Axisymmetric simulations of vertical displacement events in tokamaks: A benchmark of M3D-C${}^1$, NIMROD and JOREK

Abstract

A benchmark exercise for the modeling of vertical displacement events (VDEs) is presented and applied to the 3D nonlinear magneto-hydrodynamic codes M3D-C${}^1$, JOREK and NIMROD. The simulations are based on a vertically unstable NSTX equilibrium enclosed by an axisymmetric resistive wall with rectangular cross section. A linear dependence of the linear VDE growth rates on the resistivity of the wall is recovered for sufficiently large wall conductivity and small temperatures in the open field line region. The benchmark results show good agreement between the VDE growth rates obtained from linear NIMROD and M3D-C${}^1$ simulations as well as from the linear phase of axisymmetric nonlinear JOREK, NIMROD and M3D-C${}^1$ simulations. Axisymmetric nonlinear simulations of a full VDE performed with the three codes are compared and excellent agreement is found regarding plasma location and plasma currents as well as eddy and halo currents in the wall.

arXiv commentThe following article will be submitted to Physics of Plasmas

References in corpus (2)

• Coupling JOREK and STARWALL for Non-linear Resistive-wall Simulations
• Linear MHD stability studies with the STARWALL code

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• 3D simulations of vertical displacement events in tokamaks: A benchmark of M3D-C${}^1$, NIMROD and JOREK
• Understanding the reduction of the edge safety factor during hot VDEs and fast edge cooling events
• Simulations of COMPASS Vertical Displacement Events with a self-consistent model for halo currents including neutrals and sheath boundary conditions
• ITER cold VDEs in the limit of a perfectly conducting first wall