Impact of Gas Injection Location on Divertor Performance and Impurity Transport in ITER: Insights from EMC3-EIRENE Simulations

Understanding the transport and deposition of locally released impurities in the scrape-off-layer (SOL) is crucial for applications such as power dissipation in next-generation fusion devices, including ITER. This study examines the impact of gas injection locations on divertor performance using the EMC3-EIRENE code. While EMC3-EIRENE does not account for certain physical phenomena included in 2D codes like SOLPS-ITER—such as drifts, currents, and comprehensive fluid-plasma interactions—it offers valuable insights into toroidal effects. Specifically, when RMPs are applied to mitigate ELMs, the distribution of plasma and heat flux changes, and this study aims to compare and analyze the effects of impurities in such scenarios.

 

 Our simulations are based on the magnetic equilibrium and wall geometry from IMAS shot 123149, a full-power Neon-seeded (0.8% separatrix concentration) ITER shot originally modelled with SOLPS-ITER. The plasma-facing surface materials are beryllium (Be) for the main chamber and tungsten (W) for the divertor. We have also prepared a setup for applying boron (B). In this study, we compare and analyze the effects of different gas puffing locations under identical conditions, mirroring the SOLPS-ITER study. 

 

 As a first step, to validate our approach in comparison with the existing 2D code results, we have only simulated axisymmetric scenarios, but we aim to incorporate resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) and other 3D field effects in future studies. This ongoing research aims to optimize gas injection strategies and enhance the design and operational efficiency of ITER.

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