Triangularity effects on the collisional diffusion for elliptic tokamak plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, P.; Castro, E.

2007-01-01

In this conference the effect of ellipticity and triangularity will be analyzed for axisymmetric tokamak in the collisional regime. Analytic forms for the magnetic field cross sections are taken from those derived recently by other authors [1,2]. Analytical results can be obtained in elliptic plasmas with triangularity by using an special system of tokamak coordinates recently published [3-5]. Our results show that triangularities smaller than 0.6, increases confinement for ellipticities in the range 1.2 to 2. This behavior happens for negative and positive triangularities; however this effect is stronger for positive than for negative triangularities. The maximum diffusion velocity is not obtained for zero triangularity, but for small negative triangularities. Ellipticity is also very important in confinement, but the effect of triangularity seems to be more important. High electric inductive field increases confinement, though this field is difficult to modify once the tokamak has been built. The analytic form of the current produced by this field is like that of a weak Ware pinch with an additional factor, which weakens the effect by an order of magnitude. The dependence of the triangularity effect with the Shafranov shift is also analyzed. References 1. - L. L. Lao, S. P. Hirshman, and R. M. Wieland, Phys. Fluids 24, 1431 (1981) 2. - G. O. Ludwig, Plasma Physics Controlled Fusion 37, 633 (1995) 3. - P. Martin, Phys. Plasmas 7, 2915 (2000) 4. - P. Martin, M. G. Haines and E. Castro, Phys. Plasmas 12, 082506 (2005) 5. - P. Martin, E. Castro and M. G. Haines, Phys. Plasmas 12, 102505 (2005)

The plasma position control of ITER EDA plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Senda, Ikuo; Nishio, Satoshi; Tsunematsu, Toshihide; Nishino, Toru; Fujieda, Hirobumi.

1994-09-01

The study on the plasma position control of ITER EDA performed by Japan Home Team during the sensitivity study in 1994 is summarized. The controllabilities of plasmas in the Outline Design and elongated version are compared. The model used to describe the motion of the plasma is a rigid model. The PD feedback control is applied with respect to the displacements of the plasma from the equilibrium. Three types of fluctuations, which initiate the motion of the plasma, are examined, namely a finite horizontal fluctuation field, a small horizontal fluctuation field such that the motion of the plasma is governed by the passive structures and an abrupt change of the poloidal beta β p and internal inductance l i . In the simulations of finite horizontal fluctuation fields, controls depend on the strength of the fluctuations, for instance, 3-5V is needed for 5-10G of fluctuation fields in the Outline Design. When the fluctuation field is small and the plasma displacement grows in a characteristic time of the passive structures, a few volt of the control voltage is enough to obtain good controllability. It is shown that the control when (β p , l i ) changes simultaneously is demanding and a large control voltage is required to maintain satisfactory control. Comparing the elongated version with the Outline Design, the control voltage which is larger than the Outline Design by a factor of 2-3 is required to obtain the same controllability in the elongated version. (author)

The potential role of electric fields and plasma barodiffusion on the inertial confinement fusion databasea)

Science.gov (United States)

Amendt, Peter; Wilks, S. C.; Bellei, C.; Li, C. K.; Petrasso, R. D.

2011-05-01

The generation of strong, self-generated electric fields (GV/m) in direct-drive, inertial-confinement-fusion (ICF) capsules has been reported [Rygg et al., Science 319, 1223 (2008); Li et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 225001 (2008)]. A candidate explanation for the origin of these fields based on charge separation across a plasma shock front was recently proposed [Amendt et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 51 124048 (2009)]. The question arises whether such electric fields in imploding capsules can have observable consequences on target performance. Two well-known anomalies come to mind: (1) an observed ≈2× greater-than-expected deficit of neutrons in an equimolar D3He fuel mixture compared with hydrodynamically equivalent D [Rygg et al., Phys. Plasmas 13, 052702 (2006)] and DT [Herrmann et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 056312 (2009)] fuels, and (2) a similar shortfall of neutrons when trace amounts of argon are mixed with D in indirect-drive implosions [Lindl et al., Phys. Plasmas 11, 339 (2004)]. A new mechanism based on barodiffusion (or pressure gradient-driven diffusion) in a plasma is proposed that incorporates the presence of shock-generated electric fields to explain the reported anomalies. For implosions performed at the Omega laser facility [Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)], the (low Mach number) return shock has an appreciable scale length over which the lighter D ions can diffuse away from fuel center. The depletion of D fuel is estimated and found to lead to a corresponding reduction in neutrons, consistent with the anomalies observed in experiments for both argon-doped D fuels and D3He equimolar mixtures. The reverse diffusional flux of the heavier ions toward fuel center also increases the pressure from a concomitant increase in electron number density, resulting in lower stagnation pressures and larger imploded cores in agreement with gated, self-emission, x-ray imaging data.

Momentum transfer to rotating magnetized plasma from gun plasma injection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shamim, Imran; Hassam, A. B.; Ellis, R. F.; Witherspoon, F. D.; Phillips, M. W.

2006-01-01

Numerical simulations are carried out to investigate the penetration and momentum coupling of a gun-injected plasma slug into a rotating magnetized plasma. An experiment along these lines is envisioned for the Maryland Centrifugal Experiment (MCX) [R. F. Ellis et al., Phys. Plasmas 8, 2057 (2001)] using a coaxial plasma accelerator gun developed by HyperV Technologies Corp. [F. D. Witherspoon et al., Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 50, LP1 87 (2005)]. The plasma gun would be located in the axial midplane and fired off-axis into the rotating MCX plasma annulus. The numerical simulation is set up so that the initial momentum in the injected plasma slug is of the order of the initial momentum of the target plasma. Several numerical firings are done into the cylindrical rotating plasma. Axial symmetry is assumed. The slug is seen to penetrate readily and deform into a mushroom, characteristic of interchange deformations. It is found that up to 25% of the momentum in the slug can be transferred to the background plasma in one pass across a cylindrical chord. For the same initial momentum, a high-speed low density slug gives more momentum transfer than a low-speed high density slug. Details of the numerical simulations and a scaling study are presented

The control of TCV plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lister, J.B.; Hofmann, F.; Moret, J.M.

1996-07-01

The general control of tokamak plasmas has evolved considerably over the last few years with an increase in the plasma pulse length, an increase in the control of additional heating and fuelling and an increase in the degree to which the shape of the plasma can be varied. The TCV tokamak is specifically designed to explore the operational benefits of plasma shaping over a wide variety of plasma shapes. Consequently, considerable attention has been given to the control of the poloidal field coil currents which impose the desired shape. This paper deals with all aspects of the control of TCV plasmas, from the diagnostic measurements to the power supplies, via control algorithms and overall supervision. (author) 44 figs., tabs., 25 refs

The control of TCV plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lister, J B; Hofmann, F; Moret, J M [Ecole Polytechnique Federale, Lausanne (Switzerland). Centre de Recherche en Physique des Plasma (CRPP); and others

1996-07-01

The general control of tokamak plasmas has evolved considerably over the last few years with an increase in the plasma pulse length, an increase in the control of additional heating and fuelling and an increase in the degree to which the shape of the plasma can be varied. The TCV tokamak is specifically designed to explore the operational benefits of plasma shaping over a wide variety of plasma shapes. Consequently, considerable attention has been given to the control of the poloidal field coil currents which impose the desired shape. This paper deals with all aspects of the control of TCV plasmas, from the diagnostic measurements to the power supplies, via control algorithms and overall supervision. (author) 44 figs., tabs., 25 refs.

Plasma Equilibrium Control in Nuclear Fusion Devices 2. Plasma Control in Magnetic Confinement Devices 2.1 Plasma Control in Tokamaks

Science.gov (United States)

Fukuda, Takeshi

The plasma control technique for use in large tokamak devices has made great developmental strides in the last decade, concomitantly with progress in the understanding of tokamak physics and in part facilitated by the substantial advancement in the computing environment. Equilibrium control procedures have thereby been established, and it has been pervasively recognized in recent years that the real-time feedback control of physical quantities is indispensable for the improvement and sustainment of plasma performance in a quasi-steady-state. Further development is presently undertaken to realize the “advanced plasma control” concept, where integrated fusion performance is achieved by the simultaneous feedback control of multiple physical quantities, combined with equilibrium control.

Plasma control device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takase, Haruhiko.

1987-01-01

Purpose: To obtain the optimum controllability for the plasmas and the thermonuclear device by selectively executing control operation for proportion, integration and differentiation (PID) by first and second controllers respectively based on selection instruction signals. Constitution: Deviation between a vertical direction equilibrium position: Zp as the plasma status amount measured in a measuring section and an aimed value Zref thereof is inputted to a first PID selection controller. The first controller selectively executes one of the PID control operations in accordance with the first selection signal instruction instructed by a PID control operation instruction circuit. Further, Zp is also inputted to a second PID selection controller, which selectively executes one of the PID control operations in accordance with the second selection instruction signal in the same manner as in the first controller. The deviation amount u between operations signals u1 and u2 from the first and second PID selection controllers is inputted to a power source to thereby supply a predetermined current value to control coils that generate equilibrium magnetic fields for making the vertical direction equilibrium position of plasmas constant. (Kamimura, M.)

Plasma control device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsutomi, Akiyoshi.

1995-01-01

Plasma position and shape estimation values are outputted based on measured values of coil current. When the measured values of the position and the shape are judged to be abnormal, position and shape estimation values estimated by a plasma position and shape estimation means are outputted as position and shape feed back values to a plasma position and shape control means instead of the position and shape measured values. Since only a portion of the abnormal position and shape measured values may also be replaced with the position and shape estimation values, errors in the plasma position and shape feed back values can be reduced as a whole. In addition, even if the position and shape measured values are abnormal or if they can not be measured, plasma control can be continued by alternative position and shape estimation values, thereby enabling to avoid interruption of plasma control. Since the position and shape estimation values are obtained not only with the measured values of coil current but also with the position and shape estimation values, the accuracy is improved. Further, noises superposed on the position and shape measured values are filtered, and the device is stabilized compared with a prior art device. (N.H.)

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Experimental investigation of coaxial-gun-formed plasmas injected into a background transverse magnetic field or plasma

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yue; Fisher, Dustin M.; Gilmore, Mark; Hsu, Scott C.; Lynn, Alan G.

2018-05-01

Injection of coaxial-gun-formed magnetized plasmas into a background transverse vacuum magnetic field or into a background magnetized plasma has been studied in the helicon-cathode (HelCat) linear plasma device at the University of New Mexico [M. Gilmore et al., J. Plasma Phys. 81, 345810104 (2015)]. A magnetized plasma jet launched into a background transverse magnetic field shows emergent kink stabilization of the jet due to the formation of a sheared flow in the jet above the kink stabilization threshold 0.1kVA [Y. Zhang et al., Phys. Plasmas 24, 110702 (2017)]. Injection of a spheromak-like plasma into a transverse background magnetic field led to the observation of finger-like structures on the side with a stronger magnetic field null between the spheromak and the background field. The finger-like structures are consistent with magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability. Jets or spheromaks launched into a background, low-β magnetized plasma show similar behavior as above, respectively, in both cases.

Operation and control of ITER plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

Features incorporated in the design of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) tokamak and its ancillary and plasma diagnostic systems that will facilitate operation and control of ignited and/or high-Q DT plasmas are presented. Control methods based upon straight-forward extrapolation of techniques employed in the present generation of tokamaks are found to be adequate and effective for DT plasma control with burn durations of ≥1000 s. Examples of simulations of key plasma control functions including magnetic configuration control and fusion burn (power) control are given. The prospects for the creation and control of steady-state plasmas sustained by non-inductive current drive are also discussed. (author)

Operation and control of ITER plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

Features incorporated in the design of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) tokamak and its ancillary and plasma diagnostic systems that will facilitate operation and control of ignited and/or high-Q DT plasmas are presented. Control methods based upon straight-forward extrapolation of techniques employed in the present generation of tokamaks are found to be adequate and effective for DT plasma control with burn durations of ≥1000 s. Examples of simulations of key plasma control functions including magnetic configuration control and fusion burn (power) control are given. The prospects for the creation and control of steady-state plasmas sustained by non-inductive current drive are also discussed. (author)

Enhancement of EAST plasma control capabilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiao, Bingjia, E-mail: bjxiao@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China); Yuan, Qiping; Luo, Zhengping; Huang, Yao; Liu, Lei; Guo, Yong; Pei, Xiaofang; Chen, Shuliang [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); Humphreys, D.A.; Hyatt, A.W. [General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186-5608 (United States); Mueller, Dennis [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ (United States); Calabró, G.; Crisanti, F. [ENEA UnitàTecnicaFusione, C.R. Frascati, Via E. Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Roma (Italy); Albanese, R.; Ambrosino, R. [CREATE, Università di Napoli Federicao II, Università di Cassino and Università di Napoli Parthenope, Via Claudio 19, 80125 Napoli (Italy)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • Parallel plasma equilibrium reconstruction using GPU for real-time control on EAST. • Vertical control using Bang-bang + PID method to improve the response and minimize the oscillation caused by the latency. • Quasi-snow flake divertor plasma configuration has been demonstrated on EAST. - Abstract: In order to improve the plasma control performance and enhance the capability for advanced plasma control, new algorithms such as PEFIT/ISOFLUX plasma shape feedback control, quasi-snowflake plasma shape development and vertical control under new vertical control power supply, have been implemented and experimentally tested and verified in EAST 2014 campaign. P-EFIT is a rewritten version of EFIT aiming at fast real-time equilibrium reconstruction by using GPU for parallelized computation. Successful control using PEFIT/ISOFLUX was established in dedicated experiment. Snowfldivertor plasma shape has the advantage of spreading heat over the divertor target and a quasi-snowflake (QSF) configuration was achieved in discharges with I{sub p} = 0.25 MA and B{sub t} = 1.8T, κ∼1.9, by plasma position feedback control. The shape feedback control to achieve QSF shape has been preliminary implemented by using PEFIT and the initial experimental test has been done. For more robust vertical instability control, the inner coil (IC) and its power supply have been upgraded. A new control algorithm with the combination of Bang-bang and PID controllers has been developed. It is shown that new vertical control power supply together with the new control algorithms results in higher vertical controllability.

Automatic plasma control in magnetic traps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samojlenko, Y.; Chuyanov, V.

1984-01-01

Hot plasma is essentially in thermodynamic non-steady state. Automatic plasma control basically means monitoring deviations from steady state and producing a suitable magnetic or electric field which brings the plasma back to its original state. Briefly described are two systems of automatic plasma control: control with a magnetic field using a negative impedance circuit, and control using an electric field. It appears that systems of automatic plasma stabilization will be an indispensable component of the fusion reactor and its possibilities will in many ways determine the reactor economy. (Ha)

Plasma barodiffusion in inertial-confinement-fusion implosions: application to observed yield anomalies in thermonuclear fuel mixtures.

Science.gov (United States)

Amendt, Peter; Landen, O L; Robey, H F; Li, C K; Petrasso, R D

2010-09-10

The observation of large, self-generated electric fields (≥10(9)  V/m) in imploding capsules using proton radiography has been reported [C. K. Li, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 225001 (2008)]. A model of pressure gradient-driven diffusion in a plasma with self-generated electric fields is developed and applied to reported neutron yield deficits for equimolar D3He [J. R. Rygg, Phys. Plasmas 13, 052702 (2006)] and (DT)3He [H. W. Herrmann, Phys. Plasmas 16, 056312 (2009)] fuel mixtures and Ar-doped deuterium fuels [J. D. Lindl, Phys. Plasmas 11, 339 (2004)]. The observed anomalies are explained as a mild loss of deuterium nuclei near capsule center arising from shock-driven diffusion in the high-field limit.

Initial operation of NSTX with plasma control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gates, D.; Bell, M.; Ferron, J.; Kaye, S.; Menard, J.; Mueller, D.; Neumeyer, C.; Sabbagh, S.

2000-01-01

First plasma, with a maximum current of 300kA, was achieved on NSTX in February 1999. These results were obtained using preprogrammed coil currents. The first controlled plasmas on NSTX were made starting in August 1999 with the full 1MA plasma current achieved in December 1999. The controlled quantities were plasma position (R, Z) and current (Ip). Variations in the plasma shape are achieved by adding preprogrammed currents to those determined by the control parameters. The control system is fully digital, with plasma position and current control, data acquisition, and power supply control all occurring in the same four-processor real time computer. The system uses the PCS (Plasma Control Software) system designed at General Atomics. Modular control algorithms, specific to NSTX, were written and incorporated into the PCS. The application algorithms do the actual control calculations, with the PCS handling data passing. The control system, including planned upgrades, will be described, along with results of the initial controlled plasma operations. Analysis of the performance of the control system will also be presented

On non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jets and plasma bullet

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xinpei

2012-10-01

Because of the enhanced plasma chemistry, atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium plasmas (APNPs) have been widely studied for several emerging applications such as biomedical applications. For the biomedical applications, plasma jet devices, which generate plasma in open space (surrounding air) rather than in confined discharge gaps only, have lots of advantages over the traditional dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) devices. For example, it can be used for root canal disinfection, which can't be realized by the traditional plasma device. On the other hand, currently, the working gases of most of the plasma jet devices are noble gases or the mixtures of the noble gases with small amount of O2, or air. If ambient air is used as the working gas, several serious difficulties are encountered in the plasma generation process. Amongst these are high gas temperatures and disrupting instabilities. In this presentation, firstly, a brief review of the different cold plasma jets developed to date is presented. Secondly, several different plasma jet devices developed in our lab are reported. The effects of various parameters on the plasma jets are discussed. Finally, one of the most interesting phenomena of APNP-Js, the plasma bullet is discussed and its behavior is described. References: [1] X. Lu, M. Laroussi, V. Puech, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 21, 034005 (2012); [2] Y. Xian, X. Lu, S. Wu, P. Chu, and Y. Pan, Appl. Phys. Lett. 100, 123702 (2012); [3] X. Pei, X. Lu, J. Liu, D. Liu, Y. Yang, K. Ostrikov, P. Chu, and Y. Pan, J. Phys. D 45, 165205 (2012).

Recent plasma control progress on EAST

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiao, B.J., E-mail: bjxiao@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); Yuan, Q.P. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); Humphreys, D.A.; Walker, M.L.; Hyatt, A.W.; Leuer, J.A.; Jackson, G.L. [General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186-5608 (United States); Mueller, D. [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ (United States); Penaflor, B.G.; Pigrowski, D.A.; Johnson, R.D.; Welander, A.S. [General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186-5608 (United States); Zhang, R.R.; Luo, Z.P.; Guo, Y.; Xing, Z.; Zhang, Y. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China)

2012-12-15

In recent 2 years, various algorithms to control plasma shape, current and density have been implemented or improved for EAST tokamak. These plasma control performances have been verified by either simulated or actual experimental operation, and thus plasma control basis has been established for the long pulse operation and high performance H-mode plasma operation with low hybrid wave (LHW) and ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating. Startup simulation has been done by using TOKSYS code for the plasma breakdown in either 3.1 Wb or 4.5 Wb initial poloidal flux state and the scenarios proved to be robust and used for routine operation. Various shape configurations have been well feedback controlled by using ISOFLUX limited, double-null or single null algorithms based on RTEFIT equilibrium reconstruction. For the long pulse operation, strike point control and magnetics drift compensation have been implemented in the plasma control system (PCS). To improve the operation safety and efficiency, the verification of magnetic diagnostics before plasma breakdown has been demonstrated adequate to prevent a discharge in case of key sensor failure.

Plasma Confinement in the UCLA Electric Tokamak.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Robert J.

2001-10-01

The main goal of the newly constructed large Electric Tokamak (R = 5 m, a = 1 m, BT 8 x 10^12 cm-3 when there is no MHD activity. The electron temperature, derived from the plasma conductivity is > 250 eV with a central electron energy confinement time > 350 msec in ohmic conditions. The sawteeth period is 50 msec. Edge plasma rotation is induced by plasma biasing via electron injection in an analogous manner to that seen in CCT(R.J. Taylor, M.L. Brown, B.D. Fried, H. Grote, J.R. Liberati, G.J. Morales, P. Pribyl, D. Darrow, and M. Ono. Phys. Rev Lett. 63 2365 1989.) and the neoclassical bifurcation is close to that described by Shaing et al(K.C. Shaing and E.C. Crume, Phys. Rev. Lett. 63 2369 (1989).). In the ohmic phase the confinement tends to be MHD limited. The ICRF heating eliminates the MHD disturbances. Under second harmonic heating conditions, we observe an internal confinement peaking characterized by doubling of the core density and a corresponding increase in the central electron temperature. Charge exchange data, Doppler data in visible H-alpha light, and EC radiation all indicate that ICRF heating works much better than expected. The major effort is focused on increasing the power input and controlling the resulting equilibrium. This task appears to be easy since our current pulses are approaching the 3 second mark without RF heating or current drive. Our initial experience with current profile control, needed for high beta plasma equilibrium, will be also discussed.

Rethermalization of a field-reversed configuration plasma in translation experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Himura, H.; Okada, S.; Sugimoto, S.; Goto, S.

1995-01-01

A translation experiment of field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasma is performed on the FIX machine [Shiokawa and Goto, Phys. Fluids B 5, 534 (1993)]. The translated FRC bounces between magnetic mirror fields at both ends of a confinement region. The plasma loses some of its axial kinetic energy when it is reflected by the magnetic mirror field, and eventually settles down in the confinement region. In this reflection process, the plasma temperature rises significantly. Such plasma rethermalization has been observed in OCT-L1 experiments [Ito et al., Phys. Fluids 30, 168 (1987)], but rarely in FRX-C/T experiments [Rej et al., Phys. Fluids 29, 852 (1986)]. It is found that the rethermalization depends on the relation between the plasma temperature and the translation velocity. The rethermalization occurs only in the case where the translation velocity exceeds the sound velocity. This result implies the rethermalization is caused by a shock wave induced within the FRC when the plasma is reflected by the magnetic mirror field. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

Modeling of active control of external magnetohydrodynamic instabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bialek, James; Boozer, Allen H.; Mauel, M.E.; Navratil, G.A.

2001-01-01

A general circuit formulation of resistive wall mode (RWM) feedback stabilization developed by Boozer [Phys. Plasmas 5, 3350 (1998)] has been used as the basis for the VALEN computer code that calculates the performance of an active control system in arbitrary geometry. The code uses a finite element representation of a thin shell structure in an integral formulation to model arbitrary conducting walls. This is combined with a circuit representation of stable and unstable plasma modes. Benchmark comparisons of VALEN results with large aspect ratio analytic model of the current driven kink mode are in very good agreement. VALEN also models arbitrary sensors, control coils, and the feedback logic connecting these sensors and control coils to provide a complete simulation capability for feedback control of plasma instabilities. VALEN modeling is in good agreement with experimental results on DIII-D [Garofalo et al., Nucl. Fusion 40, 1491 (2000)] and HBT-EP [Cates et al., Phys. Plasmas 7, 3133 (2000)]. VALEN feedback simulations have also been used to evaluate and optimize the sensor/coil configurations for present and planned RWM experiments on DIII-D. These studies have shown a clear advantage for the use of local poloidal field sensors driving a 'mode control' feedback logic control loop and configurations which minimize the control coil coupling to the stabilizing resistive wall

Bispectral experimental estimation of the nonlinear energy transfer in two-dimensional plasma turbulence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Manz, P.; Ramisch, M.; Stroth, U.

2008-01-01

Experimental density and potential fluctuation data from a 2D probe array have been analysed to study the turbulent cascade in a toroidally confined magnetized plasma. The bispectral analysis technique used is from Ritz et al ( 1989 Phys. Fluids B 1 153) and Kim et al ( 1996 Phys. Plasmas 3 3998...... scales. This is the first experimental evidence for the dual turbulent cascade in a magnetized plasma....

X-ray lasing in colliding plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, R.W.; Davis, J.; Velikovich, A.L.; Whitney, K.G.

1997-01-01

Conditions favorable for the achievement of population inversion and large gains in short-pulse laser-heated selenium have been reported on previously [K. G. Whitney et al., Phys. Rev. E 50, 468 (1994)]. However, the required density profiles to minimize refraction and amplification losses can be difficult to achieve in conventional laser heated blowoff plasmas. The feasibility of accelerating plasma with a laser, and letting it collide with a solid density wall plasma has been explored. The density of the resulting shocked plasma can be controlled and refraction can be reduced in this design. A radiation hydrodynamics model is used to simulate the collision of the laser produced selenium plasma with the wall plasma. The heating of the stagnated plasma with a short-pulse laser is then simulated, providing the hydrodynamic response of the selenium plasma and detailed configuration nonequilibrium atomic populations. From the results of these calculations, it appears feasible to create an x-ray lasing selenium plasma with gains in the J=0 endash 1 line at 182 Angstrom in excess of 100cm -1 . copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

Validation of ISTTOK Plasma Position Controller

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valcarcel, D. F.; Carvalho, I. S.; Carvalho, B. B.; Fernandes, H.; Silva, C.; Duarte, P.; Duarte, A.; Carvalho, P. J.; Pereira, T.

2008-01-01

Active control of plasma position on the ISTTOK tokamak is of extreme importance due to the inherent instability caused by an unfavourable curvature of the external equilibrium magnetic field. The consequences of this instability can be suppressed by applying a dynamic equilibrium field. A digital real-time plasma position control system for ISTTOK has been developed to perform this task. This system uses magnetic measurements to determine the plasma position and feeds the control signal to power supplies that generate the equilibrium fields. After commissioning, the results obtained have shown some discrepancies between the magnetic plasma position reconstruction and several other diagnostics, such as tomography. This discrepancy at some extent is due to the effect of the external magnetic fields on the poloidal magnetic measurements. This work presents a study that addresses this issue. In a future work it will lead to the development of a corrected plasma position algorithm, aiming at obtaining improved performance of plasma discharges and controlled plasma column displacements

Comment on “Magnetic geometry and physics of advanced divertors: The X-divertor and the snowflake” [Phys. Plasmas 20, 102507 (2013)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryutov, D. D.; Cohen, R. H.; Rognlien, T. D.; Soukhanovskii, V. A.; Umansky, M. V.

2014-01-01

In the recently published paper “Magnetic geometry and physics of advanced divertors: The X-divertor and the snowflake” [Phys. Plasmas 20, 102507 (2013)], the authors raise interesting and important issues concerning divertor physics and design. However, the paper contains significant errors: (a) The conceptual framework used in it for the evaluation of divertor “quality” is reduced to the assessment of the magnetic field structure in the outer Scrape-Off Layer. This framework is incorrect because processes affecting the pedestal, the private flux region and all of the divertor legs (four, in the case of a snowflake) are an inseparable part of divertor operation. (b) The concept of the divertor index focuses on only one feature of the magnetic field structure and can be quite misleading when applied to divertor design. (c) The suggestion to rename the divertor configurations experimentally realized on NSTX (National Spherical Torus Experiment) and DIII-D (Doublet III-D) from snowflakes to X-divertors is not justified: it is not based on comparison of these configurations with the prototypical X-divertor, and it ignores the fact that the NSTX and DIII-D poloidal magnetic field geometries fit very well into the snowflake “two-null” prescription

Plasma position and shape control for ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Portone, A.; Gribov, Y.; Huguet, M.

1995-01-01

Key features and main results about the control of the plasma shape in ITER are presented. A control algorithm is designed to control up to 6 gaps between the plasma separatrix and the plasma facing components during the reference burn phase. Nonlinear simulations show the performances of the controller in the presence of plasma vertical position offsets, beta drops and power supply voltage saturation

An advanced plasma control system for Tore Supra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wijnands, T.; Martin, G.

1996-01-01

First results on plasma control with the new plasma control system of Tore Supra are presented. The system has been especially designed for long pulse operation: plasmas are controlled on reference signals, which can be varied in real time by using diagnostic measurements. On line determination of the global plasma equilibrium has enabled new operation scenarios in which both the power from the poloidal field generators and the total Lower Hybrid (LH) power are used to control the plasma. Experiments with feedback control of the safety factor on the plasma boundary, control of the LH driven current, control of the flux on the plasma boundary and control of the internal inductance are discussed. (author)

An advanced plasma control system for Tore Supra

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wijnands, T.; Martin, G.

1996-01-01

First results on plasma control with the new plasma control system of Tore Supra are presented. The system has been especially designed for long pulse operation: plasmas are controlled on reference signals, which can be varied in real time by using diagnostic measurements. On line determination of the global plasma equilibrium has enabled new operation scenarios in which both the power from the poloidal field generators and the total Lower Hybrid (LH) power are used to control the plasma. Experiments with feedback control of the safety factor on the plasma boundary, control of the LH driven current, control of the flux on the plasma boundary and control of the internal inductance are discussed. (author). 12 refs.

Status of DIII-D plasma control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, M.L.; Ferron, J.R.; Penaflor, B.

1995-10-01

A key component of the DIII-D Advanced Tokamak and Radiative Divertor Programs is the development and implementation of methods to actively control a large number of plasma parameters. These parameters include plasma shape and position, total stored energy, density, rf loading resistance, radiated power and more detailed control of the current profile. To support this research goal, a flexible and easily expanded digital control system has been developed and implemented. We have made parallel progress in modeling of the plasma, poloidal coils, vacuum vessel, and power system dynamics and in ensuring the integrity of diagnostic and command circuits used in control. Recent activity has focused on exploiting the mature digital control platform through the implementation of simple feedback controls of more exotic plasma parameters such as enhanced divertor radiation, neutral pressure and Marfe creation and more sophisticated identification and digital feedback control algorithms for plasma shape, vertical position, and safety factor on axis (q 0 ). A summary of recent progress in each of these areas will be presented

Plasma position control on Alcator C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pribyl, P.A.

1981-05-01

The Alcator C MHD equilibrium is investigated from the standpoint of determining the plasma position. A review of equilibrium theory is presented, indicating that the central flux surfaces of the plasma should be displaced about 1 to 2 cm from the outermost. Further, the plasma should have a slightly noncircular cross-section. A comparison is made between the observed and predicted profiles. Flux loops sensitive to plasma position generate the error signal for the feedback control circuit. This measurement agrees with other position-sensitive diagnostics, such as limiter heating, and centroids of density, soft x-ray, and electron cyclotron emission. A linear model is developed for the position control feedback system, including the vertical field SCR supply, plasma, and feedback electronics. Operation of the control system agrees well with that predicted by the model, with acceptable plasma position being maintained for the duration of the discharge. The feedback control system is in daily use for Alcator C runs

The ionization length in plasmas with finite temperature ion sources

Science.gov (United States)

Jelić, N.; Kos, L.; Tskhakaya, D. D.; Duhovnik, J.

2009-12-01

The ionization length is an important quantity which up to now has been precisely determined only in plasmas which assume that the ions are born at rest, i.e., in discharges known as "cold ion-source" plasmas. Presented here are the results of our calculations of the ionization lengths in plasmas with an arbitrary ion source temperature. Harrison and Thompson (H&T) [Proc. Phys. Soc. 74, 145 (1959)] found the values of this quantity for the cases of several ion strength potential profiles in the well-known Tonks-Langmuir [Phys. Rev. 34, 876 (1929)] discharge, which is characterized by "cold" ion temperature. This scenario is also known as the "singular" ion-source discharge. The H&T analytic result covers cases of ion sources proportional to exp(βΦ) with Φ the normalized plasma potential and β =0,1,2 values, which correspond to particular physical scenarios. Many years following H&T's work, Bissell and Johnson (B&J) [Phys. Fluids 30, 779 (1987)] developed a model with the so-called "warm" ion-source temperature, i.e., "regular" ion source, under B&J's particular assumption that the ionization strength is proportional to the local electron density. However, it appears that B&J were not interested in determining the ionization length at all. The importance of this quantity to theoretical modeling was recognized by Riemann, who recently answered all the questions of the most advanced up-to-date plasma-sheath boundary theory with cold ions [K.-U. Riemann, Phys. Plasmas 13, 063508 (2006)] but still without the stiff warm ion-source case solution, which is highly resistant to solution via any available analytic method. The present article is an extension of H&T's results obtained for a single point only with ion source temperature Tn=0 to arbitrary finite ion source temperatures. The approach applied in this work is based on the method recently developed by Kos et al. [Phys. Plasmas 16, 093503 (2009)].

Comment on “Beamstrahlung considerations in laser-plasma-accelerator-based linear colliders”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valeri Lebedev

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Schroeder, Esarey, Geddes, Benedetti, and Leemans [Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 13, 101301 (2010PRABFM1098-440210.1103/PhysRevSTAB.13.101301 and Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 15, 051301 (2012PRABFM1098-440210.1103/PhysRevSTAB.15.051301] have proposed a set of parameters for a TeV-scale collider based on plasma wakefield accelerator principles. In particular, it is sugested that the luminosities greater than 10^{34}  cm^{-2} s^{-1} are attainable for an electron-positron collider. In this Comment we dispute this set of parameters on the basis of first principles. The interactions of accelerating beam with plasma impose fundamental limitations on beam properties and, thus, on attainable luminosity values.

Controlling marginally detached divertor plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Eldon, D.; Kolemen, E.; Barton, J. L.; Briesemeister, A. R.; Humphreys, D. A.; Leonard, A. W.; Maingi, R.; Makowski, M. A.; McLean, A. G.; Moser, A. L.; Stangeby, P. C.

2017-06-01

A new control system at DIII-D has stabilized the inter-ELM detached divertor plasma state for H-mode in close proximity to the threshold for reattachment, thus demonstrating the ability to maintain detachment with minimal gas puffing. When the same control system was instead ordered to hold the plasma at the threshold (here defined as T e  =  5 eV near the divertor target plate), the resulting T e profiles separated into two groups with one group consistent with marginal detachment, and the other with marginal attachment. The plasma dithers between the attached and detached states when the control system attempts to hold at the threshold. The control system is upgraded from the one described in Kolemen et al (2015 J. Nucl. Mater. 463 1186) and it handles ELMing plasmas by using real time D α measurements to remove during-ELM slices from real time T e measurements derived from divertor Thomson scattering. The difference between measured and requested inter-ELM T e is passed to a PID (proportional-integral-derivative) controller to determine gas puff commands. While some degree of detachment is essential for the health of ITER’s divertor, more deeply detached plasmas have greater radiative losses and, at the extreme, confinement degradation, making it desirable to limit detachment to the minimum level needed to protect the target plate (Kolemen et al 2015 J. Nucl. Mater. 463 1186). However, the observed bifurcation in plasma conditions at the outer strike point with the ion B   ×  \

Plasma automatic control in magnetic traps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samojlenko, Yu.I.; Chuyanov, V.A.

1983-01-01

Principles of constructing the systems providing a plasma equilibrium and stability in thermonuctear devices are laid down. Operation of the servo system to maintain a plasma equilibrium is described using the tokamak plasma filament as an example. Operation of the system to suppress a flute instability is also described. This system measures electric disturbances on the plasma body surface and controls charge distribution on external electrodes. It is pointed out that systems of automatic control of plasma equilibrium and stability become an essential element of a future thermonuclear reactor and the system potentialities would much determine the reactor economic efficiency

Chapter 8: Plasma operation and control

Science.gov (United States)

ITER Physics Expert Group on Disruptions, Control, Plasma, and MHD; ITER Physics Expert Group on Energetic Particles, Heating, Current and Drive; ITER Physics Expert Group on Diagnostics; ITER Physics Basis Editors

1999-12-01

Wall conditioning of fusion devices involves removal of desorbable hydrogen isotopes and impurities from interior device surfaces to permit reliable plasma operation. Techniques used in present devices include baking, metal film gettering, deposition of thin films of low-Z material, pulse discharge cleaning, glow discharge cleaning, radio frequency discharge cleaning, and in situ limiter and divertor pumping. Although wall conditioning techniques have become increasingly sophisticated, a reactor scale facility will involve significant new challenges, including the development of techniques applicable in the presence of a magnetic field and of methods for efficient removal of tritium incorporated into co-deposited layers on plasma facing components and their support structures. The current status of various approaches is reviewed, and the implications for reactor scale devices are summarized. Creation and magnetic control of shaped and vertically unstable elongated plasmas have been mastered in many present tokamaks. The physics of equilibrium control for reactor scale plasmas will rely on the same principles, but will face additional challenges, exemplified by the ITER/FDR design. The absolute positioning of outermost flux surface and divertor strike points will have to be precise and reliable in view of the high heat fluxes at the separatrix. Long pulses will require minimal control actions, to reduce accumulation of AC losses in superconducting PF and TF coils. To this end, more complex feedback controllers are envisaged, and the experimental validation of the plasma equilibrium response models on which such controllers are designed is encouraging. Present simulation codes provide an adequate platform on which equilibrium response techniques can be validated. Burning plasmas require kinetic control in addition to traditional magnetic shape and position control. Kinetic control refers to measures controlling density, rotation and temperature in the plasma core as

Comment on 'Relation between space charge limited current and power loss in open drift tubes' [Phys. Plasmas 13, 073101 (2006)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swanekamp, S. B.; Schumer, J. W.

2007-01-01

In Phys Plasmas 13, 073101 (2006), the drop in the space-charge-limited (SCL) current for a beam injected into a space with an open boundary is analyzed with an electromagnetic particle-in-cell code. The authors explained the power loss observed at the open boundary as the loss of electromagnetic radiation created from the deceleration of electrons in the gap, and they developed an effective voltage theory to predict the drop in the SCL current observed in the simulations. In this Comment, we show that, provided the current remains below the SCL value, the electric and magnetic fields are constant in time so that power loss from the open boundary is a dc phenomenon with no rf power leaving through the boundary. We show that the electric and magnetic fields are static in time and static fields DO NOT RADIATE. Instead, the electron beam charges the collector plate, which causes a real electrostatic electric field to develop. The electron energy loss is not due to radiation but rather to the work done by this electrostatic field on the electrons as they move across the gap. This is precisely the energy dissipated in the matched resistance across the open boundary, which is a consequence of the boundary condition. Furthermore, since a real electrostatic potential develops, the voltage drop is real and there is no need to call the voltage drop an effective voltage

Spherical conducting probes in finite Debye length plasmas and E x B fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patacchini, Leonardo; Hutchinson, Ian H

2011-01-01

The particle-in-cell code SCEPTIC3D (Patacchini and Hutchinson 2010 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 52 035005) is used to calculate the interaction of a transversely flowing magnetized plasma with a negatively charged spherical conductor, in the entire range of magnetization and Debye length. The results allow the first fully self-consistent analysis of probe operation where neither the ion Larmor radius nor the Debye length are approximated by zero or infinity. An important transition in plasma structure occurs when the Debye length exceeds the average ion Larmor radius, as the sphere starts to shield the convective electric field driving the flow. A remarkable result is that in those conditions, the ion current can significantly exceed the unmagnetized orbital motion limit. When both the Debye length and the Larmor radius are small compared with the probe dimensions, however, their ratio does not affect the collection pattern significantly, and Mach-probe calibration methods derived in the context of quasineutral strongly magnetized plasmas (Patacchini and Hutchinson 2009 Phys. Rev. E 80 036403) hold for Debye lengths and ion Larmor radii smaller than about 10% of the probe radius.

Response to 'Comment on 'Pinch current limitation effect in plasma focus'' [Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 076101 (2009)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S.; Saw, S. H.

2009-01-01

The main point of the comment [Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 076101 (2009)] is that Eq. (2) and consequentially Eq. (3) of the commented paper [Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 021503 (2008)] require correction. The alternative equation suggested in the comment is derived using Kirchhoff's voltage rule. The comment consider only the energy distribution in the inductive components and the resultant equation confirms a progressive lowering of the I pinch /I peak ratio as the static inductance L 0 is reduced, lowering from 0.87 to 0.31 as L 0 is reduced from 100 to 5 nH according to the revised formula corresponding to Eq. (3), compared to 0.63-0.25 according to Eq. (3). This progressive lowering of the ratio I pinch /I peak due to the inductive energy distribution is one of two factors responsible for the pinch current limitation. The other factor is the progressive reduction in the L-C interaction time compared to the current dip duration denoted by δ cap in Eq. (2). The comment does not deal with δ cap at all; hence, its conclusion based on inductive energy distribution only is not useful, since in the low L 0 region when pinch current limitation begins to manifest, δ cap becomes more and more the dominant factor. In any case, the results of the paper do not depend on Eqs. (2) and (3), which are used in the paper only for illustrative purposes

Experimental investigation of coaxial-gun-formed plasmas injected into a background transverse magnetic field or plasma

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Yue; Fisher, Dustin M.; Gilmore, Mark; Hsu, Scott C.; Lynn, Alan G.

