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Center for Nonlinear Studies |
MAST is a spherical tokamak (ST) that can start up using a merging-compression technique, in which two plasma tori with parallel currents are produced around poloidal field coils. These tori are attracted to each other and merge at the mid-plane of the vessel through magnetic reconnection. This reconnection process leads to extremely rapid plasma heating, with temperatures rising from a few eV to more than 1 keV on millisecond timescales.
We describe two-dimensional fluid simulations of the merging of two flux ropes, with parameters approximating those of the MAST device. These simulations were performed using the HiFi framework. We will discuss two-fluid effects and compare our results with experimental data from MAST.
Host: Tom Intrator