Using powerful supercomputers, researchers will run detailed simulations to map how and when turbulence starts and flows inside fusion plasmas—improving the models engineers use to design next-generation fusion pilot plants and speeding progress toward practical fusion energy.
Accurate calculation of turbulent energy and particle flow is essential to the design and assessment of next- generation fusion pilot plants (FPPs). 5D gyrokinetic simulations have a proven track record of reproducing turbulent flows measured in existing experiments, providing high confidence for flow prediction in future reactor-scale devices. These high-fidelity simulations are fundamentally essential for both physics discovery and for calibrating reduced fusion engineering models. Industry-standard physics-based reduced models currently perform poorly in numerous critical operating regimes, motivating more systematic coverage of parameter space with direct simulation.
Leadership-scale CGYRO gyrokinetic simulations will be carried out to map the parametric dependence of plasma flows in a series of critical reactor operating regimes, particularly near the threshold of turbulence onset. This region is poorly-represented in existing simulation databases. The results will support DOE FES mission-critical needs for ITER and FPPs, and will facilitate AI/ML transport model development through expanded access to well-curated turbulence data. Results will directly support two US DOE SciDAC-5 FES Partnership Projects: Surrogate Models for Accurate and Rapid Transport Solutions (SMARTS) and Frontiers in Leadership Gyrokinetic Simulation (FRONTIERS). Results will be immediately available via the NERSC-CGYRO database (/global/cfs/cdirs/cgyrodb/gsharing).