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Preconditioning techniques that are used to alleviate numerical stiffness due to low Mach numbers in steady flows have not performed well in unsteady environments since the preconditioning parameters that are optimal for efficiency are detrimental to the level of spatial dissipation necessary for accuracy. A unified flux formulation is presented where the optimal scaling required for spatial accuracy is independent of the preconditioning required for convergence thus providing a framework that is valid over a broad range of flow conditions. Both upwind flux-difference and AUSM-type schemes are investigated. In both cases, the use of unsteady preconditioning scaling in the flux formulation is shown to be critical for preserving unsteady accuracy. In the flux-difference case, the formulation is based on a generalized blending of the steady and unsteady preconditioning terms. In the AUSM case, the formulation introduces two modifications to the standard AUSM+up scheme, designated as AUSM+up' wherein the pressure dissipation is scaled using unsteady preconditioning and AUSM+u'p' wherein both the pressure and velocity dissipation terms are scaled by the unsteady preconditioning. Low Mach number vortex propagation and acoustic problems are used to demonstrate the strengths of the formulation. These studies show that the AUSM family generally performs better than the blended flux-difference schemes in terms of vortex shape preservation and control of odd-even splitting errors.

Shattered pellet injection (SPI) has been adopted as the baseline disruption mitigation system for ITER, as the radiative payload penetration into DIII-D plasmas from SPI is superior to those using the massive gas injection (MGI) method. Because of the substantial differences in the energy content of ITER plasma and those in present experiments, reliable 3D MHD modeling, benchmarked against present experiments is needed to project to ITER plasmas. In support of these needs, the depth of SPI fragment penetration in DIII-D plasmas was investigated by injecting SPI into two discharges with vastly different energy content and pedestal height. 400 Torr-L pure Ne fragmented pellets at a velocity of about 200 m s −1 were injected into a 0.2 MJ L-mode discharge and a 2 MJ super H-mode discharge. Results show deep penetration of SPI fragments into low-energy plasmas in DIII-D. SPI fragment penetration is reduced as the plasma energy content increases, with some discharges exhibiting penetration that is confined to the outer regions of the plasma. The injected SPI fragments are also spread out over a distance of about 20 cm, which results in some fragments arriving near the end of or after the thermal quench is over.

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DIII-D physics research addresses critical challenges for the operation of ITER and the next generation of fusion energy devices. This is done through a focus on innovations to provide solutions for high performance long pulse operation, coupled with fundamental plasma physics understanding and model validation, to drive scenario development by integrating high performance core and boundary plasmas. Substantial increases in off-axis current drive efficiency from an innovative top launch system for EC power, and in pressure broadening for Alfven eigenmode control from a co-/counter-I p steerable off-axis neutral beam, all improve the prospects for optimization of future long pulse/steady state high performance tokamak operation. Fundamental studies into the modes that drive the evolution of the pedestal pressure profile and electron vs ion heat flux validate predictive models of pedestal recovery after ELMs. Understanding the physics mechanisms of ELM control and density pumpout by 3D magnetic perturbation fields leads to confident predictions for ITER and future devices. Validated modeling of high-Z shattered pellet injection for disruption mitigation, runaway electron dissipation, and techniques for disruption prediction and avoidance including machine learning, give confidence in handling disruptivity for future devices. For the non-nuclear phase of ITER, two actuators are identified to lower the L–H threshold power in hydrogen plasmas. With this physics understanding and suite of capabilities, a high poloidal beta optimized-core scenario with an internal transport barrier that projects nearly to Q = 10 in ITER at ∼8 MA was coupled to a detached divertor, and a near super H-mode optimized-pedestal scenario with co-I p beam injection was coupled to a radiative divertor. The hybrid core scenario was achieved directly, without the need for anomalous current diffusion, using off-axis current drive actuators. Also, a controller to assess proximity to stability limits and regulate β N in the ITER baseline scenario, based on plasma response to probing 3D fields, was demonstrated. Finally, innovative tokamak operation using a negative triangularity shape showed many attractive features for future pilot plant operation.