An analysis of controlled detachment by seeding various impurity species in high performance scenarios on DIII-D and EAST

Experiments at DIII-D and EAST have demonstrated simultaneous high confinement, divertor detachment, and active control of detachment level, all of which are required for ITER. Comparing detachment control via Te and Jsat, it appears that Te is the most straightforward sensor to use for accessing detachment onset, while Jsat offers more precise control of degree of detachment. Based on these results, control using nitrogen seeding has so far shown the best ability to follow a target value with the low disruptivity and little to no degradation of performance when an Internal Transport Barrier (ITB) is present, but not all facilities allow its use. Neon seeding also can be paired with feedback control with low impact on core performance as long as there is no disruption, however shots with neon seeding commonly disrupted during these experiments. Argon is effective in EAST, but tends to degrade performance (by ≈10%βp) when detachment is achieved. With ideal conditions and strike point position control, data from a single Langmuir probe are an acceptable input to the control algorithm, but this simple system is easily defeated by strike point displacement comparable to the Te or Jsat scale lengths. The presence of an ITB seems to be critical to retaining core performance in detachment in these parameter ranges, as the pedestal pressure tends to decrease as a result of impurity seeding.