Analytic model for neutral penetration and plasma fueling

TL;DR

This paper develops and tests an analytic model for neutral atom behavior near plasma walls, incorporating effects like charge exchange and plasma gradients, validated against detailed simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a simplified, closed-form analytic model for neutral penetration and fueling, extending previous models to include charge exchange and strong plasma gradients.

Findings

Charge exchange can be approximated as a loss without significant accuracy loss.

The model accurately predicts neutral density profiles near plasma walls.

Assumptions can be tailored to specific divertor and separatrix conditions.

Abstract

Neutral atoms recycled from wall interaction interact with confined plasma, thereby refueling it, most strongly in the region closest to the wall. This occurs near the X-point in diverted configurations, or else near the wall itself in limited configurations. A progression of analytic models are developed for neutral density in the vicinity of a planar or linear source in an ionizing domain. First-principles neutral transport simulations with DEGAS2 are used throughout to test the validity and limits of the model when using equivalent sources. The model is further generalized for strong plasma gradients or the inclusion of charge exchange. An important part of the problem of neutral fueling from recycling is thereby isolated and solved with a closed-form analytic model. A key finding is that charge exchange with the confined plasma can be significantly simplified with a reasonable sacrifice of accuracy by treating it as a loss. The several assumptions inherent to the model (and the simulations to which it is compared) can be adapted according to the particular behavior of neutrals in the divertor and the manner in which they cross the separatrix.