High order compact nite dierence scheme for simulating interchange turbulence in the SOL

William Agnelo Gracias Universit e de Lorraine

Supervisor: F. Schwander M2P2 - Centre National de la Recherche Scientique

18th September 2013 Bordeaux

W. A. Gracias

Master Thesis Work

Outline

1. Motivations 2. Framework of study 3. Interchange instability 4. Transport model 5. Numerical model 6. Some results 7. Conclusions

W. A. Gracias

Master Thesis Work

Motivation
...simply, why bother at all?

1. The global energy crisis Nuclear fusion 2. Critical: connement turbulence 3. Particularly SOL turbulence wall uxes target erosion 4. SOL width information is very important for quantifying power ows, target designs, etc. - ITER & Next-step devices (DEMO) This master thesis attempts to: theoretically understand the interchange turbulence convert a FD code to Compact FD code to model interchange turbulence stabilise the code for desired physical parameters compare the results of the code with those of other existing codes improve numeric scheme where possible and make code ecient
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The framework of this study

Assumptions and simplications 2D SOL turbulence study by - S. Benkadda et al, Contrib. Plasma Phys. 34 (1994), and Y. Sarazin et al, Journal of Nuclear Materials 313-316 (2003) We consider a simplied slab geometry for the SOL The destabilising drive in the system will be a particle ux source Fluid model - i.e. all plasma species are assumed to be in TD eqlbm (Maxwellian distribution) Drift velocity ordering assumed vE B vdia >> vpol 2D model to describe turbulent transport in the poloidal plane (ute hypothesis) 2 symmetric toroidal limiters considered to bound the SOL at Sheath assumptions: Bohm sheath criterion, cold ions & adiabatic electrons; constant electron temperature Electroneutrality of plasma i.e. ne = ni = n

Image: Yanick Sarazin, Thesis (1997)

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Interchange instability in tokamaks

Thought to be due to electrostatic interchange turbulence produced in the near SOL region

Radial motion due to electric drift (B p charge separation E B drift), damping via parallel losses on open eld lines Local relaxations in the edge pressure prole bursty ejection excess particles and heat into SOL role of gravity (g ) curvature Images: Seidl & Krlin (2009); Yanick Sarazin, Thesis (1997)
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Main equations for SOL interchange

We start with the electron conservation equation: t n + nv = S and the current conservation equation: J=0 (where J = env = ne v + ne v ). After some work.... t n D 2 n + 1 1 [, n] + Je = S B e (1)

w 1 (1 + )Te B B + [, w ] = [ln n , R ] + J t B mi R0 n0 n mi where w =v =

(2)

2 (3) B All the above was done by Benkadda et al (1994) as well as Sarazin et al (2003), and veried by us too.
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Normalisation and simplication

Normalisation used: the spatial dimensions (X radial, and Y poloidal) have been normalised to the dimensions of the simulation box (L = 128 s ) The rest of the normalisation is the same as that of Sarazin et al (2003):
Viscosity & diusion coecients normalised by DBohm = s cs ; vorticity and time by cyclotronic frequency c parallel current density normalised by saturation current Jsat = en0 cs

Make the problem tractable: 3D 2D:

+L

...

FL

1 2L

...dz
L

Figure : Slab geometry - 3D to 2D

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Final set of equations

Putting g = s (1 + )sinc ()/R0 , the normalised set of equations used in the numerical model are: t n w s + t L
2

s L

D 2 n + s L

s L

[, n ] + n e () = S
2

[, w ] =

g s y (ln n ) + 2 L w= s L
2

1 e () 4 + n

2 B

The equations are of the type: dg =F dt and so the variation modelled during dt is dg = F dt In general, value at next time step is gi +1 = gi + dg Ensuring conservation: t n2 = 0, t w 2 = 0 and v =0
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The compact nite dierence (CFD) approach

Essentially, if 1st derivative is f (x ) = f i and 2nd derivative is f (x ) = f i
(2) (1) 2 fi +1 fi 1 (3) x fi O ( x 4 ) 2 x 3!

2 fi +1 2fi + fi 1 (4) 2 x fi O ( x 4 ) 2 x 4!

then, to get the CFD-analogous of 1st derivative, we use 3-point stencil: (1) (1) (1) (2) fi +1 2fi + fi 1 (3) (1) fi = fi + O ( x 4 ) 2 x 2 And similarly fi
(4)

= fi

(2)

(2)

. So implicit CFD estimate of the 1st derivative

(1)

(1) fi 1

+ 4 fi 6
(2)

+ fi +1
(2)

(1)

fi +1 fi 1 + O ( x 4 ) 2 x fi +1 2fi + fi 1 + O ( x 4 ) x 2

fi 1 + 10fi 12

(2)

+ fi +1

CFD: accuracy, exibility, versatility

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Implementing CFD in TOKAM2D - 1

some early results Firstly, normalised the equations implemented by TOKAM2D. Result of that:

Figure : (a)64 mesh points (b) 128 mesh points (c) 256 mesh points

Figure : (a)128 mesh points (b) 256 mesh points (c) 512 mesh points
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Implementing CFD in TOKAM2D - 2

some early results

Single-point density perturbations and PDF shows intermittency reminiscent of blobs

Monitoring of uctuating quantities: temporal evolution of turbulence; nally reaching steady state

W. A. Gracias

Master Thesis Work

Implementing CFD in TOKAM2D - 3

some early results

Energy spectra of uctuating quantities in radial and poloidal directions (resp.) = energy spectrum of turbulence: identifying the dominant mode study energy cascades

Figure : (a) Poloidal direction (b) Radial direction

Remark: non-anisotropy of turbulence in radial and poloidal directions

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Comparing CFD-4 with other codes - 1

... w.r.t. FD-2 and spectral code

Energy evolution (vorticity):

Figure : (LEFT) 256 mesh points (RIGHT) 512 mesh points

Stages of instability development initial stage: CFD-4 version good concurrence with the spectral code; FD-2 version signicant dierence in terms of magnitudes computed; trend of development is however close intermediate stage: CFD-4 higher energy (due to less accuracy of the scheme) but continues to resemble the spectral code w.r.t trend; FD-2 no longer concurrent with spectral trend highly turbulent stage: loss in trend concurrence as higher wave number perturbations are produced
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Comparing CFD-4 with other codes - 2

What about the energy spectrum?

