. 24/7 Space News .
ENERGY TECH
Revised code could help improve efficiency of fusion experiments
by Staff Writers
Plainsboro NJ (SPX) Sep 01, 2020

Plasma in the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator

An international team of researchers led by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has upgraded a key computer code for calculating forces acting on magnetically confined plasma in fusion energy experiments. The upgrade will be part of a suite of computational tools that will allow scientists to further improve the design of breakfast-cruller-shaped facilities known as stellarators. Together, the three codes in the suite could help scientists bring efficient fusion reactors closer to reality.

The revised software lets researchers more easily determine the boundary of plasma in stellarators. When used in concert with two other codes, the code could help find a stellarator configuration that improves the performance of the design. The two complementary codes determine the optimal location for the plasma in a stellarator vacuum chamber to maximize the efficiency of the fusion reactions, and determine the shape that the external electromagnets must have to hold the plasma in the proper position.

The revised software, called the "free-boundary stepped-pressure equilibrium code (SPEC)," is one of a set of tools scientists can use to tweak the performance of plasma to more easily create fusion energy. "We want to optimize both the plasma position and the magnetic coils to balance the force that makes the plasma expand while holding it in place," said Stuart Hudson, physicist, deputy head of the Theory Department at PPPL and lead author of the paper reporting the results in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion.

"That way we can create a stable plasma whose particles are more likely to fuse. The updated SPEC code enables us to know where the plasma will be for a given set of magnetic coils."

Fusion combines light elements in the form of plasma - the hot, charged state of matter composed of free electrons and atomic nuclei - and in the process generates massive amounts of energy in the sun and stars. Scientists are seeking to replicate fusion in devices on Earth for a virtually inexhaustible supply of safe and clean power to generate electricity.

Plasma stability is crucial for fusion. If plasma bounces around inside a stellarator, it can escape, cool, and tamp down the fusion reactions, in effect quenching the fusion fire. An earlier version of the code, also developed by Hudson, could only calculate how forces were affecting a plasma if the researchers already knew the plasma's location. Researchers, however, typically don't have that information. "That's one of the problems with plasmas," Hudson said. "They move all over the place."

The new version of the SPEC code helps solve the problem by allowing researchers to calculate the plasma's boundary without knowing its position beforehand. Used in coordination with a coil-design code called FOCUS and an optimization code called STELLOPT - both of which were also developed at PPPL - SPEC lets physicists simultaneously ensure that the plasma will have the best fusion performance and the magnets will not be too complicated to build.

"There's no point optimizing the shape of the plasma and then later finding out that the magnets would be incredibly difficult to construct," Hudson said.

One challenge that Hudson and colleagues faced was verifying that each step of the code upgrade was done correctly. Their slow-and-steady approach was crucial to making sure that the code makes accurate calculations. "Let's say you are designing a component that will go on a rocket to the moon," Hudson said. "It's very important that that part works. So you test and test and test."

Updating any computer code calls for a number of interlocking steps:

+ First, scientists must translate a set of mathematical equations describing the plasma into a programming language that a computer can understand;

+ Next, scientists must determine the mathematical steps needed to solve the equations;

+ Finally, the scientists must verify that the code produces correct results, either by comparing the results with those produced by a code that has already been verified or using the code to solve simple equations whose answers are easy to check.

Hudson and colleagues performed the calculations with widely different methods. They used pencil and paper to determine the equations and solution steps, and powerful PPPL computers to verify the results. "We demonstrated that the code works," Hudson said. "Now it can be used to study current experiments and design new ones."

Research paper


Related Links
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


ENERGY TECH
First results of an upgraded device highlight lithium's value for producing fusion
Plainsboro NJ (SPX) Aug 03, 2020
Lithium, the silvery metal that powers smart phones and helps treat bipolar disorders, could also play a significant role in the worldwide effort to harvest on Earth the safe, clean and virtually limitless fusion energy (link is external) that powers the sun and stars. First results of the extensively upgraded Lithium Tokamak Experiment-Beta (LTX-b) at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), demonstrate that the major enhancements operate as designed and improve ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

ENERGY TECH
ISS crew moved to Russian segment for 3 days to search for air leak

NASA perseveres through pandemic, looks ahead in 2020, 2021

Moonstruck 'aroma sculptor' builds scent from space

A QandA on the Demo-2 mission

ENERGY TECH
Skyrora's Skylark Micro rocket launches from Iceland

Under pressure, nontoxic salt-based propellant performs well

Sierra Nevada aims to complete Dream Chaser space plane in March

SpaceX sets rocket booster reuse record in satellite launch

ENERGY TECH
Follow Perseverance in real time on its way to Mars

Sustained planetwide storms may have filled lakes, rivers on ancient mars

Deep learning will help future Mars rovers go farther, faster, and do more science

NASA establishes Board to initially review Mars sample return plans

ENERGY TECH
China's Mars probe over 8m km away from Earth

China seeks payload ideas for mission to moon, asteroid

China marching to Mars for humanity's better shared future

From the Moon to Mars: China's long march in space

ENERGY TECH
Satellite constellations could hinder astronomical research, scientists warn

ESA astronauts are flat out training

Ban on import of communication satellites opens up opportunity says ISRO chief

SES picks SpaceX to launch four additional O3b mPower satellites

ENERGY TECH
Purdue, US Army to collaborate on next-generation energetic materials

TWTS and 3D Printing

NOAA selects Orbit Logic for enterprise scheduling

New ground station brings laser communications closer to reality

ENERGY TECH
Pristine space rock offers NASA scientists peek at evolution of life's building blocks

Rogue planets could outnumber the stars

The most sensitive instrument in the search for life in space comes from Bern

Microbes living on air a global phenomenon

ENERGY TECH
Technology ready to explore subsurface oceans on Ganymede

Large shift on Europa was last event to fracture its surface

The Sun May Have Started Its Life with a Binary Companion

Ganymede covered by giant crater









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.