Fully-kinetic Ion Simulation of Global Electrostatic Turbulent Transport in C-2U

POSTER

Abstract

Understanding the nature of particle and energy transport in field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasmas is a crucial step towards an FRC-based fusion reactor. The C-2U device at Tri Alpha Energy (TAE) achieved macroscopically stable plasmas and electron energy confinement time which scaled favorably with electron temperature$^{\mathrm{[1]}}$. This success led to experimental and theoretical investigation of turbulence in C-2U$^{\mathrm{[2],[3],[4],[5]}}$, including gyrokinetic ion simulations with the Gyrokinetic Toroidal Code (GTC). A primary objective of TAE's new C-2W device is to explore transport scaling in an extended parameter regime. In concert with the C-2W experimental campaign, numerical efforts have also been extended in A New Code (ANC) to use fully-kinetic (FK) ions and a Vlasov-Poisson field solver. Global FK ion simulations are presented. Future code development is also discussed. $^{\mathrm{[1]}}$ M. Binderbauer et al, Phys. Plasmas 22, 056110 (2015). $^{\mathrm{[2]}}$ L. Schmitz et al, Nat. Commun. 7, 13860 (2016). $^{\mathrm{[3]}}$ D. P. Fulton et al, Phys. Plasmas 23, 012509 (2016). $^{\mathrm{[4]}}$ D. P. Fulton et al, Phys. Plasmas 23, 056111 (2016). $^{\mathrm{[5]\thinspace }}$C. K. Lau et al, Phys. Plasmas, \textit{accepted for publication} (2017).

Authors

  • Daniel Fulton

    • Tri Alpha Energy
    • Tri Alpha Energy, Inc.

  • Calvin Lau

    • University of California, Irvine
    • Univ of California - Irvine
    • UCI

  • Jian Bao

    • Univ of California - Irvine
    • University of California, Irvine

  • Zhihong Lin

    • University of California, Irvine
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA
    • Univ of California - Irvine
    • University of California, Irvine,
    • University of Califronia at Irvine
    • UCI

  • Toshihiko Tajima

    • Tri Alpha Energy
    • Tri Alpha Energy, Inc.