Ideal magnetohydrodynamic simulations of unmagnetized dense plasma jet injection into a hot strongly magnetized plasma

TL;DR

This study uses 3D ideal magnetohydrodynamic simulations to explore how unmagnetized dense plasma jets penetrate and deposit mass into strongly magnetized plasmas, relevant for tokamak core fueling and ELM control.

Contribution

It provides new insights into plasma jet penetration mechanisms, emphasizing the role of magnetic reconnection and jet kinetic energy in mass deposition.

Findings

Penetration depth depends on initial kinetic energy.

Magnetic reconnection facilitates mass deposition.

Jet slowing-down time is critical for localized deposition.

Abstract

We present results from three-dimensional ideal magnetohydrodynamic simulations of unmagnetized dense plasma jet injection into a uniform hot strongly magnetized plasma, with the aim of providing insight into core fueling of a tokamak with parameters relevant for ITER and NSTX (National Spherical Torus Experiment). Unmagnetized dense plasma jet injection is similar to compact toroid injection but with much higher plasma density and total mass, and consequently lower required injection velocity. Mass deposition of the jet into the background appears to be facilitated via magnetic reconnection along the jet's trailing edge. The penetration depth of the plasma jet into the background plasma is mostly dependent on the jet's initial kinetic energy, and a key requirement for spatially localized mass deposition is for the jet's slowing-down time to be less than the time for the perturbed background magnetic flux to relax due to magnetic reconnection. This work suggests that more accurate treatment of reconnection is needed to fully model this problem. Parameters for unmagnetized dense plasma jet injection are identified for localized core deposition as well as edge localized mode (ELM) pacing applications in ITER and NSTX-relevant regimes.