Perturbative tests of theoretical transport models using cold pulse and modulated electron cyclotron heating experiments

Abstract

It is difficult to discriminate between various tokamak transport models using standardized statistical measures to assess the goodness of fit with steady-state density and temperature profiles in tokamaks. This motivates consideration of transient transport experiments as a technique for testing the temporal response predicted by models. Results are presented comparing the predictions from the Institute for Fusion Studies—Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (IFS/PPPL), gyro-Landau-fluid (GLF23), Multi-mode (MM), Current Diffusive Ballooning Mode (CDBM), and Mixed-shear (MS) transport models against data from ohmic cold pulse and modulated electron cyclotron heating (ECH) experiments. In ohmically heated discharges with rapid edge cooling due to trace impurity injection, it is found that critical gradient models containing a strong temperature ratio (Ti/Te) dependence can exhibit behavior that is qualitatively consistent both spatially and temporally with experimental observation while depending solely on local parameters. On the DIII-D tokamak [J. L. Luxon and L. G. Davis, Fusion Technol. 8, 441 (1985)], off-axis modulated ECH experiments have been conducted in L-mode (low confinement mode) and the perturbed electron and ion temperature response to multiple heat pulses has been measured across the plasma core. Comparing the predicted Fourier phase of the temperature perturbations, it is found that no single model yielded agreement with both electron and ion phases for all cases. In general, it was found that the IFS/PPPL, GLF23, and MS models agreed well with the ion response, but not with the electron response. The CDBM and MM models agreed well with the electron response, but not with the ion response. For both types of transient experiments, temperature coupling between the electron and ion transport is found to be an essential feature needed in the models for reproducing the observed perturbative response.