary capabilities of each machine in a coordinated way and help in developing a scientific output scalable to future largre machines. The programme of this Task Force ensures that ASDEX Upgrade, MAST-U, TCV, WEST and JET (since 2022) work together to achieve the objectives of Missions 1 and 2 of the E…

Abstract The paper provides an overview of recent modelling of global material erosion and deposition in the fusion devices Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X), JET and ITER using the Monte-Carlo code ERO2.0. For validating the modelling tool in a three-dimensional environment, W7-X simulations are performed to describe carbon erosion from the graphite test divertor units, which were equipped in operational phase OP 1.2 and analysed post-mortem. Synthetic spectroscopy of carbon line emission is compared with experimental resul…

We present here the results of the spectroscopic analysis of the high-resolution visible spectra of beryllium hydride and its isotopologues (BeH, BeD, and BeT), produced during plasma–surface interactions during limiter and divertor JET-ILW (ITER-like Wall) pulses. The hydride production, being an important part of the wall erosion via chemical-assisted physical sputtering, shows visible dependence on plasma and wall conditions, and also on the isotope content of the plasma. This work shows that this dependence is…