2017-01-01

Injection of coaxial-gun-formed magnetized plasmas into a background transverse vacuum magnetic field or into a background magnetized plasma has been studied in the helicon-cathode (HelCat) linear plasma device at the University of New Mexico [M. Gilmore et al., J. Plasma Phys.81, 345810104 (2015)]. Magnetized plasma jet launched into a background transverse magnetic field shows emergent kink stabilization of the jet due to the formation of a sheared flow in the jet above the kink-stabilizati...

Interaction of Fast Ions with Global Plasma Modes in the C-2 Field Reversed Configuration Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Smirnov, Artem; Dettrick, Sean; Clary, Ryan; Korepanov, Sergey; Thompson, Matthew; Trask, Erik; Tuszewski, Michel

2012-10-01

A high-confinement operating regime [1] with plasma lifetimes significantly exceeding past empirical scaling laws was recently obtained by combining plasma gun edge biasing and tangential Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) in the C-2 field-reversed configuration (FRC) experiment [2, 3]. We present experimental and computational results on the interaction of fast ions with the n=2 rotational and n=1 wobble modes in the C-2 FRC. It is found that the n=2 mode is similar to quadrupole magnetic fields in its detrimental effect on the fast ion transport due to symmetry breaking. The plasma gun generates an inward radial electric field, thus stabilizing the n=2 rotational instability without applying the quadrupole magnetic fields. The resultant FRCs are nearly axisymmetric, which enables fast ion confinement. The NBI further suppresses the n=2 mode, improves the plasma confinement characteristics, and increases the plasma configuration lifetime [4]. The n=1 wobble mode has relatively little effect on the fast ion transport, likely due to the approximate axisymmetry about the displaced plasma column. [4pt] [1] M. Tuszewski et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 255008 (2012).[0pt] [2] M. Binderbauer et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 045003 (2010).[0pt] [3] H.Y. Guo et al., Phys. Plasmas 18, 056110 (2011).[0pt] [4] M. Tuszewski et al., Phys. Plasmas 19, 056108 (2012)

Turbulence at the transition to the high density H-mode in Wendelstein 7-AS plasmas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Basse, N.P.; Zoletnik, S.; Baumel, S.

2003-01-01

Recently a new improved confinement regime was found in the Wendelstein 7-AS (W7-AS) stellarator (Renner H. et al 1989 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 31 1579). The discovery of this high density high confinement mode (HDH-mode) was facilitated by the installation of divertor modules. In this paper,...

FPGA based Fuzzy Logic Controller for plasma position control in ADITYA Tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suratia, Pooja; Patel, Jigneshkumar; Rajpal, Rachana; Kotia, Sorum; Govindarajan, J.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Evaluation and comparison of the working performance of FLC is done with that of PID Controller. ► FLC is designed using MATLAB Fuzzy Logic Toolbox, and validated on ADITYA RZIP model. ► FLC was implemented on a FPGA. The close-loop testing is done by interfacing FPGA to MATLAB/Simulink. ► Developed FLC controller is able to maintain the plasma column within required range of ±0.05 m and was found to give robust control against various disturbances and faster and smoother response compared to PID Controller. - Abstract: Tokamaks are the most promising devices for obtaining nuclear fusion energy from high-temperature, ionized gas termed as Plasma. The successful operation of tokamak depends on its ability to confine plasma at the geometric center of vacuum vessel with sufficient stability. The quality of plasma discharge in ADITYA Tokamak is strongly related to the radial position of the plasma column in the vacuum vessel. If the plasma column approaches too near to the wall of vacuum vessel, it leads to minor or complete disruption of plasma. Hence the control of plasma position throughout the entire plasma discharge duration is a fundamental requirement. This paper describes Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) which is designed for radial plasma position control. This controller is tested and evaluated on the ADITYA RZIP control model. The performance of this FLC was compared with that of Proportional–Integral–Derivative (PID) Controller and the response was found to be faster and smoother. FLC was implemented on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chip with the use of a Very High-Speed Integrated-Circuits Hardware Description-Language (VHDL).

Plasma control concepts for ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lister, J.B.; Nieswand, C.

1997-01-01

This overview paper skims over a wide range of issues related to the control of ITER plasmas. Although operation of the ITER project will require extensive developmental work to achieve the degree of control required, there is no indication that any of the identified problems will present overwhelming difficulties compared with the operation of present tokamaks. However, the precision of control required and the degree of automation of the final ITER plasma control system will present a challenge which is somewhat greater than for present tokamaks. In order to operate ITER optimally, integrated use of a large amount of diagnostic information will be necessary, evaluated and interpreted automatically. This will challenge both the diagnostics themselves and their supporting interpretation codes. The intervening years will provide us with the opportunity to implement and evaluate most of the new features required for ITER on existing tokamaks, with the exception of the control of an ignited plasma. (author) 7 figs., 7 refs

Magnetic Configuration Control of ITER Plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albanese, R.; Artaserse, G.; Mattei, M.; Ambrosino, G.; Crisanti, F.; Tommasi, G. de; Fresa, R.; Portone, A.; Sartori, F.; Villone, F.

2006-01-01

The aim of this paper is to review the capability of the ITER Poloidal Field (PF) system of controlling the broad range of plasma configurations presently forecasted during ITER operation. The attention is focused on the axi-symmetric aspects of plasma magnetic configuration control since they pose the greatest challenges in terms of control power and they have the largest impact on machine capital cost. The paper is broadly divided in two main sections devoted, respectively, to open loop (feed-forward) and closed loop (feedback) control. In the first part of the study the PF system is assessed with respect to the initiation, ramp-up, sustained burn, ramp-down phases of the main plasma inductive scenario. The limiter-to-divertor configuration transition phase is considered in detail with the aim of assessing the PF capability to form an X-point at the lowest possible current and, therefore, to relax the thermal load on the limiter surfaces. Moreover, during the sustained burn it is important to control plasmas with a broad range of current density profiles. In the second part of the study the plasma vertical feedback control requirements are assessed in details, in particular for the high elongation configurations achievable during the early limiter-to-X point transition phase. Non-rigid plasma displacement models are used to assess the control system voltage and current requirements of different radial field control circuits obtained, for example, by connecting the outermost PF coils, some CS coils, coils sub-sections etc. At last, the main 3D effects of the vessel ports are modeled and their impact of vertical stabilization evaluated. (author)

Coherent control of plasma dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

He, Zhaohan

2014-10-01

The concept of coherent control - precise measurement or determination of a process through control of the phase of an applied oscillating field - has been applied to numerous systems with great success. Here, we demonstrate the use of coherent control on plasma dynamics in a laser wakefield electron acceleration experiment. A tightly focused femtosecond laser pulse (10 mJ, 35 fs) was used to generate electron beams by plasma wakefield acceleration in the density down ramp. The technique is based on optimization of the electron beam using a deformable mirror adaptive optical system with an iterative evolutionary genetic algorithm. The image of the electrons on a scintillator screen was processed and used in a fitness function as direct feedback for the optimization algorithm. This coherent manipulation of the laser wavefront leads to orders of magnitude improvement to the electron beam properties such as the peak charge and beam divergence. The laser beam optimized to generate the best electron beam was not the one with the ``best'' focal spot. When a particular wavefront of laser light interacts with plasma, it can affect the plasma wave structures and trapping conditions of the electrons in a complex way. For example, Raman forward scattering, envelope self-modulation, relativistic self-focusing, and relativistic self-phase modulation and many other nonlinear interactions modify both the pulse envelope and phase as the pulse propagates, in a way that cannot be easily predicted and that subsequently dictates the formation of plasma waves. The optimal wavefront could be successfully determined via the heuristic search under laser-plasma conditions that were not known a priori. Control and shaping of the electron energy distribution was found to be less effective, but was still possible. Particle-in-cell simulations were performed to show that the mode structure of the laser beam can affect the plasma wave structure and trapping conditions of electrons, which

Controlled fusion and plasma heating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-06-01

The contributions presented in the 17th European Conference on Controlled Fusion and Plasma Heating were focused on Tore Supra investigations. The following subjects were presented: ohmic discharges, lower hybrid experiments, runaway electrons, Thomson scattering, plasma density measurements, magnetic fluctuations, polarization scattering, plasma currents, plasma fluctuation measurements, evaporation of hydrogen pellets in presence of fast electrons, ripple induced stochastic diffusion of trapped particles, tearing mode stabilization, edge effects on turbulence behavior, electron cyclotron heating, micro-tearing modes, divertors, limiters

The COMPASS Tokamak Plasma Control Software Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Valcarcel, Daniel F.; Neto, André; Carvalho, Ivo S.; Carvalho, Bernardo B.; Fernandes, Horácio; Sousa, Jorge; Janky, Filip; Havlicek, Josef; Beno, Radek; Horacek, Jan; Hron, Martin; Panek, Radomir

2011-08-01

The COMPASS tokamak has began operation at the IPP Prague in December 2008. A new control system has been built using an ATCA-based real-time system developed at IST Lisbon. The control software is implemented on top of the MARTe real-time framework attaining control cycles as short as 50 μs, with a jitter of less than 1 μs. The controlled parameters, important for the plasma performance, are the plasma current, position of the plasma current center, boundary shape and horizontal and vertical velocities. These are divided in two control cycles: slow at 500 μs and fast at 50 μs. The project has two phases. First, the software implements a digital controller, similar to the analog one used during the COMPASS-D operation in Culham. In the slow cycle, the plasma current and position are measured and controlled with PID and feedforward controllers, respectively, the shaping magnetic field is preprogrammed. The vertical instability and horizontal equilibrium are controlled with the faster 50-μs cycle PID controllers. The second phase will implement a plasma-shape reconstruction algorithm and controller, aiming at optimized plasma performance. The system was designed to be as modular as possible by breaking the functional requirements of the control system into several independent and specialized modules. This splitting enabled tuning the execution of each system part and to use the modules in a variety of applications with different time constraints. This paper presents the design and overall performance of the COMPASS control software.

INTEGRATED PLASMA CONTROL FOR ADVANCED TOKAMAKS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

HUMPHREYS, D.A.; FERRON, J.R.; JOHNSON, R.D; LEUER, J.A.; PENAFLOR, B.G.; WALKER, M.L.; WELANDER, A.S.; KHAYRUTDINOV, R.R; DOKOUKA, V.; EDGELL, D.H.; FRANSSON, C.M.

2004-03-01

OAK-B135 Advanced tokamaks (AT) are distinguished from conventional tokamaks by their high degree of shaping, achievement of profiles optimized for high confinement and stability characteristics, and active stabilization of MHD instabilities to attain high values of normalized beta and confinement. These high performance fusion devices thus require accurate regulation of the plasma boundary, internal profiles, pumping, fueling, and heating, as well as simultaneous and well-coordinated MHD control action to stabilize such instabilities as tearing modes and resistive wall modes. Satisfying the simultaneous demands on control accuracy, reliability, and performance for all of these subsystems requires a high degree of integration in both design and operation of the plasma control system in an advanced tokamak. The present work describes the approach, benefits, and progress made in integrated plasma control with application examples drawn from the DIII-D tokamak. The approach includes construction of plasma and system response models, validation of models against operating experiments, design of integrated controllers which operate in concert with one another as well as with supervisory modules, simulation of control action against off-line and actual machine control platforms, and iteration of the design-test loop to optimize performance

Plasma position control in TCABR Tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galvao, R.M.O.; Kuznetsov, Yu. K.; Nascimento, I.C.; Fonseca, A.M.M.; Silva, R.P. da; Ruchko, L.F.; Tuszel, A.G.; Reis, A.P. dos; Sanada, E.K.

1998-01-01

The plasma control position in the TCABR tokamak is described. The TCA tokamak was transferred from the Centre de Recherches en Physique des Plasmas, Lausanne, to the Institute of Physics of University of Sao Paulo, renamed TCABR (α=0.18 m, R = 0.62 m, B = 1 T,I p = 100 kA). The control system was reconstructed using mainly components obtained from the TCA tokamak. A new method of plasma position determination is used in TCABR to improve its accuracy. A more detailed theoretical analysis of the feed forward and feedback control is performed as compared with. (author)

Erratum: Laser-Induced Graphite Plasma Kinetic Spectroscopy under Different Ambient Pressures [Chin. Phys. Lett. Vol. 32, No. 4, 043201(2015)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaudhary, K.; Rosalan, S.; Aziz, M. S.; Bahadoran, M.; Ali, J; Bidin, N.; Saktioto; Yupapin, P. P.

2015-01-01

There is a typewriting mistake in our previous report [Chin. Phys. Lett. 32, 4 (2015) 043201], the name of the fourth author M. Bohadoran should be M. Bahadoran. We note that this mistake does not affect the conclusion of our report, and apologize for any inconvenience for readers caused by our oversight. (paper)

Plasma Assisted Ignition and Combustion at Low Initial Gas Temperatures: Development of Kinetic Mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

2016-10-05

voltage J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 36 2683 [25] Soloviev V, Krivtsov V 2009 SDBD discharge modelling for aerodynamic applications J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys...effects. Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 18 034018 (13pp). [14] Soloviev V, Krivtsov V. 2009. Surface barrier discharge modelling for aerodynamic applications...Lempert W and Gundersen MA. 2012. Vi- brational and rotational CARS measurements of nitrogen in afterglow of streamer discharge in atmospheric

Advances in integrated plasma control on DIII-D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, M.L.; Ferron, J.R.; Hahn, S.H.; Humphreys, D.A.; In, Y.; Johnson, R.D.; Kim, J.S.; La Haye, R.J.; Leuer, J.A.; Penaflor, B.G.; Welander, A.S.; Xiao, B.

2007-01-01

The DIII-D advanced tokamak physics program requires extremely high performance from the DIII-D plasma control system, including simultaneous accurate regulation of plasma shape, stored energy, density and divertor characteristics, as well as coordinated suppression of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities. To satisfy these demanding control requirements, we apply the integrated plasma control method, consisting of construction of physics-based plasma and system response models, validation of models against operating experiments, design of integrated controllers that operate in concert with one another, simulation of control action against off-line and actual machine control platforms, and optimization through iteration of the design-test loop. The present work describes progress in development of physics models and development and experimental application of new model-based plasma controllers on DIII-D. We also describe the development of the control software, hardware, and model-based control algorithms for the superconducting EAST and KSTAR tokamaks

Numerical simulation and optimal control in plasma physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blum, J.

1989-01-01

The topics covered in this book are: A free boundary problem: the axisymmetric equilibrium of the plasma in a Tokamak; Static control of the plasma boundary by external currents; Existence and control of a solution to the equilibrium problem in a simple case; Study of equilibrium solution branches and application to the stability of horizontal displacements; Identification of the plasma boundary and plasma current density from magnetic measurements; Evolution of the equilibrium at the diffusion time scale; Evolution of the equilibrium of a high aspect-ratio circular plasma; Stability and control of the horizontal displacement of the plasma

Physics of plasma-wall interactions in controlled fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Post, D.E.; Behrisch, R.

1984-01-01

In the areas of plasma physics, atomic physics, surface physics, bulk material properties and fusion experiments and theory, the following topics are presented: the plasma sheath; plasma flow in the sheath and presheath of a scrape-off layer; probes for plasma edge diagnostics in magnetic confinement fusion devices; atomic and molecular collisions in the plasma boundary; physical sputtering of solids at ion bombardment; chemical sputtering and radiation enhanced sublimation of carbon; ion backscattering from solid surfaces; implantation, retention and release of hydrogen isotopes; surface erosion by electrical arcs; electron emission from solid surfaces;l properties of materials; plasma transport near material boundaries; plasma models for impurity control experiments; neutral particle transport; particle confinement and control in existing tokamaks; limiters and divertor plates; advanced limiters; divertor tokamak experiments; plasma wall interactions in heated plasmas; plasma-wall interactions in tandem mirror machines; and impurity control systems for reactor experiments

Feedback control of plasma configuration in JT-60

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ninomiya, Hiromasa; Kikuchi, Mitsuru; Yoshino, Ryuji; Hosogane, Nobuyuki; Kimura, Toyoaki; Kurihara, Kenichi; Takahashi, Minoru; Hayashi, Kazuo.

1986-08-01

Plasma current, plasma position (center of the outermost magnetic surface), decay index n index and width of the divertor throat are feedback controlled by using 5 kinds of poloidal field coils in JT-60. 5 control commands are calculated in a feedback control computer in each 1 msec. These feedback control functions are checked in ohmically heated plasma. The control characteristics of the plasma are well understood by the simplified control analysis and are consistent with the precise matrix transfer function analysis in the frequency domain and the simulation analysis which include the effects of eddy currents, delay time elements and mutual interactions between controllers. The usefulness of these analyses is experimentally confirmed. Each controlled variable is well feedback controlled to the command and the experimentally realized equilibrium configuration is checked by the well calibrated magnetic probes. Fast boundary identification code is used for the identification of the equilibrium and results are consistent with the precalculated plasma equilibria. By using this feedback control system of the plasma configuration and the equilibrium identification method, we have obtained the stable limiter and divertor configuration. The maximum parameters obtained during OH(I) experimental period are plasma current I p = 1.8 MA, the effective safety factor q eff e = 5.7 x 10 19 m -3 (Murakami parameter of 4.5) and the pulse length of 5 ∼ 10 sec. (author)

Real-time control of Tokamak plasmas: from control of physics to physics-based control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Felici, F. A. A.

2011-11-01

Stable, high-performance operation of a tokamak requires several plasma control problems to be handled simultaneously. Moreover, the complex physics which governs the tokamak plasma evolution must be studied and understood to make correct choices in controller design. In this thesis, the two subjects have been merged, using control solutions as experimental tool for physics studies, and using physics knowledge for developing new advanced control solutions. The TCV tokamak at CRPP-EPFL is ideally placed to explore issues at the interface between plasma physics and plasma control, by combining a digital realtime control system with a flexible and powerful set of actuators, in particular the electron cyclotron heating and current drive system (ECRH/ECCD). This experimental platform has been used to develop and test new control strategies for three plasma physics instabilities: sawtooth, edge localized mode (ELM) and neoclassical tearing mode (NTM). The period of the sawtooth crash, a periodic MHD instability in the core of a tokamak plasma, can be varied by localized deposition of ECRH/ECCD near the q = 1 surface (q: safety factor). A sawtooth pacing controller was developed which is able to control the time of appearance of the next sawtooth crash. Each individual sawtooth period can be controlled in real-time. A similar scheme is applied to H-mode plasmas with type-I ELMs, where it is shown that pacing regularizes the ELM period. The regular, reproducible and therefore predictable sawtooth crashes have been used to study the relationship between sawteeth and NTMs. Postcrash MHD activity can provide the ‘seed’ island for an NTM, which then grows under its neoclassical bootstrap drive. The seeding of 3/2 NTMs by long sawtooth crashes can be avoided by preemptive, crash-synchronized EC power injection pulses at the q = 3/2 rational surface location. NTM stabilization experiments in which the ECRH deposition location is moved in real-time with steerable mirrors have

Laser-heated emissive plasma probe.

Science.gov (United States)

Schrittwieser, Roman; Ionita, Codrina; Balan, Petru; Gstrein, Ramona; Grulke, Olaf; Windisch, Thomas; Brandt, Christian; Klinger, Thomas; Madani, Ramin; Amarandei, George; Sarma, Arun K

2008-08-01

Emissive probes are standard tools in laboratory plasmas for the direct determination of the plasma potential. Usually they consist of a loop of refractory wire heated by an electric current until sufficient electron emission. Recently emissive probes were used also for measuring the radial fluctuation-induced particle flux and other essential parameters of edge turbulence in magnetized toroidal hot plasmas [R. Schrittwieser et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 50, 055004 (2008)]. We have developed and investigated various types of emissive probes, which were heated by a focused infrared laser beam. Such a probe has several advantages: higher probe temperature without evaporation or melting and thus higher emissivity and longer lifetime, no deformation of the probe in a magnetic field, no potential drop along the probe wire, and faster time response. The probes are heated by an infrared diode laser with 808 nm wavelength and an output power up to 50 W. One probe was mounted together with the lens system on a radially movable probe shaft, and radial profiles of the plasma potential and of its oscillations were measured in a linear helicon discharge.

Laser-heated emissive plasma probe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schrittwieser, Roman; Ionita, Codrina; Balan, Petru; Gstrein, Ramona; Grulke, Olaf; Windisch, Thomas; Brandt, Christian; Klinger, Thomas; Madani, Ramin; Amarandei, George; Sarma, Arun K.

2008-01-01

Emissive probes are standard tools in laboratory plasmas for the direct determination of the plasma potential. Usually they consist of a loop of refractory wire heated by an electric current until sufficient electron emission. Recently emissive probes were used also for measuring the radial fluctuation-induced particle flux and other essential parameters of edge turbulence in magnetized toroidal hot plasmas [R. Schrittwieser et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 50, 055004 (2008)]. We have developed and investigated various types of emissive probes, which were heated by a focused infrared laser beam. Such a probe has several advantages: higher probe temperature without evaporation or melting and thus higher emissivity and longer lifetime, no deformation of the probe in a magnetic field, no potential drop along the probe wire, and faster time response. The probes are heated by an infrared diode laser with 808 nm wavelength and an output power up to 50 W. One probe was mounted together with the lens system on a radially movable probe shaft, and radial profiles of the plasma potential and of its oscillations were measured in a linear helicon discharge

Laser-heated emissive plasma probe

Science.gov (United States)

Schrittwieser, Roman; Ionita, Codrina; Balan, Petru; Gstrein, Ramona; Grulke, Olaf; Windisch, Thomas; Brandt, Christian; Klinger, Thomas; Madani, Ramin; Amarandei, George; Sarma, Arun K.

2008-08-01

Emissive probes are standard tools in laboratory plasmas for the direct determination of the plasma potential. Usually they consist of a loop of refractory wire heated by an electric current until sufficient electron emission. Recently emissive probes were used also for measuring the radial fluctuation-induced particle flux and other essential parameters of edge turbulence in magnetized toroidal hot plasmas [R. Schrittwieser et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 50, 055004 (2008)]. We have developed and investigated various types of emissive probes, which were heated by a focused infrared laser beam. Such a probe has several advantages: higher probe temperature without evaporation or melting and thus higher emissivity and longer lifetime, no deformation of the probe in a magnetic field, no potential drop along the probe wire, and faster time response. The probes are heated by an infrared diode laser with 808nm wavelength and an output power up to 50W. One probe was mounted together with the lens system on a radially movable probe shaft, and radial profiles of the plasma potential and of its oscillations were measured in a linear helicon discharge.

Plasma control for efficient extreme ultra-violet source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Kensaku; Nakajima, Mitsuo; Kawamura, Tohru; Shiho, Makoto; Hotta, Eiki; Horioka, Kazuhiko

2008-01-01

To generate a high efficiency extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) source, effects of plasma shape for controlling radiative plasmas based on xenon capillary discharge are experimentally investigated. The radiation characteristics observed via tapered capillary discharge are compared with those of straight one. From the comparison, the long emission period and different plasma behaviors of tapered capillary discharge are confirmed. This means that control of the plasma geometry is effective for prolonging the EUV emission period. This result also indicates that the plasma shape control seems to have a potential for enhancing the conversion efficiency. (author)

Controlled fusion and plasma physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-07-01

40 papers are presented at this 21. conference on controlled fusion and plasma physics (JET). Titles are: effects of sawtooth crashes on beams ions and fusion product tritons; beta limits in H-modes and VH-modes; impurity induced neutralization of MeV energy protons in JET plasmas; lost α particle diagnostic for high-yield D-T fusion plasmas; 15-MeV proton emission from ICRF-heated plasmas; pulse compression radar reflectometry for density measurements; gamma-ray emission profile measurements during ICRH discharges; the new JET phase ICRH array; simulation of triton burn-up; parametric dependencies of JET electron temperature profiles; detached divertor plasmas; excitation of global Alfven Eigenmodes by RF heating; mechanisms of toroidal rotation; effect of shear in the radial electric field on confinement; plasma transport properties at the L-H transition; numerical study of plasma detachment conditions in JET divertor plasmas; the SOL width and the MHD interchange instability; non linear magnetic reconnection in low collisionality plasmas; topology and slowing down of high energy ion orbits; sawtooth crashes at high beta; fusion performances and alpha heating in future JET D-T plasmas; a stable route to high-beta plasmas with non-monotonic q-profiles; theory of propagation of changes to confinement; spatial distribution of gamma emissivity and fast ions during ICRF heating; multi-camera soft X-ray diagnostic; radiation phenomena and particle fluxes in the X-event; local measurement of transport parameters for laser injected trace impurities; impurity transport of high performance discharges; negative snakes and negative shear; neural-network charge exchange analysis; ion temperature anisotropy in helium neutral beam fuelling; impurity line emission due to thermal charge exchange in edge plasmas; control of convection by fuelling and pumping; VH mode accessibility and global H-mode properties; ion cyclotron emission by spontaneous emission; LHCD/ICRH synergy

Effects of the instability enhanced friction on relative ion densities in a two-ion species low-temperature plasma

Science.gov (United States)

Vukovic, Mirko

2011-10-01

The instability enhanced friction theory of Baalrud & Hegna (Phys. Plasmas 18, 023505 (2011)) predicts that for comparable ion densities the ions nearly reach a common velocity near the sheath edge in a low temperature plasma. The theory was experimentally confirmed by Yip, Hershkowitz, & Severn (Phys. Rev. Letters 104, 225003 (2010)). We will explore the effects of the theory on relative ion densities in a numerical simulation of an Ar/Xe plasma. Results for a 0D plasma model (Lieberman, Lichtenberg, Principles of Plasma Discharges and Materials Processing, 2005) will be presented.

Compression enhancement by current stepping in a multicascade liner gas-puff Z-pinch plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khattak, N A D [Department of Physics, Gomal Unversity, D I Khan (Pakistan); Ahmad, Zahoor; Murtaza, G [National Tokamak Fusion Program, PAEC, Islamabad (Pakistan); Zakaullah, M [Department of Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320 (Pakistan)], E-mail: ktk_nad@yahoo.com

2008-04-15

Plasma dynamics of a liner consisting of two or three annular cascade gas-puffs with entrained axial magnetic field is studied using the modified snow-plow model. The current stepping technique (Les 1984 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 17 733) is employed to enhance compression of the imploding plasma. A small-diameter low-voltage-driven system of imploding plasma is considered in order to work out the possibility of the highest gain, in terms of plasma parameters and radiation yield with a relatively simple and compact system. Our numerical results demonstrate that current stepping enhances the plasma compression, yielding high values of the plasma parameters and compressed magnetic field B{sub z} (in magnitudes), if the switching time for the additional current is properly synchronized.

Compression enhancement by current stepping in a multicascade liner gas-puff Z-pinch plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khattak, N A D; Ahmad, Zahoor; Murtaza, G; Zakaullah, M

2008-01-01

Plasma dynamics of a liner consisting of two or three annular cascade gas-puffs with entrained axial magnetic field is studied using the modified snow-plow model. The current stepping technique (Les 1984 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 17 733) is employed to enhance compression of the imploding plasma. A small-diameter low-voltage-driven system of imploding plasma is considered in order to work out the possibility of the highest gain, in terms of plasma parameters and radiation yield with a relatively simple and compact system. Our numerical results demonstrate that current stepping enhances the plasma compression, yielding high values of the plasma parameters and compressed magnetic field B z (in magnitudes), if the switching time for the additional current is properly synchronized

Improvement of confinement characteristics of tokamak plasma by controlling plasma-wall interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sengoku, Seio

1985-08-01

Relation between plasma-wall interactions and confinement characteristics of a tokamak plasma with respect to both impurity and fuel particle controls is discussed. Following results are obtained from impurity control studies: (1) Ion sputtering is the dominant mechanism of impurity release in a steady state tokamak discharge. (2) By applying carbon coating on entire first wall of DIVA tokamak, dominant radiative region is concentrated more in boundary plasma resulting a hot peripheral plasma with cold boundary plasma. (3) A physical model of divertor functions about impurity control is empilically obtained. By a computer simulation based on above model with respect to divertor functions for JT-60 tokamak, it is found that the allowable electron temperature of the divertor plasma is not restricted by a condition that the impurity release due to ion sputtering does not increase continuously. (4) Dense and cold divertor plasma accompanied with strong remote radiative cooling was diagnosed along the magnetic field line in the simple poloidal divertor of DOUBLET III tokamak. Strong particle recycling region is found to be localized near the divertor plate. by and from particle control studies: (1) The INTOR scaling on energy confinement time is applicable to high density region when a core plasma is fueled directly by solid deuterium pellet injection in DOUBLET III tokamak. (2) As remarkably demonstrated by direct fueling with pellet injection, energy confinement characteristics can be improved at high density range by decreasing particle deposition at peripheral plasma in order to reduce plasma-wall interaction. (3) If the particle deposition at boundary layer is necessarily reduced, the electron temperature at the boundary or divertor region increases due to decrease of the particle recycling and the electron density there. (J.P.N.)

Exploring Physics with Computer Animation and PhysGL

Science.gov (United States)

Bensky, T. J.

2016-10-01

This book shows how the web-based PhysGL programming environment (http://physgl.org) can be used to teach and learn elementary mechanics (physics) using simple coding exercises. The book's theme is that the lessons encountered in such a course can be used to generate physics-based animations, providing students with compelling and self-made visuals to aid their learning. Topics presented are parallel to those found in a traditional physics text, making for straightforward integration into a typical lecture-based physics course. Users will appreciate the ease at which compelling OpenGL-based graphics and animations can be produced using PhysGL, as well as its clean, simple language constructs. The author argues that coding should be a standard part of lower-division STEM courses, and provides many anecdotal experiences and observations, that include observed benefits of the coding work.

Laser surface wakefield in a plasma column

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorbunov, L.M.; Mora, P.; Ramazashvili, R.R.

2003-01-01

The structure of the wakefield in a plasma column, produced by a short intense laser pulse, propagating through a gas affected by tunneling ionization is investigated. It is shown that besides the usual plasma waves in the bulk part of the plasma column [see Andreev et al., Phys. Plasmas 9, 3999 (2002)], the laser pulse also generates electromagnetic surface waves propagating along the column boundary. The length of the surface wake wave substantially exceeds the length of the plasma wake wave and its electromagnetic field extends far outside the plasma column

A control approach for plasma density in tokamak machines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boncagni, Luca, E-mail: luca.boncagni@enea.it [EURATOM – ENEA Fusion Association, Frascati Research Center, Division of Fusion Physics, Rome, Frascati (Italy); Pucci, Daniele; Piesco, F.; Zarfati, Emanuele [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Informatica, Automatica e Gestionale ' ' Antonio Ruberti' ' , Sapienza Università di Roma (Italy); Mazzitelli, G. [EURATOM – ENEA Fusion Association, Frascati Research Center, Division of Fusion Physics, Rome, Frascati (Italy); Monaco, S. [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Informatica, Automatica e Gestionale ' ' Antonio Ruberti' ' , Sapienza Università di Roma (Italy)

2013-10-15

Highlights: •We show a control approach for line plasma density in tokamak. •We show a control approach for pressure in a tokamak chamber. •We show experimental results using one valve. -- Abstract: In tokamak machines, chamber pre-fill is crucial to attain plasma breakdown, while plasma density control is instrumental for several tasks such as machine protection and achievement of desired plasma performances. This paper sets the principles of a new control strategy for attaining both chamber pre-fill and plasma density regulation. Assuming that the actuation mean is a piezoelectric valve driven by a varying voltage, the proposed control laws ensure convergence to reference values of chamber pressure during pre-fill, and of plasma density during plasma discharge. Experimental results at FTU are presented to discuss weaknesses and strengths of the proposed control strategy. The whole system has been implemented by using the MARTe framework [1].

Progress and improvement of KSTAR plasma control using model-based control simulators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hahn, Sang-hee, E-mail: hahn76@nfri.re.kr [National Fusion Research Institute, 169-148 Gwahak-ro, yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Welander, A.S. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); Yoon, S.W.; Bak, J.G. [National Fusion Research Institute, 169-148 Gwahak-ro, yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Eidietis, N.W. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); Han, H.S. [National Fusion Research Institute, 169-148 Gwahak-ro, yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Humphreys, D.A.; Hyatt, A. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); Jeon, Y.M. [National Fusion Research Institute, 169-148 Gwahak-ro, yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Johnson, R.D. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); Kim, H.S.; Kim, J. [National Fusion Research Institute, 169-148 Gwahak-ro, yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kolemen, E.; Mueller, D. [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ (United States); Penaflor, B.G.; Piglowski, D.A. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); Shin, G.W. [University of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Walker, M.L. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); Woo, M.H. [National Fusion Research Institute, 169-148 Gwahak-ro, yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-05-15

Superconducting tokamaks like KSTAR, EAST and ITER need elaborate magnetic controls mainly due to either the demanding experiment schedule or tighter hardware limitations caused by the superconducting coils. In order to reduce the operation runtime requirements, two types of plasma simulators for the KSTAR plasma control system (PCS) have been developed for improving axisymmetric magnetic controls. The first one is an open-loop type, which can reproduce the control done in an old shot by loading the corresponding diagnostics data and PCS setup. The other one, a closed-loop simulator based on a linear nonrigid plasma model, is designed to simulate dynamic responses of the plasma equilibrium and plasma current (I{sub p}) due to changes of the axisymmetric poloidal field (PF) coil currents, poloidal beta, and internal inductance. The closed-loop simulator is the one that actually can test and enable alteration of the feedback control setup for the next shot. The simulators have been used routinely in 2012 plasma campaign, and the experimental performances of the axisymmetric shape control algorithm are enhanced. Quality of the real-time EFIT has been enhanced by utilizations of the open-loop type. Using the closed-loop type, the decoupling scheme of the plasma current control and axisymmetric shape controls are verified through both the simulations and experiments. By combining with the relay feedback tuning algorithm, the improved controls helped to maintain the shape suitable for longer H-mode (10–16 s) with the number of required commissioning shots largely reduced.

Novel aspects of plasma control in ITER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Humphreys, D.; Jackson, G.; Walker, M.; Welander, A. [General Atomics P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, California 92186-5608 (United States); Ambrosino, G.; Pironti, A. [CREATE/University of Naples Federico II, Napoli (Italy); Vries, P. de; Kim, S. H.; Snipes, J.; Winter, A.; Zabeo, L. [ITER Organization, St. Paul Lez durance Cedex (France); Felici, F. [Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven (Netherlands); Kallenbach, A.; Raupp, G.; Treutterer, W. [Max-Planck Institut für Plasmaphysik, Garching (Germany); Kolemen, E. [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08543-0451 (United States); Lister, J.; Sauter, O. [Centre de Recherches en Physique des Plasmas, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Lausanne (Switzerland); Moreau, D. [CEA, IRFM, 13108 St. Paul-lez Durance (France); Schuster, E. [Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (United States)

2015-02-15

ITER plasma control design solutions and performance requirements are strongly driven by its nuclear mission, aggressive commissioning constraints, and limited number of operational discharges. In addition, high plasma energy content, heat fluxes, neutron fluxes, and very long pulse operation place novel demands on control performance in many areas ranging from plasma boundary and divertor regulation to plasma kinetics and stability control. Both commissioning and experimental operations schedules provide limited time for tuning of control algorithms relative to operating devices. Although many aspects of the control solutions required by ITER have been well-demonstrated in present devices and even designed satisfactorily for ITER application, many elements unique to ITER including various crucial integration issues are presently under development. We describe selected novel aspects of plasma control in ITER, identifying unique parts of the control problem and highlighting some key areas of research remaining. Novel control areas described include control physics understanding (e.g., current profile regulation, tearing mode (TM) suppression), control mathematics (e.g., algorithmic and simulation approaches to high confidence robust performance), and integration solutions (e.g., methods for management of highly subscribed control resources). We identify unique aspects of the ITER TM suppression scheme, which will pulse gyrotrons to drive current within a magnetic island, and turn the drive off following suppression in order to minimize use of auxiliary power and maximize fusion gain. The potential role of active current profile control and approaches to design in ITER are discussed. Issues and approaches to fault handling algorithms are described, along with novel aspects of actuator sharing in ITER.

Plasma equilibrium control during slow plasma current quench with avoidance of plasma-wall interaction in JT-60U

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshino, R.; Nakamura, Y.; Neyatani, Y.

1997-08-01

In JT-60U a vertical displacement event (VDE) is observed during slow plasma current quench (Ip quench) for a vertically elongated divertor plasma with a single null. The VDE is generated by an error in the feedback control of the vertical position of the plasma current centre (ZJ). It has been perfectly avoided by improving the accuracy of the ZJ measurement in real time. Furthermore, plasma-wall interaction has been avoided successfully during slow Ip quench owing to the good performance of the plasma equilibrium control system

Modelling of three dimensional equilibrium and stability of MAST plasmas with magnetic perturbations using VMEC and COBRA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ham, C. J., E-mail: christopher.ham@ccfe.ac.uk; Chapman, I. T.; Kirk, A.; Saarelma, S. [CCFE, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 3DB (United Kingdom)

2014-10-15

It is known that magnetic perturbations can mitigate edge localized modes (ELMs) in experiments, for example, MAST [Kirk et al., Nucl. Fusion 53, 043007 (2013)]. One hypothesis is that the magnetic perturbations cause a three dimensional corrugation of the plasma and this corrugated plasma has different stability properties to peeling-ballooning modes compared to an axisymmetric plasma. It has been shown in an up-down symmetric plasma that magnetic perturbations in tokamaks will break the usual axisymmetry of the plasma causing three dimensional displacements [Chapman et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 54, 105013 (2012)]. We produce a free boundary three-dimensional equilibrium of a lower single null MAST relevant plasma using VMEC [S. P. Hirshman and J. C. Whitson, Phys. Fluids 26, 3553 (1983)]. The safety factor and pressure profiles used for the modelling are similar to those deduced from axisymmetric analysis of experimental data with ELMs. We focus on the effect of applying n = 3 and n = 6 magnetic perturbations using the resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) coils. A midplane displacement of over ±1 cm is seen when the full current is applied. The current in the coils is scanned and a linear relationship between coil current and midplane displacement is found. The pressure gradient in real space in different toroidal locations is shown to change when RMPs are applied. This effect should be taken into account when diagnosing plasmas with RMPs applied. The helical Pfirsch-Schlüter currents which arise as a result of the assumption of nested flux surfaces are estimated for this equilibrium. The effect of this non-axisymmetric equilibrium on infinite n ballooning stability is investigated using COBRA [Sanchez et al., J. Comput. Phys. 161, 576–588 (2000)]. The infinite n ballooning stability is analysed for two reasons; it may give an indication of the effect of non-axisymmetry on finite n peeling-ballooning modes, responsible for ELMs; and

Advances in Integrated Plasma Control on DIII-D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, M.L.; Ferron, J.R.; Humphreys, D.A.

