Interaction of stochastic boundary layer with plasma facing components

To alleviate the plasma-wall interaction problems in magnetic confinement devices, a stochastic layer is used at the edge of the Tore Supra tokamak (ergodic divertor). A very important point is to determine the power deposition on the plasma facing components. Two different kinds of transport can be identified in such a configuration: Stochastic transport surrounding the confined plasma, with a random walk process, and scrape-off layer (SOL) like transport, a laminar transport, near the plasma facing components. The laminar regime is investigated in terms of a simple criterion, namely that the power deposition is proportional to the radial penetration of the laminar zone flux tubes over a finite parallel length. The magnetic connection properties of the first wall components are then determined. The connection lengths are quantified with two characteristic scales. The larger corresponds to one poloidal turn and appears to be the characteristic parallel length for laminar transport. A field line tracing code MASTOC (magnetic stochastic configuration) is used to computer the complex topology and the statistics of the connection in the real tokamak geometry. The numerical simulations are then compared with the experimental heat deposition on the modules and neutralizer plates of the Tore Supra ergodic divertor. Good agreement is found. Further evidence of laminar transport is also provided by the tangential view of such structures revealed from Hα structures in detached plasma experiments. (author). 27 refs, 14 figs