MULTI-SCALE COMPUTATIONAL INVESTIGATION OF PLASMA INSTABILITIES IN NEXT-GENERATION FUSION REACTORS

Abstract

The achievement of sustained nuclear fusion energy depends on the effective control of plasma instabilities that limit confinement performance and reduce reactor efficiency. This study presents a multi-scale computational investigation of plasma instability behavior in next-generation fusion reactors using integrated magnetohydrodynamic (MHD), gyrokinetic, and turbulence-resolving simulation frameworks. Four operational scenarios were evaluated, including a baseline control configuration and three advanced stabilization strategies involving magnetic field optimization, enhanced plasma shaping, and active feedback control systems. Numerical simulations were performed under reactor-relevant conditions representative of future fusion devices. Key plasma performance indicators including energy confinement time, turbulence intensity, growth rate of instabilities, heat flux distribution, disruption probability, magnetic fluctuation amplitude, and transport coefficients were analyzed. The results demonstrated significant reductions in instability growth and turbulence levels in advanced control configurations compared with the baseline scenario. The active feedback control configuration exhibited the highest confinement efficiency and lowest disruption probability. The findings indicate that multi-scale computational approaches can effectively identify optimal operational conditions for future fusion reactors and contribute to the development of stable and economically viable fusion energy systems.