Progress and plans for the Free-Boundary PTRANSP project

We describe progress on a two-year multi-institutional project to develop a Free-Boundary PTRANSP capability. A prototype PTRANSP client-server configuration has now been developed and successfully tested using ITER simulation data.~ In this configuration, TRANSP acts as a server, computing RF, neutral beam and fusion product heating and current drive at the request of the free boundary predictive code client.~ The TRANSP server simultaneously carries out an analysis of the predictive code results, using the same methods as currently employed for tokamak experimental data analysis.~ A standard TRANSP archive output is produced.~ Equilibrium and profiles are communicated using the NTCC XPLASMA module; synchronization is done by ascii signaling files. The longer range vision is for an integrated predictive transport code that is fully coupled to the UEDGE edge transport code and to a number of existing MHD equilibrium and stability codes and transport models.