Effect of the limiter position on the scrape-off layer width, radial electric field and intrinsic flows

摘要

The effect of the limiter position on the scrape-off layer (SOL) width, radial electric field and intrinsic flows is investigated via global, three-dimensional turbulence simulations in four different limiter configurations. The limiter position affects the SOL dynamics in a number of ways, for example by changing the effective connection length or by modifying the unstable modes present in the system. The simulations show that the SOL width is much smaller and less poloidally asymmetric when the plasma is limited on the low-field side than on the high-field side, which can be explained by a change in the turbulence regime between the two configurations. The radial electric field is determined by the combined effect of the sheath physics and the electron adiabaticity condition, and its poloidal structure depends on the limiter position, as it can be fairly well explained through an analytical model. Intrinsic parallel flows established in the SOL, typically leading to co-current toroidal rotation with a magnitude that strongly depends on the limiter position, can also be fairly well reproduced analytically for each limiter configuration.