2006-01-01

The DIII-D experimental program in advanced tokamak (AT) physics requires extremely high performance from the DIII-D plasma control system (PCS) [B.G.Penaflor, et al., 4 th IAEA Tech. Mtg on Control and Data Acq., San Diego, CA (2003)], including simultaneous and highly accurate regulation of plasma shape, stored energy, density, and divertor characteristics, as well as coordinated suppression of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities. To satisfy these demanding control requirements, we apply the integrated plasma control method, consisting of construction of physics-based plasma and system response models, validation of models against operating experiments, design of integrated controllers that operate in concert with one another as well as with supervisory modules, simulation of control action against off-line and actual machine control platforms, and optimization through iteration of the design-test loop. The present work describes progress in development of physics models and development and experimental application of several new model-based plasma controllers on DIII-D. We discuss experimental use of advanced shape control algorithms containing nonlinear techniques for improving control of steady state plasmas, model-based controllers for optimal rejection of edge localized mode disturbances during resistive wall mode stabilization, model-based controllers for neoclassical tearing mode stabilization, including methods for maximizing stabilization effectiveness with substantial constraints on available power, model-based integrated control of plasma rotation and beta, and initial experience in development of model-based controllers for advanced tokamak current profile modification. The experience gained from DIII-D has been applied to the development of control systems for the EAST and KSTAR tokamaks. We describe the development of the control software, hardware, and model-based control algorithms for these superconducting tokamaks, with emphasis on relevance of

Control of open end plasma flow utilizing orbital stochasticity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hojo, Hitoshi

1995-01-01

It has been known that the control of plasma outside the confinement region of diverter plasma and others in a magnetic field confinement device is very important for improveing the confinement of bulk plasma. The control of plasma outside a confinement region bears two roles, one is the reduction of the thermal load on a diverter plate and others due to the plasma particles lost from the confinement region, and another is the restriction of the back flow of cold plasma and impurities generated outside the confinement region to a bulk plasma region. In this study, the new method of controlling plasma outside a confinement region called magnetic diverter is considered. To the plasma particles advancing along magnetic force lines, the reflection and capture of the plasma particles occur in the region of orbital stochasticity, and the thermal load on an end plate and the reverse flow to a bulk plasma region are restricted. The numerical computation model used regarding the particle control utilizing the orbital stochasticity and the results of calculating the orbit of plasma particles in a magnetic field are reported. (K.I.)

Control of plasma position in the CASTOR tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valovic, M.

1988-11-01

A simple servo-system designed for plasma position control in the CASTOR tokamak is described. Both radial and vertical plasma displacements were minimized using two servo-loops consisting of detection coils, a conventional electric controller and an amplifier operated as an unipolar voltage-controlled current source. To ensure the optimum conditions in the start-up phase of the discharge, currents in the servo-systems were externally preprogrammed. The prescribed plasma position was maintained with the accuracy of 3 mm. The feedback control improves plasma parameters, e.g. it removes the positional disruption at the end of the tokamak discharge. (J.U.). 4 figs., 3 refs

Nonlocal collisionless and collisional electron transport in low temperature plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Kaganovich, Igor

2009-10-01

The purpose of the talk is to describe recent advances in nonlocal electron kinetics in low-pressure plasmas. A distinctive property of partially ionized plasmas is that such plasmas are always in a non-equilibrium state: the electrons are not in thermal equilibrium with the neutral species and ions, and the electrons are also not in thermodynamic equilibrium within their own ensemble, which results in a significant departure of the electron velocity distribution function from a Maxwellian. These non-equilibrium conditions provide considerable freedom to choose optimal plasma parameters for applications, which make gas discharge plasmas remarkable tools for a variety of plasma applications, including plasma processing, discharge lighting, plasma propulsion, particle beam sources, and nanotechnology. Typical phenomena in such discharges include nonlocal electron kinetics, nonlocal electrodynamics with collisionless electron heating, and nonlinear processes in the sheaths and in the bounded plasmas. Significant progress in understanding the interaction of electromagnetic fields with real bounded plasma created by this field and the resulting changes in the structure of the applied electromagnetic field has been one of the major achievements of the last decade in this area of research [1-3]. We show on specific examples that this progress was made possible by synergy between full scale particle-in-cell simulations, analytical models, and experiments. In collaboration with Y. Raitses, A.V. Khrabrov, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ, USA; V.I. Demidov, UES, Inc., 4401 Dayton-Xenia Rd., Beavercreek, OH 45322, USA and AFRL, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, USA; and D. Sydorenko, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. [4pt] [1] D. Sydorenko, A. Smolyakov, I. Kaganovich, and Y. Raitses, IEEE Trans. Plasma Science 34, 895 (2006); Phys. Plasmas 13, 014501 (2006); 14 013508 (2007); 15, 053506 (2008). [0pt] [2] I. D. Kaganovich, Y. Raitses, D. Sydorenko, and

Spectroscopic diagnostics of tungsten-doped CH plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Klapisch, M.; Colombant, D.; Lehecka, T.

1998-11-01

Spectra of CH with different concentrations of W dopant and laser intensities ( 2.5-10 x10^12 W/cm^2 ) were obtained at NRL with the Nike Laser. They were recorded in the 100-500 eV range with an XUV grating spectrometer. The hydrodynamic simulations are performed with the 1D code FAST1D(J. H. Gardner et al., Phys. Plasmas, 5, May (1998).) where non LTE effects are introduced by Busquet's model( M. Busquet, Phys. Fluids B, 5, 4191 (1993); M. Klapisch, A. Bar-Shalom, J. Oreg and D. Colombant, Phys. Plasmas, 5, May (1998).). They are then post-processed with TRANSPEC( O. Peyrusse, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer, 51, 281 (1994)), a time dependent collisional radiative code with radiation coupling. The necessary atomic data are obtained from the HULLAC code( M. Klapisch and A. Bar-Shalom, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer, 58, 687 (1997).). The post processing and diagnostics were performed on carbon lines and the results are compared with the experimental data.

A structured architecture for advanced plasma control experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Penaflor, B.G.; Ferron, J.R.; Walker, M.L.

1996-10-01

Recent new and improved plasma control regimes have evolved from enhancements to the systems responsible for managing the plasma configuration on the DIII-D tokamak. The collection of hardware and software components designed for this purpose is known at DIII-D as the Plasma Control System or PCS. Several new user requirements have contributed to the rapid growth of the PCS. Experiments involving digital control of the plasma vertical position have resulted in the addition of new high performance processors to operate in real-time. Recent studies in plasma disruptions involving the use of neural network based software have resulted in an increase in the number of input diagnostic signals sampled. Better methods for estimating the plasma shape and position have brought about numerous software changes and the addition of several new code modules. Furthermore, requests for performing multivariable control and feedback on the current profile are continuing to add to the demands being placed on the PCS. To support all of these demands has required a structured yet flexible hardware and software architecture for maintaining existing capabilities and easily adding new ones. This architecture along with a general overview of the DIII-D Plasma Control System is described. In addition, the latest improvements to the PCS are presented

Tip Clearance Control Using Plasma Actuators

Science.gov (United States)

2007-03-01

Clearance Control Using Plasma Actuators 4 posed by Denton (1993). A number of investigators have used partial shrouds, or " winglet " designs to...SDBD actuator Plasma enhanced aerodynamics has been demonstrated in a range of applications involving sepa- ration control, lift enhancement, drag... aerodynamic benefits of a squealer tip geometry. Specifically, the squealer tip is known to reduce the discharge coefficient of the tip gap, thereby

New DIII-D tokamak plasma control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campbell, G.L.; Ferron, J.R.; McKee, E.; Nerem, A.; Smith, T.; Greenfield, C.M.; Pinsker, R.I.; Lazarus, E.A.

1992-09-01

A state-of-the-art plasma control system has been constructed for use on the DIII-D tokamak to provide high speed real time data acquisition and feedback control of DIII-D plasma parameters. This new system has increased the precision to which discharge shape and position parameters can be maintained and has provided the means to rapidly change from one plasma configuration to another. The capability to control the plasma total energy and the ICRF antenna loading resistance has been demonstrated. The speed and accuracy of this digital system will allow control of the current drive and heating systems in order to regulate the current and pressure profiles and diverter power deposition in the DIII-D machine. Use of this system will allow the machine and power supplies to be better protected from undesirable operating regimes. The advanced control system is also suitable for control algorithm development for future machines in these areas and others such as disruption avoidance. The DIII-D tokamak facility is operated for the US Department of Energy by General Atomics Company (GA) in San Diego, California. The DIII-D experimental program will increase emphasis on rf heating and current drive in the near future and is installing a cryopumped divertor ring during the fall of 1992. To improve the flexibility of this machine for these experiments, the new shape control system was implemented. The new advanced plasma control system has enhanced the capabilities of the DIII-D machine and provides a data acquisition and control platform that promises to be useful far beyond its original charter

Controlled fusion and plasma physics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-12-31

This document presents the several speeches that took place during the 22nd European Physical Society conference on Controlled Fusion and Plasma Physics in Bournemouth, UK, between the 2nd and 7th July 1995. The talks deal with new experiments carried out on several tokamaks, particularly Tore Supra, concerning plasma confinement and fusion. Some information on specific fusion devices or tokamak devices is provided, as well as results of experiments concerning plasma instability. Separate abstracts were prepared for all the 31 papers in this volume. (TEC).

Controlled fusion and plasma physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

This document presents the several speeches that took place during the 22nd European Physical Society conference on Controlled Fusion and Plasma Physics in Bournemouth, UK, between the 2nd and 7th July 1995. The talks deal with new experiments carried out on several tokamaks, particularly Tore Supra, concerning plasma confinement and fusion. Some information on specific fusion devices or tokamak devices is provided, as well as results of experiments concerning plasma instability. Separate abstracts were prepared for all the 31 papers in this volume. (TEC)

Controlled fusion and plasma physics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-12-31

This document presents the several speeches that took place during the 22nd European Physical Society conference on Controlled Fusion and Plasma Physics in Bournemouth, UK, between the 2nd and 7th July 1995. The talks deal with new experiments carried out on several tokamaks, particularly Tore Supra, concerning plasma confinement and fusion. Some information on specific fusion devices or tokamak devices is provided, as well as results of experiments concerning plasma instability. Separate abstracts were prepared for all the 31 papers in this volume. (TEC).

Power supply controlled for plasma torch generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz Z, S.

1996-01-01

The high density of energy furnished by thermal plasma is profited in a wide range of applications, such as those related with welding fusion, spray coating and at the present in waste destruction. The waste destruction by plasma is a very attractive process because the remaining products are formed by inert glassy grains and non-toxic gases. The main characteristics of thermal plasmas are presented in this work. Techniques based on power electronics are utilized to achieve a good performance in thermal plasma generation. This work shown the design and construction of three phase control system for electric supply of thermal plasma torch, with 250 kw of capacity, as a part of the project named 'Destruction of hazard wastes by thermal plasma' actually working in the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ). The characteristics of thermal plasma and its generation are treated in the first chapter. The A C controllers by thyristors applied in three phase arrays are described in the chapter II, talking into account the power transformer, rectifiers bank and aliasing coil. The chapter III is dedicated in the design of the trigger module which controls the plasma current by varying the trigger angle of the SCR's; the protection and isolating unit are also presented in this chapter. The results and conclusions are discussed in chapter IV. (Author)

Reactive gas control of non-stable plasma conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bellido-Gonzalez, V.; Daniel, B.; Counsell, J.; Monaghan, D.

2006-01-01

Most industrial plasma processes are dependant upon the control of plasma properties for repeatable and reliable production. The speed of production and range of properties achieved depend on the degree of control. Process control involves all the aspects of the vacuum equipment, substrate preparation, plasma source condition, power supplies, process drift, valves (inputs/outputs), signal and data processing and the user's understanding and ability. In many cases, some of the processes which involve the manufacturing of interesting coating structures, require a precise control of the process in a reactive environment [S.J. Nadel, P. Greene, 'High rate sputtering technology for throughput and quality', International Glass Review, Issue 3, 2001, p. 45. ]. Commonly in these circumstances the plasma is not stable if all the inputs and outputs of the system were to remain constant. The ideal situation is to move a process from set-point A to B in zero time and maintain the monitored signal with a fluctuation equal to zero. In a 'real' process that's not possible but improvements in the time response and energy delivery could be achieved with an appropriate algorithm structure. In this paper an advanced multichannel reactive plasma gas control system is presented. The new controller offers both high-speed gas control combined with a very flexible control structure. The controller uses plasma emission monitoring, target voltage or any process sensor monitoring as the input into a high-speed control algorithm for gas input. The control algorithm and parameters can be tuned to different process requirements in order to optimize response times

Control of plasma density distribution via wireless power transfer in an inductively coupled plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Hee-Jin; Lee, Hyo-Chang; Kim, Young-Cheol; Chung, Chin-Wook

2013-01-01

With an enlargement of the wafer size, development of large-area plasma sources and control of plasma density distribution are required. To control the spatial distribution of the plasma density, wireless power transfer is applied to an inductively coupled plasma for the first time. An inner powered antenna and an outer resonant coil connected to a variable capacitor are placed on the top of the chamber. As the self-resonance frequency ω r of the resonant coil is adjusted, the power transfer rate from the inner powered coil to the outer resonant coil is changed and the dramatic evolution of the plasma density profile is measured. As ω r of the outer resonant coil changes from the non-resonant condition (where ω r is not the driving angular frequency ω rf ) to the resonant condition (where ω r = ω rf ), the plasma density profile evolves from a convex shape with maximal plasma density at the radial center into a concave shape with maximal plasma density in the vicinity of the resonant antenna coil. This result shows that the plasma density distribution can be successfully controlled via wireless resonance power transfer. (fast track communication)

Plasma physics for controlled fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyamoto, K.

2010-01-01

The primary objective of this lecture note is to present the theories and experiments of plasma physics for recent activities of controlled fusion research for graduate and senior undergraduate students. Chapters 1-6 describe the basic knowledge of plasma and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). MHD instabilities limit the beta ratio (ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic pressure) of confined plasma. Chapters 7-9 provide the kinetic theory of hot plasma and discuss the wave heating and non-inductive current drive. The dispersion relation derived by the kinetic theory are used to discuss plasma waves and perturbed modes. Landau damping is the essential mechanism of plasma heating and the stabilization of perturbation. Landau inverse damping brings the amplification of waves and the destabilization of perturbed modes. Chapter 10 explains the plasma transport due to turbulence, which is the most important and challenging subject for plasma confinement. Theories and simulations including subject of zonal flow are introduced. Chapters 11, 12 and 13 describe the recent activities of tokamak including ITER as well as spherical tokamak, reversed field pinch (RFP) and stellarator including quasi-symmetric configurations. Emphasis has been given to tokamak research since it made the most remarkable progress and the construction phase of 'International Tokamak Experimental Reactor' called ITER has already started. (author)

A drift-ordered short mean-free path description of a partially ionized magnetized plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simakov, Andrei N

2009-01-01

Neutral particles that are present at the edge of plasma magnetic confinement devices can play an important role in energy and momentum transport, and their effects should be accounted for. This work uses the drift ordering to derive a closed fluid description for a collisional, magnetized, partially ionized plasma. Charge-exchange, ionization and recombination processes are taken into account. It is assumed that electron distribution function is unaffected by atomic processes, so that electron-ion momentum and energy exchange are described by the usual expressions for a fully ionized plasma, and that neutral-neutral collisions are unimportant. The collisional fluid equations derived herein generalize the drift-ordered description of a fully ionized collisional plasma (Catto P J et al 2004 Phys. Plasmas 11 90), agree with the MHD-ordered description of a partially ionized plasma (Helander P et al 1994 Phys. Plasmas 1 3174) in the large-flow limit and can be used to describe both turbulent and collisional behavior of a partially ionized plasma.

On the ordinary mode instability for low beta plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hadi, F.; Qamar, A. [Institute of Physics and Electronics, University of Peshawar, Peshawar (Pakistan); Bashir, M. F. [Department of Physics, G. C. University, Lahore (Pakistan); Salam Chair in Physics, G. C. University, Lahore (Pakistan); Yoon, P. H. [Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-2431 (United States); School of Space Research, Kyung Hee University, Yongin (Korea, Republic of); Schlickeiser, R. [Institut für Theoretische Physik, Lehrstuhl IV: Weltraum- and Astrophysik, Ruhr-Universität, Bochum (Germany)

2014-05-15

The purely growing ordinary (O) mode instability, first discussed by Davidson and Wu [Phys. Fluids 13, 1407 (1970)], has recently received renewed attention owing to its potential applicability to the solar wind plasma. In a series of papers, Ibscher, Schlickeiser, and their colleagues [Phys. Plasmas 19, 072116 (2012); ibid. 20, 012103 (2013); ibid. 20, 042121 (2013); ibid. 21, 022110 (2014)] revisited the O mode instability and extended it to the low-beta plasma regime by considering a counter-streaming bi-Maxwellian model. However, the O-mode instability is, thus, far discussed only on the basis of the marginal stability condition rather than actual numerical solutions of the dispersion relation. The present paper revisits the O-mode instability by considering the actual complex roots. The marginal stability condition as a function of the (electron) temperature anisotropy and beta naturally emerges in such a scheme.

A new method of solution for one-dimensional quasi-neutral bounded plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Kamran, M.; Kuhn, S.

2010-08-01

A new method is proposed for calculating the potential distribution Φ(z) in a one-dimensional quasi-neutral bounded plasma; Φ(z) is assumed to satisfy a quasi-neutrality condition (plasma equation) of the form ni{Φ(z)} = ne(Φ), where the electron density ne is a given function of Φ and the ion density ni is expressed in terms of trajectory integrals of the ion kinetic equation. While previous methods relied on formally solving a global integral equation (Riemann, Phys. Plasmas, vol. 13, 2006, paper no. 013503; Kos et al., Phys. Plasmas, vol. 16, 2009, paper no. 093503), the present method is characterized by piecewise analytic solution of the plasma equation in reasonably small intervals of z. As a first concrete application, Φ(z) is found analytically through order z4 near the center of a collisionless Tonks-Langmuir discharge with a cold-ion source.

Robust control design for the plasma horizontal position control on J-TEXT Tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, W.Z.; Chen, Z.P.; Zhuang, G.; Wang, Z.J.

2013-01-01

It is extremely important for tokamak to control the plasma position during routine discharge. However, the model of plasma in tokamak usually contains much of the uncertainty, such as structured uncertainties and unmodeled dynamics. Compared with the traditional PID control approach, robust control theory is more suitable to handle this problem. In the paper, we propose a H ∞ robust control scheme to control the horizontal position of plasma during the flat-top phase of discharge on Joint Texas Experimental Tokamak (J-TEXT) tokamak. First, the model of our plant for plasma horizontal position control is obtained from the position equilibrium equations. Then the H ∞ robust control framework is used to synthesize the controller. Based on this, an H ∞ controller is designed to minimize the regulation/tracking error. Finally, a comparison study is conducted between the optimized H ∞ robust controller and the traditional PID controller in simulations. The simulation results of the H ∞ robust controller show a significant improvement of the performance with respect to those obtained with traditional PID controller, which is currently used on our machine

Control of plasma layer in a fusion reactor correlated to DC motor control using PSO-ANFIS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahapatra, Sakuntala; Daniel, Raju; Dey, Deep Narayan

2013-01-01

Plasma position and shape control is very crucial for the overall performance of the fusion reactor such as Tokamak. The quality of the discharge in the Saskatchewan TORus-Modified (STOR-M) tokamak is strongly related to the position of the plasma column within the discharge vessel. If the plasma column approaches too near the wall, then either minor or complete disruption occurs. Consequently it is necessary to be able to control dynamically the position of the plasma column throughout the entire discharge. Now a day's most fusion reactor employs the traditional PID controller for the confinement of plasma layer. Fuzzy logic is used for the control of Plasma layer. In this paper we have used the hybrid of PSO-ANFIS technique to control the speed of a DC motor. We have used two input parameters like speed, torque and output is firing angle. In our work first order Sugeno fuzzy model is taken with three rules and the parameters of Gaussian membership function is controlled by the PSO technique. PSO-ANFIS speed controller obtains better dynamic behavior and superior performance of the DC motor speed control. Similar approach can be correlated to the control of plasma layer. For the plasma control two inputs can be taken as plasma position ΔH and the plasma current and the single output, the control decision u(t). (author)

Analytical modelling of resistive wall mode stabilization by rotation in toroidal tokamak plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ham, C J; Gimblett, C G; Hastie, R J

2011-01-01

Stabilization of the resitive wall mode (RWM) may allow fusion power to be doubled for a given magnetic field in advanced tokamak operation. Experimental evidence from DIII-D and other machines suggests that plasma rotation can stabilize the RWM. Several authors (Finn 1995 Phys. Plasmas 2 3782, Bondeson and Xie 1997 Phys. Plasmas 4 2081) have constructed analytical cylindrical models for the RWM, but these do not deal with toroidal effects. The framework of Connor et al (1988 Phys. Fluids 31 577) is used to develop ideal plasma analytic models with toroidicity included. Stepped pressure profiles and careful ordering of terms are used to simplify the analysis. First, a current driven kink mode model is developed and a dispersion relation for arbitrary current profile is calculated. Second, the external pressure driven kink mode is similarly investigated as the most important RWM arises from this mode. Using this latter model it is found that the RWM is stabilized by Alfven continuum damping with rotation levels similar to those seen in experiments. An expression for the stability of the external kink mode for more general current profiles and a resistive wall is derived in the appendix.

Physics of the conceptual design of the ITER plasma control system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Snipes, J.A., E-mail: Joseph.Snipes@iter.org [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 St Paul-lez-Durance (France); Bremond, S. [CEA-IRFM, 13108 St Paul-lez-Durance (France); Campbell, D.J. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 St Paul-lez-Durance (France); Casper, T. [1166 Bordeaux St, Pleasanton, CA 94566 (United States); Douai, D. [CEA-IRFM, 13108 St Paul-lez-Durance (France); Gribov, Y. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 St Paul-lez-Durance (France); Humphreys, D. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA 92186 (United States); Lister, J. [Association EURATOM-Confédération Suisse, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CRPP, Lausanne CH-1015 (Switzerland); Loarte, A.; Pitts, R. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 St Paul-lez-Durance (France); Sugihara, M., E-mail: Sugihara_ma@yahoo.co.jp [Japan (Japan); Winter, A.; Zabeo, L. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 St Paul-lez-Durance (France)

2014-05-15

Highlights: • ITER plasma control system conceptual design has been finalized. • ITER's plasma control system will evolve with the ITER research plan. • A sophisticated actuator sharing scheme is being developed to apply multiple coupled control actions simultaneously with a limited set of actuators. - Abstract: The ITER plasma control system (PCS) will play a central role in enabling the experimental program to attempt to sustain DT plasmas with Q = 10 for several hundred seconds and also support research toward the development of steady-state operation in ITER. The PCS is now in the final phase of its conceptual design. The PCS relies on about 45 diagnostic systems to assess real-time plasma conditions and about 20 actuator systems for overall control of ITER plasmas. It will integrate algorithms required for active control of a wide range of plasma parameters with sophisticated event forecasting and handling functions, which will enable appropriate transitions to be implemented, in real-time, in response to plasma evolution or actuator constraints. In specifying the PCS conceptual design, it is essential to define requirements related to all phases of plasma operation, ranging from early (non-active) H/He plasmas through high fusion gain inductive plasmas to fully non-inductive steady-state operation, to ensure that the PCS control functionality and architecture will be capable of satisfying the demands of the ITER research plan. The scope of the control functionality required of the PCS includes plasma equilibrium and density control commonly utilized in existing experiments, control of the plasma heat exhaust, control of a range of MHD instabilities (including mitigation of disruptions), and aspects such as control of the non-inductive current and the current profile required to maintain stable plasmas in steady-state scenarios. Control areas are often strongly coupled and the integrated control of the plasma to reach and sustain high plasma

Physics of the conceptual design of the ITER plasma control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snipes, J.A.; Bremond, S.; Campbell, D.J.; Casper, T.; Douai, D.; Gribov, Y.; Humphreys, D.; Lister, J.; Loarte, A.; Pitts, R.; Sugihara, M.; Winter, A.; Zabeo, L.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • ITER plasma control system conceptual design has been finalized. • ITER's plasma control system will evolve with the ITER research plan. • A sophisticated actuator sharing scheme is being developed to apply multiple coupled control actions simultaneously with a limited set of actuators. - Abstract: The ITER plasma control system (PCS) will play a central role in enabling the experimental program to attempt to sustain DT plasmas with Q = 10 for several hundred seconds and also support research toward the development of steady-state operation in ITER. The PCS is now in the final phase of its conceptual design. The PCS relies on about 45 diagnostic systems to assess real-time plasma conditions and about 20 actuator systems for overall control of ITER plasmas. It will integrate algorithms required for active control of a wide range of plasma parameters with sophisticated event forecasting and handling functions, which will enable appropriate transitions to be implemented, in real-time, in response to plasma evolution or actuator constraints. In specifying the PCS conceptual design, it is essential to define requirements related to all phases of plasma operation, ranging from early (non-active) H/He plasmas through high fusion gain inductive plasmas to fully non-inductive steady-state operation, to ensure that the PCS control functionality and architecture will be capable of satisfying the demands of the ITER research plan. The scope of the control functionality required of the PCS includes plasma equilibrium and density control commonly utilized in existing experiments, control of the plasma heat exhaust, control of a range of MHD instabilities (including mitigation of disruptions), and aspects such as control of the non-inductive current and the current profile required to maintain stable plasmas in steady-state scenarios. Control areas are often strongly coupled and the integrated control of the plasma to reach and sustain high plasma

Digital control of plasma position in Damavand tokamak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Emami, M.; Babazadeh, A.R.; Roshan, M.V.; Memarzadeh, M.; Habibi, H. [Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Nuclear Fusion Research Center. Plasma Physics Lab.

2002-03-01

Plasma position control is one of the important issues in the design and operation of tokamak fusion research device. Since a tokamak is basically an electrical system consisting of power supplies, coils, plasma and eddy currents, a model in which these components are treated as an electrical circuits is used in designing Damavand plasma position control system. This model is used for the simulation of the digital control system and its parameters have been verified experimentally. In this paper, the performance of a high-speed digital controller as well as a simulation study and its application to the Damavand tokamak is discussed. (author)

Effect of neutral atoms on tokamak edge plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fueloep, T.; Catto, Peter J.; Helander, P.

2001-01-01

Neutral atoms can significantly influence the physics of tokamak edge plasmas, e.g., by affecting the radial electric field and plasma flow there, which may, in turn, be important for plasma confinement. Earlier work [Fueloep et al., Phys. Plasmas 5, 3969 (1998)], assuming short mean-free path neutrals and Pfirsch-Schlueter ions, has shown that the ion-neutral coupling through charge-exchange affects the neoclassical flow velocity significantly. However, the mean-free path of the neutrals is not always small in comparison with the radial scale length of densities and temperatures in the edge pedestal. It is therefore desirable to determine what happens in the limit when the neutral mean-free path is comparable with the scale length. In the present work a self-similar solution for the neutral distribution function allowing for strong temperature and density variation is used, following the analysis of Helander and Krasheninnikov [Phys. Plasmas 3, 226 (1995)]. The self-similar solution is possible if the ratio of the mean-free path to the temperature and density scale length is constant throughout the edge plasma. The resulting neutral distribution function is used to investigate the neutral effects on the ion flow and electrostatic potential as this ratio varies from much less than one to order unity

Direct measurements of the plasma potential in ELMy H-mode plasma with ball-pen probes on ASDEX Upgrade tokamak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adamek, J., E-mail: adamek@ipp.cas.c [Institute of Plasma Physics, Association EURATOM/IPP.CR, Prague, Za Slovankou 3, 182 00, Prague 8 (Czech Republic); Rohde, V.; Mueller, H.W.; Herrmann, A. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Association EURATOM/IPP, Garching (Germany); Ionita, C.; Schrittwieser, R.; Mehlmann, F. [Institute for Ion Physics and Applied Physics, University of Innsbruck, Association EURATOM/OAW (Austria); Stoeckel, J.; Horacek, J.; Brotankova, J. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Association EURATOM/IPP.CR, Prague, Za Slovankou 3, 182 00, Prague 8 (Czech Republic)

2009-06-15

Experimental investigations of the plasma potential and electric field were performed for ELMy H-mode plasmas in the vicinity of the limiter shadow of ASDEX Upgrade. A fast reciprocating probe with a probe head containing four ball-pen probes (BPPs) [J. Adamek et al., Czech. J. Phys. 54 (2004) C95 - C99.] was used on the midplane manipulator. Different gradients of the plasma potential were observed during ELMs and in between them. The temporal resolution of the direct plasma potential measurements with BPP was determined by using power-spectra analysis.

Fusion performance analysis of plasmas with reversed magnetic shear in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruskov, E.; Bell, M.; Budny, R.V.; McCune, D.C.; Medley, S.S.; Nazikian, R.; Synakowski, E.J.; Goeler, S. von; White, R.B.; Zweben, S.J.

1999-01-01

A case for substantial loss of fast ions degrading the performance of tokamak fusion test reactor plasmas [Phys. Plasmas 2, 2176 (1995)] with reversed magnetic shear (RS) is presented. The principal evidence is obtained from an experiment with short (40 - 70 ms) tritium beam pulses injected into deuterium beam heated RS plasmas [Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 924 (1999)]. Modeling of this experiment indicates that up to 40% beam power is lost on a time scale much shorter than the beam - ion slowing down time. Critical parameters which connect modeling and experiment are: The total 14 MeV neutron emission, its radial profile, and the transverse stored energy. The fusion performance of some plasmas with internal transport barriers is further deteriorated by impurity accumulation in the plasma core. copyright 1999 American Institute of Physics

Study of Globus-M Tokamak Poloidal System and Plasma Position Control

Science.gov (United States)

Dokuka, V. N.; Korenev, P. S.; Mitrishkin, Yu. V.; Pavlova, E. A.; Patrov, M. I.; Khayrutdinov, R. R.

2017-12-01

In order to provide efficient performance of tokamaks with vertically elongated plasma position, control systems for limited and diverted plasma configuration are required. The accuracy, stability, speed of response, and reliability of plasma position control as well as plasma shape and current control depend on the performance of the control system. Therefore, the problem of the development of such systems is an important and actual task in modern tokamaks. In this study, the measured signals from the magnetic loops and Rogowski coils are used to reconstruct the plasma equilibrium, for which linear models in small deviations are constructed. We apply methods of the H∞-optimization theory to the synthesize control system for vertical and horizontal position of plasma capable to working with structural uncertainty of the models of the plant. These systems are applied to the plasma-physical DINA code which is configured for the tokamak Globus-M plasma. The testing of the developed systems applied to the DINA code with Heaviside step functions have revealed the complex dynamics of plasma magnetic configurations. Being close to the bifurcation point in the parameter space of unstable plasma has made it possible to detect an abrupt change in the X-point position from the top to the bottom and vice versa. Development of the methods for reconstruction of plasma magnetic configurations and experience in designing plasma control systems with feedback for tokamaks provided an opportunity to synthesize new digital controllers for plasma vertical and horizontal position stabilization. It also allowed us to test the synthesized digital controllers in the closed loop of the control system with the DINA code as a nonlinear model of plasma.

Electron-beam generated plasmas for processing applications

Science.gov (United States)

Meger, Robert; Leonhardt, Darrin; Murphy, Donald; Walton, Scott; Blackwell, David; Fernsler, Richard; Lampe, Martin; Manheimer, Wallace

2001-10-01

NRL's Large Area Plasma Processing System (LAPPS) utilizes a 5-10 mA/cm^2, 2-4 kV, 1 cm x 30-60 cm cross section beam of electrons guided by a magnetic field to ionize a low density (10-100 mTorr) gas.[1] Beam ionization allows large area, high density, low temperature plasmas to be generated in an arbitrary gas mixture at a well defined location. Energy and composition of particle fluxes to surfaces on both sides of the plasma can be controlled by gas mixture, location, rf bias, and other factors. Experiments have been performed using both pulsed and cw beams. Extensive diagnostics (Langmuir probes, mass and ion energy analyzers, optical emissions, microwave interferometry, etc.) have been fielded to measure the plasma properties and neutral particle fluxes (ions, neutrals, free radicals) with and without rf bias on nearby surfaces both with the beam on and off. Uniform, cold (Te < 1eV), dense (ne 10^13 cm-3) plasmas in molecular and atomic gases and mixtures thereof have been produced in agreement with theoretical expectations. Initial tests of LAPPS application such as ashing, etching, sputtering, and diamond growth have been performed. Program status will be presented. [1]R.A. Meger, et al, Phys. of Plasmas 8(5), p. 2558 (2001)

Static and dynamic control of plasma equilibrium in a Tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blum, J.; Dei Cas, R.

1979-01-01

We are dealing here with the problem of controlling the plasma boundary and its displacements. Static control consists in determining the currents in the external coils of the Tokamak so that the plasma boundary has certain fixed characteristics: radial position, vertical elongation, desired shape. A self-consistent method is proposed here, considering a free plasma boundary, and using the techniques of optimal control of distributed parameter systems to solve the problem. The dynamic control problem considered in the second part of the paper is the control of the plasma radial displacements. An elaborate system of preprogramming and feedback control has been developed to ensure equilibrium and stability of the horizontal plasma motions. Optimal control techniques have been used to calculate the optimal primary coils configuration, the preprogramming voltages and the feedback gains. A new stability diagrams has been obtained which takes into account the erosion of the plasma by the limiter. All these calculations have been applied successfully to TFR 600 where thin liner and the presence of an iron core make the problem of stabilization of the radial displacements very difficult

Magnetic configuration control of ITER plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albanese, R.; Mattei, M.; Portone, A.; Ambrosino, G.; Artaserse, G.; Crisanti, F.; De Tommasi, G.; Fresa, R.; Sartori, F.; Villone, F.

2007-01-01

The aim of this paper is to present some new tools used to review the capability of the ITER Poloidal Field (PF) system in controlling the broad range of plasma configurations presently forecasted during ITER operation. The attention is focused on the axi-symmetric aspects of plasma magnetic configuration control since they pose the greatest challenges in terms of control power and they have the largest impact on machine capital cost. Some preliminary results obtained during ongoing activities in collaboration between ENEA/CREATE and EFDA are presented. The paper is divided in two main parts devoted, respectively, to the presentation of a procedure for the PF current optimisation during the scenario, and of a software environment for the study of the PF system capabilities using the plasma linearized response. The proposed PF current optimisation procedure is then used to assess Scenario 2 design, also taking into account the presence of axisymmetric eddy currents and possible variations of poloidal beta and internal inductance. The numerical linear model based tool derived from the JET oriented eXtreme Shape Controller (XSC) tools is finally used to obtain results on the strike point sweeping in ITER

Boundary plasma control with the ergodic divertor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghendrih, Ph.; Becoulet, M.; Beyer, P.

1999-01-01

Ergodic divertor experiments on Tore Supra provide evidence of significant control of plasma-wall interaction. Theoretical investigation of the laminar region (i.e. governed by parallel transport) indicates that control of the plasma state at the target plate can be achieved with plasma states similar to that observed with the axisymmetric divertor. Analysis of the temperature field with a 2-D test particle code allows one to recover the observed spatial modulation and shows that an intrinsic barrier appears to develop at the separatrix. Energy deposition peaking, analysed with a 3-D code, is strongly reduced when moderate transverse transport is considered. Possible control of upstream parameters can thus be achieved in the ergodic region, for instance a lowering of the parallel energy flux by cross field transport. (author)

Boundary plasma control with the ergodic divertor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghendrih, Ph.; Becoulet, M.; Beyer, P.

2001-01-01

Ergodic divertor experiments on Tore Supra provide evidence of significant control of plasma-wall interaction. Theoretical investigation of the laminar region (i.e. governed by parallel transport) indicates that control of the plasma state at the target plate can be achieved with plasma states similar to that observed with the axisymmetric divertor. Analysis of the temperature field with a 2-D test particle code allows one to recover the observed spatial modulation and shows that an intrinsic barrier appears to develop at the separatrix. Energy deposition peaking, analysed with a 3-D code, is strongly reduced when moderate transverse transport is considered. Possible control of upstream parameters can thus be achieved in the ergodic region, for instance a lowering of the parallel energy flux by cross field transport. (author)

Plasma density control in real-time on the COMPASS tokamak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Janky, F., E-mail: filip.janky.work@gmail.com [Institute of Plasma Physics AS CR, v.v.i., Association EURATOM/IPP.CR, Za Slovankou 3, 182 00 Praha 8 (Czech Republic); Department of Surface and Plasma Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague, V Holešovičkách 2, 180 00 Praha 8 (Czech Republic); Hron, M. [Institute of Plasma Physics AS CR, v.v.i., Association EURATOM/IPP.CR, Za Slovankou 3, 182 00 Praha 8 (Czech Republic); Havlicek, J. [Institute of Plasma Physics AS CR, v.v.i., Association EURATOM/IPP.CR, Za Slovankou 3, 182 00 Praha 8 (Czech Republic); Department of Surface and Plasma Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague, V Holešovičkách 2, 180 00 Praha 8 (Czech Republic); Varavin, M.; Zacek, F.; Seidl, J.; Panek, R. [Institute of Plasma Physics AS CR, v.v.i., Association EURATOM/IPP.CR, Za Slovankou 3, 182 00 Praha 8 (Czech Republic)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • We fitted length of the chord of the interferometry crossing plasma in the different plasma scenarios. • We add correction to the actual length of the chord of the interferometry according to plasma shape and position in real-time code. • We used this correction to control plasma density in real-time. - Abstract: The electron density on COMPASS is measured using 2 mm microwave interferometer. Interferometer signal is used as an input for the feedback control loop, running under the MARTe real-time framework. Two different threads are used to calculate (fast 50 μs thread) and to control (slow 500 μs thread) the electron density. The interferometer measures a line averaged density along a measurement chord. This paper describes an approach to control the line-averaged electron density in a real-time loop, using a correction to the real plasma shape, the plasma position, and non-linear effects of the electron density measurement at high densities. Newly developed real-time electron density control give COMPASS the chance to control the electron density more accurately which is essential for parametric scans for diagnosticians, for physics experiments and also for achieving plasma scenarios with H-mode.

Dynamics and Melting of Finite Plasma Crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Ludwig, Patrick; K"Ahlert, Hanno; Baumgartner, Henning; Thomsen, Hauke; Bonitz, Michael

2009-11-01

Interacting few-particle systems in external trapping potentials are of strong current interest since they allow to realize and control strong correlation and quantum effects [1]. Here, we present our recent results on the structural and thermodynamic properties of the crystal-like Wigner phase of complex plasma confined in a 3D harmonic potential. We discuss the linear response of the strongly correlated system to external excitations, which can be described in terms of normal modes [2]. By means of first-principle simulations the details of the melting phase transitions of these mesoscopic systems are systematically analysed with the melting temperatures being determined by a modified Lindemann parameter for the pair distance fluctuations [3]. The critical temperatures turn out to be utmost sensitive to finite size effects (i.e., the exact particle number), and form of the (screened) interaction potential.[4pt] [1] PhD Thesis, P. Ludwig, U Rostock (2008)[0pt] [2] C. Henning et al., J. Phys. A 42, 214023 (2009)[0pt] [3] B"oning et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 113401 (2008)

A Toroidally Symmetric Plasma Simulation code for design of position and shape control on tokamak plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takase, Haruhiko; Senda, Ikuo

1999-01-01

A Toroidally Symmetric Plasma Simulation (TSPS) code has been developed for investigating the position and shape control on tokamak plasmas. The analyses of three-dimensional eddy currents on the conducting components around the plasma and the two-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium are taken into account in this code. The code can analyze the plasma position and shape control during the minor disruption in which the deformation of plasma is not negligible. Using the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) parameters, some examples of calculations are shown in this paper. (author)

Bernstein modes in a non-neutral plasma column

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, Daniel; Dubin, Daniel H. E.

2018-05-01

This paper presents theory and numerical calculations of electrostatic Bernstein modes in an inhomogeneous cylindrical plasma column. These modes rely on finite Larmor radius effects to propagate radially across the column until they are reflected when their frequency matches the upper hybrid frequency. This reflection sets up an internal normal mode on the column and also mode-couples to the electrostatic surface cyclotron wave (which allows the normal mode to be excited and observed using external electrodes). Numerical results predicting the mode spectra, using a novel linear Vlasov code on a cylindrical grid, are presented and compared to an analytical Wentzel Kramers Brillouin (WKB) theory. A previous version of the theory [D. H. E. Dubin, Phys. Plasmas 20(4), 042120 (2013)] expanded the plasma response in powers of 1/B, approximating the local upper hybrid frequency, and consequently, its frequency predictions are spuriously shifted with respect to the numerical results presented here. A new version of the WKB theory avoids this approximation using the exact cold fluid plasma response and does a better job of reproducing the numerical frequency spectrum. The effect of multiple ion species on the mode spectrum is also considered, to make contact with experiments that observe cyclotron modes in a multi-species pure ion plasma [M. Affolter et al., Phys. Plasmas 22(5), 055701 (2015)].

