Engineering topics

Akcay, Cihan

Publications and source records attributed to Akcay, Cihan.

9 records

DOE OSTI2022

Surrogate models for plasma displacement and current in 3D perturbed magnetohydrodynamic equilibria in tokamaks

Abstract A numerical database of over one thousand perturbed three-dimensional (3D) equilibria has been generated, constructed based on the MARS-F (Liu et al 2000 Phys. Plasmas 7 3681) computed plasma response to the externally applied 3D field sources in multiple tokamak devices. Perturbed 3D equilibria with the n = 1–4 ( n is the toroidal mode number) toroidal periodicity are computed. Surrogate models are created for the computed perturbed 3D equilibrium utilizing model order reduction (MOR) techniques. In particular, retaining the first few eigenstates from the singular value decomposition (SVD) of the data is found to produce reasonably accurate MOR-representations for the key perturbed quantities, such as the perturbed parallel plasma current density and the plasma radial displacement. SVD also helps to reveal the core versus edge plasma response to the applied 3D field. For the database covering the conventional aspect ratio devices, about 95% of data can be represented by the truncated SVD-series with inclusion of only the first five eigenstates, achieving a relative error (RE) below 20%. The MOR-data is further utilized to train neural networks (NNs) to enable fast reconstruction of perturbed 3D equilibria, based on the two-dimensional equilibrium input and the 3D source field. The best NN-training is achieved for the MOR-data obtained with a global SVD approach, where the full set of samples used for NN training and testing are stretched and form a large matrix which is then subject to SVD. The fully connected multi-layer perceptron, with one or two hidden layers, can be trained to predict the MOR-data with less than 10% RE. As a key insight, a better strategy is to train separate NNs for the plasma response fields with different toroidal mode numbers. It is also better to apply MOR and to subsequently train NNs separately for conventional and low aspect ratio devices, due to enhanced toroidal coupling of Fourier spectra in the plasma response in the latter case.

3D equilibrium↗

DOE OSTI2020

Stability and Control of Burning Tokamak Plasmas with Resistive Walls (Second Year Report/ Final Report)

This research will focus on quantitative prediction of the stability, control, and equilibrium state evolution in toroidal burning plasmas. The stability of long pulse burning plasmas is highly sensitive to the physics of resonant layers in the plasma, sources of momentum and ow, kinetic effects of energetic particles, and boundary conditions at the wall, including feedback control and error fields. In ITER in particular, the low toroidal ow equilibrium state, sustained primarily by energetic alpha particles from fusion reactions, will require the consideration of all of these key elements to predict quantitatively the stability and evolution. The principal investigators on this proposal are leading experts in the relevant theoretical and computational areas, and aim to perform computations guided by analytic modeling, to address this physics in realistic configurations. The overall goal is to understand the key physics mechanisms that describe resistive toroidal burning plasmas, surrounded by a resistive wall, under active feedback control. With the physics of the energetic ions, resonant layers, resistive wall, and toroidal momentum transport included, this study will extend from recent publications in theory and simulation of individual effects and move toward predictive modeling for burning plasmas.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2019

DC to DC electrical transformer

An electrical transformer system using helical electrodes applied to a plasma. Systems and methods transform DC voltages and currents to different DC voltages and currents. Instead of using wires and iron cores similar to known transformers, the present DC to DC transformer system exploits plasma, helical electrodes, an axial magnetic field and radial magnetic field coils, with a control system to specify a radial magnetic field at the edge of a specified magnitude. A DC input voltage is applied, and an output is taken from electrodes at opposite the ends of the central apparatus. The system and apparatus contains a radial magnetic field embedded in the helical electrodes; the secondary current is taken from either solid or split (slotted) electrodes. Methods are disclosed for changing the output voltage and current relative to the input values. The system can function as either a stepup or a stepdown transformer.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2019

Formation of closed flux surfaces in spheromaks sustained by steady inductive helicity injection

The helicity injected torus with steady inductive helicity injection device is a simply-connected toroidal device that forms and sustains axisymmetric spheromak equilibria through the use of steady inductive helicity injection, which inject magnetic helicity through the inductive drive of non-axisymmetric currents on the edge of the plasma. Simulations of high-gain scenarios, using the NIMROD code and based on models validated with low gain experimental operations, indicate the formation of closed flux surfaces at current amplifications of six. Despite the helicity injection scheme adding magnetic perturbations of order δb/B ~ 10%, these closed flux equilibria are able to persist for as long as 20 injector periods (1.3 ms) before breaking apart due to other plasma generated instabilities.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2019

