#262
Validation of 1D SPI simulations against ASDEX Upgrade experiments
Oral
Peter Halldestam (Max Planck Institut für Plasmaphysik)
P. Heinrich, A. Moreau, W. Tang, A. Patel, G. Papp, O. Vallhagen, M. Hoppe, R. Fischer, F. Jenko, the ASDEX Upgrade team, the EUROfusion Tokamak Exploitation team
Abstract
The baseline disruption mitigation strategy in ITER relies on shattered pellet injection (SPI), motivating accurate and validated modelling of SPI-triggered disruptions. In this work, we employ the DREAM simulation framework [1] to self-consistently model the evolution of poloidal magnetic flux, current density, ion charge states, temperatures, and runaway electron density within a flux surface averaged fluid description. We investigate disruption dynamics in ASDEX Upgrade triggered by D₂–Ne SPI. Fragment mass and velocity distributions are generated using a probabilistic approach based on established models [2,3] and experimental observations [4]. Statistical variations are quantified through ensembles of simulations with different fragment plume realisations.
Good agreement is found with experimental current quench rates and radiated energy fractions. Increased statistical variance is observed at low Ne fractions (≲ 1%) and low injection speeds [5]. For pure D₂ SPI, remaining discrepancies are only partly explained by the omission of background impurities, suggesting that additional effects, such as edge-region MHD activity, may contribute to the observed differences. The validation of a semi-analytical plasmoid drift model [6,7] is extended to data from the 2025 experimental campaign, showing good agreement with experiment. However, predictive capability remains limited by sensitivity to the assumed plasmoid poloidal extent, for which an estimate is proposed. Cross-verification against other modelling tools is also presented.
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References
1. M. Hoppe, O. Embreus, T. Fülöp, *Comput. Phys. Commun.* **268** (2021)
2. P. Parks, Technical Report GA-A28352, General Atomics (2016)
3. T. E. Gebhart, L. R. Baylor, S. J. Meitner, *IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.* **48**.6 (2019)
4. T. Peherstorfer, BSc thesis TU Wien / IPP Garching (2022)
5. P. Halldestam *et al.*, *J. Plasma Phys.* **91** (2025)
6. O. Vallhagen *et al.*, *J. Plasma Phys.* **89** (2023)
7. O. Vallhagen *et al.*, *Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion* **67** (2025)