Simulation of START shots with the canonical profile transport model

The canonical profile transport model, which has been benchmarked previousl y for tokamaks with a conventional aspect ratio, is applied to simulations of the spherical tokamak START. A set of Ohmic shots is used to modify the model so that it is appropriate for the specific conditions of the spherica l tokamak plasma. The application of the model as a tool to analyze neutral beam-heated START shots allows the estimation of the neutral beam-injectio n power absorbed by the plasma, P-NB(abs), which is experimentally uncertai n. The modeling shows that both P-NB(abs) and the energy confinement time i ncrease with increasing the average density. Finally, the modified model is used to simulate the performance of the new megaampere spherical tokamak M AST at Culham. (C) 2000 MAIK "Nauka/Interperiodica".