P.-Y. Li D. R. Hatch B. Chapman-Oplopoiou S. Saarelma C. M. Roach M. Kotschenreuther S. M. Mahajan the MAST Team
The results of a recent gyrokinetic analysis of turbulent transport driven by the electron temperature gradient (ETG) in the MAST pedestal are presented. During the inter-ELM period, the buildup rate of the electron density gradients is faster than that of the electron temperature gradients, possibly indicating the presence of an active electron th…
PreprintD. Kennedy M. Giacomin B. S. Patel W. A. Hornsby D. Dickinson C. M. Roach
We present herein the results of a linear gyrokinetic analysis of electromagnetic microinstabilites in the conceptual high−β, reactor-scale, tight-aspect-ratio tokamak STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production, https://step.ukaea.uk). We examine a range of flux surfaces between the deep core and the pedestal top for the two candidate flat…
Preprint PublishedM. Giacomin D. Kennedy C. J. Ajay D. Dickinson B. S. Patel C. M. Roach
In this work, we present the results of first-of-their-kind nonlinear local gyrokinetic simulations of electromagnetic turbulence at mid-radius in the burning plasma phase of the conceptual high-β, reactor-scale, tight-aspect-ratio tokamak STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production). A prior linear analysis in D.Kennedy et al. submitted to Nucl…
PreprintM. Giacomin D. Dickinson D. Kennedy B. Patel C. M. Roach
Linear and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations are performed in experimentally relevant scenarios built from a MAST case where a microtearing mode instability dominates at ion Larmor radius scale. This collisional microtearing mode instability appears only when a vel…
Preprint PublishedDaniel Kennedy Bhavin S Patel Colin M Roach
Microinstabilities often result in turbulence that influences energy confinement in tokamak discharges. One such microinstability, of particular importance to the design of next-generation spherical tokamaks (STs) such as STEP [1], is the microtearing mode (MTM), a tearing-parity mode centred on high-order rational surfaces. MTMs are short-wavel…
PreprintFrancesco Palermo G. D. Conway E. Poli C. M. Roach
Geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) represent the oscillating counterpart of the zonal flow and can affect transport with their interaction on turbulence eddies. GAMs have been observed in many experiments and modelled under different conditions, but because of their variety of characteristics, we do not yet have a complete picture of their dynamics.…
PreprintS.M. Kaye J.W. Connor C.M. Roach
In this paper, we review the confinement and transport properties observed and predicted in low aspect ratio tokamaks, or spherical tokamaks (STs), which can depart significantly from those observed at higher aspect ratio. In particular, thermal energy confinement scalings show a strong, near linear dependence of energy confinement time on toroidal…
Preprint PublishedH. G. Dudding F. J. Casson D. Dickinson B. Patel C. M. Roach E. A. Belli G. M. Staebler
A new quasilinear saturation model SAT3 has been developed for the purpose of calculating radial turbulent fluxes in the core of tokamak plasmas. The new model is shown to be able to better recreate the isotope mass dependence of nonlinear gyrokinetic fluxes compared to contemporary quasilinear models, including SAT2 [1], whilst performing at least…
Preprint PublishedB.S. Patel D. Dickinson C.M. Roach H.R. Wilson
Spherical tokamaks (STs) have been shown to possess properties desirable for a fusion power plant such as achieving high plasma β and having increased vertical stability. To understand their confinement properties in a reactor relevant regime a 1GW fusion power spherical tokamak plasma equilibrium was analysed using linear gyrokinetics to deter…
Preprint Published