Integrated Simulation Code for Burning Plasma Analysis

Abstract

A strategy for integrated modeling of burning plasmas at Japan Atomic Energy Agency is described. In order to simulate the burning plasma, which has the complex feature of widely different timescales and spatial scales, a simulation code cluster based on the TOPICS transport code is being developed by integrating heating and current drive, impurity transport, the edge pedestal model, the divertor model, the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), and the high-energy behavior model. The developed integration models are validated by fundamental research from JT-60U experiments and the simulation based on the First Principle in our strategy. The integration of MHD stability and the transport progresses for three phenomena with different timescales of neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) (~τNTM ~ 10-2τR), beta limits (~τAlfvén), and edge-localized modes (ELMs) (intermittent of τE and τAlfvén). Here, τR, τAlfvén, and τE are the resistive skin time, the Alfvén transit time, and the energy confinement time, respectively. The integrated model of the NTM is produced by coupling the modified Rutherford equation with the transport equation. The integrated model of the beta limits is developed by the low-n stability analysis of downstreaming data from the TOPICS code. The integrated model of the ELM is developed by the iterative calculation of the MARG2D ideal MHD stability code and the TOPICS code. These models are being validated by the data from the JT-60 experiments and estimate the plasma performance for burning plasmas.