Greifswald 2024 – scientific programme

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P: Fachverband Plasmaphysik

P 25: Poster III

P 25.3: Poster

Thursday, February 29, 2024, 16:30–18:30, ELP 6: Foyer

Adding fluid neutrals to the gyrokinetic turbulence code GENE-X — •Sabine Ogier-Collin, Philipp Ulbl, Wladimir Zholobenko, and Frank Jenko — Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physiscs, Garching bei München, Germany.

Key objectives in the design of future magnetic confinement fusion reactors are the management of heat and particle exhaust to the wall, as well as optimal core confinement. Understanding the turbulent transport at the boundaries of the confined region, i.e. the plasma edge and the scrape-off layer (SOL), is critical in assessing these objectives. In addition to the main plasma, several ionic impurity species along with molecules and neutral atoms (neutrals) are present, especially in the SOL, and interact with the plasma through a complex set of collision processes. This has several non-negligible effects on the plasma parameters and confinement, e.g. changes in the radial plasma profiles and particle transport across the last closed flux surface.

GENE-X is a gyrokinetic code dedicated to the study of the edge and SOL turbulence in realistic geometries. To improve its predictive capabilities, a neutrals model and the plasma-neutrals interactions are added. The neutrals are evolved using a pressure-diffusion equation and interact with the gyrokinetic plasma through ionisation, recombination and charge exchange channels. The evolution of neutrals has been implemented using a 4th order central finite difference scheme. In a verification study, the order of accuracy has been recovered in multiple geometries including slab, circular and s-alpha. This allows for first test simulations in realistic geometries.

Keywords: Magnetic Confinement Fusion; Turbulence; Edge and SOL; Neutrals; Computational physics