[en] A model is proposed to explain the behavior of the gross energy confinement time in ohmically heated tokamak plasmas. The analysis takes into account the effect of the anomalous thermal conductivity due to small scale turbulence and of the macroscopic MHD behavior, which provides some constraints on the temperature profile. Results indicate that the thermal conductivity associated with the dissipative trapped-electron mode and with the ion temperature gradient (eta/sub i/) mode can account, respectively, for the Neo-Alcator scaling and the saturation of the energy confinement time with density. Comparisons with experimental results show reasonable agreement. 32 refs., 12 figs