Operational Characteristics of Liquid Lithium Divertor in NSTX

Lithium coatings on plasma-facing components (PFC's) have resulted in improved plasma performance on NSTX in deuterium H-mode plasmas with neutral beam heating.$^{ }$Salient results included improved electron confinement and ELM suppression. In CDX-U, the use of lithium-coated PFC's and a large-area liquid lithium limiter resulted in a six-fold increase in global energy confinement time. A Liquid Lithium Divertor (LLD) has been installed in NSTX for the 2010 run campaign. The LLD PFC consists of a thin film of lithium on a temperature-controlled substrate to keep the lithium liquefied between shots, and handle heat loads during plasmas. This capability was demonstrated when the LLD withstood a strike point on its surface during discharges with up to 4 MW of neutral beam heating.