Energy spectrum (poloidal direction)

Figure : (LEFT) 256 mesh points (RIGHT) 512 mesh points

CFD-4 closer concurrence with spectral code (w.r.t.magnitude and trend); not changed much with discretisation deviation for higher wave numbers by both CFD-4 and FD-2 the dominant mode indicated by each version (CFD-4 & FD-2) is shifted by an increase in discretisation

W. A. Gracias

Master Thesis Work

Turbulence cascade
some broad remarks w.r.t 2D turbulence

Energy transfer to higher wave numbers

Figure : (LEFT) 256 mesh points (RIGHT) 512 mesh points

Prima facie, -3 power law of cascade is not so clearly obvious Nonetheless, from dominant mode onward, upto to certain wavenumber, the -3 power law can be tted with some eort For higher discretisation the cascade is not improved greatly. However, for a more inertial regime of parameters where the instability develops slowly (lower diusion and viscosity coes.), this cascade is better observable [next slide]
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Code sensitivity to Diusion, viscosity coecients

some early results

Reducing the diusion and viscosity coecient inertial regime of instability development

Figure : (a) time evolution, (b) spectra

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Master Thesis Work

Instability - linear growth rate

...sensitivity to characteristic density gradient length

Linear growth rate of instability for dierent Ln

2 = || Re () s + ( + D ) k 2 k2 Ln 2
1/2

For numeric value of Ln 104 recovered from code, the maximum mode number was ky = 8 From spectrum, we see that energy is injected into the instability by mode number between ky = 6 9, depending on the regime
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Scope to improve CFD-4

... demonstrated by Fourier analysis of schemes

Fourier analysis of schemes Fourier transform of derivative expression using each respective scheme Modied wave number generated by each scheme versus the true wavenumber CFD v/s Spectral: error should decrease as we go higher in order of the scheme used
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Conclusions

CFD scheme to 4th order truncation implemented in a code formerly based on FD(2nd order) with a temporal 4th order predictor-corrector scheme (RK-4) Advcection terms specially treated - Arakawas scheme (Arakawa, J. Computation Phy., 1966) to avoid numeric instability and doodling due to its excellent conservation properties. Better accuracy of results and turbulence structure details observed Relatively cheap - source software used, except for the PARADISO sparse system solver (& FFTW solver) Code has been modularised to a large extent

W. A. Gracias

Master Thesis Work

Way forward
Increase accuracy of scheme to 6th (O) and compare with spectral code
Note: advection term based on Arakawas scheme will have to be developed for this order Inversion of Laplacian in Poissons equation: 1 w . We had to use 9-point stencil to get w = 2 = = 2 th 4 (O) approximation.

Code optimisation to increase computational eciency of certain calculations and parallelisation Implement code for more complicated geometries
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Thank you for your attention!

W. A. Gracias

Master Thesis Work

bibliography
1. C Hirsh, Numerical Computation of Internal and External Flows: The Fundamentals of Computational Fluid Dynamics (2nd Edition), Butterworth-Heinemann Publications, 2007 2. Joel H. Ferziger and Milovan Peric, Computational Methods for Fluid Dynamics (3rd Edition), Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. K, 2002 3. Sanjiva K. Lele, Compact Finite Dierence Schemes with Spectral-like resolution, Journal of Computational Physics 103, 16-42, 1992 4. W. F. Spotz and G. F. Carey, High-order Compact Finite Dierence Methods, Third International Conference on Spectral and High-order methods, Houston Journal of Mathematics, 1996 5. Yanick Sarazin, Etude de la Turbulence de Bord dans les Plasmas de Tokamaks, Doctoral Thesis, Universit e Joseph Fourier - Grenoble I, 1997 6. Y. Sarazin et al, Theoretical understanding of turbulent transport in the SOL, Journal of Nuclear Materials 313-316 (2003) 796-803, 2003 7. Y. Sarazin et al, Transport due to front propagation in tokamaks, Physics of Plasmas Vol 7 No 4, 2000 8. Xavier Garbet, Introduction to turbulent transport in fusion plasmas, C. R. Physique 7 (2006) 573-583

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Master Thesis Work

Annex 1: Simulation parameters

Simulation box dimension L = 128 s Particle diusivity D /DBohm = 4 103 Vorticity viscosity /DBohm = 4 103 Gravity coecient g = 3 104 Sheath conductivity = s /(2R0 q ) = 2 104 = B /B0 = 1 Normalised magnetic eld B Normalised density eld n = n/n0 = 1

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Master Thesis Work

Annex 2: Arakawas scheme

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Master Thesis Work

Annex 3: CFD vs spectral

Fourier analysis

Fourier analysis of growth rate CFD v/s spectral: error should decrease as we go higher in order

Figure : (a) Analytical (b) CFD-4 (c) FD-2

W. A. Gracias

Master Thesis Work

Annex 4: Runtime for CFD-4 & other codes

CFD-4 is quite competitive for a specic range of discretisation. At higher orders, this range would widen.
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Annex 5: Sensitivity of code to parameters

Figure : Evolution: (a) sigma change, (b) g-term change

Figure : Spectra: (a) sigma change, (b) g-term change

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