Power load during disruption in MAST

The spatial distribution and temporal behaviour of thermal energy released during disruptions is a key issue for ITER. The most critical phase of the disruption process for plasma facing components is the thermal quench which describes the rapid loss of thermal energy at, or just before, the current redistribution. Power exhaust during disruption in MAST has been investigated using an infrared (IR) camera. The spatial distribution have shown strong toroidal and radial asymmetries depending on the event triggering the collapse of the energy such as locked mode, vertical displacement event (VDE) or big sawtooth. Disruption can be characterised comparing the heat load footprint, the broadening of heat flux width and the energy released in the phase prior to the thermal quench. This paper will present results from heat load pattern and will discuss the role of plasma parameters on power load during disruption.