Large moment simulations of plasma dynamics with exact conservation

POSTER

Abstract

Understanding edge turbulent phenomena in tokamaks requires global, transport-timescale simulations with sub-millimeter resolution, which must handle large amplitude fluctuations, large gradients, and strong non-linearity. ALMA (Accelerated, Large-Moment, Anti-symmetric) is being developed to address such scenarios using high-order fluid hierarchies based on Gaussian Radial Basis Functions. We employ the anti-symmetry formalism, which results in exact conservation of mass, momentum, and energy independently of the chosen numerical scheme, preserving the Hamiltonian structure of fluid models. First simulations of drift-ordered high-order fluid hierarchies will be demonstrated. Benchmark simulations are also presented, including flow instabilities in neutral fluids, the Tang-Orszag vortex problem in MHD, and plasma filament motion in two fluid plasma models.

*The development of ALMA is supported by General Atomics’ internal research & development funding. Physics applications based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, Theory Program, under Award no. DE-FG02-95ER54309

Authors

  • Federico Halpern

    • General Atomics
  • Ronald Waltz

    • General Atomics
  • Mark Kostuk

    • General Atomics
  • Ryan Stefan

    • General Atomics