Gyrokinetic Simulation of Global Turbulent Transport Properties in Tokamak Experiments
Gyrokinetic Simulation of Global Turbulent Transport Properties in Tokamak Experiments

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Published: 2006

Total Pages: 92505

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A general geometry gyro-kinetic model for particle simulation of plasma turbulence in tokamak experiments is described. It incorporates the comprehensive influence of noncircular cross section, realistic plasma profiles, plasma rotation, neoclassical (equilibrium) electric fields, and Coulomb collisions. An interesting result of global turbulence development in a shaped tokamak plasma is presented with regard to nonlinear turbulence spreading into the linearly stable region. The mutual interaction between turbulence and zonal flows in collisionless plasmas is studied with a focus on identifying possible nonlinear saturation mechanisms for zonal flows. A bursting temporal behavior with a period longer than the geodesic acoustic oscillation period is observed even in a collisionless system. Our simulation results suggest that the zonal flows can drive turbulence. However, this process is too weak to be an effective zonal flow saturation mechanism.

Advances in Comprehensive Gyrokinetic Simulations of Transport in Tokamaks
Advances in Comprehensive Gyrokinetic Simulations of Transport in Tokamaks

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Published: 2004

Total Pages:

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A continuum global gyrokinetic code GYRO has been developed to comprehensively simulate core turbulent transport in actual experimental profiles and enable direct quantitative comparisons to the experimental transport flows. GYRO not only treats the now standard ion temperature gradient (ITG) mode turbulence, but also treats trapped and passing electrons with collisions and finite [beta], equilibrium ExB shear stabilization, and all in real tokamak geometry. Most importantly the code operates at finite relative gyroradius ([rho]{sub *}) so as to treat the profile shear stabilization and nonlocal effects which can break gyroBohm scaling. The code operates in either a cyclic flux-tube limit (which allows only gyroBohm scaling) or a globally with physical profile variation. Rohm scaling of DIII-D L-mode has been simulated with power flows matching experiment within error bars on the ion temperature gradient. Mechanisms for broken gyroBohm scaling, neoclassical ion flows embedded in turbulence, turbulent dynamos and profile corrugations, plasma pinches and impurity flow, and simulations at fixed flow rather than fixed gradient are illustrated and discussed.

ADVANCES IN COMPREHENSIVE GYROKINETIC SIMULATIONS OF TRANSPORT IN TOKAMAKS.
ADVANCES IN COMPREHENSIVE GYROKINETIC SIMULATIONS OF TRANSPORT IN TOKAMAKS.

Author: R. E. WALTZ

Publisher:

Published: 2004

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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A continuum global gyrokinetic code GYRO has been developed to comprehensively simulate core turbulent transport in actual experimental profiles and enable direct quantitative comparisons to the experimental transport flows. GYRO not only treats the now standard ion temperature gradient (ITG) mode turbulence, but also treats trapped and passing electrons with collisions and finite {beta}, equilibrium ExB shear stabilization, and all in real tokamak geometry. Most importantly the code operates at finite relative gyroradius ({rho}{sub *}) so as to treat the profile shear stabilization and nonlocal effects which can break gyroBohm scaling. The code operates in either a cyclic flux-tube limit (which allows only gyroBohm scaling) or globally with physical profile variation. Bohm scaling of DIII-D L-mode has been simulated with power flows matching experiment within error bars on the ion temperature gradient. Mechanisms for broken gyroBohm scaling, neoclassical ion flows embedded in turbulence, turbulent dynamos and profile corrugations, are illustrated.