Plasma control system upgrade and increased plasma stability in NSTX

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mastrovito, D., E-mail: dmastrovito@pppl.go [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451 Princeton, NJ 08543 (United States); Gates, D.; Gerhard, S.; Lawson, J.; Ludescher-Furth, C.; Marsala, R. [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451 Princeton, NJ 08543 (United States)

2010-07-15

Plasma control on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) was previously accomplished using eight 333 MHz G4 processors built by Sky computers. Several planned improvements and additional control algorithms required significant upgrades to our real-time control computers and real-time data acquisition infrastructure. Several in-house modules have been designed and implemented including: the digital time stamp module (DITS) and for digital/analog front panel data port (FPDP) output, the FPDP output module digital/analog (FOMD/A). Standard Linux based Intel computers perform the real-time control tasks and InfiniBand as been employed for communication between a user-accessible 'host' server and the real-time computer. In addition to several independent real-time processes the General Atomics developed PCS (Bell (2006) ) system infrastructure continues to be used on NSTX. While maintaining previous functionality, improvements in the control system software include: an RWM feedback algorithm, beta feedback NBI control, more comprehensive error logging and trapping, more user-friendly interface, more complete archiving and restoring functionality, and better status reporting and diagnostic tools. Once completed, we succeeded in increasing overall plasma stability and decreasing control system latency by several times.

Overview of the preliminary design of the ITER plasma control system

Science.gov (United States)

Snipes, J. A.; Albanese, R.; Ambrosino, G.; Ambrosino, R.; Amoskov, V.; Blanken, T. C.; Bremond, S.; Cinque, M.; de Tommasi, G.; de Vries, P. C.; Eidietis, N.; Felici, F.; Felton, R.; Ferron, J.; Formisano, A.; Gribov, Y.; Hosokawa, M.; Hyatt, A.; Humphreys, D.; Jackson, G.; Kavin, A.; Khayrutdinov, R.; Kim, D.; Kim, S. H.; Konovalov, S.; Lamzin, E.; Lehnen, M.; Lukash, V.; Lomas, P.; Mattei, M.; Mineev, A.; Moreau, P.; Neu, G.; Nouailletas, R.; Pautasso, G.; Pironti, A.; Rapson, C.; Raupp, G.; Ravensbergen, T.; Rimini, F.; Schneider, M.; Travere, J.-M.; Treutterer, W.; Villone, F.; Walker, M.; Welander, A.; Winter, A.; Zabeo, L.

2017-12-01

An overview of the preliminary design of the ITER plasma control system (PCS) is described here, which focusses on the needs for 1st plasma and early plasma operation in hydrogen/helium (H/He) up to a plasma current of 15 MA with moderate auxiliary heating power in low confinement mode (L-mode). Candidate control schemes for basic magnetic control, including divertor operation and kinetic control of the electron density with gas puffing and pellet injection, were developed. Commissioning of the auxiliary heating systems is included as well as support functions for stray field topology and real-time plasma boundary reconstruction. Initial exception handling schemes for faults of essential plant systems and for disruption protection were developed. The PCS architecture was also developed to be capable of handling basic control for early commissioning and the advanced control functions that will be needed for future high performance operation. A plasma control simulator is also being developed to test and validate control schemes. To handle the complexity of the ITER PCS, a systems engineering approach has been adopted with the development of a plasma control database to keep track of all control requirements.

Self-tuning control studies of the plasma vertical position problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, Guang Lin; Wellstead, P.E.; Browne, M.L.

1993-01-01

The plasma vertical position system in a tokamak device can be open-loop unstable with time-varying dynamics, such that the instability increases with system dynamical changes. Time-varying unstable dynamics makes the plasma vertical position a particularly difficult one to control with traditional fixed-coefficient controllers. A self-tuning technique offers a new solution of the plasma vertical position control problem by an adaptive control approach. Specifically, the self-tuning controller automatically tunes the controller parameters without an a priori knowledge of the system dynamics and continuously tracks dynamical changes within the system, thereby providing the system with auto-tuning and adaptive tuning capabilities. An overview of the self-tuning methods is given, and their applicability to a simulation of the Joint European Torus (JET) vertical plasma positions system is illustrated. Specifically, the applicability of pole-assignment and generalized predictive control self-tuning methods to the vertical plasma position system is demonstrated. 26 refs., 16 figs., 1 tab

Modeling of Plasma Assisted Combustion

Science.gov (United States)

Akashi, Haruaki

2012-10-01

Recently, many experimental study of plasma-assisted combustion has been done. However, numerous complex reactions in combustion of hydrocarbons are preventing from theoritical study for clarifying inside the plasma-assisted combustion, and the effect of plasma-assist is still not understood. Shinohara and Sasaki [1,2] have reported that the shortening of flame length by irradiating microwave without increase of gas temperature. And they also reported that the same phenomena would occur when applying dielectric barrier discharges to the flame using simple hydrocarbon, methane. It is suggested that these phenomena may result by the electron heating. To clarify this phenomena, electron behavior under microwave and DBD was examined. For the first step of DBD plasma-assisted combustion simulation, electron Monte Carlo simulation in methane, oxygen and argon mixture gas(0.05:0.14:0.81) [2] has been done. Electron swarm parameters are sampled and electron energy distribution function (EEDF)s are also determined. In the combustion, gas temperature is higher(>1700K), so reduced electric field E/N becomes relatively high(>10V/cm/Torr). The electrons are accelerated to around 14 eV. This result agree with the optical emission from argon obtained by the experiment of reference [2]. Dissociation frequency of methane and oxygens are obtained in high. This might be one of the effect of plasma-assist. And it is suggested that the electrons should be high enough to dissociate methane, but plasma is not needed.[4pt] [1] K. Shinohara et al, J. Phys. D:Appl. Phys., 42, 182008 (1-7) (2009).[0pt] [2] K. Sasaki, 64th Annual Gaseous Electronic Conference, 56, 15 CT3.00001(2011).

Operating regime for a backward Raman laser amplifier in preformed plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, Daniel S.; Fisch, Nathaniel J.

2003-01-01

A critical issue in the generation of ultraintense, ultrashort laser pulses by backward Raman scattering in plasma is the stability of the pumping pulse to premature backscatter from thermal fluctuations in the preformed plasma. Malkin et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 1208 (2000)] demonstrated that density gradients may be used to detune the Raman resonance in such a way that backscatter of the pump from thermal noise can be stabilized while useful Raman amplification persists. Here plasma conditions for which the pump is stable to thermal Raman backscatter in a homogeneous plasma and the density gradients necessary to stabilize the pump for other plasma conditions are quantified. Other ancillary constraints on a Raman amplifier are also considered to determine a specific region in the T e -n e plane where Raman amplification is feasible. By determining an operability region, the degree of uncertainty in density or temperature tolerable for an experimental Raman amplifier is thus also identified. The fluid code F3D [R. L. Berger et al., Phys. Plasmas 5, 4337 (1998)], which includes the effects of thermal fluctuations, is used to verify these analytic estimates

Atto-second control of collective electron motion in plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borot, Antonin; Malvache, Arnaud; Chen, Xiaowei; Jullien, Aurelie; Lopez-Martens, Rodrigo; Geindre, Jean-Paul; Audebert, Patrick; Mourou, Gerard; Quere, Fabien

2012-01-01

Today, light fields of controlled and measured waveform can be used to guide electron motion in atoms and molecules with atto-second precision. Here, we demonstrate atto-second control of collective electron motion in plasmas driven by extreme intensity (approximate to 10 18 W cm -2 ) light fields. Controlled few-cycle near-infrared waves are tightly focused at the interface between vacuum and a solid-density plasma, where they launch and guide sub-cycle motion of electrons from the plasma with characteristic energies in the multi-kilo-electron-volt range-two orders of magnitude more than has been achieved so far in atoms and molecules. The basic spectroscopy of the coherent extreme ultraviolet radiation emerging from the light-plasma interaction allows us to probe this collective motion of charge with sub-200 as resolution. This is an important step towards atto-second control of charge dynamics in laser-driven plasma experiments. (authors)

Plasma Surface interaction in Controlled fusion devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-05-01

The subjects presented in the 9th conference on plasma surface interaction in controlled fusion devices were: the modifications of power scrape-off-length and power deposition during various configurations in Tore Supra plasmas; the effects observed in ergodic divertor experiments in Tore-Supra; the diffuse connexion induced by the ergodic divertor and the topology of the heat load patterns on the plasma facing components in Tore-Supra; the study of the influence of air exposure on graphite implanted by low energy high density deuterium plasma

Architectural concept for the ITER Plasma Control System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Treutterer, W., E-mail: Wolfgang.Treutterer@ipp.mpg.de [Max-Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, EURATOM Association, Garching (Germany); Humphreys, D., E-mail: humphreys@fusion.gat.com [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); Raupp, G., E-mail: Gerhard.Raupp@ipp.mpg.de [Max-Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, EURATOM Association, Garching (Germany); Schuster, E., E-mail: schuster@lehigh.edu [Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA (United States); Snipes, J., E-mail: Joseph.Snipes@iter.org [ITER Organization, 13115 St. Paul-lez-Durance (France); De Tommasi, G., E-mail: detommas@unina.it [CREATE/Università di Napoli Federico II, Napoli (Italy); Walker, M., E-mail: walker@fusion.gat.com [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); Winter, A., E-mail: Axel.Winter@iter.org [ITER Organization, 13115 St. Paul-lez-Durance (France)

2014-05-15

The plasma control system is a key instrument for successfully investigating the physics of burning plasma at ITER. It has the task to execute an experimental plan, known as pulse schedule, in the presence of complex relationships between plasma parameters like temperature, pressure, confinement and shape. The biggest challenge in the design of the control system is to find an adequate breakdown of this task in a hierarchy of feedback control functions. But it is also important to foresee structures that allow handling unplanned exceptional situations to protect the machine. Also the management of the limited number of actuator systems for multiple targets is an aspect with a strong impact on system architecture. Finally, the control system must be flexible and reconfigurable to cover the manifold facets of plasma behaviour and investigation goals. In order to prepare the development of a control system for ITER plasma operation, a conceptual design has been proposed by a group of worldwide experts and reviewed by an ITER panel in 2012. In this paper we describe the fundamental principles of the proposed control system architecture and how they were derived from a systematic collection and analysis of use cases and requirements. The experience and best practices from many fusion devices and research laboratories, augmented by the envisaged ITER specific tasks, build the foundation of this collection. In the next step control functions were distilled from this input. An analysis of the relationships between the functions allowed sequential and parallel structures, alternate branches and conflicting requirements to be identified. Finally, a concept of selectable control layers consisting of nested “compact controllers” was synthesised. Each control layer represents a cascaded scheme from high-level to elementary controllers and implements a control hierarchy. The compact controllers are used to resolve conflicts when several control functions would use the same

Architectural concept for the ITER Plasma Control System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Treutterer, W.; Humphreys, D.; Raupp, G.; Schuster, E.; Snipes, J.; De Tommasi, G.; Walker, M.; Winter, A.

2014-01-01

The plasma control system is a key instrument for successfully investigating the physics of burning plasma at ITER. It has the task to execute an experimental plan, known as pulse schedule, in the presence of complex relationships between plasma parameters like temperature, pressure, confinement and shape. The biggest challenge in the design of the control system is to find an adequate breakdown of this task in a hierarchy of feedback control functions. But it is also important to foresee structures that allow handling unplanned exceptional situations to protect the machine. Also the management of the limited number of actuator systems for multiple targets is an aspect with a strong impact on system architecture. Finally, the control system must be flexible and reconfigurable to cover the manifold facets of plasma behaviour and investigation goals. In order to prepare the development of a control system for ITER plasma operation, a conceptual design has been proposed by a group of worldwide experts and reviewed by an ITER panel in 2012. In this paper we describe the fundamental principles of the proposed control system architecture and how they were derived from a systematic collection and analysis of use cases and requirements. The experience and best practices from many fusion devices and research laboratories, augmented by the envisaged ITER specific tasks, build the foundation of this collection. In the next step control functions were distilled from this input. An analysis of the relationships between the functions allowed sequential and parallel structures, alternate branches and conflicting requirements to be identified. Finally, a concept of selectable control layers consisting of nested “compact controllers” was synthesised. Each control layer represents a cascaded scheme from high-level to elementary controllers and implements a control hierarchy. The compact controllers are used to resolve conflicts when several control functions would use the same

Development of the 'JFT-2' tokamak plasma position control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujisawa, Noboru; Matsuzaki, Yoshimi; Suzuki, Norio; Murai, Katsuji; Suzuki, Satoshi.

1980-01-01

Digital control technique was applied to control the plasma position in the JFT-2 tokamak experiment device. The detail of the JFT-2 is described elsewhere. The plasma position control system consists of a Hitachi control computer, HIDIC 80, and a Hitachi micro-computer, HIDIC 08E. The plasma position is detected by the position control computer, and compared with a preset value. Then, a reference signal is supplied to the micro-computer controlling power source, and the phase control of the thyristor controlling power source is performed. Since the behavior of plasma is very fast, the fast control is required. The control of the thyristor controlling power source is made by direct digital control (DDC). The main component of the hardware of the present system is the micro-computer HIDIC 08E. The software is the direct task system without the operating system (OS). The results of experiments showed that the feedback control of the system worked well. (Kato, T.)

Controlling the Plasma-Polymerization Process of N-Vinyl-2-pyrrolidone

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Norrman, Kion; Winther-Jensen, Bjørn

2005-01-01

N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone was plasma-polymerized on glass substrates using a pulsed AC plasma. Pulsed AC plasma produces a chemical surface structure different from that produced by conventional RF plasma; this is ascribed to the different power regimes used. A high degree of control over the structure...... of the chemical surface was obtained using pulsed AC plasma, as shown by ToF-SIMS. It is demonstrated how the experimental conditions to some extent control the chemical structure of the plasma-polymerized film, e.g., film thickness, density of post-plasma-polymerized oligomeric chains, and the density of intact...

Plasma control system for 'Day-One' operation of KSTAR tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hahn, Sang-hee; Walker, M.L.; Kim, Kukhee; Ahn, H.S.; Penaflor, B.G.; Piglowski, D.A.; Johnson, R.D.; Choi, Jaehoon; Lee, Dong-keun; Kim, Jayhyun; Yoon, S.W.; Seo, Seong-Heon; Kim, H.T.; Kim, K.P.; Lee, T.G.; Park, M.K.; Bak, J.G.; Lee, S.G.; Nam, Y.U.; Eidietis, N.W.

2009-01-01

A complete plasma control system (PCS) has been developed for KSTAR's first plasma campaign as a collaborative project with the DIII-D team. The KSTAR real time plasma control system is based on a conceptual design by Jhang and Choi [Hogun Jhang, I.S. Choi, Fusion Engineering and Design 73 (2005) 35-49] and consists of a fast real-time computer/communication cluster and software derived from the GA-PCS [Penaflor, B.G., et.al., Fusion Engineering and Design, 83 (2) (2008) 176]. The system has been used for simulation testing, poloidal field (PF) coil power supply commissioning and first plasma control. The seven sets of up-down symmetric, superconducting PF coil/power supply systems have been successfully tested. Reflective memory (RFM) is utilized as the primary actuator/PCS real-time communication layer and PCS synchronization with KSTAR timing system and slower control devices is achieved through an EPICS implementation. Consistent feedback loop times of 100 microseconds has been achieved during PF coil power supply testing and first plasma commissioning. Here we present the 'Day-One' plasma control system in its final form for the first plasma experimental campaign of KSTAR and describe how the system has been utilized during magnet commissioning and plasma startup experiments.

Current control for magnetized plasma in direct-current plasma-immersion ion implantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang Deli; Chu, Paul K.

2003-01-01

A method to control the ion current in direct-current plasma-immersion ion implantation (PIII) is reported for low-pressure magnetized inductively coupled plasma. The ion current can be conveniently adjusted by applying bias voltage to the conducting grid that separates plasma formation and implantation (ion acceleration) zones without the need to alter the rf input power, gas flux, or other operating conditions. The ion current that diminishes with an increase in grid bias in magnetized plasmas can be varied from 48 to 1 mA by increasing the grid voltage from 0 to 70 V at -50 kV sample bias and 0.5 mTorr hydrogen pressure. High implantation voltage and monoenergetic immersion implantation can now be achieved by controlling the ion current without varying the macroscopic plasma parameters. The experimental results and interpretation of the effects are presented in this letter. This technique is very attractive for PIII of planar samples that require on-the-fly adjustment of the implantation current at high implantation voltage but low substrate temperature. In some applications such as hydrogen PIII-ion cut, it may obviate the need for complicated sample cooling devices that must work at high voltage

ISTTOK plasma control with the tomography diagnostic

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernandes, H.; Caralho, P.J.; Duarte, P.; Pereira, T.; Coelho, R.; Silva, C. [Association Euratom/IST, Institute of Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion, Technology Graduate Institute, P-1049-001 Lisbon (Portugal)

2011-07-01

A real-time plasma position control system is mandatory to achieve long duration (up to 250 ms), Alternating Current (AC) discharges on the ISTTOK tokamak. Such a system has been used for some time supported only on magnetic field diagnostic data. However, this system does not function accurately when the plasma current is low, rendering it inoperative during the plasma current reversal. A tomography diagnostic with 3 pinhole cameras and 8 silicone photodiode channels per camera was installed and customized to supply alternative plasma position to be used for plasma position control. As no filtering is applied, most of the radiation detected is in the visible/near-UV range. This system (i) executes a tomographic reconstruction, (ii) determines the average emissivity position from it, (iii) calculates the shift from the required position and (iv) supplies the vertical field power supply unit with the desired current value, all in less than 100 {mu}s. The horizontal magnetic field power supply unit is expected to be included in the system and will have no impact in the process time. This paper presents the tomography diagnostic architecture together with results of its scientific exploitation in ISTTOK AC discharges, where it has proven to be capable of supplying an accurate plasma position during the current reversal. The use of the tomography diagnostic for plasma position overcomes some limitations of the magnetic diagnostics, but poses challenges of its own such as blindness to plasma current direction. (authors)

Streaming instabilities in a collisional dusty plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamun, A. A.; Shukla, P. K.

2000-01-01

A pair of low-frequency electrostatic modes, which are very similar to those experimentally observed by Praburam and Goree [Phys. Plasmas 3, 1212 (1996)], are found to exist in a dusty plasma with a significant background neutral pressure and background ion streaming. One of these two modes is the dust-acoustic mode and the other one is a new mode which is due to the combined effects of the ion streaming and ion--neutral collisions. It has been shown that in the absence of the ion streaming, the dust-acoustic mode is damped due to the combined effects of the ion--neutral and dust--neutral collisions and the electron--ion recombination onto the dust grain surface. This result disagrees with Kaw and Singh [Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 423 (1997)], who reported collisional instability of the dust-acoustic mode in such a dusty plasma. It has also been found that a streaming instability with the growth rate of the order of the dust plasma frequency is triggered when the background ion streaming speed relative to the charged dust particles is comparable or higher than the ion--thermal speed. This point completely agrees with Rosenberg [J. Vac. Soc. Technol. A 14, 631 (1996)

Response to ''Comment on 'Acoustic solitons in inhomogenous pair-ion plasmas''' [Phys. Plasmas 18, 054701 (2011)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, Asif; Mahmood, S.; Haque, Q.

2011-01-01

The quantity n p0 (0) is different from n p0 (x) and same is true for v p0 (0), v p0 (x). Taking these differences into account and considering the mathematical relation v p0 (x)= 1/n p0 (x), it can easily be shown that derivatives of these space dependent densities and velocities are linked through the relation ∂v p0 (x)/∂η=-1/n p0 2 (x)∂n p0 (x)/∂η. We show that constraint (1) of the comment can also be transformed to derivative transformation relation. This derivative transformation relation can be used in the derivation of the KdV like equation and our model is valid for inhomogenous pair ion plasma. We mathematically and physically prove that the objections in the comment are false and baseless.

Strategies for the plasma position and shape control in IGNITOR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramogida, G.; Alladio, F.; Albanese, R.

2006-01-01

The control of the plasma position and shape is a crucial issue in IGNITOR as in every compact, high field, elongated tokamak. The capability of the Poloidal Field Coil system, as presently designed, to provide an effective vertical stabilization of the plasma has been investigated using the CREATE L response model [R. Albanese, F. Villone, '' The Linearized CREATE L Plasma Response Model for the Control of Current, Position and Shape in Tokamaks '', Nucl. Fus., vol. 38, p. 723 (1998)]. This linearized MHD model assumes an axisymmetric deformable plasma described by few global parameters. An optimization of the vertical position control strategy has been carried out and the most effective coil combination has been selected to stabilize the plasma while fulfilling engineering constraints on the coils and minimizing the required power and voltage. The two pairs of coils selected for the vertical control will be fed up with up-down anti-symmetric currents provided by a dedicated supply and overlapped to the scenario currents. The growth rate of the vertical instability and the power required by the active stabilization system have been estimated with this model, indicating that it is possible to design a control system able to guarantee a stability region that includes the most interesting operation conditions. An assessment of the requirements for the plasma cross section shape control has been carried out considering independent perturbations of the plasma global parameters as disturbances and showing that the undesired shape modification rejection is possible with the present PFC and power supply system. The PF coils have been ranked with respect to their capability to restore the shape modifications due to different plasma disturbances and the most effective coil combination, that minimizes recovery time and voltage required, has been selected. In order to have additional means to monitor and control the centre of the plasma column, under demanding conditions

Control strategy for plasma equilibrium in a tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miskell, R.V.

1975-01-01

The dynamic control of the plasma position within the torus of a Tokamak fusion device is a significant factor in the development of nuclear fusion as an energy source. This investigation develops a state variable model of a TOKAMAK thermonuclear device, suitable for application of modern control theory techniques. The model considers eddy currents in the conducting shell surrounding the torus and the classical Shafranov equilibrium equation. The equations necessary to characterize the operating conditions of a TOKAMAK are cast in state variable form. Two control variables are selected, the vertical field current and the plasma temperature. The figure of merit chosen minimizes the shift of the plasma within the torus and considers position perturbations necessary to maintain the dense and hotter portions of the plasma profile in the center of the torus, i.e., overcome uneven poloidal fields due to the toroidal geometry. The model uses a Kalman filter to estimate unmeasured state variables, and uses the second variation of the calculus of variations to maintain an optimal control path. (Diss. Abstr. Int., B)

Gyrokinetic theory of perpendicular cyclotron resonance in a nonuniformly magnetized plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lashmore-Davies, C.N.; Dendy, R.O.

1989-01-01

The extension of gyrokinetic theory to arbitrary frequencies by Chen and Tsai [Phys. Fluids 26, 141 (1983); Plasma Phys. 25, 349 (1983)] is used to study cyclotron absorption in a straight magnetic field with a perpendicular, linear gradient in strength. The analysis includes the effects of magnetic field variation across the Larmor orbit and is restricted to propagation perpendicular to the field. It yields the following results for propagation into the field gradient. The standard optical depths for the fundamental O-mode and second harmonic X-mode resonances are obtained from the absorption profiles given in this paper, without invoking relativistic mass variation [see also Antonsen and Manheimer, Phys. Fluids 21, 2295 (1978)]. The compressional Alfven wave is shown to undergo perpendicular cyclotron damping at the fundamental minority resonance in a two-ion species plasma and at second harmonic resonance in a single-ion species plasma. Ion Bernstein waves propagating into the second harmonic resonance are no longer unattenuated, but are increasingly damped as they approach the resonance. It is shown how the kinetic power flow affects absorption profiles, yielding information previously obtainable only from full-wave theory. In all cases, the perpendicular cyclotron damping arises from the inclusion of magnetic field variation across the Larmor orbit

PREFACE: 4th International Workshop & Summer School on Plasma Physics 2010

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-01

Fourth International Workshop & Summer School on Plasma Physics 2010 The Fourth International Workshop & Summer School on Plasma Physics (IWSSPP'10) is organized by St. Kliment Ohridsky University of Sofia, with co-organizers TCPA Foundation, Association EURATOM/IRNRE, The Union of the Physicists in Bulgaria, and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. It was held in Kiten, Bulgaria, at the Black Sea Coast, from July 5 to July 10, 2010. The scientific programme covers the topics Fusion Plasma and Materials; Plasma Modeling and Fundamentals; Plasma Sources, Diagnostics and Technology. As the previous issues of this scientific meeting (IWSSPP'05, J. Phys.: Conf. Series 44 (2006) and IWSSPP'06, J. Phys.: Conf. Series 63 (2007), IWSSPP'08, J. Phys.: Conf. Series 207 (2010), its aim was to stimulate the creation and support of a new generation of young scientists for further development of plasma physics fundamentals and applications, as well as to ensure an interdisciplinary exchange of views and initiate possible collaborations by bringing together scientists from various branches of plasma physics. This volume of Journal of Physics: Conference Series includes 34 papers (invited lectures, contributed talks and posters) devoted to various branches of plasma physics, among them fusion plasma and materials, dc and microwave discharge modelling, transport phenomena in gas discharge plasmas, plasma diagnostics, cross sections and rate constants of elementary processes, material processing, plasma-chemistry and technology. Some of them have been presented by internationally known and recognized specialists in their fields; others are MSc or PhD students' first steps in science. In both cases, we believe they will raise readers' interest. We would like to thank the members of both the International Advisory Committee and the Local Organizing Committee, the participants who sent their manuscripts and passed through the (sometimes heavy and troublesome) refereeing and editing

Plasma response to electron energy filter in large volume plasma device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanyasi, A. K.; Awasthi, L. M.; Mattoo, S. K.; Srivastava, P. K.; Singh, S. K.; Singh, R.; Kaw, P. K.

2013-01-01

An electron energy filter (EEF) is embedded in the Large Volume Plasma Device plasma for carrying out studies on excitation of plasma turbulence by a gradient in electron temperature (ETG) described in the paper of Mattoo et al. [S. K. Mattoo et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 255007 (2012)]. In this paper, we report results on the response of the plasma to the EEF. It is shown that inhomogeneity in the magnetic field of the EEF switches on several physical phenomena resulting in plasma regions with different characteristics, including a plasma region free from energetic electrons, suitable for the study of ETG turbulence. Specifically, we report that localized structures of plasma density, potential, electron temperature, and plasma turbulence are excited in the EEF plasma. It is shown that structures of electron temperature and potential are created due to energy dependence of the electron transport in the filter region. On the other hand, although structure of plasma density has origin in the particle transport but two distinct steps of the density structure emerge from dominance of collisionality in the source-EEF region and of the Bohm diffusion in the EEF-target region. It is argued and experimental evidence is provided for existence of drift like flute Rayleigh-Taylor in the EEF plasma

Chaos control and taming of turbulence in plasma devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klinger, T.; Schröder, C.; Block, D.

2001-01-01

Chaos and turbulence are often considered as troublesome features of plasma devices. In the general framework of nonlinear dynamical systems, a number of strategies have been developed to achieve active control over complex temporal or spatio-temporal behavior. Many of these techniques apply...... to plasma instabilities. In the present paper we discuss recent progress in chaos control and taming of turbulence in three different plasma "model" experiments: (1) Chaotic oscillations in simple plasma diodes, (2) ionization wave turbulence in the positive column of glow discharges, and (3) drift wave...

Modelling and control of a tokamak plasma; Modelisation et commande d`un plasma de tokamak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bremond, S

1995-10-18

Vertically elongated tokamak plasmas, while attractive as regards Lawson criteria, are intrinsically instable. It is found that the open-loop instability dynamics is characterised by the relative value of two dimensionless parameters: the coefficient of inductive coupling between the vessel and the coils, and the coil damping efficiency on the plasma displacement relative to that of the vessel. Applications to Tore Supra -where the instability is due to the iron core attraction- and DIII-D are given. A counter-effect of the vessel, which temporarily reverses the effect of coil control on the plasma displacement, is seen when the inductive coupling is higher than the damping ratio. Precise control of the plasma boundary is necessary if plasma-wall interaction and/or coupling to heating antennas are to be monitored. A positional drift, of a few mm/s, which had been observed in the Tore Supra tokamak, is explained and corrected. A linear plasma shape response model is then derived from magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium calculation, and proved to be in good agreement with experimental data. An optimal control law is derived, which minimizes an integral quadratic criteria on tracking errors and energy expenditure. This scheme avoids compensating coil currents, and could render local plasma shaping more precise. (authors). 123 refs., 77 figs., 6 tabs., 4 annexes.

Chapter 8: Plasma operation and control [Progress in the ITER Physics Basis (PIPB)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gribov, Y.; Humphreys, D.; Kajiwara, K.; Lazarus, E.A.; Lister, J.B.; Ozeki, T.; Portone, A.; Shimada, M.; Sips, A.C.C.; Wesley, J.C.

2007-01-01

The ITER plasma control system has the same functional scope as the control systems in present tokamaks. These are plasma operation scenario sequencing, plasma basic control (magnetic and kinetic), plasma advanced control (control of RWMs, NTMs, ELMs, error fields, etc) and plasma fast shutdown. This chapter considers only plasma initiation and plasma basic control. This chapter describes the progress achieved in these areas in the tokamak experiments since the ITER Physics Basis (1999 Nucl. Fusion 39 2577) was written and the results of assessment of ITER to provide the plasma initiation and basic control. This assessment was done for the present ITER design (15 MA machine) at a more detailed level than it was done for the ITER design 1998 (21 MA machine) described in the ITER Physics Basis (1999 Nucl. Fusion 39 2577). The experiments on plasma initiation performed in DIII-D and JT-60U, as well as the theoretical studies performed for ITER, have demonstrated that, within specified assumptions on the plasma confinement and the impurity influx, ITER can produce plasma initiation in a low toroidal electric field (0.3 V m -1 ), if it is assisted by about 2 MW of ECRF heating. The plasma basic control includes control of the plasma current, position and shape-the plasma magnetic control, as well as control of other plasma global parameters or their profiles-the plasma performance control. The magnetic control is based on more reliable and simpler models of the control objects than those available at present for the plasma kinetic control. Moreover the real time diagnostics used for the magnetic control in many cases are more precise than those used for the kinetic control. Because of these reasons, the plasma magnetic control was developed for modern tokamaks and assessed for ITER better than the kinetic control. However, significant progress has been achieved in the plasma performance control during the last few years. Although the physics basis of plasma operation

Comment on ``Attractive forces between ions in quantum plasmas: Failure of linearized quantum hydrodynamics''

Science.gov (United States)

Shukla, P. K.; Eliasson, B.; Akbari-Moghanjoughi, M.

2013-03-01

In a recent paper, Bonitz, Pehlke, and Schoof [Phys. Rev. E10.1103/PhysRevE.87.033105 87, 033105 (2013)], hereafter referred to as BPS, have raised some points against the Shukla-Eliasson attractive potential [P. K. Shukla and B. Eliasson, Phys. Rev. Lett.0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.108.165007 108, 165007 (2012); P. K. Shukla and B. Eliasson, Phys. Rev. Lett.0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.108.219902 108, 219902(E) (2012); P. K. Shukla and B. Eliasson, Phys. Rev. Lett.10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.019901 109, 019901(E) (2012)], hereafter referred to as SEAP, around a stationary test charge in a quantum plasma. Our objective here is to discuss the insufficiency of the BPS reasoning concerning the applicability of the linearized quantum hydrodynamic theory, as well as to point out the shortcomings in BPS’s arguments and to suggest how to salvage BPS’s density functional theory and simulations, which have failed to produce results that correctly match with that of Shukla and Eliasson.

Development in Diagnostics Application to Control Advanced Tokamak Plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koide, Y.

2008-01-01

For continuous operation expected in DEMO, all the plasma current must be non-inductively driven, with self-generated neoclassical bootstrap current being maximized. The control of such steady state high performance tokamak plasma (so-called 'Advanced Tokamak Plasma') is a challenge because of the strong coupling between the current density, the pressure profile and MHD stability. In considering diagnostic needs for the advanced tokamak research, diagnostics for MHD are the most fundamental, since discharges which violate the MHD stability criteria either disrupt or have significantly reduced confinement. This report deals with the development in diagnostic application to control advanced tokamak plasma, with emphasized on recent progress in active feedback control of the current profile and the pressure profile under DEMO-relevant high bootstrap-current fraction. In addition, issues in application of the present-day actuators and diagnostics for the advanced control to DEMO will be briefly addressed, where port space for the advanced control may be limited so as to keep sufficient tritium breeding ratio (TBR)

Kadomtsev-Petviashvili solitons propagation in a plasma system with superthermal and weakly relativistic effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hafeez-Ur-Rehman; Mahmood, S.; Shah, Asif; Haque, Q.

2011-01-01

Two dimensional (2D) solitons are studied in a plasma system comprising of relativistically streaming ions, kappa distributed electrons, and positrons. Kadomtsev-Petviashvili (KP) equation is derived through the reductive perturbation technique. Analytical solution of the KP equation has been studied numerically and graphically. It is noticed that kappa parameters of electrons and positrons as well as the ions relativistic streaming factor have an emphatic influence on the structural as well as propagation characteristics of two dimensional solitons in the considered plasma system. Our results may be helpful in the understanding of soliton propagation in astrophysical and laboratory plasmas, specifically the interaction of pulsar relativistic wind with supernova ejecta and the transfer of energy to plasma by intense electric field of laser beams producing highly energetic superthermal and relativistic particles [L. Arons, Astrophys. Space Sci. Lib. 357, 373 (2009); P. Blasi and E. Amato, Astrophys. Space Sci. Proc. 2011, 623; and A. Shah and R. Saeed, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 53, 095006 (2011)].

Experimental validation of a Lyapunov-based controller for the plasma safety factor and plasma pressure in the TCV tokamak

Science.gov (United States)

Mavkov, B.; Witrant, E.; Prieur, C.; Maljaars, E.; Felici, F.; Sauter, O.; the TCV-Team

2018-05-01

In this paper, model-based closed-loop algorithms are derived for distributed control of the inverse of the safety factor profile and the plasma pressure parameter β of the TCV tokamak. The simultaneous control of the two plasma quantities is performed by combining two different control methods. The control design of the plasma safety factor is based on an infinite-dimensional setting using Lyapunov analysis for partial differential equations, while the control of the plasma pressure parameter is designed using control techniques for single-input and single-output systems. The performance and robustness of the proposed controller is analyzed in simulations using the fast plasma transport simulator RAPTOR. The control is then implemented and tested in experiments in TCV L-mode discharges using the RAPTOR model predicted estimates for the q-profile. The distributed control in TCV is performed using one co-current and one counter-current electron cyclotron heating actuation.

The design of remote participation platform for EAST plasma control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yuan, Q.P., E-mail: qpyuan@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); Xiao, B.J. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); University of Science & Technology of China, Hefei (China); Zhang, R.R. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); Chai, W.T.; Liu, J.; Xiao, R.; Zhou, Z.C.; Pei, X.F. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); University of Science & Technology of China, Hefei (China)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • The remote participation platform for EAST plasma control is composed of real time control service and scenario management. • The web based interface has been developed for supporting remote participation. • The functionality module has been designed and assistant tools have been developed. - Abstract: EAST has become a physics experimental platform for high parameter and steady-state long-pulse plasma operation. A new remote participation platform for EAST plasma control is designed, which is composed of gatekeeper system, web-based user interface system, discharge scenario management system, online simulation system and data interface with on-site plasma control system (PCS). The identification and access privilege of remote participator is validated by the gatekeeper system. Only authorized users can set control parameters for next shot plasma control or making discharge scenario for future shot through WebPCS which is a web-based user interface and designed based on B/S structure. The systematic architecture design and preliminary deployment of such remote platform will be presented in this paper.

Analysis of plasma instabilities and verification of the BOUT code for the Large Plasma Device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popovich, P.; Carter, T. A.; Friedman, B.; Umansky, M. V.

2010-01-01

The properties of linear instabilities in the Large Plasma Device [W. Gekelman et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 62, 2875 (1991)] are studied both through analytic calculations and solving numerically a system of linearized collisional plasma fluid equations using the three-dimensional fluid code BOUT[M. Umansky et al., Contrib. Plasma Phys. 180, 887 (2009)], which has been successfully modified to treat cylindrical geometry. Instability drive from plasma pressure gradients and flows is considered, focusing on resistive drift waves and the Kelvin-Helmholtz and rotational interchange instabilities. A general linear dispersion relation for partially ionized collisional plasmas including these modes is derived and analyzed. For Large Plasma Device relevant profiles including strongly driven flows, it is found that all three modes can have comparable growth rates and frequencies. Detailed comparison with solutions of the analytic dispersion relation demonstrates that BOUT accurately reproduces all characteristics of linear modes in this system.

In search of zonal flows using cross-bispectrum analysis in the boundary plasma of the Hefei Tokamak-7

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, G.S.; Wan, B.N.; Song, M.

2002-01-01

Langmuir probes have been used to measure the electrostatic Reynolds stress and the floating potential fluctuation in the boundary plasma of the Hefei Tokamak-7 (HT-7) [J. Li, B. N. Wan, and J. S. Mao, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 42, 135 (2000)]. The cross bispectrum of r V(tilde sign) θ φ(tilde sign) f > indicates the existence of difference-frequency nonlinear phase coupling and the generation of fluctuations near the geodesic acoustic mode frequency. The inverse cascade process might be linked to the generation of zonal flows by small-scale electrostatic drift-wave turbulence

Ignition and burn control characteristics of thermonuclear plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaniotakis, E.A.

1990-01-01

Achieving the long sought goal of fusion energy requires the attainment of an ignited and controlled thermonuclear plasma. Obtaining an ignited plasma in a tokamak device requires consideration of both the physics of the plasma and the engineering of the machine. With the aide of completely analytical procedure optimized and ignited tokamaks are obtained under various physics assumptions. These designs show the possible advantage of tokamaks characterized by high (∼4.5) aspect ratio, and high (∼15 T) toroidal magnetic field. The control of an ignited plasma is investigated by using auxiliary power modulation. With auxiliary power stable operating points can be created with Q ∼50. Recognizing the need for a fast 1 1/2-D transport model for studying profile effects the plasma transport equations are solved using variational methods. A computer model based on the variational method has been developed. This model solves the 1 1/2-D transport equation very fast with little loss of accuracy. 74 refs., 70 figs., 8 tabs

Introduction to plasma physics and controlled fusion

CERN Document Server

Chen, Francis F

2016-01-01

The third edition of this classic text presents a complete introduction to plasma physics and controlled fusion, written by one of the pioneering scientists in this expanding field.  It offers both a simple and intuitive discussion of the basic concepts of the subject matter and an insight into the challenging problems of current research. This outstanding text offers students a painless introduction to this important field; for teachers, a large collection of problems; and for researchers, a concise review of the fundamentals as well as original treatments of a number of topics never before explained so clearly.  In a wholly lucid manner the second edition covered charged-particle motions, plasmas as fluids, kinetic theory, and nonlinear effects.  For the third edition, two new chapters have been added to incorporate discussion of more recent advances in the field.  The new chapter 9 on Special Plasmas covers non-neutral plasmas, pure electron plasmas, solid and ultra-cold plasmas, pair-ion plasmas, d...

