Neoclassical transport coefficients for general axisymmetric equilibria in the banana regime

Abstract

Using the standard approach of neoclassical theory, a set of relatively simple kinetic equations has been obtained, suited for an implementation in a numerical code to compute a related set of distribution functions. The transport coefficients are then expressed by simple integrals of these functions and they can be easily computed numerically. The code CQL3D [R. W. Harvey and M. G. McCoy, in Proceedings of IAEA Technical Committee Meeting on Advances in Simulation and Modeling of Thermonuclear Plasmas, Montreal, 1992 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1993), pp. 489–526], which uses the full collision operator and considers the realistic axisymmetric configuration of the magnetic surfaces, has been modified to solve the bounce-averaged version of these equations. The coefficients have then been computed for a wide variety of equilibrium parameters, high-lighting interesting features of the influence of geometry at small aspect ratio. Differences with the most recent formulas for the ion neoclassical heat conductivity are pointed out. A set of formulas, which fit the code results, is obtained to easily evaluate all the neoclassical transport coefficients in the banana regime, at all aspect ratios, in general axisymmetric equilibria. This work extends to all the other transport coefficients, at least in the banana regime, the work of Sauter et al. [O. Sauter, C. Angioni, and Y. R. Lin-Liu, Phys. Plasmas 6, 2834 (1999)] which evaluates the neoclassical conductivity and all the bootstrap current coefficients. Formulas for arbitrary collisionality regime are proposed, obtained combining our results for the banana regime with the results of Hinton and Hazeltine [F. L. Hinton and R. D. Hazeltine, Rev. Mod. Phys. 48, 239 (1976)], adapted for small aspect ratio.