Related papers: Magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium and neutronics stu…
Determining stress and strain in a component of a fusion power plant involves defining boundary conditions for the mechanical equilibrium equations, implying the availability of a full reactor model for defining those conditions. To address…
Advancements in high temperature superconducting technology have opened a path toward high-field, compact fusion devices. This new parameter space introduces both opportunities and challenges for diagnosis of the plasma. This paper presents…
The real-time reconstruction of the plasma magnetic equilibrium in a Tokamak is a key point to access high performance regimes. Indeed, the shape of the plasma current density profile is a direct output of the reconstruction and has a…
Development and operation of commercially viable fusion energy reactors such as tokamaks require accurate predictions of plasma dynamics from sparse, noisy, and incomplete sensors readings. The complexity of the underlying physics and the…
The STEP (Stability, Transport, Equilibrium, and Pedestal) integrated-modeling tool has been developed in OMFIT to predict stable, tokamak equilibria self-consistently with core-transport and pedestal calculations. STEP couples theory-based…
High-power-density tokamaks offer a potential solution to design cost-effective fusion devices. One way to achieve high power density is to operate at a high $\beta$ value (the ratio of thermal to magnetic pressure), i.e., $\beta \sim 1$.…
We investigate the feasibility of negative triangularity (NT) plasma configurations in the SPARC tokamak, a compact, high-field device (up to 12.2 T) designed for positive triangularity (PT) operation. Using the FreeGS free-boundary…
In the merging-compression method of plasma start-up, two flux-ropes with parallel toroidal current are formed around in-vessel poloidal field coils, before merging to form a spherical tokamak plasma. This start-up method, used in the…
Energetic particle (EP) driven instabilities will be of strongly increased relevance in future burning plasmas as the EP pressure will be very large compared to the thermal plasma. Understanding the interaction of EPs and bulk plasma is…
The Grad-Shafranov (GS) equation is a nonlinear elliptic partial differential equation that governs the ideal magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium of a tokamak plasma. Previous studies have demonstrated the existence of multiple solutions to the…
The recent ITER re-baselining calls for new fusion-relevant research best carried out in a DT-capable tokamak device with similar technical choices. The present paper describes key issues that could be addressed in a Suitably Enhanced…
Plasma turbulence on disparate spatial and temporal scales plays a key role in defining the level of confinement achievable in tokamaks, with the development of reduced numerical models for cross-scale turbulence effects informed by…
Based on the analysis of a large number of high-fidelity nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations, we propose a novel strategy to improve confinement in spherical tokamak plasmas by combining up-down asymmetric flux surface shaping with the Low…
A key aspect in the modelling of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibria in tokamak devices is having access to fast, accurate, and stable numerical simulation methods. There is an increasing demand for reliable methods that can be used to…
The accurate construction of tokamak equilibria, which is critical for the effective control and optimization of plasma configurations, depends on the precise distribution of magnetic fields and magnetic fluxes. Equilibrium fitting codes,…
Controlling and monitoring plasma within a tokamak device is complex and challenging. Plasma off-normal events, such as disruptions, are hindering steady-state operation. For large devices, they can even endanger the machine's integrity and…
Nuclear fusion is the process that powers the sun, and it is one of the best hopes to achieve a virtually unlimited energy source for the future of humanity. However, reproducing sustainable nuclear fusion reactions here on Earth is a…
The Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST) is the centre piece of the UK fusion research programme. In 2010, a MAST Upgrade programme was initiated with three primary objectives, to contribute to: 1) Testing reactor concepts (in particular…
Negative triangularity (NT) tokamak configurations have several key benefits including sufficient core confinement, improved power handling, and reduced edge pressure gradients that allow for edge-localized mode (ELM) free operation. We…
Within integrated tokamak plasma modelling, turbulent transport codes are typically the computational bottleneck limiting their routine use outside of post-discharge analysis. Neural network (NN) surrogates have been used to accelerate…