Turbulent Transport Modeling in the Edge Plasma of Tokamaks

Turbulent Transport Modeling in the Edge Plasma of Tokamaks PDF Author: Clothilde Colin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The possibility to produce power by using magnetically confined fusion is a scientific and technological challenge. The perspective of ITER conveys strong signals to intensify modeling effort on magnetized fusion plasmas. The success of the fusion operation is conditioned by the quality of plasma confinement in the core of the reactor and by the control of plasma exhaust on the wall. Both phenomena are related to turbulent cross-field transport that is at the heart of the notion of magnetic confinement studies, particle and heat losses. The study of edge phenomena is therefore complicated by a particularly complex magnetic geometry.This calls for an improvement of our capacity to develop numerical tools able to reproduce turbulent transport properties reliable to predict particle and energy fluxes on the plasma facing components. This thesis introduces the TOKAM3X fluid model to simulate edge plasma turbulence. A special focus is made on the code Verification and the Validation. It is a necessary step before using a code as a predictive tool. Then new insights on physical properties of the edge plasma turbulence are explored. In particular, the poloidal asymmetries induced by turbulence and observed experimentally in the Low-Field-Side of the devices are investigated in details. Great care is dedicated to the reproduction of the MISTRAL base case which consists in changing the magnetic configuration and observing the impact on parallel flows in the poloidal plane. The simulations recover experimental measurements and provide new insights on the effect of the plasma-wall contact position location on the turbulent features, which were not accessible in experiments.

Turbulent Transport Modeling in the Edge Plasma of Tokamaks

Turbulent Transport Modeling in the Edge Plasma of Tokamaks PDF Author: Clothilde Colin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The possibility to produce power by using magnetically confined fusion is a scientific and technological challenge. The perspective of ITER conveys strong signals to intensify modeling effort on magnetized fusion plasmas. The success of the fusion operation is conditioned by the quality of plasma confinement in the core of the reactor and by the control of plasma exhaust on the wall. Both phenomena are related to turbulent cross-field transport that is at the heart of the notion of magnetic confinement studies, particle and heat losses. The study of edge phenomena is therefore complicated by a particularly complex magnetic geometry.This calls for an improvement of our capacity to develop numerical tools able to reproduce turbulent transport properties reliable to predict particle and energy fluxes on the plasma facing components. This thesis introduces the TOKAM3X fluid model to simulate edge plasma turbulence. A special focus is made on the code Verification and the Validation. It is a necessary step before using a code as a predictive tool. Then new insights on physical properties of the edge plasma turbulence are explored. In particular, the poloidal asymmetries induced by turbulence and observed experimentally in the Low-Field-Side of the devices are investigated in details. Great care is dedicated to the reproduction of the MISTRAL base case which consists in changing the magnetic configuration and observing the impact on parallel flows in the poloidal plane. The simulations recover experimental measurements and provide new insights on the effect of the plasma-wall contact position location on the turbulent features, which were not accessible in experiments.

Lecture Series on Turbulent Transport in Tokamaks

Lecture Series on Turbulent Transport in Tokamaks PDF Author: Ronald E. Waltz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Plasma turbulence
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description


Numerical Modelling of Transport and Turbulence in Tokamak Edge Plasma with Divertor Configuration

