Scientists in Livia Casali’s group at the University of Tennessee’s Department of Nuclear Engineering have published a new integrated simulation framework that provides a milestone in fusion plasma modeling. Named SICAS (SOLPS-ITER Coupled to ASTRA-STRAHL), this framework has the potential to accelerate the path to making fusion energy a reality.
This novel tool enables unprecedented accuracy in self-consistent simulations of ion and impurity transport across the core, edge, and divertor regions of fusion plasmas with leading plasma codes worldwide.
Before this, different codes were used to model each different region of the plasma. Casali’s group integrated the codes together, developing a state-of-the-art description of what is happening across the various regions of plasma and how they affect each other.
The work has been published in the journal Nuclear Fusion in an article titled:
“SICAS, a new integrated divertor-SOL-pedestal-core framework for self-consistent modeling of ion and impurity transport in fusion devices,” by Austin Welsh, a student in Casali’s lab.
The code is officially registered as a DOE code in the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information.
“This is a significant milestone for the fusion community,” Casali said. “This tool is advancing our physics understanding and our capability to predict the behavior in fusion reactors. Fusion energy will solve our energy problems, bringing abundant clean energy to everyone. It will revolutionize our society.”
Filling a gap in modeling
By coupling the SOLPS-ITER edge transport code with the core transport and impurity modeling tools ASTRA and STRAHL, the SICAS framework allows for high-resolution, physics-based simulations spanning the entire plasma domain with good agreement against experimental data.
The key capabilities of SICAS include:
- Full-domain modeling from the plasma core to the divertor
- Self-consistent treatment of ion and impurity transport
- Compatibility with various plasma species, divertor geometries, and operational scenarios
- Strong agreement with experimental data from the DIII-D tokamak
“SICAS fills a long-standing gap in our ability to model the entire plasma in a single, integrated simulation,” Casali said. “It opens new frontiers, not only for interpreting current experiments, but also for the design of future reactors such as ITER and beyond.”
Casali’s work is part of her Early Career Award sponsored by the Department of Energy. Over the last few years, through experiments and modeling, Casali’s research has been dedicated to the development of core-edge integration solutions in fusion devices.
“I would like to thank both DOE and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for supporting the development of such an important tool, which will open new frontiers in fusion reactor design,” Casali said. “The most exciting thing for me has been to develop this tool together with all the students in my group.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey (rpotkey@utk.edu)