Drifts, currents, and power scrape-off width in SOLPS-ITER modeling of DIII-D

The effects of drifts and associated flows and currents on the width of the parallel heat flux channel (lambda(q)) in the tokamak scrape-offlayer (SOL) are analyzed using the SOLPS-ITER 2D fluid transport code. Motivation is supplied by Goldston\u27s heuristic drift (HD) model for lambda(q), which yields the same approximately inverse poloidal magnetic field dependence seen in multi-machine regression. The analysis, focusing on a DIII-D H-mode discharge, reveals HD-like features, including comparable density and temperature fall-off lengths in the SOL, and up-down ion pressure asymmetry that allows net cross-separatrix ion magnetic drift flux to exceed net anomalous ion flux. In experimentally relevant high-recycling cases, scans of both toroidal and poloidal magnetic field (B-tor and B-pol) are conducted, showing minimal lambda(q) dependence on either component of the field. Insensitivity to B-tor is expected, and suggests that SOLPS-ITER is effectively capturing some aspects of HD physics. Absence of lambda(q) dependence on B-pol, however, is inconsistent with both the HD model and experimental results. The inconsistency is attributed to strong variation in the parallel Mach number, which violates one of the premises of the HD model. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Analysis of drift effects on the tokamak power scrape-off width using SOLPS-ITER

SOLPS-ITER, a comprehensive 2D scrape-off layer modeling package, is used to examine the physical mechanisms that set the scrape-off width (lambda(q)) for inter-ELM power exhaust. Guided by Goldston\u27s heuristic drift (HD) model, which shows remarkable quantitative agreement with experimental data, this research examines drift effects on lambda(q) in a DIII-D H-mode magnetic equilibrium. As a numerical expedient, a low target recycling coefficient of 0.9 is used in the simulations, resulting in outer target plasma that is sheath limited instead of conduction limited as in the experiment. Scrape-off layer (SOL) particle diffusivity (D-SOL) is scanned from 1 to 0.1 m(2) s(-1). Across this diffusivity range, outer divertor heat flux is dominated by a narrow (similar to 3-4 mm when mapped to the outer midplane) electron convection channel associated with thermoelectric current through the SOL from outer to inner divertor. An order-unity up-down ion pressure asymmetry allows net ion drift flux across the separatrix, facilitated by an artificial mechanism that mimics the anomalous electron transport required for overall ambipolarity in the HD model. At D-SOL = 0.1 m(2) s(-1), the density fall-off length is similar to the electron temperature fall-off length, as predicted by the HD model and as seen experimentally. This research represents a step toward a deeper understanding of the power scrape-off width, and serves as a basis for extending fluid modeling to more experimentally relevant, high-collisionality regimes