Excitation of accelerating plasma waves by counter-propagating laser beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shvets, Gennady; Fisch, Nathaniel J.; Pukhov, Alexander

2002-01-01

The conventional approach to exciting high phase velocity waves in plasmas is to employ a laser pulse moving in the direction of the desired particle acceleration. Photon downshifting then causes momentum transfer to the plasma and wave excitation. Novel approaches to plasma wake excitation, colliding-beam accelerator (CBA), which involve photon exchange between the long and short counter-propagating laser beams, are described. Depending on the frequency detuning Δω between beams and duration τ L of the short pulse, there are two approaches to CBA. First approach assumes (τ L ≅2/ω p ). Photons exchanged between the beams deposit their recoil momentum in the plasma driving the plasma wake. Frequency detuning between the beams determines the direction of the photon exchange, thereby controlling the phase of the plasma wake. This phase control can be used for reversing the slippage of the accelerated particles with respect to the wake. A variation on the same theme, super-beatwave accelerator, is also described. In the second approach, a short pulse with τ L >>ω p -1 detuned by Δω∼2ω p from the counter-propagating beam is employed. While parametric excitation of plasma waves by the electromagnetic beatwave at 2ω p of two co-propagating lasers was first predicted by Rosenbluth and Liu [M. N. Rosenbluth and C. S. Liu, Phys. Rev. Lett. 29, 701 (1972)], it is demonstrated that the two excitation beams can be counter-propagating. The advantages of using this geometry (higher instability growth rate, insensitivity to plasma inhomogeneity) are explained, and supporting numerical simulations presented

Method of controlling plasma discharge in a thermonuclear device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawasaki, Kozo; Ishida, Takayuki; Takemaru, Koichi; Kawasaki, Takahide.

1982-01-01

Purpose: To prolong the plasma discharging period by previously increasing the temperature at the thick portion of a vacuum container prior to the plasma discharge to thereby decrease the temperature difference caused by the plasma discharge between the thick portion and the bellows. Method: Temperature values at the outer surface of the thick portion and the bellows of a vacuum container detected by temperature sensors are applied to the input processing section of a temperature control device, and baking control is carried out by way of the output processing section so that each of the portions of the vacuum container may be maintained at the temperature set by the temperature setting section based on the calculation performed in the control processing section. By previously increasing the temperature β at the thick portion higher by about 100 0 C than the temperature α for the bellows in the baking treatment prior to the plasma discharge, the plasma discharge period during which the temperature levels at both of the portions are reversed after the plasma discharge and the temperature difference arrives at a predetermined level i.g., of 100 0 C can significantly be prolonged as compared with the case where the plasma discharge is started at the same temperature for both of the portions. (Yoshino, Y.)

Implementation strategy for the ITER plasma control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winter, A.; Ambrosino, G.; Bauvir, B.; De Tommasi, G.; Humphreys, D.A.; Mattei, M.; Neto, A.; Raupp, G.; Snipes, J.A.; Stephen, A.V.; Treutterer, W.; Walker, M.L.; Zabeo, L.

2015-01-01

This paper gives an overview of the scope and context of the CODAC high-level real-time applications (Supervision and Plasma Control) and presents the strategy and current state of design of the tools to support the implementation. A real-time framework, which is currently under development with strong support of the worldwide fusion community will not only support the implementation of plasma control strategies with the extensive exception handling and forecasting functionality foreseen for ITER, but also integrated commissioning, orchestration and supervision as well as the real-time needs of ITER plant system developers. A second cornerstone in the implementation strategy is the development of a powerful simulation environment (Plasma Control System Simulation Platform – PCSSP) to design and verify control strategies, event handling and orchestration and automation. The development of PCSSP is currently under contract and this paper will also give an overview of its current state of development.

Implementation strategy for the ITER plasma control system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Winter, A., E-mail: axel.winter@iter.org [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon-sur-Verdon, CS 90 046, 13067 St Paul Lez Durance Cedex (France); Ambrosino, G. [CREATE/Università di Napoli Federico II, Dip. Ingegneria Elettrica e delle Tecnologie dell’Informazione (Italy); Bauvir, B. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon-sur-Verdon, CS 90 046, 13067 St Paul Lez Durance Cedex (France); De Tommasi, G. [CREATE/Università di Napoli Federico II, Dip. Ingegneria Elettrica e delle Tecnologie dell’Informazione (Italy); Humphreys, D.A. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); Mattei, M. [CREATE/Seconda Università di Napoli, Dip. Ingegneria Industriale e dell’Informazione (Italy); Neto, A. [Fusion for Energy, Barcelona (Spain); Raupp, G. [Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, EURATOM Association, Garching (Germany); Snipes, J.A. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon-sur-Verdon, CS 90 046, 13067 St Paul Lez Durance Cedex (France); Stephen, A.V. [Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon (United Kingdom); Treutterer, W. [Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, EURATOM Association, Garching (Germany); Walker, M.L. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); Zabeo, L. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon-sur-Verdon, CS 90 046, 13067 St Paul Lez Durance Cedex (France)

2015-10-15

This paper gives an overview of the scope and context of the CODAC high-level real-time applications (Supervision and Plasma Control) and presents the strategy and current state of design of the tools to support the implementation. A real-time framework, which is currently under development with strong support of the worldwide fusion community will not only support the implementation of plasma control strategies with the extensive exception handling and forecasting functionality foreseen for ITER, but also integrated commissioning, orchestration and supervision as well as the real-time needs of ITER plant system developers. A second cornerstone in the implementation strategy is the development of a powerful simulation environment (Plasma Control System Simulation Platform – PCSSP) to design and verify control strategies, event handling and orchestration and automation. The development of PCSSP is currently under contract and this paper will also give an overview of its current state of development.

Novel magnetic controlled plasma sputtering method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Axelevich, A.; Rabinovich, E.; Golan, G.

1996-01-01

A novel method to improve thin film vacuum sputtering is presented. This method is capable of controlling the sputtering plasma via an external set of magnets, in a similar fashion to the tetrode sputtering method. The main advantage of the Magnetic Controlled Plasma Sputtering (MCPS) is its ability to independently control all deposition parameters without any interference or cross-talk. Deposition rate, using the MCPS, is found to be almost twice the rate of triode and tetrode sputtering techniques. Experimental results using the MCPS to deposit Ni layers are described. It was demonstrated that using the MCPS method the ion beam intensity at the target is a result of the interaction of a homogeneous external magnetic field and the controlling magnetic fields. The MCPS method was therefore found to be beneficial for the production of pure stoichiometric thin solid films with high reproducibility. This method could be used for the production of compound thin films as well. (authors)

ADVANCED TOKAMAK OPERATION USING THE DIII-D PLASMA CONTROL SYSTEM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

HUMPHREYS, DA; FERRON, JR; GAROFALO, AM; HYATT, AW; JERNIGAN, TC; JOHNSON, RD; LAHAYE, RJ; LEUER, JA; OKABAYASHI, M; PENAFLOR, BG; SCOVILLE, JT; STRAIT, EJ; WALKER, ML; WHYTE, DG

2002-01-01

A271 ADVANCED TOKAMAK OPERATION USING THE DIII-D PLASMA CONTROL SYSTEM. The principal focus of experimental operations in the DIII-D tokamak is the advanced tokamak (AT) regime to achieve, which requires highly integrated and flexible plasma control. In a high performance advanced tokamak, accurate regulation of the plasma boundary, internal profiles, pumping, fueling, and heating must be well coordinated with MHD control action to stabilize such instabilities as tearing modes and resistive wall modes. Sophisticated monitors of the operational regime must provide detection of off-normal conditions and trigger appropriate safety responses with acceptable levels of reliability. Many of these capabilities are presently implemented in the DIII-D plasma control system (PCS), and are now in frequent or routine operational use. The present work describes recent development, implementation, and operational experience with AT regime control elements for equilibrium control, MHD suppression, and off-normal event detection and response

Diagnostics for real-time plasma control in PBX-M

Science.gov (United States)

Kaita, R.; Batha, S.; Bell, R. E.; Bernabei, S.; Hatcher, R.; Kozub, T.; Kugel, H.; Levinton, F.; Okabayashi, M.; Sesnic, S.; von Goeler, S.; Zolfaghari, A.; PBX-M Group

1995-01-01

An important issue for future tokamaks is real-time plasma control for the avoidance of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities and other applications that require detailed plasma profile and fluctuation data. Although measurements from diagnostics providing this information require significantly more processing than magnetic flux data, recent advancements could make them practical for adjusting operational settings for plasma heating and current drive systems as well as field coil currents. On the Princeton Beta Experiment-Modification (PBX-M), the lower hybrid current drive phasing can be varied during a plasma shot using digitally programmable ferrite phase shifters, and neural beam functions can be fully computer controlled. PBX-M diagnostics that may be used for control purposes include motional Stark-effect polarimetry for magnetic field pitch angle profiles, soft x-ray arrays for plasma position control and the separation of βp from li, hard x-ray detectors for energetic electron distributions, a multichannel electron cyclotron emission radiometer for ballooning mode identification, and passive plate eddy current monitors for kink stabilization. We will describe the present status of these systems on PBX-M, and discuss their suitability for feedback applications.

Diagnostics for real-time plasma control in PBX-M

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaita, R.; Batha, S.; Bell, R.E.; Bernabei, S.; Hatcher, R.; Kozub, T.; Kugel, H.; Levinton, F.; Okabayashi, M.; Sesnic, S.; Goeler, S. von; Zolfaghari, A.

1995-01-01

An important issue for future tokamaks is real-time plasma control for the avoidance of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities and other applications that require detailed plasma profile and fluctuation data. Although measurements from diagnostics providing this information require significantly more processing than magnetic flux data, recent advancements could make them practical for adjusting operational settings for plasma heating and current drive systems as well as field coil currents. On the Princeton Beta Experiment-Modification (PBX-M), the lower hybrid current drive phasing can be varied during a plasma shot using digitally programmable ferrite phase shifters, and neural beam functions can be fully computer controlled. PBX-M diagnostics that may be used for control purposes include motional Stark-effect polarimetry for magnetic field pitch angle profiles, soft x-ray arrays for plasma position control and the separation of β p from l i , hard x-ray detectors for energetic electron distributions, a multichannel electron cyclotron emission radiometer for ballooning mode identification, and passive plate eddy current monitors for kink stabilization. We will describe the present status of these systems on PBX-M, and discuss their suitability for feedback applications

Plasma under control: Advanced solutions and perspectives for plasma flux management in material treatment and nanosynthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Baranov, O.; Bazaka, K.; Kersten, H.; Keidar, M.; Cvelbar, U.; Xu, S.; Levchenko, I.

2017-12-01

Given the vast number of strategies used to control the behavior of laboratory and industrially relevant plasmas for material processing and other state-of-the-art applications, a potential user may find themselves overwhelmed with the diversity of physical configurations used to generate and control plasmas. Apparently, a need for clearly defined, physics-based classification of the presently available spectrum of plasma technologies is pressing, and the critically summary of the individual advantages, unique benefits, and challenges against key application criteria is a vital prerequisite for the further progress. To facilitate selection of the technological solutions that provide the best match to the needs of the end user, this work systematically explores plasma setups, focusing on the most significant family of the processes—control of plasma fluxes—which determine the distribution and delivery of mass and energy to the surfaces of materials being processed and synthesized. A novel classification based on the incorporation of substrates into plasma-generating circuitry is also proposed and illustrated by its application to a wide variety of plasma reactors, where the effect of substrate incorporation on the plasma fluxes is emphasized. With the key process and material parameters, such as growth and modification rates, phase transitions, crystallinity, density of lattice defects, and others being linked to plasma and energy fluxes, this review offers direction to physicists, engineers, and materials scientists engaged in the design and development of instrumentation for plasma processing and diagnostics, where the selection of the correct tools is critical for the advancement of emerging and high-performance applications.

Effect of Ponderomotive Terms on Heat Flux in Laser-Produced Plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Li, G.

2005-10-01

A laser electromagnetic field introduces ponderomotive termsootnotetextV. N. Goncharov and G. Li, Phys. Plasmas 11, 5680 (2004). in the heat flux in a plasma. To account for the nonlocal effects in the ponderomotive terms, first, the kinetic equation coupled with the Maxwell equations is numerically solved for the isotropic part of the electron distribution function. Such an equation includes self-consistent electromagnetic fields and laser absorption through the inverse bremsstrahlung. Then, the anisotropic part is found by solving a simplified Fokker--Planck equation. Using the distribution function, the electric current and heat flux are obtained and substituted into the hydrocode LILAC to simulate ICF implosions. The simulation results are compared against the existing nonlocal electron conduction modelsootnotetextG. P. Schurtz, P. D. Nicola"i, and M. Busquet, Phys. Plasmas 9, 4238 (2000). and Fokker--Planck simulations. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Inertial Confinement Fusion under Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC52-92SF19460.

Simulation of radiation in laser produced plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Colombant, D. G.; Klapisch, M.; Deniz, A. V.; Weaver, J.; Schmitt, A.

1999-11-01

The radiation hydrodynamics code FAST1D(J.H.Gardner,A.J.Schmitt,J.P.Dahlburg,C.J.Pawley,S.E.Bodner,S.P.Obenschain,V.Serlin and Y.Aglitskiy,Phys. Plasmas,5,1935(1998)) was used directly (i.e. without postprocessor) to simulate radiation emitted from flat targets irradiated by the Nike laser, from 10^12 W/cm^2 to 10^13W/cm^2. We use enough photon groups to resolve spectral lines. Opacities are obtained from the STA code(A.Bar-Shalom,J.Oreg,M.Klapisch and T.Lehecka,Phys.Rev.E,59,3512(1999)), and non LTE effects are described with the Busquet model(M.Busquet,Phys.Fluids B,5,4191(1993)). Results are compared to transmission grating spectra in the range 100-600eV, and to time-resolved calibrated filtered diodes (spectral windows around 100, 180, 280 and 450 eV).

Structure of the automatic system for plasma equilibrium position control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gubarev, V.F.; Krivonos, Yu.G.; Samojlenko, Yu.I.; Snegur, A.A.

1978-01-01

Considered are the principles of construction of the automatic system for plasma filament equilibrium position control inside the discharge chamber for the installation of a tokamak type. The combined current control system in control winding is suggested. The most powerful subsystem creates current in the control winding according to the program calculated beforehand. This system provides plasma rough equilibrium along the ''big radius''. The subsystem performing the current change in small limits according to the principle of feed-back coupling is provided simultaneously. The stabilization of plasma position is achieved in the discharge chamber. The advantage of construction of such system is in decreasing of the automatic requlator power without lowering the requirements to the accuracy of equilibrium preservation. The subsystem of automatic control of plasma position over the vertical is put into the system. Such an approach to the construction of the automatic control system proves to be correct; it is based on the experience of application of similar devices for some existing thermonuclear plants

Physics and chemistry of plasma pollution control technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, J S

2008-01-01

Gaseous pollution control technologies for acid gases (NO x , SO x , etc), volatile organic compounds, greenhouse gases, ozone layer depleting substances, etc have been commercialized based on catalysis, incineration and adsorption methods. However, non-thermal plasma techniques based on electron beams and corona discharges are becoming significant due to advantages such as lower costs, higher removal efficiency and smaller space volume. In order to commercialize this new technology, the pollution gas removal rate, energy efficiency of removal, pressure drop of reactors and useable by-product production rates must be improved and identification of major fundamental processes and optimizations of reactor and power supply for an integrated system must be investigated. In this work, the chemistry and physics of plasma pollution control are discussed and the limitation of this type of plasma is outlined based on the plasma parameters.

Control of plasma poloidal shape and position in the DIII-D tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, M.L.; Humphreys, D.A.; Ferron, J.R.

1997-11-01

Historically, tokamak control design has been a combination of theory driving an initial control design and empirical tuning of controllers to achieve satisfactory performance. This approach was in line with the focus of past experiments on simply obtaining sufficient control to study many of the basic physics issues of plasma behavior. However, in recent years existing experimental devices have required increasingly accurate control. New tokamaks such as ITER or the eventual fusion power plant must achieve and confine burning fusion plasmas, placing unprecedented demands on regulation of plasma shape and position, heat flux, and burn characteristics. Control designs for such tokamaks must also function well during initial device operation with minimal empirical optimization required. All of these design requirements imply a heavy reliance on plasma modeling and simulation. Thus, plasma control design has begun to use increasingly modern and sophisticated control design methods. This paper describes some of the history of plasma control for the DIII-D tokamak as well as the recent effort to implement modern controllers. This effort improves the control so that one may obtain better physics experiments and simultaneously develop the technology for designing controllers for next-generation tokamaks

Progress and plan of KSTAR plasma control system upgrade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hahn, Sang-hee, E-mail: hahn76@nfri.re.kr [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Y.J. [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Penaflor, B.G. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); Bak, J.G.; Han, H.; Hong, J.S.; Jeon, Y.M.; Jeong, J.H.; Joung, M.; Juhn, J.W.; Kim, J.S.; Kim, H.S.; Lee, W.R.; Woo, M.H. [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Eidietis, N.W.; Ferron, J.R.; Humphreys, D.A.; Hyatt, A.; Johnson, R.D.; Piglowski, D.A. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); and others

2016-11-15

Highlights: • Recent achievements of the KSTAR plasma control system are described. • Requirements and results of the testbed system for the future upgrade of the KSTAR plasma control system are presented. • An overview of the upgrade layout based is given. - Abstract: The plasma control system (PCS) has been one of essential systems in annual KSTAR plasma campaigns: starting from a single-process version in 2008, extensive upgrades are done through the previous 7 years in order to achieve major goals of KSTAR performance enhancement. Major implementations are explained in this paper. In consequences of successive upgrades, the present KSTAR PCS is able to achieve ∼48 s of 500 kA plasma pulses with full real-time shaping controls and real-time NB power controls. It has become a huge system capable of dealing with 8 separate categories of algorithms, 26 actuators directly controllable during the shot, and real-time data communication units consisting of +180 analog channels and +600 digital input/outputs through the reflective memory (RFM) network. The next upgrade of the KSTAR PCS is planned in 2015 before the campaign. An overview of the upgrade layout will be given for this paper. The real-time system box is planned to use the CERN MRG-Realtime OS, an ITER-compatible standard operating system. New hardware is developed for faster real-time streaming system for future installations of actuators/diagnostics.

Plasma control using neural network and optical emission spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Byungwhan; Bae, Jung Ki; Hong, Wan-Shick

2005-01-01

Due to high sensitivity to process parameters, plasma processes should be tightly controlled. For plasma control, a predictive model was constructed using a neural network and optical emission spectroscopy (OES). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to reduce OES dimensionality. This approach was applied to an oxide plasma etching conducted in a CHF 3 /CF 4 magnetically enhanced reactive ion plasma. The etch process was systematically characterized by means of a statistical experimental design. Three etch outputs (etch rate, profile angle, and etch rate nonuniformity) were modeled using three different approaches, including conventional, OES, and PCA-OES models. For all etch outputs, OES models demonstrated improved predictions over the conventional or PCA-OES models. Compared to conventional models, OES models yielded an improvement of more than 25% in modeling profile angle and etch rate nonuniformtiy. More than 40% improvement over PCA-OES model was achieved in modeling etch rate and profile angle. These results demonstrate that nonreduced in situ data are more beneficial than reduced one in constructing plasma control model

Linear quadratic Gaussian controller design for plasma current, position and shape control system in ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belyakov, V.; Kavin, A.; Rumyantsev, E.; Kharitonov, V.; Misenov, B.; Ovsyannikov, A.; Ovsyannikov, D.; Veremei, E.; Zhabko, A.; Mitrishkin, Y.

1999-01-01

This paper is focused on the linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) controller synthesis methodology for the ITER plasma current, position and shape control system as well as power derivative management system. It has been shown that some poloidal field (PF) coils have less influence on reference plasma-wall gaps control during plasma disturbances and hence they have been used to reduce total control power derivative by means of the additional non-linear feedback. The design has been done on the basis of linear models. Simulation was provided for non-linear model and results are presented and discussed. (orig.)

Response to „Comment on Avalanche proton-boron fusion based on elastic nuclear collisions” [Phys. Plasmas 23, 094703 (2016)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Eliezer, S.; Hora, H.; Korn, Georg; Nissim, N.; Val, J.M.M.

2016-01-01

Roč. 23, č. 9 (2016), s. 1-2, č. článku 094704. ISSN 1070-664X R&D Projects: GA MŠk ED1.1.00/02.0061 Grant - others:ELI Beamlines(XE) CZ.1.05/1.1.00/02.0061 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : laser-produced plasma Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics OBOR OECD: Fluids and plasma physics (including surface physics) Impact factor: 2.115, year: 2016

Variational form for a viscous plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishida, A.; Steinhauer, L.C.; Berk, H.L.

1991-01-01

The variational formulation for a fluid plasma including the parallel and gyroviscosities is developed using the basic approach of Berk et al. [Phys. Fluids 24, 2245 (1981)]. The equivalence of the variational problem to the original viscous fluid equations of motion is shown. The theory is developed for an axisymmetric plasma with no magnetic field in the azimuthal direction and therefore applies to field-reversed configurations and axisymmetric mirrors. This theory offers the advantage of describing both parallel and transverse ion kinetic effects within the simplicity afforded by a variational fluid model

Tokamak plasma current disruption infrared control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kugel, H.W.; Ulrickson, M.

1987-01-01

This patent describes a device for magnetically confining a plasma driven by a plasma current and contained within a toroidal vacuum chamber, the device having an inner toroidal limiter on an inside wall of the vacuum chamber and an arrangement for the rapid prediction and control in real time of a major plasma disruption. The arrangement is described which includes: scanning means sensitive to infrared radiation emanating from within the vacuum chamber, the infrared radiation indicating the temperature along a vertical profile of the inner toroidal limiter. The scanning means is arranged to observe the infrared radiation and to produce in response thereto an electrical scanning output signal representative of a time scan of temperature along the vertical profile; detection means for analyzing the scanning output signal to detect a first peaked temperature excursion occurring along the profile of the inner toroidal limiter, and to produce a detection output signal in repsonse thereto, the detection output signal indicating a real time prediction of a subsequent major plasma disruption; and plasma current reduction means for reducing the plasma current driving the plasma, in response to the detection output signal and in anticipation of a subsequent major plasma disruption

Automation of Aditya tokamak plasma position control DC power supply

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arambhadiya, Bharat, E-mail: bharat@ipr.res.in; Raj, Harshita; Tanna, R.L.; Edappala, Praveenlal; Rajpal, Rachana; Ghosh, Joydeep; Chattopadhyay, P.K.; Kalal, M.B.

2016-11-15

Highlights: • Plasma position control is very essential for obtaining repeatable high temperature, high-density discharges of longer durations in tokomak. • The present capacitor bank has limitations of maximum current capacity and position control beyond 200 ms. • The installation of a separate set of coils and a DC power supply can control the plasma position beyond 200 ms. • A high power thyristor (T588N1200) triggers for DC current pulse of 300 A fires precisely at required positions to modify plasma position. • The commissioning is done for the automated in-house, quick and reliable solution. - Abstract: Plasma position control is essential for obtaining repeatable high temperature, high-density discharges of longer duration in tokamaks. Recently, a set of external coils is installed in the vertical field mode configuration to control the radial plasma position in ADITYA tokamak. The existing capacitor bank cannot provide the required current pulse beyond 200 ms for position control. This motivated to have a DC power supply of 500 A to provide current pulse beyond 200 ms for the position control. The automatization of the DC power supply mandated interfaces with the plasma control system, Aditya Pulse Power supply, and Data acquisition system for coordinated discharge operation. A high current thyristor circuit and a timer circuit have been developed for controlling the power supply automatically for charging vertical field coils of Aditya tokamak. Key protection interlocks implemented in the development ensure machine and occupational safety. Fiber-optic trans-receiver isolates the power supply with other subsystems, while analog channel is optically isolated. Commissioning and testing established proper synchronization of the power supply with tokamak operation. The paper discusses the automation of the DC power supply with main circuit components, timing control, and testing results.

Evolution of plasma wakes in density up- and down-ramps

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, C. J.; Joshi, C.; Xu, X. L.; Mori, W. B.; Li, F.; Wan, Y.; Hua, J. F.; Pai, C. H.; Wang, J.; Lu, W.

2018-02-01

The time evolution of plasma wakes in density up- and down-ramps is examined through theory and particle-in-cell simulations. Motivated by observation of the reversal of a linear plasma wake in a plasma density upramp in a recent experiment (Zhang et al 2017 Phys. Rev. Lett. 119 064801) we have examined the behaviour of wakes in plasma ramps that always accompany any plasma source used for plasma-based acceleration. In the up-ramp case it is found that, after the passage of the drive pulse, the wavnumber/wavelength of the wake starts to decrease/increase with time until it eventually tends to zero/infinity, then the wake reverses its propagation direction and the wavenunber/wavelength of the wake begins to increase/shrink. The evolutions of the wavenumber and the phase velocity of the wake as functions of time are shown to be significantly different in the up-ramp and the down-ramp cases. In the latter case the wavenumber of the wake at a particular position in the ramp increases until the wake is eventually damped. It is also shown that the waveform of the wake at a particular time after being excited can be precisely controlled by tuning the initial plasma density profile, which may enable a new type of plasma-based ultrafast optics.

Measurements on rotating ion cyclotron range of frequencies induced particle fluxes in axisymmetric mirror plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatakeyama, R.; Hershkowitz, N.; Majeski, R.; Wen, Y.J.; Brouchous, D.B.; Proberts, P.; Breun, R.A.; Roberts, D.; Vukovic, M.; Tanaka, T.

1997-01-01

A comparison of phenomenological features of plasmas is made with a special emphasis on radio-frequency induced transport, which are maintained when a set of two closely spaced dual half-turn antennas in a central cell of the Phaedrus-B axisymmetric tandem mirror [J. J. Browning et al., Phys. Fluids B 1, 1692 (1989)] is phased to excite electromagnetic fields in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) with m=-1 (rotating with ions) and m=+1 (rotating with electrons) azimuthal modes. Positive and negative electric currents are measured to flow axially to the end walls in the cases of m=-1 and m=+1 excitations, respectively. These parallel nonambipolar ion and electron fluxes are observed to be accompanied by azimuthal ion flows in the same directions as the antenna-excitation modes m. The phenomena are argued in terms of radial particle fluxes due to a nonambipolar transport mechanism [Hojo and Hatori, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 60, 2510 (1991); Hatakeyama et al., J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 60, 2815 (1991), and Phys. Rev. E 52, 6664 (1995)], which are induced when azimuthally traveling ICRF waves are absorbed in the magnetized plasma column. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

A thermodynamic model of plasma generation by pulsed laser irradiation in vacuum

CERN Document Server

Tosto, S

2003-01-01

This paper introduces a thermodynamic model to determine composition, temperature and pressure of the plasma cloud induced by pulsed laser irradiation in the case where a relevant thermal sputtering mechanism is operating at the surface of a molten layer. The model concerns in particular pulse lengths of the order of several nanoseconds and completes the results of a previous paper concerning the physics of the evaporation and boiling driven thermal sputtering (Tosto S 2002 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 35); the recession rate and temperature at the molten surface are linked to the pulse fluence and plasma properties in the frame of a unique physical model. This paper shows that the plasma properties depend critically on the non-equilibrium character of the surface evaporation and boiling mechanisms. The extension of the model to the case of continuous laser irradiation is also discussed. Some examples of computer simulation aim to show the results available in the particular case of a metal target; the comparison ...

Modelling of a multi-temperature plasma composition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liani, B.; Benallal, R.; Bentalha, Z.

2005-01-01

Knowledge of plasma composition is very important for various plasma applications and prediction of plasma properties. The authors use the Saha equation and Debye length equation to calculate the non-local thermodynamic-equilibrium plasma composition. It has been shown that the model to 2T with T representing the temperature (electron temperature and heavy-particle temperature) described by Chen and Han [J. Phys. D 32(1999)1711] can be applied for a mixture of gases, where each atomic species has its own temperature, but the model to 4T is more general because it can be applicable to temperatures distant enough of the heavy particles. This can occur in a plasma composed of big- or macro-molecules. The electron temperature T e varies in the range 8000∼20000 K at atmospheric pressure. (authors)

Electron-positronium scattering in Debye plasma environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basu, Arindam; Ghosh, A.S.

2008-01-01

Electron-positronium scattering has been investigated in the Debye plasma environment employing the close-coupling approximation. Three models, viz. 3-state CCA, 6-state CCA and 9-state CCA, have been employed. The 2s 21 S e autodetaching resonant state of the positronium negative ion has been successfully predicted for various plasma environments. The position of the resonance for different Debye lengths are in close agreement with those of Kar and Ho [S. Kar, Y.K. Ho, Phys. Rev. A 71 (2005) 052503

Power supply controlled for plasma torch generation; Fuente de alimentacion controlada para la generacion de un plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diaz Z, S

1997-12-31

The high density of energy furnished by thermal plasma is profited in a wide range of applications, such as those related with welding fusion, spray coating and at the present in waste destruction. The waste destruction by plasma is a very attractive process because the remaining products are formed by inert glassy grains and non-toxic gases. The main characteristics of thermal plasmas are presented in this work. Techniques based on power electronics are utilized to achieve a good performance in thermal plasma generation. This work shown the design and construction of three phase control system for electric supply of thermal plasma torch, with 250 kw of capacity, as a part of the project named `Destruction of hazard wastes by thermal plasma` actually working in the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ). The characteristics of thermal plasma and its generation are treated in the first chapter. The A C controllers by thyristors applied in three phase arrays are described in the chapter II, talking into account the power transformer, rectifiers bank and aliasing coil. The chapter III is dedicated in the design of the trigger module which controls the plasma current by varying the trigger angle of the SCR`s; the protection and isolating unit are also presented in this chapter. The results and conclusions are discussed in chapter IV. (Author).

Response to ''Comment on 'Interaction of two solitary waves in quantum electron-positron-ion plasma''' [Phys. Plasmas 18, 084701 (2011)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Yanxia; Lin Maimai; Shi Yuren; Duan Wenshan; Liu Zongming

2011-01-01

According to the comments of Akbari-Moghanjoughi that the electron-positron-ion(e-p-i) plasmas parameters σ representing the ratio of the positron to electron Fermi-temperature and p standing for the positron to electron number-density ratio are related by the equation of p σ 3/2 . Based on this conclusion, we have replaced the Figs. 1-6 (Ref. 1) in the present paper.

Feedback control of plasma equilibrium with control system aided by personal computer on the JIPP T-IIU tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuzuki, T.; Toi, K.; Matsuura, K.

1991-04-01

A feedback control system aided by a personal computer is developed to maintain plasma position on the required position in the JIPP T-IIU tokamak. The personal computer enables to adjust various control parameters easily. In this control system, a control demand for driving the power supply of feedback controlled vertical field coils is composed to be proportional to a total plasma current. This system has been successfully employed throughout the discharge where the plasma current substantially changes from zero to hundreds of kiloamperes, because the feedback control can be done, being independent of the plasma current. The analysis of this feedback control system taken into account of digital sampling agrees well with the experimental results. (author)

Global plasma oscillations in electron internal transport barriers in TCV

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Udintsev, V S; Sauter, O; Asp, E; Fable, E; Goodman, T P; Turri, G; Graves, J P; Zucca, C [Association Euratom-Confederation Suisse, EPFL/SB/CRPP, Station 13, CH-1015, Lausanne (Switzerland); Scarabosio, A [Max-Planck Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, IPP-EURATOM Association, Garching (Germany); Zhuang, G [Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei (China)

2008-12-15

In the Tokamak a Configuration Variable (TCV) (Hofmann F et al1994 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 36 B277), global plasma oscillations have been discovered in fully non-inductively driven plasmas featuring electron internal transport barriers (ITB) with strong ECRH/ECCD. These oscillations are linked to the destabilization and stabilization of MHD modes near the foot of the ITB and can lead to large oscillations of the total plasma current and line-averaged density, among others. They are intrinsically related to the fact that ITBs have large pressure gradients in a region of low magnetic shear. Therefore, the ideal MHD limit is relatively low and infernal modes can be unstable. Depending on the proximity to the ideal limit, small crashes or resistive modes can appear which affect the time evolution of the discharge. Being near marginal stability, the modes can self-stabilize due to the modification of the pressure gradient and local q-profile. The plasma recovers good confinement, reverses shear and the ITB builds up, until a new MHD mode is destabilized. TCV results show that this cycling behaviour can be controlled by modifying the current density or the pressure profiles, either with Ohmic current density perturbation or by modifying the ECH/ECCD power. It is demonstrated that many observations such as q {>=} 2 sawteeth, beta collapses, minor disruptions and oscillation regimes in ITBs can be assigned to the same physics origin: the proximity to the infernal mode stability limit.

Global plasma oscillations in electron internal transport barriers in TCV

Science.gov (United States)

Udintsev, V. S.; Sauter, O.; Asp, E.; Fable, E.; Goodman, T. P.; Turri, G.; Graves, J. P.; Scarabosio, A.; Zhuang, G.; Zucca, C.; TCV Team

2008-12-01

In the Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV) (Hofmann F et al1994 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 36 B277), global plasma oscillations have been discovered in fully non-inductively driven plasmas featuring electron internal transport barriers (ITB) with strong ECRH/ECCD. These oscillations are linked to the destabilization and stabilization of MHD modes near the foot of the ITB and can lead to large oscillations of the total plasma current and line-averaged density, among others. They are intrinsically related to the fact that ITBs have large pressure gradients in a region of low magnetic shear. Therefore, the ideal MHD limit is relatively low and infernal modes can be unstable. Depending on the proximity to the ideal limit, small crashes or resistive modes can appear which affect the time evolution of the discharge. Being near marginal stability, the modes can self-stabilize due to the modification of the pressure gradient and local q-profile. The plasma recovers good confinement, reverses shear and the ITB builds up, until a new MHD mode is destabilized. TCV results show that this cycling behaviour can be controlled by modifying the current density or the pressure profiles, either with Ohmic current density perturbation or by modifying the ECH/ECCD power. It is demonstrated that many observations such as q >= 2 sawteeth, beta collapses, minor disruptions and oscillation regimes in ITBs can be assigned to the same physics origin: the proximity to the infernal mode stability limit.

BRIEF COMMUNICATION: On the drift kinetic equation driven by plasma flows

Science.gov (United States)

Shaing, K. C.

2010-07-01

A drift kinetic equation that is driven by plasma flows has previously been derived by Shaing and Spong 1990 (Phys. Fluids B 2 1190). The terms that are driven by particle speed that is parallel to the magnetic field B have been neglected. Here, such terms are discussed to examine their importance to the equation and to show that these terms do not contribute to the calculations of plasma viscosity in large aspect ratio toroidal plasmas, e.g. tokamaks and stellarators.

Bluff Body Flow Control Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Actuators

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Flint; Kozlov, Alexey

2008-11-01

The results of an experimental investigation involving the use of dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators to control bluff body flow is presented. The motivation for the work is plasma landing gear noise control for commercial transport aircraft. For these flow control experiments, the cylinder in cross-flow is chosen for study since it represents a generic flow geometry that is similar in all essential aspects to a landing gear strut. The current work is aimed both at extending the plasma flow control concept to Reynolds numbers typical of landing approach and take-off and on the development of optimum plasma actuation strategies. The cylinder wake flow with and without actuation are documented in detail using particle image velocimetry (PIV) and constant temperature hot-wire anemometry. The experiments are performed over a Reynolds number range extending to ReD=10^5. Using either steady or unsteady plasma actuation, it is demonstrated that even at the highest Reynolds number Karman shedding is totally eliminated and turbulence levels in the wake decrease by more than 50%. By minimizing the unsteady flow separation from the cylinder and associated large-scale wake vorticity, the radiated aerodynamic noise is also reduced.

DIII-D Integrated plasma control solutions for ITER and next-generation tokamaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Humphreys, D.A.; Ferron, J.R.; Hyatt, A.W.; La Haye, R.J.; Leuer, J.A.; Penaflor, B.G.; Walker, M.L.; Welander, A.S.; In, Y.

2008-01-01

Plasma control design approaches and solutions developed at DIII-D to address its control-intensive advanced tokamak (AT) mission are applicable to many problems facing ITER and other next-generation devices. A systematic approach to algorithm design, termed 'integrated plasma control,' enables new tokamak controllers to be applied operationally with minimal machine time required for tuning. Such high confidence plasma control algorithms are designed using relatively simple ('control-level') models validated against experimental response data and are verified in simulation prior to operational use. A key element of DIII-D integrated plasma control, also required in the ITER baseline control approach, is the ability to verify both controller performance and implementation by running simulations that connect directly to the actual plasma control system (PCS) that is used to operate the tokamak itself. The DIII-D PCS comprises a powerful and flexible C-based realtime code and programming infrastructure, as well as an arbitrarily scalable hardware and realtime network architecture. This software infrastructure provides a general platform for implementation and verification of realtime algorithms with arbitrary complexity, limited only by speed of execution requirements. We present a complete suite of tools (known collectively as TokSys) supporting the integrated plasma control design process, along with recent examples of control algorithms designed for the DIII-D PCS. The use of validated physics-based models and a systematic model-based design and verification process enables these control solutions to be directly applied to ITER and other next-generation tokamaks

An experimental study of icing control using DBD plasma actuator

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Jinsheng; Tian, Yongqiang; Meng, Xuanshi; Han, Xuzhao; Zhang, Duo; Hu, Haiyang

2017-08-01

Ice accretion on aircraft or wind turbine has been widely recognized as a big safety threat in the past decades. This study aims to develop a new approach for icing control using an AC-DBD plasma actuator. The experiments of icing control (i.e., anti-/de-icing) on a cylinder model were conducted in an icing wind tunnel with controlled wind speed (i.e., 15 m/s) and temperature (i.e., -10°C). A digital camera was used to record the dynamic processes of plasma anti-icing and de-icing whilst an infrared imaging system was utilized to map the surface temperature variations during the anti-/de-icing processes. It was found that the AC-DBD plasma actuator is very effective in both anti-icing and de-icing operations. While no ice formation was observed when the plasma actuator served as an anti-icing device, a complete removal of the ice layer with a thickness of 5 mm was achieved by activating the plasma actuator for ˜150 s. Such information demonstrated the feasibility of plasma anti-/de-icing, which could potentially provide more effective and safer icing mitigation strategies.

Strategies for the plasma position and shape control in IGNITOR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villone, F.; Albanese, R.; Ambrosino, G.; Pironti, A.; Rubinacci, G.; Ramogida, G.; Alladio, F.; Bombarda, F.; Coletti, A.; Cucchiaro, A.; Maddaluno, G.; Pizzicaroli, G.; Pizzuto, A.; Roccella, M.; Santinelli, M.; Coppi, B.

2007-01-01

The capability of the poloidal field coil system, as presently designed, to provide an effective vertical stabilization of the plasma in the IGNITOR machine has been investigated using the CREATE L response model. An optimization of the vertical position control strategy has been carried out and the most effective coil combination has been selected to stabilize the plasma while fulfilling engineering constraints on the coils and minimizing the required power and voltage. The growth rate of the vertical instability and the power required by the active stabilization system has been estimated with this model. The possible failure of the relevant electromagnetic diagnostics has been taken into account, evaluating the robustness of the plasma position reconstruction strategy. A realistic description of the power supply system has permitted to carry out the optimization of the proportional-integrative-derivative (PID) controller, both with a voltage and a current loop control scheme. An assessment of the requirements for the plasma cross section shape control has been carried out considering perturbations of the plasma global parameters independent of each other and showing that the undesired shape modification rejection is possible with the present PFC and power supply system. The PF coils have been rated relative to their capability to restore shape modifications due to different plasma disturbances. The most effective coil combination, that minimizes recovery time and voltage required, has been identified

Architecture of WEST plasma control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ravenel, N.; Nouailletas, R.; Barana, O.; Brémond, S.; Moreau, P.; Guillerminet, B.; Balme, S.; Allegretti, L.; Mannori, S.

