PELOTON code

Background

In magnetic confinement fusion devices, precise control of pellet fueling and disruption mitigation is critical, yet predicting how cryogenic pellets interact with hot plasma remains a major challenge. Traditional models often fall short in capturing the complex physics of pellet ablation, multiscale hydrodynamics, and plasma interactions in realistic magnetic geometries, leading to uncertainties in reactor performance. These gaps hinder the design of reliable fueling systems and the development of effective disruption mitigation strategies for next-generation reactors. To address these challenges, Dr. Roman Samulyak has developed PELOTON, a time-dependent, three-dimensional pellet ablation code for simulating thermonuclear fusion devices within the SciDAC Center for Tokamak Transient Simulations.

Technology

PELOTON is a time-dependent, three-dimensional pellet ablation code developed to simulate the physical processes in thermonuclear fusion devices. It integrates a pellet surface ablation model, kinetic models for electron heat deposition, equations of state for hydrogen-neon mixtures, and radiative effects on pellet clouds. Utilizing a highly adaptive Lagrangian particle hydrocode optimized for multiscale hydrodynamic equations, PELOTON accounts for pellet ablation rates, interactions with plasma background, tokamak magnetic geometry, and rocket acceleration forces. The code has been validated extensively against experimental data from DIII-D and JET tokamaks, demonstrating its accuracy and robustness.

Advantages

Highly adaptive Lagrangian particle algorithm enables precise multiscale modeling - Massively parallel code architecture optimized for supercomputing environments - Incorporates detailed physics including electron heat deposition, radiation, and plasma interactions - Validated against experimental fusion device data ensuring reliability - Capable of simulating complex pellet cloud behavior and rocket acceleration effects

Application

Design and optimization of pellet fueling systems for magnetic confinement fusion reactors - Support for experimental planning and analysis in fusion research facilities  - Simulation platform for developing advanced disruption mitigation strategies - Integration into fusion device design workflows to improve operational reliability - Engineering studies of pellet ablation and ablated material deposition in current thermonuclear fusion devices, supporting the design of next-generation devices