Neutrals Transport

IN TOKAMAK PLASMAS

Fusion Research Center
 

       

The interaction of neutral atoms with plasma ions and electrons in the edge plasma has been found to have an important effect on density limits, the L-H transition, plasma fueling and other phenomena.  Thus, accurate calculation of the transport of neutral atoms and molecules recycling from the wall or divertor or injected into the plasma chamber is essential in many analyses.  An accurate and computationally efficient “transmission/escape probabilities” (TEP) method, adapted from the interface current balance and escape probabilities methodology of neutron transport theory, has been developed in the Georgia Tech Fusion Research Center as an alternative to the time consuming Monte Carlo methods currently available.  A 2D neutral particle transport code [8] based on the TEP method, GTNEUT, has been developed and benchmarked against experiment and Monte Carlo calculations and is available from NTCC Modules Library.

 

  1. W. M. Stacey and J. Mandrekas, “A Transmission/Escape Probabilities Model for Neutral Particle Transport in the Outer Regions of a Diverted Tokamak”, Nucl. Fusion, 34, 1384 (1994).
  2. W. M. Stacey, “An interface cureent balance formulation of neutral atom transport in plasmas”, Phys. Plasmas, 4, 179 (1997).
  3. W. M. Stacey, “Modelling the neutral density in the edge of the DIII-D plasma”, Nucl. Fusion, 40, 965 (2000).
  4. W. M. Stacey, J. Mandrekas and R. Rubilar, “TEP/ICB Method for Neutral Particle Transport”, Contrib. Plasma Phys., 40, 214 (2000).
  5. W. M. Stacey, J. Mandrekas and R. Rubilar, “Interface Current Integral Transport Methods for the Calculation of Neutral Atom Transport in the Edge Region of Fusion Plasmas”, Fusion Sc.i Technol.,40, 66 (2001).
  6. R. Rubilar, W. M. Stacey, J. Mandrekas, “Comparison of the TEP method for neutral particle transport in the plasma edge with the Monte Carlo method”, Nucl. Fusion, 41, 1003 (2001).
  7. J. Mandrekas, R. J. Colchin, W. M. Stacey, D. Zhang, L.W. Owen, “Neutral transport analysis of recent DIII-D neutral density measurements”, Nucl. Fusion, 43, 314 (2003).
  8. J. Mandrekas, “The GTNEUT Neutral Particle Transport Code”, Computer Phys. Commun., 161, 36 (2004).
  9. D. Zhang, J. Mandrekas, W. M. Stacey, “Extensions of the TEP neutral transport methodology”, Contrib. Plasma Phys., 44, 45 (2004).
  10. D-K. Zhang, J. Mandrekas and W. M. Stacey, “ Higher order approximations of the transmission and escape probability (TEP) method for neutral particle transport in edge plasmas”, Phys. Plasmas, 13, 062509 (2006).