Plasma limiter interaction in the FT machine

In a tokamak with limiter-controlled discharges, a careful analysis of the thermal load to the limiter is necessary in oreder to optimize the choice of the surface shape and the material to be used in forthcoming machines. A set of thermocouples embedded within the full poloidal limiter of FT (Frascati Torus) was used together with a finite difference heat conduction code to get both the amount and the spatial profile of the power lost to the limiter during ohmic discharges. The method is briefly discussed and the data collected during the April/May 1986 experimental period are reported