Turbulent Transport In Magnetized Plasmas (Second Edition)
Turbulent Transport In Magnetized Plasmas (Second Edition)

Author: C Wendell Horton, Jr

Publisher: #N/A

Published: 2017-07-21

Total Pages: 522

ISBN-13: 9813225904

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For a few seconds with large machines, scientists and engineers have now created the fusion power of the stars in the laboratory and at the same time find the rich range of complex turbulent electromagnetic waves that transport the plasma confinement systems. The turbulent transport mechanisms created in the laboratory are explained in detail in the second edition of 'Turbulent Transport in Magnetized Plasmas' by Professor Horton.The principles and properties of the major plasma confinement machines are explored with basic physics to the extent currently understood. For the observational laws that are not understood — the empirical confinement laws — offering challenges to the next generation of plasma students and researchers — are explained in detail. An example, is the confinement regime — called the 'I-mode' — currently a hot topic — is explored.Numerous important problems and puzzles for the next generation of plasma scientists are explained. There is growing demand for new simulation codes utilizing the massively parallel computers with MPI and GPU methods. When the 20 billion dollar ITER machine is tested in the 2020ies, new theories and faster/smarter computer simulations running in near real-time control systems will be used to control the burning hydrogen plasmas.

Comprehensive Gyrokinetic Simulation of Tokamak Turbulence at Finite Relative Gyroradius
Comprehensive Gyrokinetic Simulation of Tokamak Turbulence at Finite Relative Gyroradius

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Published: 2002

Total Pages: 8

ISBN-13:

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OAK B202 COMPREHENSIVE GYROKINETIC SIMULATION OF TOKAMAK TURBULENCE AT FINITE RELATIVE GYRORADIUS. A continuum global gyrokinetic code GYRO has been developed to comprehensively simulate turbulent transport in actual experimental profiles and allow direct quantitative comparisons to the experimental transport flows. GYRO not only treats the now standard ion temperature gradient (ITG) mode turbulence, but also treats trapped and passing electrons with collisions and finite beta, and all in real tokamak geometry. Most importantly the code operates at finite relative gyroradius ([rho]*) so as to treat the profile shear stabilization effects which break gyroBohm scaling. The code operates in a cyclic flux tube limit which allows only gyroBohm scaling and a noncyclic radial annulus with physical profile variation. The later requires an adaptive source to maintain equilibrium profiles. Simple ITG simulations demonstrate the broken gyroBohm scaling depends on the actual rotational velocity shear rates competing with mode growth rates, direct comprehensive simulations of the DIII-D [rho]*-scaled L-mode experiments are presented as a quantitative test of gyrokinetics and the paradigm.

Global Confinement Properties in Global, Flux-driven, Gyrokinetic Simulations
Global Confinement Properties in Global, Flux-driven, Gyrokinetic Simulations

Author: Elisabetta Caschera

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Understanding and predicting the performance of a fusion reactor in terms of confinement is one of the missing milestones for the availability of fusion energy. The predictions for the design of future reactors such as ITER are based on the extrapolation of empiricalscaling laws. We investigate global confinement properties of turbulent heat transport in a Tokamak with first principle simulations. The research is carried on two main topics: the scaling properties of plasma confinement and the effect of the plasma boundary on the turbulent transport. An important result is obtained when reproducing the global scaling for the energy confinement time with numerical simulations. However the scaling properties are found to brake at the local level. The boundary condition of the code has been modified to mimic the experimental Scrape-Off Layer at the plasma edge. Additional physics is now accessible, such as Kelvin-Helmholtz-like instability at separatrix and edge subcritical turbulence.

Gyrokinetic Simulations of Turbulent Impurity Transport in Tokamaks
Gyrokinetic Simulations of Turbulent Impurity Transport in Tokamaks

Author: Pierre Manas

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Understanding impurity transport in the core of tokamak plasmas is central to achieving controlled fusion. Indeed impurities are ubiquitous in these devices and their presence in the core are detrimental to plasma confinement (fuel dilution, Bremsstrahlung). Recently, specific attention was given to the convective mechanism related to the gradient of the toroidal rotation to explain experimental flat/hollow impurity profiles in the plasma core. In this thesis, up-to-date modelling tools (NEO for neoclassical transport and GKW for turbulent transport) including the impact of toroidal rotation are used to study both the neoclassical and turbulent contributions to impurity fluxes. A comparison of the experimental and modelled carbon density peaking factor (R/LnC) is performed for a large number of baseline and hybrid H-mode plasmas (increased confinement regimes) with modest to high toroidal rotation from the European tokamak JET. Confrontation of experimental and modelled carbon peaking factor yields two main results. First roto-diffusion is found to have a nonnegligible impact on the carbon peaking factor at high values of the toroidal rotation frequency gradient. Second, there is a tendency to overpredict the experimental R/LnC in the core inner region where the carbon density profiles are hollow. This disagreement between experimental and modelled R/LnC, closely related to the collisionality, is also observed for the momentum transport channel which hints at a common parallel symmetry breaking mechanism lacking in the simulations.

