BOUT++: A framework for parallel plasma fluid simulations
Abstract
A new modular code called BOUT++ is presented, which simulates 3D fluid equations in curvilinear coordinates. Although aimed at simulating Edge Localised Modes (ELMs) in tokamak x-point geometry, the code is able to simulate a wide range of fluid models (magnetised and unmagnetised) involving an arbitrary number of scalar and vector fields, in a wide range of geometries. Time evolution is fully implicit, and 3rd-order WENO schemes are implemented. Benchmarks are presented for linear and non-linear problems (the Orszag-Tang vortex) showing good agreement. Performance of the code is tested by scaling with problem size and processor number, showing efficient scaling to thousands of processors. Linear initial-value simulations of ELMs using reduced ideal MHD are presented, and the results compared to the ELITE linear MHD eigenvalue code. The resulting mode-structures and growth-rate are found to be in good agreement ( γ=0.245ω, γ=0.239ω, with Alfvénic timescale 1/ω=R/V). To our knowledge, this is the first time dissipationless, initial-value simulations of ELMs have been successfully demonstrated.
- Publication:
-
Computer Physics Communications
- Pub Date:
- September 2009
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.cpc.2009.03.008
- arXiv:
- arXiv:0810.5757
- Bibcode:
- 2009CoPhC.180.1467D
- Keywords:
-
- 52.25.Xz;
- 52.65.Kj;
- 52.55.Fa;
- Magnetized plasmas;
- Magnetohydrodynamic and fluid equation;
- Tokamaks spherical tokamaks;
- Physics - Plasma Physics;
- Physics - Computational Physics
- E-Print:
- Submitted to Computer Physics Communications. Revised to reduce page count. 18 pages, 16 figures