A self-consistent mean-field model for turbulent particle and heat transport in 2D interchange-dominated electrostatic ExB turbulence in a sheath-limited scrape-off layer

In this paper, a self-consistent model for the average radial turbulent transport of heat and particles in 2D anisothermal interchange-dominated electrostatic ExB drift turbulence in sheath-limited scrape-off layers is presented. Diffusion models are used for the turbulent particle and heat fluxes, in which the transport coefficients scale with the square root of the turbulent kinetic energy (k${}_{\perp }$). The interchange drive proves to be the main source of turbulent kinetic energy, while the sheath term provides the main sink. These observations are qualitatively the same as for the isothermal case studied earlier. An analytical relation for the interchange term is derived, showing that the turbulent ExB thermal energy flux is the direct driver for k${}_{\perp }$ through the interchange source. A series decomposition of the sheath term in the k${}_{\perp }$ equation shows it includes a sink contribution that was also present in the isothermal case, but also a new source due to the sheath-driven conducting-wall (SCW) instability caused by electron temperature fluctuations. Using a simple regression model to close the total sheath term, a closed model for the turbulent transport is obtained. The interchange drive due to the ExB energy flux leads to a self-saturation mechanism in the model, where the gradients and turbulence intensity increase until a sufficient transport level is reached to carry the power and particles across the field lines to find a balance with the sheath sink. An implementation of this model in a 1D mean-field code approximates the profiles of the turbulence simulations with remarkable accuracy in part of the parameter space, while the error increases in parameter regimes where the relative importance of the SCW term is varied. (© 2022 Wiley‐VCH GmbH)