Transport in Gyrokinetic Tokamaks
Transport in Gyrokinetic Tokamaks

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Published: 2005

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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A comprehensive study of transport in full-volume gyrokinetic (gk) simulations of ion temperature gradient driven turbulence in core tokamak plasmas is presented. Though this ''gyrokinetic tokamak'' is much simpler than experimental tokamaks, such simplicity is an asset, because a dependable nonlinear transport theory for such systems should be more attainable. Toward this end, we pursue two related lines of inquiry. (1) We study the scalings of gk tokamaks with respect to important system parameters. In contrast to real machines, the scalings of larger gk systems (a/[rho][sub s] [approx-gt] 64) with minor radius, with current, and with a/[rho][sub s] are roughly consistent with the approximate theoretical expectations for electrostatic turbulent transport which exist as yet. Smaller systems manifest quite different scalings, which aids in interpreting differing mass-scaling results in other work. (2) With the goal of developing a first-principles theory of gk transport, we use the gk data to infer the underlying transport physics. The data indicate that, of the many modes k present in the simulation, only a modest number (N[sub k] [approximately] 10) of k dominate the transport, and for each, only a handful (N[sub p] [approximately] 5) of couplings to other modes p appear to be significant, implying that the essential transport physics may be described by a far simpler system than would have been expected on the basis of earlier nonlinear theory alone. Part of this analysis is the inference of the coupling coefficients M[sub kpq] governing the nonlinear mode interactions, whose measurement from tokamak simulation data is presented here for the first time.

Magnetic Fluctuations in Gyrokinetic Simulations of Tokamak Scrape-Off Layer Turbulence
Magnetic Fluctuations in Gyrokinetic Simulations of Tokamak Scrape-Off Layer Turbulence

Author: Noah Roth Mandell

Publisher:

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Understanding turbulent transport physics in the tokamak edge and scrape-off layer (SOL) is critical to developing a successful fusion reactor. The dynamics in these regions plays a key role in achieving high fusion performance by determining the edge pedestal that suppresses turbulence in the high-confinement mode (H-mode). Additionally, the survivability of a reactor is set by the heat load to the vessel walls, making it important to understand turbulent spreading of heat as it flows along open magnetic field lines in the SOL. Large-amplitude fluctuations, magnetic X-point geometry, and plasma interactions with material walls make simulating turbulence in the edge/SOL more challenging than in the core region, necessitating specialized gyrokinetic codes. Further, the inclusion of electromagnetic effects in gyrokinetic simulations that can handle the unique challenges of the boundary plasma is critical to the understanding of phenomena such as the pedestal and edge-localized modes, for which electromagnetic dynamics are expected to be important.In this thesis, we develop the first capability to simulate electromagnetic gyrokinetic turbulence on open magnetic field lines. This is an important step towards comprehensive electromagnetic gyrokinetic simulations of the coupled edge/SOL system. By using a continuum full-f approach via an energy-conserving discontinuous Galerkin (DG) discretization scheme that avoids the Ampere cancellation problem, we show that electromagnetic fluctuations can be handled in a robust, stable, and efficient manner in the gyrokinetic module of the Gkeyll code. We then present results which roughly model the scrape-off layer of the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), and show that electromagnetic effects can affect blob dynamics and transport. We also formulate the gyrokinetic system in field-aligned coordinates for modeling realistic edge and scrape-off layer geometries in experiments. A novel DG algorithm for maintaining positivity of the distribution function while preserving conservation laws is also presented.