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Title: Simulation of injector dynamics during steady inductive helicity injection current drive in the HIT-SI experiment

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4917476· OSTI ID:22408314
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [2]
  1. PSI-Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States)
  2. HIT-SI Group, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States)
  3. Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)

We present simulations of inductive helicity injection in the Helicity Injected Torus with Steady Inductive helicity injection (HIT-SI) device that treats the entire plasma volume in a single dynamic MHD model. A new fully 3D numerical tool, the PSI-center TETrahedral mesh code, was developed that provides the geometric flexibility required for this investigation. Implementation of a zero-β Hall MHD model using PSI-TET will be presented including formulation of a new self-consistent magnetic boundary condition for the wall of the HIT-SI device. Results from simulations of HIT-SI are presented focusing on injector dynamics that are investigated numerically for the first time. Asymmetries in the plasma loading between the two helicity injectors and progression of field reversal in each injector are observed. Analysis indicates cross-coupling between injectors through confinement volume structures. Injector impedance is found to scale with toroidal current at fixed density, consistent with experimental observation. Comparison to experimental data with an injector drive frequency of 14.5 kHz shows good agreement with magnetic diagnostics. Global mode structures from Bi-Orthogonal decomposition agree well with experimental data for the first four modes.

OSTI ID:
22408314
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 22, Issue 4; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (3)

Validation of extended magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the HIT-SI3 experiment using the NIMROD code journal December 2017
Magnetothermodynamics: An experimental study of the equations of state applicable to a magnetized plasma journal May 2019
Formation of closed flux surfaces in spheromaks sustained by steady inductive helicity injection journal May 2019