Three-dimensional fluid simulations of the nonlinear drift-resistive ballooning modes in tokamak edge plasmas

Journal Article · Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993 · Physics of Fluids B; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.860842· OSTI ID:6273368

Guzdar, P N; Drake, J F; McCarthy, D; Hassam, A B; Liu, C S ^[1]

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1. Laboratory for Plasma Research, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-3511 (United States)

A three-dimensional study of the turbulence and sheared flow generated by the drift-resistive ballooning modes in tokamak edge plasmas has been completed. The fluid simulations show that 10%--15% percent density fluctuations can develop in the nonlinear state when the self-consistently generated shear flow is suppressed. These modes are also found to give rise to poloidally asymmetric particle transport. Characteristic scale lengths of these fluctuations are isotropic in the plane transverse to [bold B] and smaller than the connection length along the field line. Sheared poloidal flow is self-consistently driven by both the Reynolds stress and the Stringer mechanisms. In the presence of self-consistent shear flow, the transverse spectrum is no longer isotropic transverse to [bold B]. The vortices become elongated in the poloidal direction. Also, there is a substantial reduction in both the level of fluctuations of the density and potential and the associated particle transport. These features are in qualitative agreement with L--H transitions observed in tokamaks.

• OSTI ID: 6273368
• Journal Information: Physics of Fluids B; (United States), Vol. 5:10; ISSN 0899-8221
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
TOKAMAK DEVICES
BALLOONING INSTABILITY
FLUCTUATIONS
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PLASMA DRIFT
PLASMA SIMULATION
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
TRANSPORT
TURBULENCE
VORTICES
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
FLUID MECHANICS
HYDRODYNAMICS
INSTABILITY
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