Re-Examination of the Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF) Core Plasma Configuration

A core plasma configuration was generated for the FNSF tokamak nuclear facility design [1], subject to semi-empirical transport modeling.  Examination with GLF23 indicated lower performance than required. Ideal MHD stability, various heating and current drive (H/CD), and a range of physics models were applied to create the original plasma. This configuration is re-examined with the FASTRAN fixed boundary equilibrium integrated physics package including TGLF transport, a range of H/CD tools, EPED pedestal, and ideal MHD stability. The TGLF transport assessment introduces a new configuration constraint in addition to the stability and H/CD (and bootstrap) current sources typically explored. Since the achievable and sustainable plasma beta in these fusion nuclear regimes is still unclear, varying beta configurations will be produced ranging from the no-wall stability to with-wall stability regimes, simultaneously subject to the self-consistent TGLF transport prediction and H/CD source profile predictions that optimize the configuration performance. Potential H/CD sources include neutral beam, lower hybrid, ion-cyclotron, helicon and electron cyclotron. Physics models and assumptions will be discussed along with implications for near term experiments.