H. Lütjens

Curvature effects on the dynamics of tearing modes in tokamaks

The curvature effects on the dynamics of magnetic island evolution in tokamaks are investigated both theoretically and numerically. By taking into account perpendicular and parallel heat diffusion, a new dispersion relation is derived for tearing modes that match the linear and nonlinear results. This evolution equation allows a quantitative description over the whole range of island sizes. It predicts a nonlinear instability, i.e., growing magnetic islands in linearly stable magnetic configurations. All these predictions are in excellent agreement with full tridimensional linear and nonlinear magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) computations with the latest version of XTOR [K. Lerbinger and J. F. Luciani, J. Comput. Phys. 97, 444 (1991)]. These results have important consequences on the onset of neoclassical tearing modes because they predict a resistive MHD threshold.

XTOR-2F: A fully implicit Newton-Krylov solver applied to nonlinear 3D extended MHD in tokamaks

XTOR-2F solves a set of extended magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations in toroidal tokamak geometry. In the original XTOR code, the time stepping is handled by a semi-implicit method [1-3]. Moderate changes were necessary to transform it into a fully implicit one using the NITSOL library with Newton-Krylov methods of solution for nonlinear system of equations [4]. After addressing the sensitive issue of preconditioning and time step tuning, the performances of the semi-implicit and the implicit methods are compared for the nonlinear simulation of an internal kink mode test case within the framework of resistive MHD including anisotropic thermal transport. A convergence study comparing the semi-implicit and the implicit schemes is presented. Our main conclusion is that on one hand the Newton-Krylov implicit method, when applied to basic one fluid MHD is more computationally costly than the semi-implicit one by a factor 3 for a given numerical accuracy. But on the other hand, the implicit method allows to address challenging issues beyond MHD. By testing the Newton-Krylov method with diamagnetic modifications on the dynamics of the internal kink, some numerical issues, to be addressed further, are emphasized.

Diamagnetic thresholds for sawtooth cycling in tokamak plasmas

The cycling dynamics of the internal kink mode, which drives sawtooth oscillations in tokamak plasmas, is studied using the three dimensional, non-linear magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code XTOR-2F [H. Lutjens and J.-F. Luciani, J. Comput. Phys. 229, 8130 (2010)]. It is found that sawtooth cycling, which is characterized by quiescent ramps and fast crashes in the experiment, can be recovered in two-fluid MHD provided that a criterion of diamagnetic stabilization is fulfilled. The simulation results indicate that diamagnetic effects alone may be sufficient to drive sawteeth with complete magnetic reconnection in high temperature Ohmic plasmas.

The XTOR code for nonlinear 3D simulations of MHD instabilities in tokamak plasmas

The latest version of the XTOR code which solves a set of the extended magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations in toroidal geometry is presented. The numerical method is discussed with particular emphasis on critical issues leading to numerical stability and robustness. This includes the time advance algorithm, the choice of variables and the boundary conditions. The physics in the model includes resistive MHD, anisotropic thermal diffusion and some neoclassical effects. The time advance method used in XTOR is unconditionally stable for linear MHD. First, both the ideal and the resistive MHD parts of the equations are advanced semi-implicitly and then the thermal transport part full-implicitly, using sub-stepping [H. Lutjens, Comp. Phys. Commun. 164 (2004) 301]. The time steps are only weakly limited by the departure of the nonlinear MHD dynamics from the linear one and are automatically defined by a set of nonlinear stability criteria. The robustness of the method is illustrated by some numerically difficult simulations, i.e. sawtooth simulations, the nonlinear destabilization of ballooning instabilities by an internal kink, and the dynamics of a neoclassical tearing mode in International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) [R. Aymar, V.A. Chuyanov, M. Huguet, et al., Nucl. Fusion 41 (2001) 1301] like geometry about its nonlinear stability threshold.

Linear and nonlinear thresholds of neoclassical tearing modes in tokamaks

The understanding of the physics of neoclassical tearing modes (NTM) is important for the dimensioning of current drive systems used to stabilize these modes in International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) plasmas [R. Aymar et al., Nucl. Fusion 41, 1301 (2001)]. Predictions by theoretical models for the dynamics of NTM’s are compared with full scale numerical magnetohydrodynamical simulations including bootstrap current and transport effects. It is shown that curvature currents are sufficient to generate a nonlinear stability threshold for NTM’s. Furthermore, it is emphasized that at large resistivity NTM’s behave as an ordinary linear instability, which suppresses this nonlinear stability threshold.