DC-AC electrical transformer

An apparatus and corresponding systems and methods for managing electric power, particularly a transformer system and method, and more specifically a transformer for transforming direct current to alternating current. An example apparatus includes a chamber configured to contain plasma. The apparatus includes input electrodes disposed at least partially within the chamber, and configured to receive direct current input into the chamber. The input electrodes are configured to cause the input direct current to induce motion in the plasma. Motion induced in the plasma transforms current flowing there-through. Output electrodes extend from the chamber, which output electrodes may rotated in a controlled manner. The output electrodes conduct a three or one phase alternating current, from the induced motion in the plasma, for delivery from the chamber.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2018

DC-DC electrical transformer

An apparatus and corresponding systems and methods for managing electric power, particularly a transformer system and method, and more specifically a transformer for direct current. An example apparatus includes a chamber configured to contain plasma. The apparatus includes input electrodes disposed at least partially within the chamber, and configured to receive a first direct current input into the chamber. The input electrodes are configured to cause the input direct current to induce motion in the plasma. Motion induced in the plasma transforms current flowing there-through. At output electrodes extend from the chamber. The output electrodes conduct a second direct current, from the induced motion in the plasma, for delivery from the chamber.

Finn, John↗

DOE OSTI2016

Incorporation of the Joule Heating of highly conducting materials into the Truchas code via an asymptotic approach

The EM module of the Truchas code currently lacks the capability to model the Joule (Ohmic) heating of highly conducting materials that are inserted into induction furnaces from time to time to change the heating profile. This effect is difficult to simulate directly because of the requirement to resolve the extremely thin skin depth of good conductors, which is computationally costly. For example, copper has a skin depth, δ ~ 1 mm, for an oscillation frequency of tens of kHz. The industry is interested in determining what fraction of the heating power is lost to the Joule heating of these good conductors inserted inside the furnaces. The approach presented in this document is one of asymptotics where the leading order (unperturbed) solution is taken as that which emerges from solving the EM problem for a perfectly conducting insert. The conductor is treated as a boundary of the domain. The perturbative correction enters as a series expansion in terms of the dimensionless skin depth δ/L, where L is the characteristic size of the EM system. The correction at each order depends on the previous. This means that the leading order correction only depends on the unperturbed solution, in other words, it does not require Truchas to perform an additional EM field solve. Thus, the Joule heating can be captured by a clever leveraging of the existing tools in Truchas with only slight modifications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2015

Simulation of injector dynamics during steady inductive helicity injection current drive in the HIT-SI experiment

We present simulations of inductive helicity injection in the Helicity Injected Torus with Steady Inductive helicity injection (HIT-SI) device that treats the entire plasma volume in a single dynamic MHD model. A new fully 3D numerical tool, the PSI-center TETrahedral mesh code, was developed that provides the geometric flexibility required for this investigation. Implementation of a zero-β Hall MHD model using PSI-TET will be presented including formulation of a new self-consistent magnetic boundary condition for the wall of the HIT-SI device. Results from simulations of HIT-SI are presented focusing on injector dynamics that are investigated numerically for the first time. Asymmetries in the plasma loading between the two helicity injectors and progression of field reversal in each injector are observed. Analysis indicates cross-coupling between injectors through confinement volume structures. Injector impedance is found to scale with toroidal current at fixed density, consistent with experimental observation. Comparison to experimental data with an injector drive frequency of 14.5 kHz shows good agreement with magnetic diagnostics. Global mode structures from Bi-Orthogonal decomposition agree well with experimental data for the first four modes.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2015

A Two-Fluid Study of Oblique Tearing Modes and 3-D Magnetic Reconnection

The goals and highlights of this research are to: 1) Undertake two-fluid simulations of oblique tearing modes with $m_{i}/m_{e}$ = 100 and 1836, and $b_g$ ≤ 10 with further bridging the fluid and kinetic models and linear growth rates agree with kinetic theory for $b_g$ ≤ 1; 2) 3-D simulations of a doubly-periodic Harris Sheet with $m_{i}/m_{e}$ = 100 and $b_g$ = 2:5 that features current layer splits into multiple ~ de-scale diffusion regions, an amplification of current by 2x, and similar features to kinetic simulations; 3) Influence of boundary conditions: periodic vs. line-tied; and 4) Address how much of the kinetic nature of MR can be captured by a two-fluid model. (A fluid model requires dissipation.)

58 GEOSCIENCES↗