2014-01-01

To operate advanced plasma scenario (long pulse with high stored energy) in present and future tokamak devices under safe operation conditions, the control requirements of the plasma control system (PCS) leads to the development of advanced feedback control and real time handling exceptions. To develop these controllers and these exceptions handling strategies, a project aiming at setting up a flight simulator has started at CEA in 2009. Now, the new WEST (W Environment in Steady-state Tokamak) project deals with modifying Tore Supra into an ITER-like divertor tokamak. This upgrade impacts a lot of systems including Tore Supra PCS and is the opportunity to improve the current PCS architecture to implement the previous works and to fulfill the needs of modern tokamak operation. This paper is dealing with the description of the architecture of WEST PCS. Firstly, the requirements will be presented including the needs of new concepts (segments configuration, alternative (or backup) scenario, …). Then, the conceptual design of the PCS will be described including the main components and their functions. The third part will be dedicated to the proposal RT framework and to the technologies that we have to implement to reach the requirements

Continuous, saturation, and discontinuous tokamak plasma vertical position control systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mitrishkin, Yuri V., E-mail: y_mitrishkin@hotmail.com [M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Physics, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Pavlova, Evgeniia A., E-mail: janerigoler@mail.ru [M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Physics, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Kuznetsov, Evgenii A., E-mail: ea.kuznetsov@mail.ru [Troitsk Institute for Innovation and Fusion Research, Moscow 142190 (Russian Federation); Gaydamaka, Kirill I., E-mail: k.gaydamaka@gmail.com [V. A. Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117997 (Russian Federation)

2016-10-15

Highlights: • Robust new linear state feedback control system for tokamak plasma vertical position. • Plasma vertical position relay control system with voltage inverter in sliding mode. • Design of full models of multiphase rectifier and voltage inverter. • First-order unit approximation of full multiphase rectifier model with high accuracy. • Wider range of unstable plant parameters of stable control system with multiphase rectifier. - Abstract: This paper is devoted to the design and comparison of unstable plasma vertical position control systems in the T-15 tokamak with the application of two types of actuators: a multiphase thyristor rectifier and a transistor voltage inverter. An unstable dynamic element obtained by the identification of plasma-physical DINA code was used as the plasma model. The simplest static feedback state space control law was synthesized as a linear combination of signals accessible to physical measurements, namely the plasma vertical displacement, the current, and the voltage in a horizontal field coil, to solve the pole placement problem for a closed-loop system. Only one system distinctive parameter was used to optimize the performance of the feedback system, viz., a multiple real pole. A first-order inertial unit was used as the rectifier model in the feedback. A system with a complete rectifier model was investigated as well. A system with the voltage inverter model and static linear controller was brought into a sliding mode. As this takes place, real time delays were taken into account in the discontinuous voltage inverter model. The comparison of the linear and sliding mode systems showed that the linear system enjoyed an essentially wider range of the plant model parameters where the feedback system was stable.

Continuous, saturation, and discontinuous tokamak plasma vertical position control systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitrishkin, Yuri V.; Pavlova, Evgeniia A.; Kuznetsov, Evgenii A.; Gaydamaka, Kirill I.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Robust new linear state feedback control system for tokamak plasma vertical position. • Plasma vertical position relay control system with voltage inverter in sliding mode. • Design of full models of multiphase rectifier and voltage inverter. • First-order unit approximation of full multiphase rectifier model with high accuracy. • Wider range of unstable plant parameters of stable control system with multiphase rectifier. - Abstract: This paper is devoted to the design and comparison of unstable plasma vertical position control systems in the T-15 tokamak with the application of two types of actuators: a multiphase thyristor rectifier and a transistor voltage inverter. An unstable dynamic element obtained by the identification of plasma-physical DINA code was used as the plasma model. The simplest static feedback state space control law was synthesized as a linear combination of signals accessible to physical measurements, namely the plasma vertical displacement, the current, and the voltage in a horizontal field coil, to solve the pole placement problem for a closed-loop system. Only one system distinctive parameter was used to optimize the performance of the feedback system, viz., a multiple real pole. A first-order inertial unit was used as the rectifier model in the feedback. A system with a complete rectifier model was investigated as well. A system with the voltage inverter model and static linear controller was brought into a sliding mode. As this takes place, real time delays were taken into account in the discontinuous voltage inverter model. The comparison of the linear and sliding mode systems showed that the linear system enjoyed an essentially wider range of the plant model parameters where the feedback system was stable.

Progress in Development of the ITER Plasma Control System Simulation Platform

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Michael; Humphreys, David; Sammuli, Brian; Ambrosino, Giuseppe; de Tommasi, Gianmaria; Mattei, Massimiliano; Raupp, Gerhard; Treutterer, Wolfgang; Winter, Axel

2017-10-01

We report on progress made and expected uses of the Plasma Control System Simulation Platform (PCSSP), the primary test environment for development of the ITER Plasma Control System (PCS). PCSSP will be used for verification and validation of the ITER PCS Final Design for First Plasma, to be completed in 2020. We discuss the objectives of PCSSP, its overall structure, selected features, application to existing devices, and expected evolution over the lifetime of the ITER PCS. We describe an archiving solution for simulation results, methods for incorporating physics models of the plasma and physical plant (tokamak, actuator, and diagnostic systems) into PCSSP, and defining characteristics of models suitable for a plasma control development environment such as PCSSP. Applications of PCSSP simulation models including resistive plasma equilibrium evolution are demonstrated. PCSSP development supported by ITER Organization under ITER/CTS/6000000037. Resistive evolution code developed under General Atomics' Internal funding. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the ITER Organization.

The internal waves and Rayleigh-Taylor instability in compressible quantum plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, H. L.; Qiu, X. M.

2011-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the quantum effect on internal waves and Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability in compressible quantum plasmas. First of all, let us consider the case of the limit of short wavelength perturbations. In the case, the dispersion relation including quantum and compressibility effects and the RT instability growth rate can be derived using Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin method. The results show that the internal waves can propagate along the transverse direction due to the quantum effect, which was first pointed out by Bychkov et al.[Phys. Lett. A 372, 3042 (2008)], and the coupling between it and compressibility effect, which is found out in this paper. Then, without making the approximation assumption of short wavelength limit, we examine the linearized perturbation equation following Qiu et al.'s solving process [Phys. Plasmas 10, 2956 (2003)]. It is found that the quantum effect always stabilizes the RT instability in either incompressible or compressible quantum plasmas. Moreover, in the latter case, the coupling between it and compressibility effect makes this stabilization further enhance.

Self-consistent Langmuir waves in resonantly driven thermal plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Lindberg, R. R.; Charman, A. E.; Wurtele, J. S.

2007-12-01

The longitudinal dynamics of a resonantly driven Langmuir wave are analyzed in the limit that the growth of the electrostatic wave is slow compared to the bounce frequency. Using simple physical arguments, the nonlinear distribution function is shown to be nearly invariant in the canonical particle action, provided both a spatially uniform term and higher-order spatial harmonics are included along with the fundamental in the longitudinal electric field. Requirements of self-consistency with the electrostatic potential yield the basic properties of the nonlinear distribution function, including a frequency shift that agrees closely with driven, electrostatic particle simulations over a range of temperatures. This extends earlier work on nonlinear Langmuir waves by Morales and O'Neil [G. J. Morales and T. M. O'Neil, Phys. Rev. Lett. 28, 417 (1972)] and Dewar [R. L. Dewar, Phys. Plasmas 15, 712 (1972)], and could form the basis of a reduced kinetic treatment of plasma dynamics for accelerator applications or Raman backscatter.

Self-consistent Langmuir waves in resonantly driven thermal plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindberg, R. R.; Charman, A. E.; Wurtele, J. S.

2007-01-01

The longitudinal dynamics of a resonantly driven Langmuir wave are analyzed in the limit that the growth of the electrostatic wave is slow compared to the bounce frequency. Using simple physical arguments, the nonlinear distribution function is shown to be nearly invariant in the canonical particle action, provided both a spatially uniform term and higher-order spatial harmonics are included along with the fundamental in the longitudinal electric field. Requirements of self-consistency with the electrostatic potential yield the basic properties of the nonlinear distribution function, including a frequency shift that agrees closely with driven, electrostatic particle simulations over a range of temperatures. This extends earlier work on nonlinear Langmuir waves by Morales and O'Neil [G. J. Morales and T. M. O'Neil, Phys. Rev. Lett. 28, 417 (1972)] and Dewar [R. L. Dewar, Phys. Plasmas 15, 712 (1972)], and could form the basis of a reduced kinetic treatment of plasma dynamics for accelerator applications or Raman backscatter

Brazilian programme for plasma physics and controlled thermonuclear fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chian, A.C.L.; Reusch, M.F.; Nascimento, I.C.; Pantuso-Sudano, J.

1992-01-01

A proposal for a National Programme of Plasma Physics and Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion in Brazil is presented, aimimg the dissemination of the researchers thought in plasma physics for the national authorities and the scientific community. (E.O.)

Control of plasma profile in microwave discharges via inverse-problem approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasuyoshi Yasaka

2013-12-01

Full Text Available In the manufacturing process of semiconductors, plasma processing is an essential technology, and the plasma used in the process is required to be of high density, low temperature, large diameter, and high uniformity. This research focuses on the microwave-excited plasma that meets these needs, and the research target is a spatial profile control. Two novel techniques are introduced to control the uniformity; one is a segmented slot antenna that can change radial distribution of the radiated field during operation, and the other is a hyper simulator that can predict microwave power distribution necessary for a desired radial density profile. The control system including these techniques provides a method of controlling radial profiles of the microwave plasma via inverse-problem approach, and is investigated numerically and experimentally.

Computer-controlled system for plasma ion energy auto-analyzer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Xianqiu; Chen Junfang; Jiang Zhenmei; Zhong Qinghua; Xiong Yuying; Wu Kaihua

2003-01-01

A computer-controlled system for plasma ion energy auto-analyzer was technically studied for rapid and online measurement of plasma ion energy distribution. The system intelligently controls all the equipments via a RS-232 port, a printer port and a home-built circuit. The software designed by LabVIEW G language automatically fulfils all of the tasks such as system initializing, adjustment of scanning-voltage, measurement of weak-current, data processing, graphic export, etc. By using the system, a few minutes are taken to acquire the whole ion energy distribution, which rapidly provide important parameters of plasma process techniques based on semiconductor devices and microelectronics

Control of plasma column horizontal position in TBR-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuszel, A.G.; Rincoski, C.R.M.

1990-01-01

The TBR-1 is a small tokamak built at the Physics Institute of the University of Sao Paulo. It was originally designed with a simple vertical field power supply made of one fast capacitor bank for vertical current build-up and one slow capacitor bank for flat-top phase, without any control but the adjustable initial voltages of the capacitors. With such an elementary system, the plasma cannot be held in the center of the vacuum vessel for the whole duration of the plasma. This led to a suboptimal performance with easy disruptions. A control system was designed to hold the plasma centered in the radial coordinate. (Author)

Real-time communication for distributed plasma control systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luchetta, A. [Consorzio RFX, Associazione Euratom-ENEA sulla Fusione, Corso Stati Uniti 4, Padova 35127 (Italy)], E-mail: adriano.luchetta@igi.cnr.it; Barbalace, A.; Manduchi, G.; Soppelsa, A.; Taliercio, C. [Consorzio RFX, Associazione Euratom-ENEA sulla Fusione, Corso Stati Uniti 4, Padova 35127 (Italy)

2008-04-15

Real-time control applications will benefit in the near future from the enhanced performance provided by multi-core processor architectures. Nevertheless real-time communication will continue to be critical in distributed plasma control systems where the plant under control typically is distributed over a wide area. At RFX-mod real-time communication is crucial for hard real-time plasma control, due to the distributed architecture of the system, which consists of several VMEbus stations. The system runs under VxWorks and uses Gigabit Ethernet for sub-millisecond real-time communication. To optimize communication in the system, a set of detailed measurements has been carried out on the target platforms (Motorola MVME5100 and MVME5500) using either the VxWorks User Datagram Protocol (UDP) stack or raw communication based on the data link layer. Measurements have been carried out also under Linux, using its UDP stack or, in alternative, RTnet, an open source hard real-time network protocol stack. RTnet runs under Xenomai or RTAI, two popular real-time extensions based on the Linux kernel. The paper reports on the measurements carried out and compares the results, showing that the performance obtained by using open source code is suitable for sub-millisecond real-time communication in plasma control.

Real-time control of current and pressure profiles in tokamak plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laborde, L.

2005-12-01

Recent progress in the field of 'advanced tokamak scenarios' prefigure the operation regime of a future thermonuclear fusion power plant. Compared to the reference regime, these scenarios offer a longer plasma confinement time thanks to increased magnetohydrodynamic stability and to a better particle and energy confinement through a reduction of plasma turbulence. This should give access to comparable fusion performances at reduced plasma current and could lead to a steady state fusion reactor since the plasma current could be entirely generated non-inductively. Access to this kind of regime is provided by the existence of an internal transport barrier, linked to the current profile evolution in the plasma, which leads to steep temperature and pressure profiles. The comparison between heat transport simulations and experiments allowed the nature of the barriers to be better understood as a region of strongly reduced turbulence. Thus, the control of this barrier in a stationary manner would be a remarkable progress, in particular in view of the experimental reactor ITER. The Tore Supra and JET tokamaks, based in France and in the United Kingdom, constitute ideal instruments for such experiments: the first one allows stationary plasmas to be maintained during several minutes whereas the second one provides unique fusion performances. In Tore Supra, real-time control experiments have been accomplished where the current profile width and the pressure profile gradient were controlled in a stationary manner using heating and current drive systems as actuators. In the JET tokamak, the determination of an empirical static model of the plasma allowed the current and pressure profiles to be simultaneously controlled and so an internal transport barrier to be sustained. Finally, the identification of a dynamic model of the plasma led to the definition of a new controller capable, in principle, of a more efficient control. (author)

Real time plasma control experiments using the JET auxiliary plasma heating systems as the actuator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zornig, N.H.

1999-01-01

The role of the Real Time Power Control system (RTPC) in the Joint European Torus (JET) is described in depth. The modes of operation are discussed in detail and a number of successful experiments are described. These experiments prove that RTPC can be used for a wide range of experiments, including: (1) Feedback control of plasma parameters in real time using Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH) or Neutral Beam Heating (NBH) as the actuator in various JET operating regimes. It is demonstrated that in a multi-parameter space it is not sufficient to control one global plasma parameter in order to avoid performance limiting events. (2) Restricting neutron production and subsequent machine activation resulting from high performance pulses. (3) The simulation of α-particle heating effects in a DT-plasma in a D-only plasma. The heating properties of α-particles are simulated using ICRH-power, which is adjusted in real time. The simulation of α-particle heating in JET allows the effects of a change in isotopic mass to be separated from α-particle heating. However, the change in isotopic mass of the plasma ions appears to affect not only the global energy confinement time (τ E ) but also other parameters such as the electron temperature at the plasma edge. This also affects τ E , making it difficult to make a conclusive statement about any isotopic effect. (4) For future JET experiments a scheme has been designed which simulates the behaviour of a fusion reactor experimentally. The design parameters of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) are used. In the proposed scheme the most relevant dimensionless plasma parameters are similar in JET and ITER. It is also shown how the amount of heating may be simulated in real time by RTPC using the electron temperature and density as input parameters. The results of two demonstration experiments are presented. (author)

Modes in a non-neutral plasma of finite length, m=0,1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rasband, S. Neil; Spencer, Ross L.

2003-01-01

For realistic, cold equilibria of finite length representing a pure electron plasma confined in a cylindrical Malmberg-Penning trap, the mode spectrum for Trivelpiece-Gould, m=0, and for diocotron, m=1, modes is calculated numerically. A novel method involving finite elements is used to successfully compute eigenfrequencies and eigenfunctions for plasma equilibria shaped like pancakes, cigars, long cylinders, and all things in between. Mostly sharp-boundary density configurations are considered but also included in this study are diffuse density profiles including ones with peaks off axis leading to instabilities. In all cases the focus has been on elucidating the role of finite length in determining mode frequencies and shapes. For m=0 accurate eigenfrequencies are tabulated and their dependence on mode number and aspect ratio is computed. For m=1 it is found that the eigenfrequencies are 2% to 3% higher than given by the Fine-Driscoll formula [Phys. Plasmas 5, 601 (1998)]. The 'new modes' of Hilsabeck and O'Neil [Phys. Plasmas 8, 407 (2001)] are identified as Dubin modes. For hollow profiles finite length in cold-fluid can account for up to ∼70% of the theoretical instability growth rate

Modelling of an intermediate pressure microwave oxygen discharge reactor: from stationary two-dimensional to time-dependent global (volume-averaged) plasma models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kemaneci, Efe; Graef, Wouter; Rahimi, Sara; Van Dijk, Jan; Kroesen, Gerrit; Carbone, Emile; Jimenez-Diaz, Manuel

2015-01-01

A microwave-induced oxygen plasma is simulated using both stationary and time-resolved modelling strategies. The stationary model is spatially resolved and it is self-consistently coupled to the microwaves (Jimenez-Diaz et al 2012 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 45 335204), whereas the time-resolved description is based on a global (volume-averaged) model (Kemaneci et al 2014 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 23 045002). We observe agreement of the global model data with several published measurements of microwave-induced oxygen plasmas in both continuous and modulated power inputs. Properties of the microwave plasma reactor are investigated and corresponding simulation data based on two distinct models shows agreement on the common parameters. The role of the square wave modulated power input is also investigated within the time-resolved description. (paper)

Improving plasma shaping accuracy through consolidation of control model maintenance, diagnostic calibration, and hardware change control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baggest, D.S.; Rothweil, D.A.; Pang, S.

1995-12-01

With the advent of more sophisticated techniques for control of tokamak plasmas comes the requirement for increasingly more accurate models of plasma processes and tokamak systems. Development of accurate models for DIII-D power systems, vessel, and poloidal coils is already complete, while work continues in development of general plasma response modeling techniques. Increased accuracy in estimates of parameters to be controlled is also required. It is important to ensure that errors in supporting systems such as diagnostic and command circuits do not limit the accuracy of plasma parameter estimates or inhibit the ability to derive accurate plasma/tokamak system models. To address this issue, we have developed more formal power systems change control and power system/magnetic diagnostics calibration procedures. This paper discusses our approach to consolidating the tasks in these closely related areas. This includes, for example, defining criteria for when diagnostics should be re-calibrated along with required calibration tolerances, and implementing methods for tracking power systems hardware modifications and the resultant changes to control models

Plasma and controlled thermonuclear reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kapitsa, P.

1980-01-01

The principle and prospects are given of three methods of achieving controlled thermonuclear reaction. The original and so far most promising TOKAMAK method is presented invented in the USSR. Another method is the heating of a sphere about 1 mm in diameter from a mixture of deuterium and tritium by focused laser light from all sides. The third method consists in continuous plasma heating. A rope-like plasma discharge at a temperature of more than a million K results in the gas from microwave oscillations. The discharge is placed in a magnetic field and the ion temperature is increased by magneto-acoustic waves. A reactor is proposed operating on this principle and problems are pointed out which will have to be resolved. (M.S.)

Plasma and controlled thermonuclear reaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kapitsa, P

1980-06-01

The principle and prospects are given of three methods of achieving controlled thermonuclear reaction. The original and so far most promising TOKAMAK method is presented invented in the USSR. Another method is the heating of a sphere about 1 mm in diameter from a mixture of deuterium and tritium by focused laser light from all sides. The third method consists in continuous plasma heating. A rope-like plasma discharge at a temperature of more than a million K results in the gas from microwave oscillations. The discharge is placed in a magnetic field and the ion temperature is increased by magneto-acoustic waves. A reactor is proposed operating on this principle and problems are pointed out which will have to be resolved.

Introduction to plasma physics and controlled fusion

CERN Document Server

Chen, Francis F

1984-01-01

This complete introduction to plasma physics and controlled fusion by one of the pioneering scientists in this expanding field offers both a simple and intuitive discussion of the basic concepts of this subject and an insight into the challenging problems of current research. In a wholly lucid manner the work covers single-particle motions, fluid equations for plasmas, wave motions, diffusion and resistivity, Landau damping, plasma instabilities and nonlinear problems. For students, this outstanding text offers a painless introduction to this important field; for teachers, a large collection of problems; and for researchers, a concise review of the fundamentals as well as original treatments of a number of topics never before explained so clearly. This revised edition contains new material on kinetic effects, including Bernstein waves and the plasma dispersion function, and on nonlinear wave equations and solitons.

2D Diffusion of Rods in a Nonneutral Plasma with Finite E × B Shear.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, D. Z.; Dubin, Daniel H. E.

2000-10-01

Cross-magnetic-field collisional diffusion of test particles is discussed for a nonneutral plasma column in the 2D regime, where the diffusion is due to the E × B drift of charged rods (bounce-averaged electrons) in the random Coulomb fields of other rods. If the overall flow has a finite E × B velocity shear, the diffusion can be orders of magnitude smaller than predicted by previous calculations,(J.B. Taylor and B. McNamara, Phys. Fluids 14), 1492 (1971); J.M. Dawson, H. Okuda and R.N. Carlile, Phys. Rev. Lett. 27, 491 (1971). which are shown to hold only for a nearly shear-free plasma. Particle-in-cell and molecular dynamics simulations of the diffusion match the theory, provided that the E × B rotation frequency is monotonically decreasing as a function of radius (negative shear, the usual case in a stable nonneutral plasma column). Interestingly, when the rotation frequency is monotonically increasing (positive shear), the transport is suppressed by another order of magnitude or more. This phenomenon is related to the nonlinear dynamics of prograde point vortices in a shear flow.(David A. Schecter and Daniel H.E. Dubin, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83), 2191 (1999).

Control of tokamak plasma current and equilibrium with hybrid poloidal field coils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimada, Ryuichi

1982-01-01

A control method with hybrid poloidal field system is considered, which comprehensively implements the control of plasma equilibrium and plasma current, those have been treated independently in Tokamak divices. Tokamak equilibrium requires the condition that the magnetic flux function value on plasma surface must be constant. From this, the current to be supplied to each coil is determined. Therefore, each coil current is the resultant of the component related to plasma current excitation and the component required for holding equilibrium. Here, it is intended to show a method by which the current to be supplied to each coil can easily be calculated by the introduction of hybrid control matrix. The text first considers the equilibrium of axi-symmetrical plasma and the equilibrium magnetic field outside plasma, next describes the determination of current using the above hybrid control matrix, and indicates an example of controlling Tokamak plasma current and equilibrium by the hybrid poloidal field coils. It also shows that the excitation of plasma current and the maintenance of plasma equilibrium can basically be available with a single power supply by the appropriate selection of the number of turns of each coil. These considerations determine the basic system configuration as well as decrease the installed capacity of power source for the poloidal field of a Tokamak fusion reactor. Finally, the actual configuration of the power source for hybrid poloidal field coils is shown for the above system. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

Multiscale coherent structures in tokamak plasma turbulence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, G. S.; Wan, B. N.; Zhang, W.; Yang, Q. W.; Wang, L.; Wen, Y. Z.

2006-01-01

A 12-tip poloidal probe array is used on the HT-7 superconducting tokamak [Li, Wan, and Mao, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 42, 135 (2000)] to measure plasma turbulence in the edge region. Some statistical analysis techniques are used to characterize the turbulence structures. It is found that the plasma turbulence is composed of multiscale coherent structures, i.e., turbulent eddies and there is self-similarity in a relative short scale range. The presence of the self-similarity is found due to the structural similarity of these eddies between different scales. These turbulent eddies constitute the basic convection cells, so the self-similar range is just the dominant scale range relevant to transport. The experimental results also indicate that the plasma turbulence is dominated by low-frequency and long-wavelength fluctuation components and its dispersion relation shows typical electron-drift-wave characteristics. Some large-scale coherent structures intermittently burst out and exhibit a very long poloidal extent, even longer than 6 cm. It is found that these large-scale coherent structures are mainly contributed by the low-frequency and long-wavelength fluctuating components and their presence is responsible for the observations of long-range correlations, i.e., the correlation in the scale range much longer than the turbulence decorrelation scale. These experimental observations suggest that the coexistence of multiscale coherent structures results in the self-similar turbulent state

Dynamics of Turbulence Suppression in a Helicon Plasma

Science.gov (United States)

Hayes, Tiffany; Gilmore, Mark

2012-10-01

Experiments are currently being conducted in the the Helicon-Cathode Device (HelCat) at the University of New Mexico. The goal is to the study in detail the transition from a turbulent to a non-turbulent state in the presence of flow shear. HelCat has intrinsic fluctuations that have been identified as drift-waves. Using simple electrode biasing, it has been found that these fluctuations can be completely suppressed. In some extreme cases, a different instability, possibly the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, can be excited. Detailed studies are underway in order to understand the characteristics of each mode, and to elucidate the underlying physics that cause the change between an unstable plasma, and an instability-free plasma. Dynamics being observed include changes in flow profiles, both azimuthal and parallel, as well as changes in potential and temperature gradients. Further understanding is being sought using several computer codes developed at EPFL: a linear stability solver (LSS,footnotetextP. Ricci and B.N. Rogers (2009). Phys Plasmas 16, 062303. a one-dimensional PIC code/sheath solver, ODISEE,footnotetextJ. Loizu, P. Ricci, and C. Theiler (2011). Phys Rev E 83, 016406 and a global, 3D Braginski code, GBS.footnotetextRicci, Rogers (2009) A basic overview of results will be presented.

Development of compact toroids injector for direct plasma controls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azuma, K.; Oda, Y.; Onozuka, M.; Uyama, T.; Nagata, M.; Fukumoto, N.

1995-01-01

The application of the compact toroids injector for direct plasma controls has been investigated. The compact toroids injection can fuel particles directly into the core of the plasma and modify the plasma profiles at the desired locations. The acceleration tests of the compact toroids have been conducted at Himeji Institute of Technology. The tests showed that the hydrogen compact toroid was accelerated up to 80km/s and the plasma density of the compact toroid was compressed to 1.2 x 10 21 m -3 . (orig.)

Plasma shape control calculations for BPX divertor design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strickler, D.J.; Neilson, G.H.; Jardin, S.C.; Pomphrey, N.

1991-01-01

The Burning Plasma Experiment (BPX) divertor is to be capable of withstanding heat loads corresponding to ignited operation and 500 MW of fusion power for a current rise time and flattop lasting several seconds. The poloidal field (PF), diagnostic, and feedback equilibrium control systems must provide precise X-point position control in order to sweep the separatrices across the divertor target surface and optimally distribute the heat loads. A control matrix MHD equilibrium code, BEQ, and the Tokamak Simulation Code (TSC) are used to compute preprogrammed double-null (DN) divertor sweep trajectories that maximize sweep distance while simultaneously satisfying a set of strict constraints: minimum lengths of the field lines between the X-point and strike points, minimum spacing between the inboard plasma edge and the limiter, maximum spacing between the outboard plasma edge and the ICRF antennas, minimum safety factor, and linked poloidal flux. A sequence of DN diverted equilibria and a consistent TSC fiducial discharge simulation are used in evaluating the performance of the BPX divertor shape and possible modifications. 5 refs., 10 figs

Current status of DIII-D real-time digital plasma control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Penaflor, B.G.; Piglowski, D.A.; Ferron, J.R.; Walker, M.L.

1999-06-01

This paper describes the current status of real-time digital plasma control for the DIII-D tokamak. The digital plasma control system (PCS) has been in place at DIII-D since the early 1990s and continues to expand and improve in its capabilities to monitor and control plasma parameters for DIII-D fusion science experiments. The PCs monitors over 200 tokamak parameters from the DIII-D experiment using a real-time data acquisition system that acquires a new set of samples once every 60 micros. This information is then used in a number of feedback control algorithms to compute and control a variety of parameters including those affecting plasma shape and position. A number of system related improvements has improved the usability and flexibility of the DIII-D PCS. These include more graphical user interfaces to assist in entering and viewing the large and ever growing number of parameters controlled by the PCS, increased interaction and accessibility from other DIII-D applications, and upgrades to the computer hardware and vended software. Future plans for the system include possible upgrades of the real-time computers, further links to other DIII-D diagnostic measurements such as real-time Thomson scattering analysis, and joint collaborations with other tokamak experiments including the NSTX at Princeton

Study of intelligent system for control of the tokamak-ETE plasma positioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbosa, Luis Filipe de Faria Pereira Wiltgen

2003-01-01

The development of an intelligent neural control system of the neural type, capable to perform real time control of the plasma displacement in the experiment tokamak spheric - ETE (spherical tokamak experiment ) is presented. The ETE machine is in operation since Nov 2000, in the LAP - Plasma Associated Laboratory of the Brazilian Institute on Spatial Research (INPE) in Sao Jose dos Campos, S P, Brazil. The experiment is dedicated to study the magnetic confinement of a fusion plasma in a configuration favorable for the construction of future reactors. Nuclear fusion constitutes a renewable energy source with low environmental impact, which uses atomic energy in pacific applications for the sustainable development of humanity. One of the important questions for the attainment of fusion relates to the stability of the plasma and control of its position during the reactor operation. Therefore, the development of systems to control the plasma in tokamaks constitutes a necessary technological advance for the feasibility of nuclear fusion. In particular, the research carried out in this thesis concerns the proposal of a system to control the vertical displacement of the plasma in the ETE tokamak, aiming to obtain steady pulses in this machine. A Magnetic Levitation system (Mag Lev) was developed as part of this work, allowing to study the nonlinear behavior of a device that, from the aspect of position control, is similar (analogous) to the plasma in the ETE tokamak, This magnetic levitation system was designed, mathematically modeled and built in order to test both classical and intelligent type controllers. The results of this comparison are very promising for the use of intelligent controllers in the ETE tokamak as well as other control applications. (author)

Anisotropic confinement effects in a two-dimensional plasma crystal.

Science.gov (United States)

Laut, I; Zhdanov, S K; Räth, C; Thomas, H M; Morfill, G E

2016-01-01

The spectral asymmetry of the wave-energy distribution of dust particles during mode-coupling-induced melting, observed for the first time in plasma crystals by Couëdel et al. [Phys. Rev. E 89, 053108 (2014)PLEEE81539-375510.1103/PhysRevE.89.053108], is studied theoretically and by molecular-dynamics simulations. It is shown that an anisotropy of the well confining the microparticles selects the directions of preferred particle motion. The observed differences in intensity of waves of opposed directions are explained by a nonvanishing phonon flux. Anisotropic phonon scattering by defects and Umklapp scattering are proposed as possible reasons for the mean phonon flux.

Development of compact toroids injector for direct plasma controls

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Azuma, K. [Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Takasago (Japan); Oda, Y. [Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Takasago (Japan); Onozuka, M. [Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Takasago (Japan); Uyama, T. [Himeji Inst. of Tech. (Japan); Nagata, M. [Himeji Inst. of Tech. (Japan); Fukumoto, N. [Himeji Inst. of Tech. (Japan)

1995-12-31

The application of the compact toroids injector for direct plasma controls has been investigated. The compact toroids injection can fuel particles directly into the core of the plasma and modify the plasma profiles at the desired locations. The acceleration tests of the compact toroids have been conducted at Himeji Institute of Technology. The tests showed that the hydrogen compact toroid was accelerated up to 80km/s and the plasma density of the compact toroid was compressed to 1.2 x 10{sup 21}m{sup -3}. (orig.).

Modes in a nonneutral plasma column of finite length

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rasband, S. Neil; Spencer, Ross L.

2002-01-01

A Galerkin, finite-element, nonuniform mesh computation of the mode equation for waves in a non-neutral plasma of finite length in a Cold-Fluid model gives an accurate calculation of the mode eigenfrequencies and eigenfunctions. We report on studies of the following: (1) finite-length Trivelpiece-Gould modes with flat-top and realistic density profiles, (2) finite-length diocotron modes with flat density profiles. We compare with the frequency equation of Fine and Driscoll [Phys Plasmas 5, 601 (1998)

Harmonic effects on ion-bulk waves and simulation of stimulated ion-bulk-wave scattering in CH plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Q. S.; Zheng, C. Y.; Liu, Z. J.; Cao, L. H.; Xiao, C. Z.; Wang, Q.; Zhang, H. C.; He, X. T.

2017-08-01

Ion-bulk (IBk) wave, a novel branch with a phase velocity close to the ion’s thermal velocity, discovered by Valentini et al (2011 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 53 105017), is recently considered as an important electrostatic activity in solar wind, and thus of great interest to space physics and also inertial confinement fusion. The harmonic effects on IBk waves has been researched by Vlasov simulation for the first time. The condition of excitation of the large-amplitude IBk waves is given. The nature of nonlinear IBk waves in the condition of kFeng scattering (SFS) has been proposed and also verified by Vlasov-Maxwell code. In CH plasmas, in addition to the stimulated Brillouin scattering from multi ion-acoustic waves, there exists SIBS simultaneously. This research gives an insight into the SIBS in the field of laser plasma interaction.

‘PhysTrack’: a Matlab based environment for video tracking of kinematics in the physics laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Umar Hassan, Muhammad; Sabieh Anwar, Muhammad

2017-07-01

In the past two decades, several computer software tools have been developed to investigate the motion of moving bodies in physics laboratories. In this article we report a Matlab based video tracking library, PhysTrack, primarily designed to investigate kinematics. We compare PhysTrack with other commonly available video tracking tools and outline its salient features. The general methodology of the whole video tracking process is described with a step by step explanation of several functionalities. Furthermore, results of some real physics experiments are also provided to demonstrate the working of the automated video tracking, data extraction, data analysis and presentation tools that come with this development environment. We believe that PhysTrack will be valuable for the large community of physics teachers and students already employing Matlab.

Plasma position control device for thermonuclear device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Onozuka, Masanori [Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Tokyo (Japan); Fujita, Jun-ya; Ioki, Kimihiro

1995-10-03

The present invention concerns plasma position control coils having a feeder line structure not requiring high strength for the support portion. Namely, the coils are formed by twisting feeder lines extended from plasma position control coils in a vacuum vessel. The twisted feeder lines are supported using an appropriate structural member. Electromagnetic load is generated to the feeder lines being extended from the position control coils and traversing toroidal fields at a current introduction lines and at current delivery lines respectively. However, since the feeder lines have substantially spiral shape consisting of two twisted lines, the electromagnetic load and the moment caused by the generated load which are inversed to each other are off set. Accordingly, only extremely small force is exerted on the fittings which support the feeder lines. Therefore, small strength may suffice for the fittings and the gaps of mounting the fittings may be made longer. (I.S.).

Plasma position control device for thermonuclear device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onozuka, Masanori; Fujita, Jun-ya; Ioki, Kimihiro.

1995-01-01

The present invention concerns plasma position control coils having a feeder line structure not requiring high strength for the support portion. Namely, the coils are formed by twisting feeder lines extended from plasma position control coils in a vacuum vessel. The twisted feeder lines are supported using an appropriate structural member. Electromagnetic load is generated to the feeder lines being extended from the position control coils and traversing toroidal fields at a current introduction lines and at current delivery lines respectively. However, since the feeder lines have substantially spiral shape consisting of two twisted lines, the electromagnetic load and the moment caused by the generated load which are inversed to each other are off set. Accordingly, only extremely small force is exerted on the fittings which support the feeder lines. Therefore, small strength may suffice for the fittings and the gaps of mounting the fittings may be made longer. (I.S.)

Using numerical simulations to extract parameters of toroidal electron plasmas from experimental data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ha, B. N.; Stoneking,, M. R.; Marler, Joan

2009-01-01

Measurements of the image charge induced on electrodes provide the primary means of diagnosing plasmas in the Lawrence Non-neutral Torus II (LNT II) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 155001 (2008)]. Therefore, it is necessary to develop techniques that determine characteristics of the electron plasma from......, as in the cylindrical case. In the toroidal case, additional information about the m=1 motion of the plasma can be obtained by analysis of the image charge signal amplitude and shape. Finally, results from the numerical simulations are compared to experimental data from the LNT II and plasma characteristics...

Influence of Plasma Biasing on Coherent Structures in TJ-K

Science.gov (United States)

Ramisch, M.; Greiner, F.; Lechte, C.; Mahdizadeh, N.; Rahbarnia, K.; Stroth, U.

2003-10-01

Poloidal shear flows play an important role in the improvement of plasma confinement in fusion devices. They limit the radial correlation length via the shear decorrelation mechanism [1] and can trigger transitions into transport barriers. External biasing can be used to drive poloidal shear flows [2] in order to study the decorrelation mechanism. The torsatron TJ-K is operated with low-temperature plasmas produced by ECRH. Coherent and quasi-coherent structures have been observed [3]. Their structure size varies according to the drift scale ρ_s. The influence of biasing on these structures is investigated by means of electrostatic probes. Electron density fluctuations as well as fluctuations of the floating potential tend to decrease in the presence of a positively biased probe. The evolution of radial electric field, poloidal flow and radial transport are investigated for different plasma parameters using a 2D Langmuir probe array with 64 tips in comparison with two-point correlation measurements. First results are presented. [1] H. Biglari et al., Phys. Fluids B 2, p. 1 (1990); [2] R. J. Taylor et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 63, 21, p. 2365 (1989); [3] C. Lechte, PhD-Thesis, CAU Kiel (2003)

Plasma position control in SST1 tokamak

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

also placed inside the vessel, however the controller would ignore fast but insignificant changes in radius arising ... poloidal cross-sectional view of the SST1 plasma along with the stabilizers are shown in figure 1 and ... [1] model which has shown excellent agreement with control experiments in TCV tokamak and also with ...

Theory of relativistic radiation reflection from plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Gonoskov, Arkady

2018-01-01

We consider the reflection of relativistically strong radiation from plasma and identify the physical origin of the electrons' tendency to form a thin sheet, which maintains its localisation throughout its motion. Thereby, we justify the principle of relativistic electronic spring (RES) proposed in [Gonoskov et al., Phys. Rev. E 84, 046403 (2011)]. Using the RES principle, we derive a closed set of differential equations that describe the reflection of radiation with arbitrary variation of polarization and intensity from plasma with an arbitrary density profile for an arbitrary angle of incidence. We confirm with ab initio PIC simulations that the developed theory accurately describes laser-plasma interactions in the regime where the reflection of relativistically strong radiation is accompanied by significant, repeated relocation of plasma electrons. In particular, the theory can be applied for the studies of plasma heating and coherent and incoherent emissions in the RES regime of high-intensity laser-plasma interaction.

Stochastic heating of dust particles in complex plasmas as an energetic instability of a harmonic oscillator with random frequency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marmolino, Ciro [Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie dell' Ambiente e del Territorio-DiSTAT, Universita del Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, I-86090 Pesche (Italy)

2011-10-15

The paper describes the occurrence of stochastic heating of dust particles in dusty plasmas as an energy instability due to the correlations between dust grain charge and electric field fluctuations. The possibility that the mean energy (''temperature'') of dust particles can grow in time has been found both from the self-consistent kinetic description of dusty plasmas taking into account charge fluctuations [U. de Angelis, A. V. Ivlev, V. N. Tsytovich, and G. E. Morfill, Phys. Plasmas 12(5), 052301 (2005)] and from a Fokker-Planck approach to systems with variable charge [A. V. Ivlev, S. K. Zhdanov, B. A. Klumov, and G. E. Morfill, Phys. Plasmas 12(9), 092104 (2005)]. Here, a different derivation is given by using the mathematical techniques of the so called multiplicative stochastic differential equations. Both cases of ''fast'' and ''slow'' fluctuations are discussed.

A fully kinetic, self-consistent particle simulation model of the collisionless plasma--sheath region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Procassini, R.J.; Birdsall, C.K.; Morse, E.C.

1990-01-01

A fully kinetic particle-in-cell (PIC) model is used to self-consistently determine the steady-state potential profile in a collisionless plasma that contacts a floating, absorbing boundary. To balance the flow of particles to the wall, a distributed source region is used to inject particles into the one-dimensional system. The effect of the particle source distribution function on the source region and collector sheath potential drops, and particle velocity distributions is investigated. The ion source functions proposed by Emmert et al. [Phys. Fluids 23, 803 (1980)] and Bissell and Johnson [Phys. Fluids 30, 779 (1987)] (and various combinations of these) are used for the injection of both ions and electrons. The values of the potential drops obtained from the PIC simulations are compared to those from the theories of Emmert et al., Bissell and Johnson, and Scheuer and Emmert [Phys. Fluids 31, 3645 (1988)], all of which assume that the electron density is related to the plasma potential via the Boltzmann relation. The values of the source region and total potential drop are found to depend on the choice of the electron source function, as well as the ion source function. The question of an infinite electric field at the plasma--sheath interface, which arises in the analyses of Bissell and Johnson and Scheuer and Emmert, is also addressed

Simulation models for computational plasma physics: Concluding report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hewett, D.W.

