Observation and interpretation of thermal instabilities at the front face of actively cooled limiters in TORE-SUPRA

In TORE-SUPRA, actively cooled modular limiters (time constant = 2 s) covered with carbon have been used to exhaust the convective heat flux continuously up to 700 kW steady state (design value) without thermal instability, i.e., 4.5 MW/m2 on average. Steady state surface temperatures in the range 600 C (with 1.45 MW of Lower Hybrid waves) were routinely obtained. However, sudden surface temperature excursions from 600 C to 1,900 C, called ''super-brilliances'', were observed during ohmic or heated plasmas, taking place locally over 20 ms, which led to a new equilibrium. This new equilibrium correspond to a local increased power flux density to the limiter as confirmed by calorimetric measurements. Shot after shot, an increasing number of independent overheated zones (up to 4) were observed on the limiter ridge, the closest location to Last Closed Flux Surface (LCFS). The power extracted by the limiter then was ∼ 1.1 MW (6.9 MW/m2 average and 15 MW/m2 maximum). Experimental data and possible mechanisms leading to a finite increased heat flux to the limiter surface are reviewed and comparisons with modelization are made