The impact of the Boussinesq approximation on plasma turbulence in the scrape-off layer

Plasma turbulence in the tokamak scrape-off layer (SOL) region, where magnetic field lines are open and intersect the reactor inner walls, determines the heat loads on the limiter or divertor targets. This is one of the most crucial issues on the way towards a fusion reactor. Since SOL plasma is colder compared to the tokamak core, it is reasonable to use a fluid approximation to describe its dynamics. In particular the drift-reduced Braginskii equations are chosen to study the SOL plasma turbulence. To further simplify the drift-reduced Braginskii equations, the Boussinesq approximation is also applied in a number of numerical codes. This approximation consists in considering the plasma density constant in the evaluation of the divergence of the polarisation current, which simplifies substantially the solution of the Poisson equation necessary to evaluate the electric potential. In this study a new formulation of the drift-reduced Braginskii equations is presented together with a new numerical implementation that allow us to relax the Boussinesq approximation in the plasma turbulent code GBS. We show the energy conservation properties of the new system of equations. Also we compare the results of three-dimensional turbulent simulations with and without the Boussinesq approximation.

Plasma turbulence simulations of the tokamak scrape-off layer

Federico David Halpern, Augustin Joëssel, Sébastien Jolliet, Paolo Ricci, Fabio Riva, Trach-Minh Tran, Christoph Wersal

In the tokamak scrape-off layer (SOL) the magnetic field lines are open, channeling particles and heat onto plasma facing components, and constraining their lifetime. Therefore, safe operation of future fusion reactors requires an understanding of SOL plasma dynamics. Recently, we have gained deep insights into the tokamak SOL dynamics by means of massively-parallel fluid electromagnetic turbulence simulations carried out with the Global Braginskii Solver (GBS) code. GBS is currently capable of performing full-size SOL simulations of medium-size tokamaks such as TCV or Alcator C-Mod. In the present paper, we emphasize recent numerical developments aimed towards (a) more realistic description of the plasma geometry and (b) simulating larger, reactor-class machines. First, we address the numerical implementation of parallel advection and diffusion operators in finite difference representation. This is a crucial aspect of our computation, as the cost of the simulation can be drastically reduced if the parallel dynamics are discretized adequately taking advantage of the strong anisotropy of the turbulent modes that are aligned to the magnetic field lines. Second, we address the development and implementation of a matrix-free, parallel multigrid solver for the Poisson operator in the vorticity equation. Using this new solver, it is now possible to further parallelize GBS without breaking parallel scalability, an important step towards the realm of 10^4 CPUs. Finally, we summarize the understanding of SOL turbulence obtained through GBS simulations - for instance, the mechanisms regulating the turbulence level and therefore the SOL width, the turbulent regimes, and the mechanisms driving plasma rotation in this region. The simulated non-linear dynamics have been compared with analytical estimates, which have highlighted the key physics mechanisms at play in the SOL, and with experimental measurements taken in a number of tokamak worldwide, showing good agreement.

2014

A flexible numerical scheme for simulating plasma turbulence in the tokamak scrape off layer

Paola Paruta, Paolo Ricci, Fabio Riva, Christoph Wersal

Simulating the most external plasma region of a tokamak, the scrape-off layer (SOL), is of crucial importance in the way towards a fusion reactor as heat load on the vessel wall, impurity generation, and overall plasma confinement, all depend on the plasma dynamics in this region. In the last few years a numerical code, GBS, has been developed for solving the drift-reduced Braginskii equations, and describe turbulence in the tokamak SOL. In the present work, we re-formulate these equations in a general form that enables to treat diverted configuration with X-point. This is obtained by relaxing the requirement of using a coordinate system that follows the magnetic field lines. Within this alternative coordinate system, the drift-reduced Braginskii equations are then solved by using an high order numerical scheme. We show initial simulations carried out with GBS that describe well the expected field aligned turbulence structures.

2016

Advancing SOL simulations: avoiding the Boussinesq approximation and coupling closed and open magnetic flux surfaces

Baptiste Jimmy Frei, Federico David Halpern, Jorge Ari Morales Mena, Félix Benedito Clément Musil, Paola Paruta, Paolo Ricci, Fabio Riva, Morgan Siffert, Christoph Wersal

Plasma turbulence in the tokamak scrape-off layer (SOL) region, where magnetic field lines intersect the reactor inner walls, determines the heat load on the limiter or divertor targets. This is one of the most crucial issues on the way towards a fusion reactor. To tackle this problem we have improved the turbulent model in the GBS code, a new formulation of the vorticity equation that allow us to relax the Boussinesq approximation is implemented. The energy conservation properties of the new system of equations are evaluated. Also results of turbulent simulations in the SOL with and without the Boussinesq approximation are compared. In addition turbulent simulations across the last closed flux surface taking into account a cold and a hot ion regime are shown. These last simulations show a pressure gradient increase at the separatrix in the hot ion case at low resistivity.

2016

Plasma turbulence simulations of the tokamak scrape-off layer

Federico David Halpern, Augustin Joëssel, Sébastien Jolliet, Paolo Ricci, Fabio Riva, Trach-Minh Tran, Christoph Wersal

2014