1994-01-01

In this project, the authors enhanced their ability to numerically simulate bounded plasmas that are dominated by low-frequency electric and magnetic fields. They moved towards this goal in several ways; they are now in a position to play significant roles in the modeling of low-frequency electromagnetic plasmas in several new industrial applications. They have significantly increased their facility with the computational methods invented to solve the low frequency limit of Maxwell's equations (DiPeso, Hewett, accepted, J. Comp. Phys., 1993). This low frequency model is called the Streamlined Darwin Field model (SDF, Hewett, Larson, and Doss, J. Comp. Phys., 1992) has now been implemented in a fully non-neutral SDF code BEAGLE (Larson, Ph.D. dissertation, 1993) and has further extended to the quasi-neutral limit (DiPeso, Hewett, Comp. Phys. Comm., 1993). In addition, they have resurrected the quasi-neutral, zero-electron-inertia model (ZMR) and began the task of incorporating internal boundary conditions into this model that have the flexibility of those in GYMNOS, a magnetostatic code now used in ion source work (Hewett, Chen, ICF Quarterly Report, July--September, 1993). Finally, near the end of this project, they invented a new type of banded matrix solver that can be implemented on a massively parallel computer -- thus opening the door for the use of all their ADI schemes on these new computer architecture's (Mattor, Williams, Hewett, submitted to Parallel Computing, 1993)

The COMPASS Tokamak Plasma Control Software Performance

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Valcárcel, D.F.; Neto, A.; Carvalho, I.S.; Carvalho, B.B.; Fernandes, H.; Sousa, J.; Janky, F.; Havlíček, Josef; Beňo, R.; Horáček, Jan; Hron, Martin; Pánek, Radomír

2011-01-01

Roč. 58, č. 4 (2011), s. 1490-1496 ISSN 0018-9499. [Real Time Conference, RT10/17th./. Lisboa, 24.05.2010-28.05.2010] R&D Projects: GA MŠk 7G09042; GA ČR GD202/08/H057 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20430508 Keywords : Real-Time * ATCA * Data Acquisition * Plasma Control Software Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 1.447, year: 2011 http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TNS.2011.2143726

Comment on “Theoretical analysis of high-field transport in graphene on a substrate” [J. Appl. Phys. 116, 034507 (2014)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, Michael L. P.; Arora, Vijay K.

2014-01-01

In a recent article, Serov et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 116, 034507 (2014)] claim: “This study represents the first time that the high-field behavior in graphene on a substrate was investigated taking into account intrinsic graphene properties,” ignoring the most recent anisotropic distribution function [V. K. Arora et al., J. Appl. Phys. 112, 114330 (2012)] also published in J. Appl. Phys., targeting the same experimental data [V. E. Dorgan et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 97, 082112 (2010)]. The claim of Serov et al. of being first is refuted and many shortcomings of the hydrodynamic model for a highly quantum and degenerate graphene nanolayer are pointed out

High-confinement-mode edge stability of Alcator C-mod plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mossessian, D.A.; Snyder, P.; Hubbard, A.; Hughes, J.W.; Greenwald, M.; La Bombard, B.; Snipes, J.A.; Wolfe, S.; Wilson, H.

2003-01-01

For steady state high-confinement-mode (H-mode) operation, a relaxation mechanism is required to limit build-up of the edge gradient and impurity content. Alcator C-Mod [Hutchinson et al., Phys. Plasmas 1, 1511 (1994)] sees two such mechanisms--EDA (enhanced D-alpha H mode) and grassy ELMs (edge localized modes), but not large type I ELMs. In EDA the edge relaxation is provided by an edge localized quasicoherent (QC) electromagnetic mode that exists at moderate pedestal temperature T 95 >3.5, and does not limit the buildup of the edge pressure gradient. The q boundary of the operational space of the mode depends on plasma shape, with the q 95 limit moving down with increasing plasma triangularity. At high edge pressure gradients and temperatures the mode is replaced by broadband fluctuations ( f<50 kHz) and small irregular ELMs are observed. Ideal MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) stability analysis that includes both pressure and current driven edge modes shows that the discharges where the QC mode is observed are stable. The ELMs are identified as medium n (10< n<50) coupled peeling/ballooning modes. The predicted stability boundary of the modes as a function of pedestal current and pressure gradient is reproduced in experimental observations. The measured dependence of the ELMs' threshold and amplitude on plasma triangularity is consistent with the results of ideal MHD analysis performed with the linear stability code ELITE [Wilson et al., Phys. Plasmas 9, 1277 (2002)

Control of ITBs in Magnetically Confined Burning Plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Panta, S. R.; Newman, D. E.; Terry, P. W.; Sanchez, R.

2017-10-01

In the magnetically confined burning plasma devices (in this case Tokamaks), internal transport barriers (ITBs) are those regimes in which the turbulence is suppressed by the E X B velocity shear, reducing the turbulent transport. This often occurs at a critical gradient in the profiles. The change in the transport then modifies the density and temperature profiles feeding back on the system. These transport barriers have to be controlled both to form them for improved confinement and remove them to both prevent global instabilities and to remove the ash and unnecessary impurities in the device. In this work we focus on pellet injection and modulated RF heating as a way to trigger and control the ITBs. These have an immediate consequence on density and temperature and hence pressure profiles acting as a control knob. For example, depending upon pellet size and its radial position of injection, it either helps to form or strengthen the barrier or to get rid of ITBs in the different transport channels of the burning plasmas. This transport model is then used to investigate the control and dynamics of the transport barriers in burning plasmas using pellets and RF addition to the NBI power and alpha power.

Honeycomblike large area LaB6 plasma source for Multi-Purpose Plasma facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woo, Hyun-Jong; Chung, Kyu-Sun; You, Hyun-Jong; Lee, Myoung-Jae; Lho, Taihyeop; Choh, Kwon Kook; Yoon, Jung-Sik; Jung, Yong Ho; Lee, Bongju; Yoo, Suk Jae; Kwon, Myeon

2007-01-01

A Multi-Purpose Plasma (MP 2 ) facility has been renovated from Hanbit mirror device [Kwon et al., Nucl. Fusion 43, 686 (2003)] by adopting the same philosophy of diversified plasma simulator (DiPS) [Chung et al., Contrib. Plasma Phys. 46, 354 (2006)] by installing two plasma sources: LaB 6 (dc) and helicon (rf) plasma sources; and making three distinct simulators: divertor plasma simulator, space propulsion simulator, and astrophysics simulator. During the first renovation stage, a honeycomblike large area LaB 6 (HLA-LaB 6 ) cathode was developed for the divertor plasma simulator to improve the resistance against the thermal shock fragility for large and high density plasma generation. A HLA-LaB 6 cathode is composed of the one inner cathode with 4 in. diameter and the six outer cathodes with 2 in. diameter along with separate graphite heaters. The first plasma is generated with Ar gas and its properties are measured by the electric probes with various discharge currents and magnetic field configurations. Plasma density at the middle of central cell reaches up to 2.6x10 12 cm -3 , while the electron temperature remains around 3-3.5 eV at the low discharge current of less than 45 A, and the magnetic field intensity of 870 G. Unique features of electric property of heaters, plasma density profiles, is explained comparing with those of single LaB 6 cathode with 4 in. diameter in DiPS

Plasma Edge Control in Tore Supra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, T.E.; Mioduszewski, P.K.; Foster, C.; Haste, G.; Horton, L.; Grosman, A.; Ghendrih, P.; Chatelier, M.; Capes, H.; Michelis, C. De; Fall, T.; Geraud, A.; Grisolia, C.; Guilhem, D.; Hutter, T.

1990-01-01

TORE SUPRA is a large superconducting tokamak designed for sustaining long inductive pulses (t∼ 30 s). In particular, all the first wall components have been designed for steady-state heat and particle exhaust, particle injection, and additional heating. In addition to these technological assets, a strict control of the plasma-wall interactions is required. This has been done at low power: experiments with ohmic heating have been mainly devoted to the pump limiter, ergodic divertor and pellet injection experiments. Some specific problems arising in large tokamaks are encountered; the pump limiter and the ergodic divertor yield the expected effects on the plasma edge. The effects on the bulk are discussed

Feedback control of plasma position in the HL-1 tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Baoshan; Jiao Boliang; Yang Kailing

1991-01-01

In the HL-1 tokamak with a thick copper shell, the control of plasma position is successfully performed by a feedback-feedforward system with dual mode regulator and the equilibrium field coils outside the shell. The plasma position can be controlled within ±2 mm in both vertical and horizontal directions under the condition that the iron core of transformer is not saturated

The JET PCU project: An international plasma control project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sartori, F.; Crisanti, F.; Albanese, R.; Ambrosino, G.; Toigo, V.; Hay, J.; Lomas, P.; Rimini, F.; Shaw, S.R.; Luchetta, A.; Sousa, J.; Portone, A.; Bonicelli, T.; Ariola, M.; Artaserse, G.; Bigi, M.; Card, P.; Cavinato, M.; De Tommasi, G.; Gaio, E.

2008-01-01

This paper describes the new JET enhancement project 'Plasma Control Upgrade' (PCU). Initially aimed at an overhaul of JET plasma control capabilities it was eventually focused on improving the vertical stabilisation (VS) system ability to recover from large ELM (edge localised mode) perturbations. The paper describes the results of the first two years where the activity was aimed principally at researching a solution that could be implemented within the timing and budget constraints. A very important task was that of improving the modelling of JET plasma, iron core and passive structures. Using dedicated experiments, the models were progressively refined until it was possible not just to explain the experimental data but predict the VS system behaviour. At the same time the project team studied the best options for power supply (PS) and control system upgrades and evaluated whether a change of turns in the stabilisation coil was desirable and possible. A new fast radial field power supply is now being ordered and the VS control system is being upgraded

Toward a design for the ITER plasma shape and stability control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Humphreys, D.A.; Leuer, J.A.; Kellman, A.G.; Haney, S.W.; Bulmer, R.H.; Pearlstein, L.D.; Portone, A.

1994-07-01

A design strategy for an integrated shaping and stability control algorithm for ITER is described. This strategy exploits the natural multivariable nature of the system so that all poloidal field coils are used to simultaneously control all regulated plasma shape and position parameters. A nonrigid, flux-conserving linearized plasma response model is derived using a variational procedure analogous to the ideal MHD Extended Energy Principle. Initial results are presented for the non-rigid plasma response model approach applied to an example DIII-D equilibrium. For this example, the nonrigid model is found to yield a higher passive growth rate than a rigid current-conserving plasma response model. Multivariable robust controller design methods are discussed and shown to be appropriate for the ITER shape control problem

Slowing down of alpha particles in ICF DT plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

He, Bin; Wang, Zhi-Gang; Wang, Jian-Guo

2018-01-01

With the effects of the projectile recoil and plasma polarization considered, the slowing down of 3.54 MeV alpha particles is studied in inertial confinement fusion DT plasmas within the plasma density range from 1024 to 1026 cm-3 and the temperature range from 100 eV to 200 keV. It includes the rate of the energy change and range of the projectile, and the partition fraction of its energy deposition to the deuteron and triton. The comparison with other models is made and the reason for their difference is explored. It is found that the plasmas will not be heated by the alpha particle in its slowing down the process once the projectile energy becomes close to or less than the temperature of the electron or the deuteron and triton in the plasmas. This leads to less energy deposition to the deuteron and triton than that if the recoil of the projectile is neglected when the temperature is close to or higher than 100 keV. Our model is found to be able to provide relevant, reliable data in the large range of the density and temperature mentioned above, even if the density is around 1026 cm-3 while the deuteron and triton temperature is below 500 eV. Meanwhile, the two important models [Phys. Rev. 126, 1 (1962) and Phys. Rev. E 86, 016406 (2012)] are found not to work in this case. Some unreliable data are found in the last model, which include the range of alpha particles and the electron-ion energy partition fraction when the electron is much hotter than the deuteron and triton in the plasmas.

Control of radial electric field in torus plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ida, K.; Idei, H.; Sanuki, H.

1994-09-01

The radial electric fields is controlled by changing the direction of neutral beam from co to counter to plasma current in tokamak, while it is controlled by the 2nd harmonic ECH and NBI and pellet injection in heliotron/torsatron. (author)

A model for the neoclassical toroidal viscosity effect on Edge plasma toroidal rotation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miron, I.G. [National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Euratom-MEdC Association, Bucharest (Romania)

2013-11-15

A semianalytic expression for the edge plasma angular toroidal rotation frequency that includes the neoclassical toroidal viscosity braking influence is obtained. Based on the model presented in a previous paper [I.G. Miron, Contrib. Plasma Phys. 53, 214 (2013)], the less destabilizing error field spectrum is found in order to minimize the nonlinear effect of the NTV on the toroidal rotation of the edge of the plasma. (copyright 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Control of Internal Transport Barriers in Magnetically Confined Fusion Plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Panta, Soma; Newman, David; Sanchez, Raul; Terry, Paul

2016-10-01

In magnetic confinement fusion devices the best performance often involves some sort of transport barriers to reduce the energy and particle flow from core to edge. Those barriers create gradients in the temperature and density profiles. If gradients in the profiles are too steep that can lead to instabilities and the system collapses. Control of these barriers is therefore an important challenge for fusion devices (burning plasmas). In this work we focus on the dynamics of internal transport barriers. Using a simple 7 field transport model, extensively used for barrier dynamics and control studies, we explore the use of RF heating to control the local gradients and therefore the growth rates and shearing rates for barrier initiation and control in self-heated fusion plasmas. Ion channel barriers can be formed in self-heated plasmas with some NBI heating but electron channel barriers are very sensitive. They can be formed in self-heated plasmas with additional auxiliary heating i.e. NBI and radio-frequency(RF). Using RF heating on both electrons and ions at proper locations, electron channel barriers along with ion channel barriers can be formed and removed demonstrating a control technique. Investigating the role of pellet injection in controlling the barriers is our next goal. Work supported by DOE Grant DE-FG02-04ER54741.

Towards a preliminary design of the ITER plasma control system architecture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Treutterer, W.; Rapson, C.J.; Raupp, G.; Snipes, J.; Vries, P. de; Winter, A.; Humphreys, D.A.; Walker, M.; Tommasi, G. de; Cinque, M.; Bremond, S.; Moreau, P.; Nouailletas, R.; Felton, R.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • ITER control requirements and use scenarios for initial plasma operation have been analysed. • Basic choices from conceptual design could be confirmed. • Architectural design considers dynamic structure changes. • All PCS components are integrated in an exception handling hierarchy. - Abstract: Design of the ITER plasma control system is proceeding towards its next – preliminary design – stage. During the conceptual design in 2013 an overall assessment of high-level control tasks and their relationships has been conducted. The goal of the preliminary design is to show, that a reasonable implementation of the proposed concepts exists which fulfills the high-level requirements and is suitable for realistic use cases. This verification is conducted with focus on the concrete use cases of early operation and first plasma, since these phases are mandatory for ITER startup. In particular, detailed control requirements and functions for commissioning and first plasma operation including breakdown, burn-through and ramp-up in L-mode, as well as for planned or exceptional shutdown are identified. Control functions related to those operational phases and the underlying control system architecture are modeled. The goal is to check whether the flexibility of the conceptual architectural approach is adequate also in consideration of the more elaborate definitions for control functions and their interactions. In addition, architecture shall already be prepared for extension to H-mode operation and burn-control, even if the related control functions are only roughly defined at the moment. As a consequence, the architectural design is amended where necessary and converted into base components and infrastructure services allowing to deploy control and exception handling algorithms for the concrete first-plasma operation.

Towards a preliminary design of the ITER plasma control system architecture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Treutterer, W., E-mail: Wolfgang.Treutterer@ipp.mpg.de [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Boltzmannstraße 2, 85748 Garching (Germany); Rapson, C.J.; Raupp, G. [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Boltzmannstraße 2, 85748 Garching (Germany); Snipes, J.; Vries, P. de; Winter, A. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13067 St Paul Lez Durance (France); Humphreys, D.A.; Walker, M. [General Atomics, PO Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186-5608 (United States); Tommasi, G. de; Cinque, M. [CREATE/Università di Napoli Federico II, Napoli (Italy); Bremond, S.; Moreau, P.; Nouailletas, R. [Association CEA pour la Fusion Contrôlée, CEA Cadarache, 13108 St Paul les Durance (France); Felton, R. [CCFE Fusion Association, Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, Culham Science Centre, Oxfordshire, OX14 3DB (United Kingdom)

2017-02-15

Highlights: • ITER control requirements and use scenarios for initial plasma operation have been analysed. • Basic choices from conceptual design could be confirmed. • Architectural design considers dynamic structure changes. • All PCS components are integrated in an exception handling hierarchy. - Abstract: Design of the ITER plasma control system is proceeding towards its next – preliminary design – stage. During the conceptual design in 2013 an overall assessment of high-level control tasks and their relationships has been conducted. The goal of the preliminary design is to show, that a reasonable implementation of the proposed concepts exists which fulfills the high-level requirements and is suitable for realistic use cases. This verification is conducted with focus on the concrete use cases of early operation and first plasma, since these phases are mandatory for ITER startup. In particular, detailed control requirements and functions for commissioning and first plasma operation including breakdown, burn-through and ramp-up in L-mode, as well as for planned or exceptional shutdown are identified. Control functions related to those operational phases and the underlying control system architecture are modeled. The goal is to check whether the flexibility of the conceptual architectural approach is adequate also in consideration of the more elaborate definitions for control functions and their interactions. In addition, architecture shall already be prepared for extension to H-mode operation and burn-control, even if the related control functions are only roughly defined at the moment. As a consequence, the architectural design is amended where necessary and converted into base components and infrastructure services allowing to deploy control and exception handling algorithms for the concrete first-plasma operation.

Resistive wall tearing mode generated finite net electromagnetic torque in a static plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao, G. Z.; Wang, A. K.; Xu, M.; Qu, H. P.; Peng, X. D.; Wang, Z. H.; Xu, J. Q.; Qiu, X. M.; Liu, Y. Q.

2014-01-01

The MARS-F code [Y. Q. Liu et al., Phys. Plasmas 7, 3681 (2000)] is applied to numerically investigate the effect of the plasma pressure on the tearing mode stability as well as the tearing mode-induced electromagnetic torque, in the presence of a resistive wall. The tearing mode with a complex eigenvalue, resulted from the favorable averaged curvature effect [A. H. Glasser et al., Phys. Fluids 18, 875 (1975)], leads to a re-distribution of the electromagnetic torque with multiple peaking in the immediate vicinity of the resistive layer. The multiple peaking is often caused by the sound wave resonances. In the presence of a resistive wall surrounding the plasma, a rotating tearing mode can generate a finite net electromagnetic torque acting on the static plasma column. Meanwhile, an equal but opposite torque is generated in the resistive wall, thus conserving the total momentum of the whole plasma-wall system. The direction of the net torque on the plasma is always opposite to the real frequency of the mode, agreeing with the analytic result by Pustovitov [Nucl. Fusion 47, 1583 (2007)]. When the wall time is close to the oscillating time of the tearing mode, the finite net torque reaches its maximum. Without wall or with an ideal wall, no net torque on the static plasma is generated by the tearing mode. However, re-distribution of the torque density in the resistive layer still occurs

Nonrigid, Linear Plasma Response Model Based on Perturbed Equilibria for Axisymmetric Tokamak Control Design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Welander, A.S.; Deranian, R.D.; Humphreys, D.A.; Leuer, J.A.; Walker, M.L.

2005-01-01

Tokamak control design relies on an accurate linear model of the plasma response, which can often dominate the local field variations in regions under active feedback control. For example, when fluxes at selected points on the plasma boundary are regulated in DIII-D, the plasma response to a change in a coil current gives rise to a flux change which can be larger than and opposite to the flux change caused by the coil alone.In the past, rigid plasma models have been used for linear stability and shape control design. In a rigid model, the plasma current profile is considered fixed and moves rigidly in response to control coils to maintain radial and vertical force balance. In a nonrigid model, however, changes in the plasma shape and current profile are taken into account. Such models are expected to be important for future advanced tokamak control design. The present work describes development of a nonrigid plasma response model for high-accuracy multivariable control design and provides comparisons of model predictions against DIII-D experimental data. The linear perturbed plasma response model is calculated rapidly from an existing equilibrium solution

Partial local thermal equilibrium in a low-temperature hydrogen plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hey, J.D.; Chu, C.C.; Rash, J.P.S.

1999-01-01

If the degree of ionisation is sufficient, competition between de-excitation by electron collisions and radiative decay determines the smallest principal quantum number (the so-called 'thermal limit') above which partial local thermodynamic equilibrium (PLTE) holds under the particular conditions of electron density and temperature. The LTE (PLTE) criteria of Wilson (JQSRT 1962;2:477-90), Griem (Phys Rev 1963;131:1170-6; Plasma Spectroscopy. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964), Drawin (Z Physik 1969;228: 99-119), Hey (JQSRT 1976;16:69-75), and Fujimoto and McWhirter (Phys Rev A 1990;42:6588-601) are examined as regards their applicability to neutral atoms. For these purposes, we consider for simplicity an idealised, steady-state, homogeneous and primarily optically thin plasma, with some additional comments and numerical estimates on the roles of opacity and of atom-atom collisions. Particularly for atomic states of lower principal quantum number, the first two of the above criteria should be modified quite appreciably before application to neutral radiators in plasmas of low temperature, because of the profoundly different nature of the near-threshold collisional cross-sections for atoms and ions, while the most recent criterion should be applied with caution to PLTE of atoms in cold plasmas in ionisation balance. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

Experimental test of models of radio-frequency plasma sheaths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sobolewski, M.A.

1997-01-01

The ion current and sheath impedance were measured at the radio-frequency-powered electrode of an asymmetric, capacitively coupled plasma reactor, for discharges in argon at 1.33 endash 133 Pa. The measurements were used to test the models of the radio frequency sheath derived by Lieberman [IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 17, 338 (1989)] and Godyak and Sternberg [Phys. Rev. A 42, 2299 (1990)], and establish the range of pressure and sheath voltage in which they are valid. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

Manufacturing of central control system of 'JT-60' a plasma feasibility experiment device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondo, Ikuo; Kimura, Toyoaki; Murai, Katsuji; Iba, Daizo; Takemaru, Koichi.

1984-01-01

For constructing a critical-plasma-experiment apparatus JT-60, it was necessary to develop a new control system which enables to operate safely and smoothly a large scale nuclear fusion apparatus and to carry out efficient experiment. For the purpose, the total system control facility composed of such controllers as CAMAC system, timing system and protective interlock panel with multi-computer system as the core was developed. This system generalizes, keeps watch on and controls the total facilities as the key point of the control system of JT-60, and allows flexible operation control corresponding to the diversified experimental projects. At the same time, it carries out the fast real-time control of high temperature, high density plasma. In this paper, the system constitution, function and the main contents of development of the total system control facility are reported. JT-60 is constructed to attain the critical plasma condition as the premise of nuclear fusion reactors and to scientifically verify controlled nuclear fusion. Plasma expe riment will be started in April, 1985. The real-time control of plasma for carrying out high beta operation is planned, intending to develop future economical practical reactors. (Kako, I.)

Physics-electrical hybrid model for real time impedance matching and remote plasma characterization in RF plasma sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Sudhir, Dass; Bandyopadhyay, M; Chakraborty, A

2016-02-01

Plasma characterization and impedance matching are an integral part of any radio frequency (RF) based plasma source. In long pulse operation, particularly in high power operation where plasma load may vary due to different reasons (e.g. pressure and power), online tuning of impedance matching circuit and remote plasma density estimation are very useful. In some cases, due to remote interfaces, radio activation and, due to maintenance issues, power probes are not allowed to be incorporated in the ion source design for plasma characterization. Therefore, for characterization and impedance matching, more remote schemes are envisaged. Two such schemes by the same authors are suggested in these regards, which are based on air core transformer model of inductive coupled plasma (ICP) [M. Bandyopadhyay et al., Nucl. Fusion 55, 033017 (2015); D. Sudhir et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 85, 013510 (2014)]. However, the influence of the RF field interaction with the plasma to determine its impedance, a physics code HELIC [D. Arnush, Phys. Plasmas 7, 3042 (2000)] is coupled with the transformer model. This model can be useful for both types of RF sources, i.e., ICP and helicon sources.

Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research. Vol. II. Proceedings of a Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Physics Research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1966-01-01

Research on controlled nuclear fusion was first disclosed at the Second United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, held at Geneva in 1958. From the information given, it was evident that a better understanding of the behaviour of hot dense plasmas was needed before the goal of economic energy release from nuclear fusion could be reached. The fact that research since then has been most complex and costly has enhanced the desirability of international co-operation and exchange of information and experience. Having organized its First Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research at Salzburg in 1961, the International Atomic Energy Agency again provided the means for such cooperation in organizing its Second Conference on this subject on 6-10 September, 1965, at Culham, Abingdon, Berks, England. The meeting was arranged with the generous help of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority at their Culham Laboratory, where the facilities and assistance of the staff were greatly appreciated. At the meeting, which was attended by 268 participants from 26 member states and three international organizations, significant results from many experiments, including those from the new and larger machines, became available. It has now become feasible to intercorrelate data obtained from a number of similar machines; this has led to a more complete understanding of plasma behaviour. No breakthrough was reported nor had been expected towards the economical release of the energy from fusion, but there was increased understanding of the problems of production, control and containment of high-density and high-temperature plasmas

Studies on performances of the control system of plasma position and shape

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aikawa, Hiroshi; Tsuzuki, Naohisa; Kimura, Toyoaki; Ogata, Atsushi; Ninomiya, Hiromasa

1978-09-01

Performance in the control system of plasma position and shape is determined by estimating the disturbing field, system functions and load variation of the controlled object. Various stray fields are considered as disturbing field. Plasma internal inductance and poloidal beta are taken into consideration as load variation of the controlled object. The required performance is obtained through considerations of plasma equilibrium, stability, impurity concentration and sensors accuracy. The results are described as requests to the poloidal power supply system. (author)

Plasma actuators for bluff body flow control

Science.gov (United States)

Kozlov, Alexey V.

The aerodynamic plasma actuators have shown to be efficient flow control devices in various applications. In this study the results of flow control experiments utilizing single dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators to control flow separation and unsteady vortex shedding from a circular cylinder in cross-flow are reported. This work is motivated by the need to reduce landing gear noise for commercial transport aircraft via an effective streamlining created by the actuators. The experiments are performed at Re D = 20,000...164,000. Circular cylinders in cross-flow are chosen for study since they represent a generic flow geometry that is similar in all essential aspects to a landing gear oleo or strut. The minimization of the unsteady flow separation from the models and associated large-scale wake vorticity by using actuators reduces the radiated aerodynamic noise. Using either steady or unsteady actuation at ReD = 25,000, Karman shedding is totally eliminated, turbulence levels in the wake decrease significantly and near-field sound pressure levels are reduced by 13.3 dB. Unsteady actuation at an excitation frequency of St D = 1 is found to be most effective. The unsteady actuation also has the advantage that total suppression of shedding is achieved for a duty cycle of only 25%. However, since unsteady actuation is associated with an unsteady body force and produces a tone at the actuation frequency, steady actuation is more suitable for noise control applications. Two actuation strategies are used at ReD = 82,000: spanwise and streamwise oriented actuators. Near field microphone measurements in an anechoic wind tunnel and detailed study of the near wake using LDA are presented in the study. Both spanwise and streamwise actuators give nearly the same noise reduction level of 11.2 dB and 14.2 dB, respectively, and similar changes in the wake velocity profiles. The contribution of the actuator induced noise is found to be small compared to the natural shedding

Design and experimental results of feedback control of Ohmic-heating transformer magnetic flux by LHCD power in HT-7 Tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yiyun Huang

2006-01-01

In order to make a research on long pulse or even steady state operation with non-inductive drive in plasma discharge, a new feedback control scheme instead of the previous one has been designed and operated in HT-7 [HT-7 team presented by J. Li, et al., Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 42 (2) (2000) 135-146] Tokamak experiment, 2004. Consumption of iron-core transformer magnetic flux (MFT) is feedback controlled for the first time by power of lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) P LH , when the Ohmic-heating circuit current can maintain the plasma current I P constant with another feedback control loop, which make MFT evolve at alternating-change state to avoid flux saturation. Plasma current I P can be maintained steadily up to 120s in this operation mode at reduced plasma parameters (I P ∼50-100KA, average density n-bar e =0.4-0.5x10 19 m -3 , P LH =100-200KW). Design and experimental results are presented in the paper, which including control model analysis, configurations of control system and MFT feedback control experiments in HT-7. The high voltage power supply (HVPS) of LHCD is the main controller that regulates the LHCD power into the plasma to control the MFT

A Control Method of Current Type Matrix Converter for Plasma Control Coil Power Supply

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimada, K.; Matsukawa, M.; Kurihara, K.; Jun-ichi Itoh

2006-01-01

In exploration to a tokamak fusion reactor, the control of plasma instabilities of high β plasma such as neoclassical tearing mode (NTM), resistive wall mode (RWM) etc., is the key issue for steady-state sustainment. One of the proposed methods to avoid suppressing RWM is that AC current having a phase to work for reduction the RWM growth is generated in a coil (sector coil) equipped spirally on the plasma vacuum vessel. To stabilize RWM, precise and fast real-time feedback control of magnetic field with proper amplitude and frequency is necessary. This implies that an appropriate power supply dedicated for such an application is expected to be developed. A matrix converter as one of power supply candidates for this purpose could provide a solution The matrix converter, categorized in an AC/AC direct converter composed of nine bi-directional current switches, has a great feature that a large energy storage element is unnecessary in comparison with a standard existing AC/AC indirect converter, which is composed of an AC/DC converter and a DC/AC inverter. It is also advantageous in cost and size of its applications. Fortunately, a voltage type matrix converter has come to be available at the market recently, while a current type matrix converter, which is advantageous for fast control of the large-inductance coil current, has been unavailable. On the background above mentioned, we proposed a new current type matrix converter and its control method applicable to a power supply with fast response for suppressing plasma instabilities. Since this converter is required with high accuracy control, the gate control method is adopted to three-phase switching method using middle phase to reduce voltage and current waveforms distortion. The control system is composed of VME-bus board with DSP (Digital Signal Processor) and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) for high speed calculation and control. This paper describes the control method of a current type matrix converter

Collisionless ion drag force on a spherical grain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hutchinson, I H

2006-01-01

The ion drag force on a spherical grain situated in a flowing collisionless plasma is obtained from the specialized coordinate electrostatic particle and thermals in cell simulation code (SCEPTIC) (Hutchinson 2002 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 44 1953, Hutchinson 2003 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 45 1477, Hutchinson 2005 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 47 71) and compared with recent analytic approximate treatments in the interesting and relevant case when the Debye length is only moderately larger than the sphere radius. There is a substantial complex structure in the results for transonic flows, which is explained in terms of the details of ion orbits. Naturally the prior analytic approximations miss this structure, and as a result they seriously underestimate the drag for speeds near the sound speed. An easy-to-evaluate expression for force is provided that fits the comprehensive results of the code. This expression, with minor modification, also fits the results even for Debye length much smaller than the sphere radius

Optimal control of tokamak and stellarator plasma behaviour

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rastovic, Danilo

2007-01-01

The control of plasma transport, laminar and turbulent, is investigated, using the methods of scaling, optimal control and adaptive Monte Carlo simulations. For this purpose, the asymptotic behaviour of kinetic equation is considered in order to obtain finite-dimensional invariant manifolds, and in this way the finite-dimensional theory of control can be applied. We imagine the labyrinth of open doors and after applying self-similarity, the motion moved through all the desired doors in repeatable ways as Brownian motions. We take local actions for each piece of contractive ergodic motion, and, after self-organization in adaptive invariant measures, the optimum movement of particles is obtained according to the principle of maximum entropy. This is true for deterministic and stochastic cases that serve as models for plasma dynamics

Full Tokamak discharge simulation and kinetic plasma profile control for ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hee Kim, S.

2009-10-01

Understanding non-linearly coupled physics between plasma transport and free-boundary equilibrium evolution is essential to operating future tokamak devices, such as ITER and DEMO, in the advanced tokamak operation regimes. To study the non-linearly coupled physics, we need a simulation tool which can self-consistently calculate all the main plasma physics, taking the operational constraints into account. As the main part of this thesis work, we have developed a full tokamak discharge simulator by combining a non-linear free-boundary plasma equilibrium evolution code, DINA-CH, and an advanced transport modelling code, CRONOS. This tokamak discharge simulator has been used to study the feasibility of ITER operation scenarios and several specific issues related to ITER operation. In parallel, DINA-CH has been used to study free-boundary physics questions, such as the magnetic triggering of edge localized modes (ELMs) and plasma dynamic response to disturbances. One of the very challenging tasks in ITER, the active control of kinetic plasma profiles, has also been studied. In the part devoted to free-boundary tokamak discharge simulations, we have studied dynamic responses of the free-boundary plasma equilibrium to either external voltage perturbations or internal plasma disturbances using DINA-CH. Firstly, the opposite plasma behaviour observed in the magnetic triggering of ELMs between TCV and ASDEX Upgrade has been investigated. Both plasmas experience similar local flux surface expansions near the upper G-coil set and passive stabilization loop (PSL) when the ELMs are triggered, due to the presence of the PSLs located inside the vacuum vessel of ASDEX Upgrade. Secondly, plasma dynamic responses to strong disturbances anticipated in ITER are examined to study the capability of the feedback control system in rejecting the disturbances. Specified uncontrolled ELMs were controllable with the feedback control systems. However, the specifications for fast H-L mode

Reduction effect of neutral density on the excitation of turbulent drift waves in a linear magnetized plasma with flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saitou, Y.; Yonesu, A.; Shinohara, S.; Ignatenko, M. V.; Kasuya, N.; Kawaguchi, M.; Terasaka, K.; Nishijima, T.; Nagashima, Y.; Kawai, Y.; Yagi, M.; Itoh, S.-I.; Azumi, M.; Itoh, K.

2007-01-01

The importance of reducing the neutral density to reach strong drift wave turbulence is clarified from the results of the extended magnetohydrodynamics and Monte Carlo simulations in a linear magnetized plasma. An upper bound of the neutral density relating to the ion-neutral collision frequency for the excitation of drift wave instability is shown, and the necessary flow velocity to excite this instability is also estimated from the neutral distributions. Measurements of the Mach number and the electron density distributions using Mach probe in the large mirror device (LMD) of Kyushu University [S. Shinohara et al., Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 37, 1015 (1995)] are reported as well. The obtained results show a controllability of the neutral density and provide the basis for neutral density reduction and a possibility to excite strong drift wave turbulence in the LMD

Implementation of GPU parallel equilibrium reconstruction for plasma control in EAST

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Yao, E-mail: yaohuang@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); Xiao, B.J. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); School of Nuclear Science & Technology, University of Science & Technology of China (China); Luo, Z.P.; Yuan, Q.P.; Pei, X.F. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); Yue, X.N. [School of Nuclear Science & Technology, University of Science & Technology of China (China)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • We described parallel equilibrium reconstruction code P-EFIT running on GPU was integrated with EAST plasma control system. • Compared with RT-EFIT used in EAST, P-EFIT has better spatial resolution and full algorithm of EFIT per iteration. • With the data interface through RFM, 65 × 65 spatial grids P-EFIT can satisfy the accuracy and time feasibility requirements for plasma control. • Successful control using ISOFLUX/P-EFIT was established in the dedicated experiment during the EAST 2014 campaign. • This work is a stepping-stone towards versatile ISOFLUX/P-EFIT control, such as real-time equilibrium reconstruction with more diagnostics. - Abstract: Implementation of P-EFIT code for plasma control in EAST is described. P-EFIT is based on the EFIT framework, but built with the CUDA™ architecture to take advantage of massively parallel Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) cores to significantly accelerate the computation. 65 × 65 grid size P-EFIT can complete one reconstruction iteration in 300 μs, with one iteration strategy, it can satisfy the needs of real-time plasma shape control. Data interface between P-EFIT and PCS is realized and developed by transferring data through RFM. First application of P-EFIT to discharge control in EAST is described.

Controlling the emission current from a plasma cathode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bagaev, S.P.; Gushenets, V.I.; Schanin, P.M.

1993-01-01

The processes determining the time and amplitude characteristics of the grid-controlled electron emission from the plasma of an arc discharge have been analyzed. It has been shown that by applying to the grid confining the plasma emission boundary of a modulated voltage it is possible to form current pulse of up to 1 kA with nanosecond risetimes and falltimes and a pulse repetitive rate of 100 kHz

Evidence cross-validation and Bayesian inference of MAST plasma equilibria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nessi, G. T. von; Hole, M. J. [Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200 (Australia); Svensson, J. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, D-17491 Greifswald (Germany); Appel, L. [EURATOM/CCFE Fusion Association, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 3DB (United Kingdom)

2012-01-15

In this paper, current profiles for plasma discharges on the mega-ampere spherical tokamak are directly calculated from pickup coil, flux loop, and motional-Stark effect observations via methods based in the statistical theory of Bayesian analysis. By representing toroidal plasma current as a series of axisymmetric current beams with rectangular cross-section and inferring the current for each one of these beams, flux-surface geometry and q-profiles are subsequently calculated by elementary application of Biot-Savart's law. The use of this plasma model in the context of Bayesian analysis was pioneered by Svensson and Werner on the joint-European tokamak [Svensson and Werner,Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 50(8), 085002 (2008)]. In this framework, linear forward models are used to generate diagnostic predictions, and the probability distribution for the currents in the collection of plasma beams was subsequently calculated directly via application of Bayes' formula. In this work, we introduce a new diagnostic technique to identify and remove outlier observations associated with diagnostics falling out of calibration or suffering from an unidentified malfunction. These modifications enable a good agreement between Bayesian inference of the last-closed flux-surface with other corroborating data, such as that from force balance considerations using EFIT++[Appel et al., ''A unified approach to equilibrium reconstruction'' Proceedings of the 33rd EPS Conference on Plasma Physics (Rome, Italy, 2006)]. In addition, this analysis also yields errors on the plasma current profile and flux-surface geometry as well as directly predicting the Shafranov shift of the plasma core.

Evidence cross-validation and Bayesian inference of MAST plasma equilibria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nessi, G. T. von; Hole, M. J.; Svensson, J.; Appel, L.

2012-01-01

In this paper, current profiles for plasma discharges on the mega-ampere spherical tokamak are directly calculated from pickup coil, flux loop, and motional-Stark effect observations via methods based in the statistical theory of Bayesian analysis. By representing toroidal plasma current as a series of axisymmetric current beams with rectangular cross-section and inferring the current for each one of these beams, flux-surface geometry and q-profiles are subsequently calculated by elementary application of Biot-Savart's law. The use of this plasma model in the context of Bayesian analysis was pioneered by Svensson and Werner on the joint-European tokamak [Svensson and Werner,Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 50(8), 085002 (2008)]. In this framework, linear forward models are used to generate diagnostic predictions, and the probability distribution for the currents in the collection of plasma beams was subsequently calculated directly via application of Bayes' formula. In this work, we introduce a new diagnostic technique to identify and remove outlier observations associated with diagnostics falling out of calibration or suffering from an unidentified malfunction. These modifications enable a good agreement between Bayesian inference of the last-closed flux-surface with other corroborating data, such as that from force balance considerations using EFIT++[Appel et al., ''A unified approach to equilibrium reconstruction'' Proceedings of the 33rd EPS Conference on Plasma Physics (Rome, Italy, 2006)]. In addition, this analysis also yields errors on the plasma current profile and flux-surface geometry as well as directly predicting the Shafranov shift of the plasma core.

