Plasma Current Evolution Research Articles

Transport and micro-instability analysis of JET H-mode plasma during pellet fueling

Transport and micro-instability analysis in a JET H-mode plasma discharge 53212 during the pellet fueling operation is carried out using the BALDUR integrated predictive modeling code with a combination of the NCLASS neoclassical transport model and an anomalous core transport model (either Mixed B/gB or MMM95 model). In this work, the evolution of plasma current, plasma density and temperature profiles is carried out and, consequently, the plasma’s behaviors during the pellet operation can be observed. The NGS pellet model with the Grad-B drift effect included is used to describe pellet ablation and its behaviors when a pellet is launched into hot plasma. The simulation shows that after each pellet enters the plasma, there is a strong perturbation on the plasma causing a sudden change of both thermal and particle profiles, as well as the thermal and particle transports. For the simulation using MMM95 transport model, the change of both thermal and particle transports during pellet injection are found to be dominated by the transport due to the resistive ballooning modes due to the increase of collisionality and resistivity near the plasma edge. For the simulation based on mixed B/gB transport model, it is found that the change of transport during the pellet injection is dominated by the Bohm term. Micro-instability analysis of the plasma during the time of pellet operation is also carried out for the simulations based on MMM95 transport model. It is found that the ion temperature gradient mode is destabilized due to an increase of temperature gradient in the pellet effective region, while the trapped electron mode is stabilized due to an increase of collisionality in that region.

Electromagneto-mechanical coupling analysis of a test module in J-TEXT Tokamak during plasma disruption

In this paper, the dynamic response during plasma disruption of a test blanket module in vacuum vessel (VV) of the Joint TEXT (J-TEXT), which is an experimental Tokamak device with iron core, was simulated by applying a program developed by authors on the ANSYS platform using its parametric design language (APDL). The moving coordinate method as well as the load transfer and sequential coupling strategy were adopted to cope with the electromagneto-mechanical coupling effect. To establish the numerical model, the influence of the iron core on the eddy current and electromagnetic (EM) force during disruption was numerically investigated at first and the influence was found not significant. Together with the geometrical features of the J-TEXT Tokamak structure, 180° sector models without magnetic core were finally established for the EM field and the structural response simulations. To obtain the source plasma current, the plasma current evolution during disruption was simulated by using the Tokamak Simulation Code (TSC). With the numerical models and the source plasma current, the dynamic response of both the VV structure and the test module were calculated. The numerical results show that the maximum stress of the test module is in safe range, and the magnetic damping effect can weaken vibration of the test module. In addition, simulation without considering the coupling effect was carried out, which shows that the influence of coupling effect is not significant for the peak stress of the J-TEXT disruption problem.

First disruption studies and simulations in view of the development of the DEMO Physics Basis

In the development of the DEMO Physics Basis an important role is played by the prediction of the plasma disruption features and by the evaluation of the electro-magnetic (EM) and thermal loads associated with these events. Indeed, the kind and number of foreseen plasma disruptions drive the development of the DEMO operation scenarios and the design of vessel and in-vessel components.To characterize a plausible macroscopic plasma dynamics during these events, we will carry out an extrapolation from present-day machines of the main parameters characterizing the disruptions: thermal and current quench time, evolution of plasma current, β and li, safety factor limits, halo current fraction and width, radiated heat fraction. In particular, we will focus on extrapolations for the thermal and current quench characteristic times, due to their importance for the subsequent simulations aimed at the evaluation of the EM and thermal loads. The different options for DEMO design will be taken into account and the possible range of variation of the parameters will be estimated.The 2D axysimmetric MAXFEA and the 3D CarMa0NL codes will be used to evaluate the effects of the induced currents and the EM loads during a disruptive event and to analyze the various design options obtained by the PROCESS code. The results of these simulations, modeled as worst expected events, will be used as input for the system level analysis and design of the vessel and relevant in-vessel components. First simulations with CarMa0NL code including 3D structures are here presented to show the significant effects due to the large access ports.

Simulation study of HL-2A-like plasma using integrated predictive modeling code

Self-consistent simulations of HL-2A-like plasma are carried out using 1.5D BALDUR integrated predictive modeling code. In these simulations, the core transport is predicted using the combination of Multi-mode (MMM95) anomalous core transport model and NCLASS neoclassical transport model. The evolution of plasma current, temperature and density is carried out. Consequently, the plasma current, temperature and density profiles, as well as other plasma parameters, are obtained as the predictions in each simulation. It is found that temperature and density profiles in these simulations are peak near the plasma center. In addition, the sawtooth period is studied using the Porcilli model and is found that before, during, and after the electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) operation the sawtooth period are approximately the same. It is also observed that the mixing radius of sawtooth crashes is reduced during the ECRH operation.

Influence of plasma opacity on current decay after disruptions in tokamaks

Current decays after disruptions as well as after noble gas injections in tokamaks are examined. As is shown, the cooled plasmas at the stage of current decay are partially opaque for radiation in lines giving the main impact into total thermal losses. The thermal balance is supposed to be determined by Ohmic heating and radiative losses. A zero-dimensional model for radiation losses and temperature distribution over minor radius is used. Plasma current evolution is simulated with DIMRUN and DINA codes. Impurity distribution over ionization states is calculated from the time-dependent set of differential equations. The opacity effects are found to be most important for simulation of JET disruption experiments with beryllium- and carbon-seeded plasmas. The decay times calculated are in good agreement with the experimental values. Current decays in beryllium-, carbon-, argon- and neon-seeded plasmas for ITER parameters are simulated. The temperatures after thermal quench are shown to be significantly higher in comparison with the model of transparent plasmas. Opacity effects are found to be most important for Be- and C-seeded plasmas. Runaway electron currents are damped significantly if opacity effects are taken into account in any case examined.