In search of X-point radiator regime features in NSTX and DIII-D discharges with the snowflake divertor

Experimental data from NSTX and DIII-D discharges with the snowflake (SF) divertor configurations are analyzed toward the development of the X-point radiator (XPR) concept. The XPR divertor regime was recently realized in standard divertor configurations in several tokamaks The SF divertor configuration, with an additional poloidal field null nearby the main X-point, could provide additional benefits for the XPR: a higher flux expansion inside the separatrix and an extended private flux region. This may lead to lower temperatures and higher neutral and electron densities, which are thought to be essential for XPR stability, initiation, and impurity containment. In this work, 4 MW NBI-heated H-mode NSTX discharges and 3–5 MW NBI-heated H-mode DIII-D discharges with SF-minus and SF-plus divertors, with the ion B×∇B drift toward the lower divertor, with and without D₂ and CD₄ seeding, were analyzed. Many experimental XPR features were found, including good or slightly degraded H-mode confinement, significant ELM size reduction, nearly complete divertor power detachment and a significant divertor radiated power loss. However, evidence of the XPR extending into the confined region was inconclusive in the NSTX tokamak, while in DIII-D, a number of discharges demonstrated a stable MARFE-like structure inside the separatrix over a wide operating space. The present analysis supports the SF divertor as a good candidate for further XPR scenario development in DIII-D and NSTX-U.