The JOREK non-linear extended MHD code and applications to large-scale instabilities and their control in magnetically confined fusion plasmas

Abstract

JOREK is a massively parallel fully implicit non-linear extended MHD code for realistic tokamak X-point plasmas. It has become a widely used versatile code for studying large-scale plasma instabilities and their control developed in an international community. This article gives a comprehensive overview of the physics models implemented, numerical methods applied for solving the equations and physics studies performed with the code. A dedicated section highlights some of the verification work done for the code. A hierarchy of different physics models is available including a free boundary and resistive wall extension and hybrid kinetic-fluid models. The code allows for flux-surface aligned iso-parametric finite element grids in single and double X-point plasmas which can be extended to the true physical walls and uses a robust fully implicit time stepping. Particular focus is laid on plasma edge and scrape-off layer (SOL) physics as well as disruption related phenomena. Among the key results obtained with JOREK regarding plasma edge and SOL, are deep insights into the dynamics of edge localized modes (ELMs), ELM cycles, and ELM control by resonant magnetic perturbations, pellet injection, as well as by vertical magnetic kicks. Also ELM free regimes, detachment physics, the generation and transport of impurities during an ELM, and electrostatic turbulence in the pedestal region are investigated. Regarding disruptions, the focus is on the dynamics of the thermal quench and current quench triggered by massive gas injection (MGI) and shattered pellet injection (SPI), runaway electron (RE) dynamics as well as the RE interaction with MHD modes, and vertical displacement events (VDEs). Also the seeding and suppression of tearing modes (TMs), the dynamics of naturally occurring thermal quenches triggered by locked modes, and radiative collapses are being studied.

Comprehensive review published as special topic article in Nuclear Fusion

References in corpus (14)

• PT-Scotch: A tool for efficient parallel graph ordering
• Coupling JOREK and STARWALL for Non-linear Resistive-wall Simulations
• Hamiltonian Formalism of Extended Magnetohydrodynamics
• Simulating the nonlinear interaction of relativistic electrons and tokamak plasma instabilities: Implementation and validation of a fluid model
• Non-linear modeling of the threshold between ELM mitigation and ELM suppression by Resonant Magnetic Perturbations in ASDEX Upgrade
• First predictive simulations for deuterium shattered pellet injection in ASDEX Upgrade
• Cross-code gyrokinetic verification and benchmark on the linear collisionless dynamics of the geodesic acoustic mode
• Solitary magnetic perturbations at the ELM onset
• MHD modeling of a DIII-D low-torque QH-mode discharge and comparison to observations
• Non-linear Simulations of MHD Instabilities in Tokamaks Including Eddy Current Effects and Perspectives for the Extension to Halo Currents
• ITER cold VDEs in the limit of a perfectly conducting first wall
• Early evolution of electron cyclotron driven current during suppression of tearing modes in a circular tokamak
• Closure of the single fluid magnetohydrodynamic equations in presence of electron cyclotron current drive
• Numerical study of tearing mode seeding in tokamak X-point plasma

Cited by in corpus (1)

• First predictive simulations for deuterium shattered pellet injection in ASDEX Upgrade