Numerical Modelling of Transport and Turbulence in Tokamak Edge Plasma with Divertor Configuration PDF Author: Davide Galassi
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Nuclear fusion could offer a new source of stable, non-CO2 emitting energy. Today, tokamaks offer the best performance by confining a high temperature plasma by means of a magnetic field. Two of the major technological challenges for the operation of tokamaks are the power extraction and the confinement of plasma over long periods. These issues are associated with the transport of particles and heat, which is determined by turbulence, from the central plasma to the edge zone. In this thesis, we model turbulence in the edge plasma. We study in particular the divertor configuration, in which the central plasma is isolated from the walls by means of an additional magnetic field. This complex magnetic geometry is simulated with the fluid turbulence code TOKAM3X, developed in collaboration between the IRFM at CEA and the M2P2 laboratory of the University of Aix-Marseille.A comparison with simulations in simplified geometry shows a similar intermittent nature of turbulence. Nevertheless, the amplitude of the fluctuations, which has a maximum at the equatorial plane, is greatly reduced near the X-point, where the field lines become purely toroidal, in agreement with the recent experimental data. The simulations in divertor configuration show a significantly higher confinement than in circular geometry. A partial inhibition of the radial transport of particles at the X-point contributes to this improvement. This mechanism is potentially important for understanding the transition from low confinement mode to high confinement mode, the intended operational mode for ITER.

Simulation of Edge-plasma Profiles and Turbulence Related to L-H Transitions in Tokamaks

Simulation of Edge-plasma Profiles and Turbulence Related to L-H Transitions in Tokamaks PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Understanding plasma profile evolution and plasma turbulence are two important aspects of developing a predictive model for edge-plasma in tokamaks and other fusion-related devices. Here they describe results relevant to the L-H transition phenomena observed in tokamaks obtained from two simulations codes which emphasize the two aspects of the problem. UEDGE solves for the two-dimensional (2-D) profiles of a multi-species plasma and neutrals given some anomalous cross-field diffusion coefficients, and BOUT solves for the three-dimensional (3-D) turbulence that gives rise to the anomalous diffusion. These two codes are thus complementary in solving different aspects of the edge-plasma transport problem; ultimately, they want to couple the codes so that UEDGE uses BOUT's turbulence transport results, and BOUT uses UEDGE's plasma profiles with a fully automated iteration procedure. This goal is beyond the present paper; here they show how each aspect of the problem, i.e., profiles and turbulent transport, can contribute to L-H type transitions.

Modeling the Turbulent Momentum Transport in Tokamak Plasmas

Modeling the Turbulent Momentum Transport in Tokamak Plasmas PDF Author: Pierre Cottier
Publisher: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing
ISBN: 9783659411038
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
The magnetic confinement in tokamaks is for now the most advanced way towards energy production by nuclear fusion. Both theoretical and experimental studies showed that rotation generation can increase its performance by reducing the turbulent transport in tokamak plasmas. The rotation influence on the heat and particle fluxes is studied along with the angular momentum transport with the quasi-linear gyro-kinetic eigenvalue code QuaLiKiz. For this purpose, the QuaLiKiz code is modified in order to take the plasma rotation into account and compute the angular momentum flux. It is shown that QuaLiKiz framework is able to correctly predict the angular momentum flux including the ExB shear induced residual stress as well as the influence of rotation on the heat and particle fluxes. The different contributions to the turbulent momentum flux are studied and successfully compared against both non-linear gyro-kinetic simulations and experimental data.

Understand and Predict the Power Threshold Leading to Reduced Turbulent Transport at the Edge of Tokamak Plasma

Understand and Predict the Power Threshold Leading to Reduced Turbulent Transport at the Edge of Tokamak Plasma PDF Author: Gregory De Dominici
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
A model based on a model which natively contained turbulence and turbulence driven flow. It has been improved to include the diamagnetic effects, the magnetic fluctuations, and in this work, we study the parametric dependencies of the observed L-H transition power threshold with respect to the ion mass. By including the diamagnetic effects in our model, we allow the competition between the drift waves and the interchange instabilities. This competition is here studied using fixed gradient simulation. We show in this work that the diamagnetic effects are stabilizing for a resistivity close to experimental conditions. Electromagnetic effects lead to more unstable modes at realistic resistivities. Moreover, a quasilinear estimation of the turbulent flux is able to qualitatively grasp the competition between the drift waves and the interchange and the behaviour of the nonlinear electrostatic turbulent flux with resistivity and plasma beta. Another parametric dependency of the turbulence is studied, by changing the mass of the isotope. This is known as the isotope effect. We show here that the turbulence is reduced when the ion mass is increased. Finally, the characteristic times of the turbulence are studied.Magnetic fluctuations have a dramatic effect on correlation times of the turbulence, by drastically reducing them. Accounting for these results, we present in this work the auto-generation of a transport barrier with electromagnetic simulations of edge turbulence, when the heat power is higher than a threshold, using flux-driven simulations. We have then changed the isotope, and correspondingly to experiments, the power threshold is lower for higher isotope mass.

