A self-consistent modelling of ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) is reviewed with the aim of obtaining a fast robust scheme suitable for routine simulation for transport codes and data analysis. Due to the complexity of calculating the wave field and the distribution function self-consistently simplifications are necessary. To improve modelling of the wave field, methods are developed to include higher order finite Larmor radius terms, up- and downshifts of the parallel wave number and to improve calculations of damping due to the transit time magnetic pumping in finite element wave codes without decomposing the wave locally into planar waves. A new code, SELFO-light, for self-consistent modelling of ion cyclotron heating suitable for routine calculations is developed. The code is based on coupling the global wave code LION with a simple one-dimensional time-dependent Fokker–Planck code. Both the wave and the Fokker–Planck codes use finite element representations. The importance of self-consistent modelling of ion cyclotron heating is illustrated by studying the effect on the power partition for a fast wave current drive scenario at lower harmonic resonances in a deuterium plasma. It is found that the fraction of the power absorbed on the deuterium and the time to reach the steady state vary strongly depending on the position of the resonances. It is found that the deuterium absorption becomes strongly localized to regions where the resonances are tangential to the magnetic flux surfaces.
Modelling heating and current drive in the ion cyclotron frequency range