29 June 2026 to 3 July 2026
EICC, Edinburgh
Europe/London timezone

Vlasov kinetic modeling and studies of plasma transport during ELM in Tokamak

Not scheduled
20m
EICC, Edinburgh

EICC, Edinburgh

150 Morrison St, Edinburgh EH3 8EE
Poster Presentation SOL, Divertor and PWI (MCF)

Description

We present Vlasov kinetic simulations of ELM plasma transport from the mid-plane to divertor targets using KOBRA, a code employing adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) and an asymptotic-preserving (AP) scheme for the modified Poisson equation. Two characteristic scales governing numerical stability and computational efficiency are quantitatively analyzed: the Debye sheath length $l_\mathrm{sheath}$ and the timescale $\tau_\mathrm{quasi}$ for ELM plasma to enter the quasi-neutral state. By selectively disabling the electric field solver at different times, we find that after the ELM filament reaches the divertor targets at approximately $7\tau_e$, the self-consistent electric field exerts only a weak influence on ion transport. Ions effectively enter a free-streaming regime by $\sim 10\tau_e$, enabling significant reduction in computational cost by turning off the field solver beyond this point without meaningful loss of accuracy in ion flux predictions. Grid resolution studies at $2\lambda_D$ and $4\lambda_D$ reveal that the sheath length is approximately $2\lambda_D$--$3\lambda_D$, consistent with a classical Debye sheath. Insufficient resolution at $4\lambda_D$ introduces spurious electric field oscillations that propagate into the quasi-neutral region. These results provide quantitative guidance for resolving the sheath and optimizing solver strategies in kinetic ELM simulations.

Author

Ce Wang (Ghent University)

Co-author

Prof. Sven Van Loo (Ghent University)

Presentation materials