DOE OSTI · 3001887
Assessing the numerical stability of physics models to equilibrium variation through database comparisons on DIII-D
Abstract
High fidelity kinetic equilibria are crucial for tokamak modeling and analysis. Manual workflows for constructing kinetic equilibria are time consuming and subject to user error, motivating development of automated equilibrium reconstruction tools to provide accurate and consistent reconstructions for downstream physics analysis. These automated tools also provide access to kinetic equilibria at large database scales, which enables the quantification of general uncertainties arising from equilibrium reconstruction techniques. In this paper, we compare a large database of DIII-D kinetic equilibria generated manually by physics experts to equilibria from automated kinetic reconstruction tools, assessing the impact of reconstruction method on equilibrium parameters and resulting magnetohydrodynamic stability calculations. We find agreement among scalar parameters, whereas profile quantities, such as the bootstrap current, show larger disagreements. We analyze ideal kink and classical tearing stability with DCON and STRIDE respectively, finding that the kink stability calculation is generally more robust than the tearing index Δ' calculation. We find that in 90% of cases, both kink stability classifications are unchanged between the manual expert and automated kinetic equilibria.
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Rothstein, A. [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000321830997), Ailiani, V. [Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States)] (ORCID:000000030532287X), Krogen, K. [Centre College, Danville, KY (United States)] (ORCID:0000000163758992), Nelson, A. O. [Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0000000296121936), Sun, X. [Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000188174643), Kim, M. S. [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0009000216646618), Boyes, W. [Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000269304702), Logan, N. C. [Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0000000232687359), Xing, Z. A. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000338870792), Kolemen, E. [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States); Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000342123247). 2025-10-31. Assessing the numerical stability of physics models to equilibrium variation through database comparisons on DIII-D. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6587%2Fae163e
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