July 2025

Journal

Shadow masks predictions in SPARC tokamak plasma-facing components using HEAT code and machine learning methods

By:
Corona, Domenica; Scotto d'Abusco, Manuel; Churchill, Michael; Munaretto, Stefano; Kleiner, Andreas; Wingen, Andreas ; Looby, Tom
Journal Name:
Fusion Engineering and Design
Page Number:
115010
Volume:
217
Publication Date:
July 2025
View DOI Listing:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2025.115010

Abstract

This work uses machine learning (ML) to complement HEAT (Heat flux Engineering Analysis Toolkit) by developing 3-D footprint surrogate models for fast and accurate heat load calculations in the divertor of the SPARC tokamak. The focus is on shadowed regions, or magnetic shadows, caused by the 3-D geometry of plasma-facing components (PFCs). ML classifiers are employed to create a surrogate model for HEAT generated shadow masks, predicting these shadow masks and divertor heat flux profiles based on a diverse range of equilibria and only the plasma current, safety factor(q95) at the edge, and magnetic flux angles as input parameters. The ultimate goal is to integrate the model for real-time control and future operational decisions.


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