Oscillation regimes of the internal kink mode in tokamak plasmas

The long-term dynamics of the internal kink mode are studied using the non-linear, two-fluid magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) code XTOR-2F (Lutjens et al 2010 J. Comput. Phys. 229 8130). The dynamics of the internal kink are studied in resistive MHD plus transport, and, in addition, also including some two-fluid effects. The simulation results yield a pattern of kink cycles or stationary states with m/n = 1/1 helicity. The threshold for sustained (non-decaying) kink cycles, which characterize sawtooth oscillations, is shown to depend on the plasma pressure, the current and energy diffusion times, and the ion and electron diamagnetic drifts. In particular, the diamagnetic flow stabilization extends the cyclic kink regime into a parameter space that is adequate to carry out studies of sawtooth oscillations in ohmic tokamak discharges.

Non-linear magnetohydrodynamic simulations of density evolution in Tore Supra sawtoothing plasmas

The plasma density evolution in sawtooth regime on the Tore Supra tokamak is analyzed. The density is measured using fast-sweeping X-mode reflectometry which allows tomographic reconstructions. There is evidence that density is governed by the perpendicular electric flows, while temperature evolution is dominated by parallel diffusion. Postcursor oscillations sometimes lead to the formation of a density plateau, which is explained in terms of convection cells associated with the kink mode. A crescent-shaped density structure located inside q = 1 is often visible just after the crash and indicates that some part of the density withstands the crash. 3D full MHD nonlinear simulations with the code XTOR-2F recover this structure and show that it arises from the perpendicular flows emerging from the reconnection layer. The proportion of density reinjected inside the q = 1 surface is determined, and the implications in terms of helium ash transport are discussed.

Nonlinear magnetohydrodynamic simulation of Tore Supra hollow current profile discharges

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) activity often undermines the realization of fully noninductive plasma discharges in the Tore Supra tokamak [J. Jacquinot, Nucl. Fusion 45, S118 (2005)], by producing large degradation of electron energy confinement in the plasma core and the bifurcation to a regime with permanent MHD activity. The nonlinear evolution of MHD modes in these hollow current density profile discharges is studied with the full-scale three-dimensional MHD code XTOR [K. Lerbinger and J.-F. Luciani, J. Comput. Phys. 97, 444 (1991)] and compared with experimental features. Large confinement degradation is predicted when q(0) is close to 2. This derives either from the full reconnection of an unstable double-tearing mode, or from the coupling between a single tearing mode and adjacent stable modes in a region with reduced magnetic shear.

Modelling of (2,1) NTM threshold in JET advanced scenarios

The limit to high performances advanced scenario discharges with qmin above unity is generally set by the (2,1) magneto-hydro-dynamic (MHD) mode in JET. We investigate here the possibility that this mode is a (2,1) neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) by computing the critical island width at which such mode would be unstable, using a non-linear MHD code where the relevant bootstrap current physics is accounted for. We show that the triggering of a (2,1) NTM is consistent with a lowering of the critical island width as the plasma current diffuses towards the centre. This is explained partly by the increase in the magnetic shear at the resonant surface, which weakens the curvature stabilization term, as found in the analytical framework of a generalized Rutherford equation. A comparison with experiment is made in the non-linear regime, showing encouraging results on the dynamics of the confinement degradation and mode structure.

Linear stability of the tearing mode with two-fluid and curvature effects in tokamaks

Curvature and diamagnetic effects are both recognized to have a stabilizing influence on tearing modes in the linear regime. In this paper, we investigate the impact of these effects on the linear stability of a (2, 1) magnetic island using non-linear two-fluid MHD simulations and we apply our results to Tore Supra experiments where its stability is not well understood from the single fluid MHD model. Simulations show an initial increase of the linear growth rate and then its reduction until full stability as diamagnetic frequency increases. This mechanism is therefore a plausible explanation for experimental observations where the (2, 1) mode was not observed although the single fluid model predicted its growth. Our simulations also show the importance of curvature for an efficient stabilization. A simple analytical model is derived to support the numerical results.