Gyrokinetic Turbulent Transport in Transport Barriers in the STEP Reactor (Plasma Strand Project)
Supervisors: David Dickinson (University of York), Benjamin Chapman-Oplopoiou (UKAEA)
Plasma turbulence acts to degrade the confinement of particles and energy in magnetic confinement devices, such as tokamaks. Worse confinement leads to the need for larger, more expensive, reactors reducing the efficiency and economic viability of fusion produced electricity. Plasma turbulence is also a fascinating area of physics, rich in interesting and complex behaviour. As such, there is significant research activity around the theoretical, computational and experimental study of plasma turbulence.
In experiments, a transition to a regime of improved confinement can be observed in certain modes of operation and is associated with a narrow region near the edge of the plasma known as the pedestal where the nature of the turbulence is thought to change. Understanding the mechanisms behind particle and heat turbulent transport in the pedestal is crucial for the operation of a future spherical tokamak (ST) pilot plant, such as STEP [1].
Substantial progress in understanding turbulent transport in the STEP core has been made at over the past 4 years, though the pedestal is a different and much more complex challenge. Given its importance to the STEP design it is vital to improve the understanding of the STEP pedestal transport. This project will build on the newly available understanding of the STEP core, results emerging from the work of an existing Fusion CDT student exploring the MAST and MAST-U pedestal stability and preliminary investigations at UKAEA to develop a clearer understanding of the turbulent transport mechanisms expected in the STEP pedestal.
The student working on this project will use large nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations on high performance computing systems to explore the turbulence found in conditions expected in the STEP pedestal. This has the potential to feed into ongoing integrated modelling efforts seeking to optimise and de-risk the STEP design.
The student will spend at least the first 9 months at the University of York whilst they complete the CDT training courses. After completion of the training courses the student will move to UKAEA for the remainder of their PhD.
This project may be compatible with part time study. Please contact the project supervisors if you are interested in exploring this.
This project is offered by University of York. For further information please contact Benjamin Chapman-Oplopoiou (benjamin.chapman@ukaea.uk)
For details on how to apply, please visit: Apply