arXiv subjects

S. Benkadda

Publications and source records attributed to S. Benkadda.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

Towards enhanced performance in fusion plasmas via turbulence suppression by MeV ions

Megaelectron volt (MeV) alpha particles will be the main source of plasma heating in magnetic confinement fusion reactors. Yet, instead of heating fuel ions, most of the energy of alpha particles is transferred to electrons. Furthermore, alpha particles can also excite Alfvenic instabilities, previously considered as detrimental. Contrary to expectations, we demonstrate efficient ion heating in the presence of MeV ions and strong fast-ion driven Alfvenic instabilities in recent experiments on the Joint European Torus (JET). Detailed transport analysis of these experiments with state-of-the-art modeling tools explains the observations. Here we show a novel type of turbulence suppression and improved energy insulation in plasmas with MeV ions and fully developed Alfvenic activities through a complex multi-scale mechanism that generates large-scale zonal flows. This mechanism holds promise for a more economical operation of fusion reactors with dominant alpha particle heating and, ultimately, cheaper fusion electricity

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2014

Convective radial energy flux due to resonant magnetic perturbations and magnetic curvature at the tokamak plasma edge

With the resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) consolidating as an important tool to control the transport barrier relaxation, the mechanism on how they work is still a subject to be clearly understood. In this work we investigate the equilibrium states in the presence of RMPs for a reduced MHD model using 3D electromagnetic fluid numerical code (EMEDGE3D) with a single harmonic RMP (single magnetic island chain) and multiple harmonics RMPs in cylindrical and toroidal geometry. Two different equilibrium states were found in the presence of the RMPs with different characteristics for each of the geometries used. For the cylindrical geometry in the presence of a single RMP, the equilibrium state is characterized by a strong convective radial thermal flux and the generation of a mean poloidal velocity shear. In contrast, for toroidal geometry the thermal flux is dominated by the magnetic flutter. For multiple RMPs, the high amplitude of the convective flux and poloidal rotation are basically the same in cylindrical geometry, but in toroidal geometry the convective thermal flux and the poloidal rotation appear only with the islands overlapping of the linear coupling between neighbouring poloidal wavenumbers $m$, $m-1$, $m+1$.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2009

Universal Probability Distribution Function for Bursty Transport in Plasma Turbulence

Bursty transport phenomena associated with convective motion present universal statistical characteristics among different physical systems. In this letter, a stochastic univariate model and the associated probability distribution function for the description of bursty transport in plasma turbulence is presented. The proposed stochastic process recovers the universal distribution of density fluctuations observed in plasma edge of several magnetic confinement devices and the remarkable scaling between their skewness $S$ and kurtosis $K$. Similar statistical characteristics of variabilities have been also observed in other physical systems that are characterized by convection such as the X-ray fluctuations emitted by the Cygnus X-1 accretion disc plasmas and the sea surface temperature fluctuations.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2009

Control of Transport-barrier relaxations by Resonant Magnetic Perturbations

Transport-barrier relaxation oscillations in the presence of resonant magnetic perturbations are investigated using three-dimensional global fluid turbulence simulations from first principles at the edge of a tokamak. It is shown that resonant magnetic perturbations have a stabilizing effect on these relaxation oscillations and that this effect is due mainly to a modification of the pressure profile linked to the presence of both residual residual magnetic island chains and a stochastic layer.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2004

Nonlinear saturation of magnetic curvature driven Rayleigh Taylor instability in three dimensions

We present three dimensional fluid simulation results on the temporal evolution and nonlinear saturation of the magnetic curvature driven Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability. The model set of coupled nonlinear equations evolve the scalar electric field potential $ϕ$, plasma density $n$ and the parallel component of the magnetic vector potential $ψ$. The simulations have been carried out in two limits, (i) a low resistivity case in which RT is the only linearly growing mode, and (ii) a high resistivity case where the drift wave is unstable and for which the magnetic curvature parameter is set to zero to ensure the absence of the RT growth. Our simulations show nonlinear stabilization in both these limits. The stabilization mechanism is similar to that observed in earlier two dimensional simulations, namely the generation of zonal shear flows which decorrelate the radially extended unstable modes. However the nature of the saturated nonlinear state in the 3d case differs from that of 2d in some important ways such as by having significant levels of power in short scales and by the presence of electromagnetic fluctuations. Though, in the linear regime the electromagnetic effects reduce the growth rates, in the nonlinear regime their presence hinders the process of stabilization by inhibiting the process of zonal flow formation. Thus the parameter regime for which nonlinear stabilization takes place is considerably reduced in three dimensions.

physics.plasm-ph↗