Estimation of the plasma blob occurrence rate

As part of the blob duty cycle, the blob detection rate, also called the blob occurrence rate or simply blob frequency, is of critical importance to predict the impact of plasma blobs on plasma wall interaction and modification of the scrape-off layer such as the scrape-off layer width. This rate is estimated based on extrapolation from measurements on present devices. A recent physics-based prediction of the blob detection rate [G. Fuchert et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 58, 054006 (2016)] has been compared by means of gyrofluid simulations with varying collisionality and shear layer strength. The prediction shows a robust agreement within a factor of two despite varying generation positions and driving instabilities.