Newsgroups: sci.physics.plasma
From: FAIRFAX@CMOD2.PFC.MIT.EDU
Subject: Alcator Progress 8/18/94

Alcator C-MOD Weekly Highlights
August 18,1994

Alcator C-MOD is in a maintenance/repair period. The main activities are
associated with development of a new coax design for the OH bus. Progress
continues to be made in this area.

The new design features a flexible section in the foot of the inner coax,
formed by EDM machining of a set of thin slots to form a leaf spring.
Fabrication of the full-scale prototype of this new coax design is underway.

Re-forming of the insulator pocket on the OH2L coil terminal, which was damaged
as a result of the coax bus problem, is now underway. This represents the last
repair activity to the OH coil prior to final cleaning and re-installation of
the core.

An engineering review of the new design and repair strategy was held at M.I.T.
on Tuesday, August 16. Pete Bonanos of PPPL and Pete Petersen of GA
participated, along with Don Priester and Steve Eckstrand of OFE.

Analysis of physics data obtained during the summer run period is continuing.
A detailed comparison has been carried out of radiated power increases
during ICRF heating using the dipole antenna installed this year with those
measured during monopole operation in 1993. The fraction of
radiated power from inside the LCFS to total power does not increase during
ICRF heating with the dipole antenna, remaining close to 50%; when the
monopole antenna was used, radiated power during ICRF increased to as much as
90% of total input power. A comparison between molybdenum influx at a given RF
power showed a factor of order 6 lower Mo influx for the dipole antenna case.

Last week, the PFC hosted the quarterly meeting of the Fusion Safety Steering
Committee; Dr. Catherine Fiore of the C-MOD staff is a member of this
committee.