The Plasma Science and Innovation Center (PSI-Center) is refining and developing codes to accurately simulate innovative confinement concept (ICC) experiments, with the goal of achieving predictive capability. The PSI-Center development focuses on geometries, boundary conditions, and atomic physics, plus two-fluid, non-local parallel heat flow closures, and kinetic effects, appropriate for ICCs. Simulations are performed in collaboration with twelve ICC experiments at seven institutions, and are compared with experimental data. The results of these comparisons guide further code development and refinement for improved predictability.
The PSI-Center is adding the necessary physics and algorithmic capability to extended magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) codes, and is working with experimentalists to validate code results with experimental data. The computational groups work closely with the experimentalists to iterate this process, summarized in this Mission Statement: “In concert with smaller innovative plasma physics experiments, refine and optimize existing MHD codes to achieve significantly improved predictive capability.” The PSI-Center emphasizes physics that may extend beyond the standard analysis presently applied to the mainline fusion programs.