CRONOS is a suite of numerical codes for the predictive/interpretative simulation of a full tokamak discharge. It integrates, in a modular structure, a 1D transport solver with general 2D magnetic equilibria, several heat, particle and impurities transport models, as well as heat, particle and momentum sources. This paper gives a first comprehensive description of the CRONOS suite: overall structure of the code, main available models, details on the simulation workflow and numerical implementation. Some examples of applications to the analysis of experimental discharges and the predictions of ITER scenarios are also given.
Demonstrating improved confinement of energetic ions is one of the key goals of the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator. In the past campaigns, measuring confined fast ions has proven to be challenging. Future deuterium campaigns would open up the option of using fusion-produced neutrons to indirectly observe confined fast ions. There are two neutron populations: 2.45 MeV neutrons from thermonuclear and beam-target fusion, and 14.1 MeV neutrons from DT reactions between tritium fusion products and bulk deuterium. The 14.1 MeV neutron signal can be measured using a scintillating fiber neutron detector, whereas the overall neutron rate is monitored by common radiation safety detectors, for instance fission chambers. The fusion rates are dependent on the slowing-down distribution of the deuterium and tritium ions, which in turn depend on the magnetic configuration via fast ion orbits. In this work, we investigate the effect of magnetic configuration on neutron production rates in W7-X. The neutral beam injection, beam and triton slowing-down distributions, and the fusion reactivity are simulated with the ASCOT suite of codes. The results indicate that the magnetic configuration has only a small effect on the production of 2.45 MeV neutrons from DD fusion and, particularly, on the 14.1 MeV neutron production rates. Despite triton losses of up to 50 %, the amount of 14.1 MeV neutrons produced might be sufficient for a time-resolved detection using a scintillating fiber detector, although only in high-performance discharges.
The XGC1 edge gyrokinetic code is used to study the width of the heat-flux to divertor plates in attached plasma condition. The flux-driven simulation is performed until an approximate power balance is achieved between the heat-flux across the steep pedestal pressure gradient and the heat-flux on the divertor plates. The simulation results compare well against the empirical scaling λ q ∝1/B P γ obtained from present tokamak devices, where λ q is the divertor heat-flux width mapped to the outboard midplane, γ=1.19 as found by T. Eich et al. [Nucl. Fusion 53 (2013) 093031], and B P is the magnitude of the poloidal magnetic field at the outboard midplane separatrix surface. This empirical scaling predicts λ q ≲1mm when extrapolated to ITER, which would require operation with very high separatrix densities (n sep /n Greenwald > 0.6) [Kukushkin, A. et al., Jour. Nucl. Mat. 438 (2013) S203] in the Q=10 scenario to achieve semi-detached plasma operation and high radiative fractions for acceptable divertor power fluxes. Using the same simulation code and technique, however, the projected λ q for ITER's model plasma is 5.9 mm, which could be suggesting that operation in the ITER Q=10 scenario with acceptable divertor power loads may be obtained over a wider range of plasma separatrix densities and radiative fractions. The physics reason behind this difference is, according to the XGC1 results, that while the ion magnetic drift contribution to the divertor heat-flux width is wider in the present tokamaks, the turbulent electron contribution is wider in ITER. Study will continue to verify further this important projection. A high current C-Mod discharge is found to be in a mixed regime: While the heat-flux width by the ion neoclassical magnetic drift is still wider than the turbulent electron heat-flux width, the heatflux magnitude is dominated by the narrower electron heat-flux.
After completing the main construction phase of Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) and successfully commissioning the device, first plasma operation started at the end of 2015. Integral commissioning of plasma start-up and operation using electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) and an extensive set of plasma diagnostics have been completed, allowing initial physics studies during the first operational campaign. Both in helium and hydrogen, plasma breakdown was easily achieved. Gaining experience with plasma vessel conditioning, discharge lengths could be extended gradually. Eventually, discharges lasted up to 6 s, reaching an injected energy of 4 MJ, which is twice the limit originally agreed for the limiter configuration employed during the first operational campaign. At power levels of 4 MW central electron densities reached 3 × 1019 m−3, central electron temperatures reached values of 7 keV and ion temperatures reached just above 2 keV. Important physics studies during this first operational phase include a first assessment of power balance and energy confinement, ECRH power deposition experiments, 2nd harmonic O-mode ECRH using multi-pass absorption, and current drive experiments using electron cyclotron current drive. As in many plasma discharges the electron temperature exceeds the ion temperature significantly, these plasmas are governed by core electron root confinement showing a strong positive electric field in the plasma centre.
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