Preliminary Exam |
Events on Wednesday, June 19th, 2024
- Computational Magnetohydrodynamics for Stellarators
- Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
- Place: 5280 Chamberlin Hall;
- Speaker: Sanket Patil, Physics PhD Graduate Student
- Abstract: Stellarators, a type of magnetic confinement fusion device, may be able to sustain steady-state plasmas due to their favorable macro-stability properties. Positive results from optimized stellarator experiments and recent success in stellarator optimization have rejuvenated the interest in the concept. However, the feasibility of optimized plasma configurations is contingent on quiescent behavior on macro scales and may be assessed using computational nonlinear magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). Therefore, the NIMSTELL code has been developed to address the need to model non-ideal MHD in stellarators. In this talk, the progress made on the application of NIMSTELL to stellarators will be presented, including: (1) An interface with the DESC code to obtain 3D ideal MHD equilibria as initial conditions; (2) Preconditioner improvements for efficient stellarator calculations; and (3) Results from benchmarking and troubleshooting. Additionally, future steps towards completing experimentally relevant calculations and understanding the underlying physics will be discussed.
- Host: Chris C. Hegna, Carl R. Sovinec