A DIRECT NEWTON SOLVER FOR THE 2-DIMENSIONAL TOKAMAK EDGE PLASMA FLUID EQUATIONS

Newton’s method, finite volume discretization, and a staggered grid are used to compute the steady state profiles of the two-dimensional two-fluid Tokamak edge plasma fluid equations. In this set of fluid equations, the transport coefficients are highly nonlinear functions of the dependent variables, and mass and energy transfer due to atomic reactions is included. The techniques of an adaptive damped iteration, mesh sequencing, and reduced factorization are combined to increase the radius of convergence and to accelerate convergence. These techniques are illustrated through a model problem. © 1993 by Academic Press, Inc.