Washington Journal

Washington Journal PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cleveland (Ohio)
Languages : en
Pages : 21

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Book Description
Journal of a trip to a GAR encampment in Washington, DC. Very detailed description of his trip to the White House. Includes description of a day spent sight seeing in Cleveland, OH on the return trip to Michigan.

Turbulent Transport In Magnetized Plasmas (Second Edition)

Turbulent Transport In Magnetized Plasmas (Second Edition) PDF Author: C Wendell Horton, Jr
Publisher: #N/A
ISBN: 9813225904
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 522

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Book Description
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.

Global 3D Two-fluid Simulations of Turbulent Transport at Tokamak Edge Region

Global 3D Two-fluid Simulations of Turbulent Transport at Tokamak Edge Region PDF Author: Ben Zhu
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 206

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Book Description
A new global 3D two-fluid code, GDB, based on the drift-reduced Braginskii model has been developed and tested to study the turbulent transport across the entire tokamak edge region: from plasma sources in the inner core to plasma sinks in the outer-most scrape-off layer (SOL). In this code, profiles of plasma density, electron and ion temperature, electric potential, magnetic flux and parallel flow are evolved self-consistently. Milliseconds-long simulations are carried out in a shifted-circle magnetic configuration with realistic Alcator C-Mod tokamak inner wall limited (IWL) discharge parameters. The resistive ballooning instability is identified as the predominant driver of edge turbulence in the L-mode regime. Simulations show, in agreement with experimental observations, as the simulation moves towards density limit regime by increasing density, the turbulent transport is drastically enhanced and the plasma profiles are relaxed; on the other hand, as the simulation approaches to the H-mode regime by increasing temperature, the turbulent transport is suppressed and plasma profiles are steepened with a pedestal-like structure forming just inside of the separatrix. Radial transport level and turbulence statistics of these simulations also qualitatively match the experimental measurements. Spontaneous E x B rotation in the electron diamagnetic drift direction in the closed flux region are observed in all cases. It can be explained based on the steady state ion continuity relation [mathematical equation]. E x B rotation in the closed flux region is found mostly cancels the ion diamagnetic drift as H-mode-like regimes are approached, and exceeds it by a factor of two or more at lower temperatures due to parallel ion flows.

Dynamics of Driven and Spontaneous Transport Barriers in the Edge Plasma of Tokamaks

Dynamics of Driven and Spontaneous Transport Barriers in the Edge Plasma of Tokamaks PDF Author: Nicolas Nace
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Thermonuclear fusion reactors are one of the mid to long term solutions to transit towards a world dominated by carbon-free energy. Extreme temperatures are required for fusion reactions and the plasma of hydrogen isotopes must be magnetically confined in a torus shape. Sustaining such high level of particle and energy confinements is a key issue. Reactors are expected to operate in a high confinement regime - the H-mode - in which turbulent transport is reduced by the presence of a transport barrier in the edge plasma. This regime is observed in all current devices but remains largely miss-understood. In this thesis, we investigate several mechanisms involved in the transition towards H-mode. For that purpose, we use a range of numerical simulation tools of increasing complexity. Using simple models, we first highlight and analyze basic mechanisms likely to play a role in the on-set of transport barriers and in their impact on turbulence. Moving progressively to more complex models, we discuss the relevance of these physics in explaining experimental observations. The magnetic geometry and especially the magnetic shear are pointed out as key players.