Assessment of Cold and Hot Vertical Displacement Events in ARC-like Plasmas

High-fidelity simulations of hot and cold vertical displacement events (VDEs) in ARC-like plasmas are simulated to assess their dynamics and electromagnetic loads. VDEs are consequences of disruptions, an abrupt loss of plasma confinement, that pose major challenges in tokamak operations and design. For cold VDEs, we determine the critical current, where the plasma starts drifting vertically during a fast CQ event, as well as the wall force distribution. For hot VDEs, electromagnetic loads are also analyzed, including the total vertical force. This analysis is key to inform tokamak design, like future ARC-class devices [Sweeney JPP 2025], and usually requires self-consistent MHD simulations with realistic wall descriptions to properly address the plasma dynamics and vessel currents generated in such events. In this regard, we employ the extended-MHD code M3D-C1 [Jardin CSD 2012], which has become an important tool to inform both SPARC and ARC design and physics predictions. Results indicate that having the conducting vacuum vessel close to the plasma has significant stabilizing properties, including a low critical current, and slower hot VDEs, allowing for timely mitigation response. These plasma dynamics also inform lower fidelity workflows that aim to speed up analysis and scans.