The role of ETG modes in JET–ILW pedestals with varying levels of power and fuelling

Journal Article · Wed Jun 22 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Nuclear Fusion

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/ac7476· OSTI ID:1873212

Chapman-Oplopoiou, B. ; Hatch, D. R. ; Field, A. R. ; Frassinetti, L. ; Hillesheim, J. C.; Horvath, L. ; Maggi, C. F. ; Parisi, J. F. ; Roach, C. M. ; Saarelma, S. ; Walker, J.

Abstract We present the results of GENE gyrokinetic calculations based on a series of JET–ITER-like-wall (ILW) type I ELMy H-mode discharges operating with similar experimental inputs but at different levels of power and gas fuelling. We show that turbulence due to electron-temperature-gradient (ETGs) modes produces a significant amount of heat flux in four JET–ILW discharges, and, when combined with neoclassical simulations, is able to reproduce the experimental heat flux for the two low gas pulses. The simulations plausibly reproduce the high-gas heat fluxes as well, although power balance analysis is complicated by short ELM cycles. By independently varying the normalised temperature gradients $\left({\omega }_{T_{\text{e}}}\right)$ and normalised density gradients $\left({\omega }_{n_{\text{e}}}\right)$ around their experimental values, we demonstrate that it is the ratio of these two quantities ${\eta }_{\text{e}}={\omega }_{T_{\text{e}}}/{\omega }_{n_{\text{e}}}$ that determines the location of the peak in the ETG growth rate and heat flux spectra. The heat flux increases rapidly as η _e increases above the experimental point, suggesting that ETGs limit the temperature gradient in these pulses. When quantities are normalised using the minor radius, only increases in ${\omega }_{T_{\text{e}}}$ produce appreciable increases in the ETG growth rates, as well as the largest increases in turbulent heat flux which follow scalings similar to that of critical balance theory. However, when the heat flux is normalised to the electron gyro-Bohm heat flux using the temperature gradient scale length $L_{T_{\text{e}}}$ , it follows a linear trend in correspondence with previous work by different authors.

• Research Organization: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR). Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC); European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)
• Contributing Organization: JET Contributors
• Grant/Contract Number: FG02-04ER54742; SC0018429; 633053; EP/T012250/1
• OSTI ID: 1873212
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1870545; OSTI ID: 1887994
• Journal Information: Nuclear Fusion, Journal Name: Nuclear Fusion Vol. 62 Journal Issue: 8; ISSN 0029-5515
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• Country of Publication: IAEA
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
tokamak
pedestal
gyrokinetics
turbulence
ETG
JET
ITER