Limitations of bootstrap current models

Abstract

We assess the accuracy and limitations of two analytic models of the tokamak bootstrap current: (1) the well-known Sauter model and (2) a recent modification of the Sauter model by Koh et al. For this study, we use simulations from the first-principles kinetic code NEO as the baseline to which the models are compared. Tests are performed using both theoretical parameter scans as well as core- to-edge scans of real DIII-D and NSTX plasma profiles. The effects of extreme aspect ratio, large impurity fraction, energetic particles, and high collisionality are studied. In particular, the error in neglecting cross-species collisional coupling – an approximation inherent to both analytic models – is quantified. Moreover, the implications of the corrections from kinetic NEO simulations on MHD equilibrium reconstructions is studied via integrated modeling with kinetic EFIT.