Divertor design through shape optimization

Due to the conflicting requirements, complex physical processes and large number of design variables, divertor design for next step fusion reactors is a challenging problem, often relying on large numbers of computationally expensive numerical simulations. In this paper, we attempt to partially automate the design process by solving an appropriate shape optimization problem. Design requirements are incorporated in a cost functional which measures the performance of a certain design. By means of changes in the divertor shape, which in turn lead to changes in the plasma state, this cost functional can be minimized. Using advanced adjoint methods, optimal solutions are computed very efficiently. The approach is illustrated by designing divertor targets for optimal power load spreading, using a simplified edge plasma model (copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)