Impact of the improved parallel kinetic coefficients on the helium and neon transport in SOLPS-ITER for ITER

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new module in SOLPS-ITER that improves helium and neon impurity transport modeling, revealing significant changes in helium behavior and providing insights into ion distribution functions in ITER conditions.

Contribution

The implementation of the Grad's-Zhdanov module in SOLPS-ITER enhances impurity transport simulations, especially for helium, and offers new analysis of ion distribution functions in ITER scrape-off layer conditions.

Findings

30% decrease in helium relative concentration with improved coefficients

Less pronounced changes in neon impurity behavior

First study of ion distribution functions in ITER scrape-off layer

Abstract

New Grad's-Zhdanov module is implemented in the SOLPS-ITER code and applied to ITER impurity transport simulations. Significant difference appears in the helium transport due to improved parallel kinetic coefficients. As a result 30\% decrease of the separatrix-averaged helium relative concentration is observed for the constant helium source and pumping speed. Change of the impurity behaviour is discussed. For the neon changes are less pronounced. For the first time the ion distribution functions are studied in the ITER Scrape-off layer conditions to reveal the origin of the kinetic coefficient improvements and theory limitations.