Integrated predictive modeling of high-mode tokamak plasmas using a combination of core and pedestal models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bateman, Glenn; Bandres, Miguel A.; Onjun, Thawatchai; Kritz, Arnold H.; Pankin, Alexei

2003-01-01

A new integrated modeling protocol is developed using a model for the temperature and density pedestal at the edge of high-mode (H-mode) plasmas [Onjun et al., Phys. Plasmas 9, 5018 (2002)] together with the Multi-Mode core transport model (MMM95) [Bateman et al., Phys. Plasmas 5, 1793 (1998)] in the BALDUR integrated modeling code to predict the temperature and density profiles of 33 H-mode discharges. The pedestal model is used to provide the boundary conditions in the simulations, once the heating power rises above the H-mode power threshold. Simulations are carried out for 20 discharges in the Joint European Torus and 13 discharges in the DIII-D tokamak. These discharges include systematic scans in normalized gyroradius, plasma pressure, collisionality, isotope mass, elongation, heating power, and plasma density. The average rms deviation between experimental data and the predicted profiles of temperature and density, normalized by central values, is found to be about 10%. It is found that the simulations tend to overpredict the temperature profiles in discharges with low heating power per plasma particle and to underpredict the temperature profiles in discharges with high heating power per particle. Variations of the pedestal model are used to test the sensitivity of the simulation results

VME multiprocessor system for plasma control at the JT-60 Upgrade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, T.; Kurihara, K.; Takahashi, M.; Kawamata, Y.; Akasaka, H.; Matsukawa, M.

1989-01-01

In this paper design and preliminary tests are reported of a VME multiprocessor system for the JT-60 Upgrade plasma control utilizing three MC88100 based RISC computers and VME buses. The design of the VME system was stimulated by faster and more accurate computation requirements for the plasma position and shape control

Application of stereoscopic particle image velocimetry to studies of transport in a dusty (complex) plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, Edward Jr.; Williams, Jeremiah D.; Silver, Jennifer

2004-01-01

Over the past 5 years, two-dimensional particle image velocimetry (PIV) techniques [E. Thomas, Jr., Phys. Plasmas 6, 2672 (1999)] have been used to obtain detailed measurements of microparticle transport in dusty plasmas. This Letter reports on an extension of these techniques to a three-dimensional velocity vector measurement approach using stereoscopic PIV. Initial measurements using the stereoscopic PIV diagnostic are presented

Simulation and design of feedback control on resistive wall modes in Keda Torus eXperiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Chenguang; Liu, Wandong; Li, Hong

2014-01-01

The feedback control of resistive wall modes (RWMs) in Keda Torus eXperiment (KTX) (Liu et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 56, 094009 (2014)) is investigated by simulation. A linear model is built to describe the growth of the unstable modes in the absence of feedback and the resulting mode suppression due to feedback, given the typical reversed field pinch plasma equilibrium. The layout of KTX with two shell structures (the vacuum vessel and the stabilizing shell) is taken into account. The feedback performance is explored both in the scheme of “clean mode control” (Zanca et al., Nucl. Fusion 47, 1425 (2007)) and “raw mode control.” The discrete time control model with specific characteristic times will mimic the real feedback control action and lead to the favored control cycle. Moreover, the conceptual design of feedback control system is also presented, targeting on both RWMs and tearing modes

Target Surface Area Effects on Hot Electron Dynamics from High Intensity Laser-Plasma Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

2016-08-19

Science, University ofMichigan, AnnArbor,MI 48109-2099, USA E-mail: czulick@umich.edu Keywords: laser- plasma ,mass-limited, fast electrons , sheath...New J. Phys. 18 (2016) 063020 doi:10.1088/1367-2630/18/6/063020 PAPER Target surface area effects on hot electron dynamics from high intensity laser... plasma interactions CZulick, ARaymond,AMcKelvey, VChvykov, AMaksimchuk, AGRThomas, LWillingale, VYanovsky andKKrushelnick Center forUltrafast Optical

plasmatis Center for Innovation Competence: Controlling reactive component output of atmospheric pressure plasmas in plasma medicine

Science.gov (United States)

Reuter, Stephan

2012-10-01

The novel approach of using plasmas in order to alter the local chemistry of cells and cell environment presents a significant development in biomedical applications. The plasmatis center for innovation competence at the INP Greifswald e.V. performs fundamental research in plasma medicine in two interdisciplinary research groups. The aim of our plasma physics research group ``Extracellular Effects'' is (a) quantitative space and time resolved diagnostics and modelling of plasmas and liquids to determine distribution and composition of reactive species (b) to control the plasma and apply differing plasma source concepts in order to produce a tailored output of reactive components and design the chemical composition of the liquids/cellular environment and (c) to identify and understand the interaction mechanisms of plasmas with liquids and biological systems. Methods to characterize the plasma generated reactive species from plasma-, gas- and liquid phase and their biological effects will be presented. The diagnostic spectrum ranges from absorption/emission/laser spectroscopy and molecular beam mass spectrometry to electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and cell biological diagnostic techniques. Concluding, a presentation will be given of the comprehensive approach to plasma medicine in Greifswald where the applied and clinical research of the Campus PlasmaMed association is combined with the fundamental research at plasmatis center.

Electron energy distribution function control in gas discharge plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Godyak, V. A.

2013-01-01

The formation of the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) and electron temperature in low temperature gas discharge plasmas is analyzed in frames of local and non-local electron kinetics. It is shown, that contrary to the local case, typical for plasma in uniform electric field, there is the possibility for EEDF modification, at the condition of non-local electron kinetics in strongly non-uniform electric fields. Such conditions “naturally” occur in some self-organized steady state dc and rf discharge plasmas, and they suggest the variety of artificial methods for EEDF modification. EEDF modification and electron temperature control in non-equilibrium conditions occurring naturally and those stimulated by different kinds of plasma disturbances are illustrated with numerous experiments. The necessary conditions for EEDF modification in gas discharge plasmas are formulated

Plasma control techniques of the ASDEX feedback system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, F.

1981-01-01

In the ASDEX tokamak the shots are exactly preprogrammed and most of the disturbances are reproducible. So a computer can learn from one shot how to correct the next one. With this sort of disturbance feedforward one can also introduce a 'negative delay' in the program to compensate even fast and strong disturbances withous unwanted overswing or oscillations. The feedforward in conjunction with feedback control allows production of a magnetically limited plasma from the very beginning without any wall or limiter contact. This is a reason why in ASDEX the loop voltage on breakdown can be as low as 5 V/sup 2/. The plasma column can be controlled in the vacuum vessel even after disruptions have occurred

Simultaneous Feedback Control of Plasma Rotation and Stored Energy on the DIII-D Tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scoville, J.T.; Ferron, J.R.; Humphreys, D.A.; Walker, M.L.

2006-01-01

One of the major modifications made to the DIII-D tokamak during the 2005 Long Torus Opening was the rotation of one of the four two-source neutral beam injection systems. Prior to this modification, all beams injected power with a component in the same direction as the usual plasma current ('' co-injection ''). Starting in early 2006, two of the seven beams inject with a component in the opposite direction ('' counter-injection ''). This new capability allows, for the first time, a partial decoupling of the injected energy and momentum during neutral beam heating experiments. An immediate advantage of mixed co- and counter-injection beams is the capability to control the plasma rotation velocity. High beta plasmas can now be studied over a wide range of the plasma rotation velocity. The stabilizing effect of rotation on the resistive wall mode (RWM), for example, can be directly compared to the stabilization achieved by external feedback coils. This is an advantage over previous techniques to control plasma rotation, such as magnetic braking, which have had only limited success. We describe development and implementation of a model-based control algorithm for simultaneous regulation of plasma rotation and beta. The model includes the two relevant plasma states (plasma rotation and stored energy), and describes the dynamic effects of the relevant actuators on those states. The actuators include the applied beam torque and beam power, which depend on the amount of co and counter-injected beams. Implementation of the model-based control within the plasma control system (PCS) [B.G. Penaflor, et al, '' Current Status of DIII-D Plasma Control System Computer Upgrades,'' Fusion Eng. and Design 71 (2004) 47] requires real-time measurements of the plasma rotation, obtained from the charge exchange recombination (CER) diagnostic, and stored energy calculated by the real-time EFIT equilibrium reconstruction. Details of this model and its development, and a comparison with

Optical Studies of Strong Coupling and Recombination in Ultracold Neutral Plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Killian, Thomas C.

2004-01-01

The ultracold atoms and plasmas research group at Rice University uses a combination of atomic and plasma physics techniques to create neutral plasmas that are orders of magnitude colder than have ever been studied before. Through this work, we probe the basic plasma physics of this exotic regime. During the past year, the major components of a new experiment were completed. We demonstrated a powerful new diagnostic, optical imaging of the plasma, which led to a paper that was published in Physical Review Letters. (Figure A, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 143001 (2004)) This was the central feature of my DOE Junior Faculty Award proposal. DOE funding has been used to support one postdoctoral researcher, multiple graduate students, the principle investigator, apparatus construction, and normal laboratory expenses

Control strategy for plasma equilibrium in a tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miskell, R.V.

1975-08-01

Dynamic control of the plasma position within the torus of a TOKAMAK fusion device is a significant factor in the development of nuclear fusion as an energy source. This investigation develops a state variable model of a TOKAMAK thermonuclear device, suitable for application of modern control theory techniques. (auth)

JT-60 plasma control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurihara, K.

1988-01-01

JT-60 plasma control can be performed by the supervisory controller, the measurement system and actuators such as the poloidal field coil power supplies, gas injectors, neutral beam injection (NBI) heating system and radio frequency (RF) heating system. One of the most important characteristics of this system is a perfect digital control one composed of mini-computers, fast array processors and CAMAC modules, and it has large flexibility and few troubles to adjust the system. This system started to be operated in April 1985, after the six-year-long design, construction and testing, and have been operated and improved many times for two years. In this paper, the final system specification and its performance are presented aiming at the technological aspect of hardware and software. In addition, and experienced troubles are also presented. (author)

Design of an Integrated Plasma Control System and Extension of XSCTools to Ignitor

Science.gov (United States)

Albanese, R.; Ambrosino, G.; Artaserse, G.; Pironti, A.; Rubinacci, G.; Villone, F.; Ramogida, G.

2010-11-01

The performance of the integrated system for vertical stability, shape and plasma current control for the Ignitor machine has been assessed by means of the CREATELlinearized model of plasma responseootnotetextR. Albanese, F. Villone, Nucl. Fusion 38, 723 (1998) against a set of disturbances for the reference 11 MA limiter configuration and the 9 MA Double Null configuration. A new design, based on the methodology of the eXtreme Shape Controller (XSC) at JET, has been tested : by using all the shape control circuits with the exception of those used to control the vertical stability is possible to control up to four independent linear combinations of the 36 plasma-wall gaps. The results point out a substantial improvement in shape recovery, especially in the presence of a disturbance in li. The new shape controller can also automatically generate, via feedback control, new plasma shapes in the proximity of a given equilibrium configuration. The XSC ToolsootnotetextG. Ambrosino, R. Albanese et al., Fus. Eng.& Des. 74, 521 (2005) have been adapted and extended to develop linearized Ignitor models including 2D eddy currents and to solve inverse linearized plasma equilibria.

Conservation of energy and momentum in nonrelativistic plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugama, H.; Watanabe, T.-H.; Nunami, M.

2013-01-01

Conservation laws of energy and momentum for nonrelativistic plasmas are derived from applying Noether's theorem to the action integral for the Vlasov-Poisson-Ampère system [Sugama, Phys. Plasmas 7, 466 (2000)]. The symmetric pressure tensor is obtained from modifying the asymmetric canonical pressure tensor with using the rotational symmetry of the action integral. Differences between the resultant conservation laws and those for the Vlasov-Maxwell system including the Maxwell displacement current are clarified. These results provide a useful basis for gyrokinetic conservation laws because gyrokinetic equations are derived as an approximation of the Vlasov-Poisson-Ampère system.

Design and analysis of plasma position and shape control in superconducting tokamak JT-60SC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsukawa, M. E-mail: matsukaw@naka.jaeri.go.jp; Ishida, S.; Sakasai, A.; Urata, K.; Senda, I.; Kurita, G.; Tamai, H.; Sakurai, S.; Miura, Y.M.; Masaki, K.; Shimada, K.; Terakado, T

2003-09-01

The analyses of the plasma position and shape control in the superconducting tokamak JT-60SC in JAERI are presented. The vacuum vessel and stabilizing plates located closely to the plasma are modeled in 3 dimension, and we can take into account the large ports in the vacuum vessel. The linear numerical model used in the design for the plasma feedback control system is based on Grad-Shafranov equation, which allows the plasma surface deformation. For a slower control of the plasma shape, the superconducting equilibrium field (EF) coils outside toroidal field coils are used, while for a fast control of the plasma position, in-vessel normal conducting coils (IV coil) are used. It is shown that the available loop voltages of the EF and IV coils are very limited, but there are sufficient accuracy and acceptable response time of plasma position and shape control.

Design and analysis of plasma position and shape control in superconducting tokamak JT-60SC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsukawa, M.; Ishida, S.; Sakasai, A.; Urata, K.; Senda, I.; Kurita, G.; Tamai, H.; Sakurai, S.; Miura, Y.M.; Masaki, K.; Shimada, K.; Terakado, T.

2003-01-01

The analyses of the plasma position and shape control in the superconducting tokamak JT-60SC in JAERI are presented. The vacuum vessel and stabilizing plates located closely to the plasma are modeled in 3 dimension, and we can take into account the large ports in the vacuum vessel. The linear numerical model used in the design for the plasma feedback control system is based on Grad-Shafranov equation, which allows the plasma surface deformation. For a slower control of the plasma shape, the superconducting equilibrium field (EF) coils outside toroidal field coils are used, while for a fast control of the plasma position, in-vessel normal conducting coils (IV coil) are used. It is shown that the available loop voltages of the EF and IV coils are very limited, but there are sufficient accuracy and acceptable response time of plasma position and shape control

Retraction: On the origin of power-law distributions in systems with constrained phase space [Condens. Matter Phys., 2013, vol. 16, 43802

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Editorial Board

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The article Condens. Matter Phys., 2013, vol. 16, 43802 ( DOI:10.5488/CMP.16.43802 has been retracted by the decision of the Editorial Board. There is a significant overlap with an article: Phys. Rev. E, 2006, vol. 74, 036120 ( DOI:10.1103/PhysRevE.74.036120. Appologies are offered to readers of the journal that this was not detected during the submission process.

Edge plasma control using an LID configuration on CHS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masuzaki, S.; Komori, A.; Morisaki, T. [National Inst. for Fusion Science, Oroshi, Toki (Japan)] [and others

1997-07-01

A Local Island Divertor (LID) has been proposed to enhance energy confinement through neutral particle control. For the case of the Large Helical Device (LHD), the separatrix of an m/n = 1/1 magnetic island, formed at the edge region, will be utilized as a divertor configuration. The divertor head is inserted in the island, and the island separatrix provides connection between the edge plasma region surrounding the core plasma and the back plate of the divertor head through the field lines. The particle flux and associated heat flux from the core plasma strike the back plate of the divertor head, and thus particle recycling is localized in this region. A pumping duct covers the divertor head to form a closed divertor system for efficient particle exhaust. The advantages of the LID are ease of hydrogen pumping because of the localized particle recycling and avoidance of the high heat load that would be localized on the leading edge of the divertor head. With efficient pumping, the neutral pressure in the edge plasma region will be reduced, and hence the edge plasma temperature will be higher, hopefully leading to a better core confinement region. A LID configuration experiment was done on the Compact Helical System (CHS) to confirm the effect of the LID. The typical effects of the LID configuration on the core plasma are reduction of the line averaged density to a half, and small or no reduction of the stored energy. In this contribution, the experimental results which were obtained in edge plasma control experiments with the LID configuration in the CHS are presented.

Design and operation of the RFX-mod plasma shape control system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marchiori, G., E-mail: giuseppe.marchiori@igi.cnr.it [Consorzio RFX, Corso Stati Uniti 4, 35127 Padova (Italy); Finotti, C. [Consorzio RFX, Corso Stati Uniti 4, 35127 Padova (Italy); Kudlacek, O. [Università di Padova, Padova (Italy); Villone, F. [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica e dell’Informazione (DIEI), Università di Cassino (Italy); Zanca, P. [Consorzio RFX, Corso Stati Uniti 4, 35127 Padova (Italy); Abate, D. [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica e dell’Informazione (DIEI), Università di Cassino (Italy); Cavazzana, R. [Consorzio RFX, Corso Stati Uniti 4, 35127 Padova (Italy); Jackson, G.L.; Luce, T.C. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); Marrelli, L. [Consorzio RFX, Corso Stati Uniti 4, 35127 Padova (Italy)

2016-10-15

Highlights: • Linearized plasma response model of RFX-mod Tokamak Double/Single Null discharges. • Model based design of a vertical stability control system. • Model based design of a plasma shape LQG control system with Kalman state estimator. • Real time plasma boundary reconstruction algorithm. • Tracking and disturbance rejection experimental tests. - Abstract: The aim of executing Single Null discharges in RFX-mod operating as a Tokamak led to the design and implementation of a plasma shape feedback control system. A fully model-based approach was followed which allowed dealing with critical issues such as the presence of a conducting shell, the strong coupling of the poloidal field coils and the voltage limits of the power supplies. A Linear Quadratic regulator and a Kalman state estimator were designed and implemented in the real time MARTe framework together with an algorithm for the real-time plasma boundary reconstruction. The problem of a number of sensors along the poloidal direction adequate only for circular discharges was also successfully tackled. The development of the system and its performances in terms of tracking and disturbance rejection capability are presented in the paper.

MATURING ECRF TECHNOLOGY FOR PLASMA CONTROL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

CALLIS, R.W.; CARY, W.P.; CHU, S.; LOANE, J.L.; ELLIS, R.A.; FELCH, K.; GORELOV, Y.A.; GRUNLOH, H.J.; HOSEA, J.; KAJIWARA, K.; LOHR, J.; LUCE, T.C.; PEAVY, J.J.; PINSKER, R.I.; PONCE, D.; PRATER, R.; SHAPIRO, M.; TEMKIN, R.J.; TOOKER, J.F.

2002-01-01

OAK A271 MUTURING ECRF TECHNOLOGY FOR PLASMA CONTROL. Understanding of the physics of internal transport barriers (ITBs) is being furthered by analysis and comparisons of experimental data from many different tokamaks worldwide. An international database consisting of scalar and 2-D profile data for ITB plasmas is being developed to determine the requirements for the formation and sustainment of ITBs and to perform tests of theory-based transport models in an effort to improve the predictive capability of the models. Analysis using the database indicates that: (a) the power required to form ITBs decreases with increased negative magnetic shear of the target plasma, and: (b) the E x B flow shear rate is close to the linear growth rate of the ITG modes at the time of barrier formation when compared for several fusion devices. Tests of several transport models (JETTO, Weiland model) using the 2-D profile data indicate that there is only limited agreement between the model predictions and the experimental results for the range of plasma conditions examined for the different devices (DIII-D, JET, JT-60U). Gyrokinetic stability analysis (using the GKS code) of the ITB discharges from these devices indicates that the ITG/TEM growth rates decrease with increased negative magnetic shear and that the E x B shear rate is comparable to the linear growth rates at the location of the ITB

Higher-order fluctuation-dissipation relations in plasma physics: Binary Coulomb systems

Science.gov (United States)

Golden, Kenneth I.

2018-05-01

A recent approach that led to compact frequency domain formulations of the cubic and quartic fluctuation-dissipation theorems (FDTs) for the classical one-component plasma (OCP) [Golden and Heath, J. Stat. Phys. 162, 199 (2016), 10.1007/s10955-015-1395-6] is generalized to accommodate binary ionic mixtures. Paralleling the procedure followed for the OCP, the basic premise underlying the present approach is that a (k ,ω ) 4-vector rotational symmetry, known to be a pivotal feature in the frequency domain architectures of the linear and quadratic fluctuation-dissipation relations for a variety of Coulomb plasmas [Golden et al., J. Stat. Phys. 6, 87 (1972), 10.1007/BF01023681; J. Stat. Phys. 29, 281 (1982), 10.1007/BF01020787; Golden, Phys. Rev. E 59, 228 (1999), 10.1103/PhysRevE.59.228], is expected to be a pivotal feature of the frequency domain architectures of the higher-order members of the FDT hierarchy. On this premise, each member, in its most tractable form, connects a single (p +1 )-point dynamical structure function to a linear combination of (p +1 )-order p density response functions; by definition, such a combination must also remain invariant under rotation of their (k1,ω1) ,(k2,ω2) ,...,(kp,ωp) , (k1+k2+⋯+kp,ω1+ω2+⋯+ωp) 4-vector arguments. Assigned to each 4-vector is a species index that corotates in lock step. Consistency is assured by matching the static limits of the resulting frequency domain cubic and quartic FDTs to their exact static counterparts independently derived in the present work via a conventional time-independent perturbation expansion of the Liouville distribution function in its macrocanonical form. The proposed procedure entirely circumvents the daunting issues of entangled Liouville space paths and nested Poisson brackets that one would encounter if one attempted to use the conventional time-dependent perturbation-theoretic Kubo approach to establish the frequency domain FDTs beyond quadratic order.

Damping Measurements of Plasma Modes

Science.gov (United States)

Anderegg, F.; Affolter, M.; Driscoll, C. F.

2010-11-01

For azimuthally symmetric plasma modes in a magnesium ion plasma, confined in a 3 Tesla Penning-Malmberg trap with a density of n ˜10^7cm-3, we measure a damping rate of 2s-1plasma column, alters the frequency of the mode from 16 KHz to 192 KHz. The oscillatory fluid displacement is small compared to the wavelength of the mode; in contrast, the fluid velocity, δvf, can be large compared to v. The real part of the frequency satisfies a linear dispersion relation. In long thin plasmas (α> 10) these modes are Trivelpiece-Gould (TG) modes, and for smaller values of α they are Dubin spheroidal modes. However the damping appears to be non-linear; initially large waves have weaker exponential damping, which is not yet understood. Recent theoryootnotetextM.W. Anderson and T.M. O'Neil, Phys. Plasmas 14, 112110 (2007). calculates the damping of TG modes expected from viscosity due to ion-ion collisions; but the measured damping, while having a similar temperature and density dependence, is about 40 times larger than calculated. This discrepancy might be due to an external damping mechanism.

NATO Advanced Study Institute entitled Physics of Plasma-Wall Interactions in Controlled Fusion

CERN Document Server

Behrisch, R; Physics of plasma-wall interactions in controlled fusion

1986-01-01

Controlled thermonuclear fusion is one of the possible candidates for long term energy sources which will be indispensable for our highly technological society. However, the physics and technology of controlled fusion are extremely complex and still require a great deal of research and development before fusion can be a practical energy source. For producing energy via controlled fusion a deuterium-tritium gas has to be heated to temperatures of a few 100 Million °c corres­ ponding to about 10 keV. For net energy gain, this hot plasma has to be confined at a certain density for a certain time One pro­ mising scheme to confine such a plasma is the use of i~tense mag­ netic fields. However, the plasma diffuses out of the confining magnetic surfaces and impinges on the surrounding vessel walls which isolate the plasma from the surrounding air. Because of this plasma wall interaction, particles from the plasma are lost to the walls by implantation and are partially reemitted into the plasma. In addition, wall...

The renewed HT-7 plasma control system based on real-time Linux cluster

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yuan, Q.P., E-mail: qpyuan@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); Xiao, B.J.; Zhang, R.R. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); Walker, M.L.; Penaflor, B.G.; Piglowski, D.A.; Johnson, R.D. [General Atomics, DIII-D National Fusion Facility, San Diego, CA (United States)

2012-12-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The hardware and software structure of the new HT-7 plasma control system (HT-7 PCS) is reported. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer All original systems were integrated in the new HT-7 PCS. And the implementation details of the control algorithms are given in the paper. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Different from EAST PCS, the AC operation mode is realized in HT-7 PCS. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The experiment results are discussed. Good control performance has been obtained. - Abstract: In order to improve the synchronization, flexibility and expansibility of the plasma control on HT-7, a new plasma control system (HT-7 PCS) was constructed. The HT-7 PCS was based on a real-time Linux cluster with a well-defined, robust and flexible software infrastructure which was adapted from DIII-D PCS. In this paper, the hardware structure and system customization details for HT-7 PCS are reported. The plasma position and current control, plasma density control and off-normal event detection, which were realized in separated systems originally, have been integrated and implemented in such HT-7 PCS. All these control algorithms have been successfully validated in the last several HT-7 experiment campaigns. Good control performance has been achieved and the experiment results are discussed in the paper.

Extending the collisional fluid equations into the long mean-free-path regime in toroidal plasmas. IV. Banana regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaing, K. C.

2007-01-01

In Part I [Phys. Fluids B 2, 1190 (1990)] and Part II [Phys. Plasmas 12, 082508 (2005)], it was emphasized that the equilibrium plasma viscous forces when applied for the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes are only rigorously valid at the mode rational surface where m-nq=0. Here, m is the poloidal mode number, n is the toroidal mode number, and q is the safety factor. This important fact has been demonstrated explicitly by calculating the viscous forces in the plateau regime in Parts I and II. Here, the effective viscous forces in the banana regime are calculated for MHD modes by solving the linear drift kinetic equation that is driven by the plasma flows first derived in Part I. At the mode rational surface, the equilibrium plasma viscous forces are reproduced. However, it is found that away from the mode rational surface, the viscous forces for MHD modes decrease, a behavior similar to that observed in the viscous forces for the plateau regime. The proper form of the momentum equation that is appropriate for the modeling of the MHD modes is also discussed

Dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator for flow control

Science.gov (United States)

Opaits, Dmitry Florievich

Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) and magnetohydrodynamic phenomena are being widely studied for aerodynamic applications. The major effects of these phenomena are heating of the gas, body force generation, and enthalpy addition or extraction, [1, 2, 3]. In particular, asymmetric dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators are known to be effective EHD device in aerodynamic control, [4, 5]. Experiments have demonstrated their effectiveness in separation control, acoustic noise reduction, and other aeronautic applications. In contrast to conventional DBD actuators driven by sinusoidal voltages, we proposed and used a voltage profile consisting of nanosecond pulses superimposed on dc bias voltage. This produces what is essentially a non-self-sustained discharge: the plasma is generated by repetitive short pulses, and the pushing of the gas occurs primarily due to the bias voltage. The advantage of this non-self-sustained discharge is that the parameters of ionizing pulses and the driving bias voltage can be varied independently, which adds flexibility to control and optimization of the actuators performance. Experimental studies were conducted of a flow induced in a quiescent room air by a single DBD actuator. A new approach for non-intrusive diagnostics of plasma actuator induced flows in quiescent gas was proposed, consisting of three elements coupled together: the Schlieren technique, burst mode of plasma actuator operation, and 2-D numerical fluid modeling. During the experiments, it was found that DBD performance is severely limited by surface charge accumulation on the dielectric. Several ways to mitigate the surface charge were found: using a reversing DC bias potential, three-electrode configuration, slightly conductive dielectrics, and semi conductive coatings. Force balance measurements proved the effectiveness of the suggested configurations and advantages of the new voltage profile (pulses+bias) over the traditional sinusoidal one at relatively low

Optimal control theory applied to fusion plasma thermal stabilization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sager, G.; Miley, G.; Maya, I.

1985-01-01

Many authors have investigated stability characteristics and performance of various burn control schemes. The work presented here represents the first application of optimal control theory to the problem of fusion plasma thermal stabilization. The objectives of this initial investigation were to develop analysis methods, demonstrate tractability, and present some preliminary results of optimal control theory in burn control research

Frequency threshold for ion beam formation in expanding RF plasma

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty Thakur, Saikat; Harvey, Zane; Biloiu, Ioana; Hansen, Alex; Hardin, Robert; Przybysz, William; Scime, Earl

2008-11-01

We observe a threshold frequency for ion beam formation in expanding, low pressure, argon helicon plasma. Mutually consistent measurements of ion beam energy and density relative to the background ion density obtained with a retarding field energy analyzer and laser induced fluorescence indicate that a stable ion beam of 15 eV appears for source frequencies above 11.5 MHz. Reducing the frequency increases the upstream beam amplitude. Downstream of the expansion region, a clear ion beam is seen only for the higher frequencies. At lower frequencies, large electrostatic instabilities appear and an ion beam is not observed. The upstream plasma density increases sharply at the same threshold frequency that leads to the appearance of a stable double layer. The observations are consistent with the theoretical prediction that downstream electrons accelerated into the source by the double layer lead to increased ionization, thus balancing the higher loss rates upstream [1]. 1. M. A. Lieberman, C. Charles and R. W. Boswell, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 39 (2006) 3294-3304

Plasma surface interactions in controlled fusion devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghendrih, Ph.; Becoulet, M.; Costanzo, L. [and others

2000-07-01

This report brings together all the contributions of EURATOM/CEA association to the 14. international conference on plasma surface interactions in controlled fusion devices. 24 papers are presented and they deal mainly with the ergodic divertor and the first wall of Tore-supra tokamak.

Plasma surface interactions in controlled fusion devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghendrih, Ph.; Becoulet, M.; Costanzo, L.

2000-07-01

This report brings together all the contributions of EURATOM/CEA association to the 14. international conference on plasma surface interactions in controlled fusion devices. 24 papers are presented and they deal mainly with the ergodic divertor and the first wall of Tore-supra tokamak

Alcator C-Mod predictive modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pankin, Alexei; Bateman, Glenn; Kritz, Arnold; Greenwald, Martin; Snipes, Joseph; Fredian, Thomas

2001-01-01

Predictive simulations for the Alcator C-mod tokamak [I. Hutchinson et al., Phys. Plasmas 1, 1511 (1994)] are carried out using the BALDUR integrated modeling code [C. E. Singer et al., Comput. Phys. Commun. 49, 275 (1988)]. The results are obtained for temperature and density profiles using the Multi-Mode transport model [G. Bateman et al., Phys. Plasmas 5, 1793 (1998)] as well as the mixed-Bohm/gyro-Bohm transport model [M. Erba et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 39, 261 (1997)]. The simulated discharges are characterized by very high plasma density in both low and high modes of confinement. The predicted profiles for each of the transport models match the experimental data about equally well in spite of the fact that the two models have different dimensionless scalings. Average relative rms deviations are less than 8% for the electron density profiles and 16% for the electron and ion temperature profiles

Demonstration of sawtooth period control with EC waves in KSTAR plasma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeong J. H.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The sawtooth period control in tokamak is important issue in recent years because the sawtooth crash can trigger TM/NTM instabilities and drive plasmas unstable. The control of sawtooth period by the modification of local current profile near the q=1 surface using ECCD has been demonstrated in a number of tokamaks [1, 2] including KSTAR. As a result, developing techniques to control the sawtooth period as a way of controlling the onset of NTM has been an important area of research in recent years [3]. In 2012 KSTAR plasma campaign, the sawtooth period control is carried out by the different deposition position of EC waves across the q=1 surface. The sawtooth period is shortened by on-axis co-ECCD (destabilization, and the stabilization of the sawtooth is also observed by off-axis co-ECCD at outside q=1 surface. In 2013 KSTAR plasma campaign, the sawtooth locking experiment with periodic forcing of 170 GHz EC wave is carried out to control the sawtooth period. The optimal target position which lengthens the sawtooth period is investigated by performing a scan of EC beam deposition position nearby q=1 surface at the toroidal magnetic field of 2.9 T and plasma current of 0.7 MA. The sawtooth locking by the modulated EC beam is successfully demonstrated as in [3-5] with the scan of modulation-frequency and duty-ratio at the low beta (βN~0.5 plasma. In this paper, the sawteeth behavior by the location of EC beam and the preliminary result of the sawtooth locking experiments in KSTAR will be presented.

Equivalence of two independent calculations of the higher order guiding center Lagrangian

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parra, F. I.; Calvo, I.; Burby, J. W.; Squire, J.; Qin, H.

2014-01-01

The difference between the guiding center phase-space Lagrangians derived in J. W. Burby et al. [Phys. Plasmas 20, 072105 (2013)] and F. I. Parra and I. Calvo [Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 53, 045001 (2011)] is due to a different definition of the guiding center coordinates. In this brief communication, the difference between the guiding center coordinates is calculated explicitly

Interprocess communication within the DIII-D plasma control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piglowski, D.A.; Penaflor, B.G.; Ferron, J.R.

1999-06-01

The DIII-D tokamak fusion research experiment's real-time digital plasma control system (PCS) is a complex and ever evolving system. During a plasma experiment, it is tasked with some of the most crucial functions at DIII-D. Key responsibilities of the PCS involve sub-system control, data acquisition/storage, and user interface. To accomplish these functions, the PCS is broken down into individual components (both software and hardware), each capable of handling a specific duty set. Constant interaction between these components is necessary prior, during and after a standard plasma cycle. Complicating the matter even more is that some components, mostly those which deal with user interaction, may exist remotely, that is to say they are not part of the immediate hardware which makes up the bulk of the PCS. The four main objectives of this paper are to (1) present a brief outline of the PCS hardware/software and how they relate to each other; (2) present a brief overview of a standard DIII-D plasma cycle (a shot); (3) using three sets of PCS sub-systems, describe in more detail the communication processes; and (4) evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of said systems

Twentyseventh European physical society conference on controlled fusion and plasma physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Igitkhanov, Y.

2000-01-01

The twentyseventh European physical society conference on controlled fusion and plasma physics was held in Budapest, 12-16 June 2000. About 10 invited papers were presented, covering a wide range of problems in plasma physics, including confinement and transport issues in fusion devices, astrophysics and industrial application of plasmas. More than 100 papers were presented on plasma theory and experiments from tokamaks and stellarators. Some of the ITER-relevant issues covered are described in this newsletter

The genetic network controlling plasma cell differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nutt, Stephen L; Taubenheim, Nadine; Hasbold, Jhagvaral; Corcoran, Lynn M; Hodgkin, Philip D

2011-10-01

Upon activation by antigen, mature B cells undergo immunoglobulin class switch recombination and differentiate into antibody-secreting plasma cells, the endpoint of the B cell developmental lineage. Careful quantitation of these processes, which are stochastic, independent and strongly linked to the division history of the cell, has revealed that populations of B cells behave in a highly predictable manner. Considerable progress has also been made in the last few years in understanding the gene regulatory network that controls the B cell to plasma cell transition. The mutually exclusive transcriptomes of B cells and plasma cells are maintained by the antagonistic influences of two groups of transcription factors, those that maintain the B cell program, including Pax5, Bach2 and Bcl6, and those that promote and facilitate plasma cell differentiation, notably Irf4, Blimp1 and Xbp1. In this review, we discuss progress in the definition of both the transcriptional and cellular events occurring during late B cell differentiation, as integrating these two approaches is crucial to defining a regulatory network that faithfully reflects the stochastic features and complexity of the humoral immune response. 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Immobilization and controlled release of drug using plasma polymerized thin film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Myung, Sung-Woon [Department of Dental Materials, School of Dentistry, MRC Center, Chosun University, 309 Pilmun-daero, Dong-gu, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Jung, Sang-Chul [Department of Environmental Engineering, Sunchon National University, Sunchon 540-742 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Byung-Hoon, E-mail: kim5055@chosun.ac.kr [Department of Dental Materials, School of Dentistry, MRC Center, Chosun University, 309 Pilmun-daero, Dong-gu, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of)

2015-06-01

In this study, plasma polymerization of acrylic acid was employed to immobilize drug and control its release. Doxorubicin (DOX) was immobilized covalently on the glass surface deposited with plasma polymerized acrylic acid (PPAAc) thin film containing the carboxylic group. At first, the PPAAc thin film was coated on a glass surface at a pressure of 1.33 Pa and radio frequency (RF) discharge power of 20 W for 10 min. DOX was immobilized on the PPAAc deposition in a two environment of phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solutions. The DOX immobilized surface was characterized by scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The DOX molecules were more immobilized in PBS than DMSO solution. The different immobilization and release profiles of DOX result from the solubility of hydrophobic DOX in aqueous and organic solutions. Second, in order to control the release of the drug, PPAAc thin film was covered over DOX dispersed layer. Different thicknesses and cross-linked PPAAc thin films by adjusting deposition time and RF discharge power were covered on the DOX layer dispersed. PPAAc thin film coated DOX layer reduced the release rate of DOX. The thickness control of plasma deposition allows controlling the release rate of drug. - Highlights: • Doxorubicin was immobilized on the surface of plasma polymerized acrylic acid thin film. • Release profile of doxorubicin was affected by aqueous and organic solutions. • Plasma polymerized acrylic acid thin film can be used to achieve controlled release.

Immobilization and controlled release of drug using plasma polymerized thin film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myung, Sung-Woon; Jung, Sang-Chul; Kim, Byung-Hoon

2015-01-01

In this study, plasma polymerization of acrylic acid was employed to immobilize drug and control its release. Doxorubicin (DOX) was immobilized covalently on the glass surface deposited with plasma polymerized acrylic acid (PPAAc) thin film containing the carboxylic group. At first, the PPAAc thin film was coated on a glass surface at a pressure of 1.33 Pa and radio frequency (RF) discharge power of 20 W for 10 min. DOX was immobilized on the PPAAc deposition in a two environment of phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solutions. The DOX immobilized surface was characterized by scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The DOX molecules were more immobilized in PBS than DMSO solution. The different immobilization and release profiles of DOX result from the solubility of hydrophobic DOX in aqueous and organic solutions. Second, in order to control the release of the drug, PPAAc thin film was covered over DOX dispersed layer. Different thicknesses and cross-linked PPAAc thin films by adjusting deposition time and RF discharge power were covered on the DOX layer dispersed. PPAAc thin film coated DOX layer reduced the release rate of DOX. The thickness control of plasma deposition allows controlling the release rate of drug. - Highlights: • Doxorubicin was immobilized on the surface of plasma polymerized acrylic acid thin film. • Release profile of doxorubicin was affected by aqueous and organic solutions. • Plasma polymerized acrylic acid thin film can be used to achieve controlled release

A Plasma Control and Gas Protection System for Laser Welding of Stainless Steel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juhl, Thomas Winther; Olsen, Flemming Ove

1997-01-01

A prototype shield gas box with different plasma control nozzles have been investigated for laser welding of stainless steel (AISI 316). Different gases for plasma control and gas protection of the weld seam have been used. The gas types, welding speed and gas flows show the impact on process...... stability and protection against oxidation. Also oxidation related to special conditions at the starting edge has been investigated. The interaction between coaxial and plasma gas flow show that the coaxial flow widens the band in which the plasma gas flow suppresses the metal plasma. In this band the welds...... are oxide free. With 2.7 kW power welds have been performed at 4000 mm/min with Ar / He (70%/30%) as coaxial, plasma and shield gas....

Cold plasma: Quality control and regulatory considerations

Science.gov (United States)

In recent years, cold plasma has emerged as a promising antimicrobial treatment for fresh and fresh-cut produce, nuts, spices, seeds, and other foods. Research has demonstrated effective control of human pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, norovirus, and o...

Plasma position control in a tokamak reactor around ignition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carretta, U.; Minardi, E.; Bacelli, N.

1986-01-01

Plasma position control in a tokamak reactor in the phase approaching ignition is closely related to burn control. If ignited burn corresponds to a thermally unstable situation the plasma becomes sensitive to the thermal instability already in the phase when ignition is approached so that the trajectory in the position-pressure (R,p) space becomes effectively unpredictable. For example, schemes involving closed cycles around ignition can be unstable in the heating-cooling phases, and the deviations may be cumulative in time. Reliable plasma control in pressure-position (p, R) space is achieved by beforehand constraining the p, R trajectory rigidly with suitable feedback vertical field stabilization, which is to be established already below ignition. A scheme in which ignition is approached in a stable and automatic way by feedback stabilization on the vertical field is proposed and studied in detail. The values of the gain coefficient ensuring stabilization and the associated p and R excursions are discussed both analytically, with a 0-D approximation including non-linear effects, and numerically with a 1-D code in cylindrical geometry. Profile effects increase the excursions, in particular above ignition. (author)

Remote automatic control scheme for plasma arc cutting of contaminated waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dudar, A.M.; Ward, C.R.; Kriikku, E.M.

1993-01-01

Plasma arc cutting is a popular technique used for size reduction of radioactively contaminated metallic waste such as glove boxes, vessels, and ducts. It is a very aggressive process and is capable of cutting metal objects up to 3 in. thick. The crucial control criteria in plasma cutting is maintaining a open-quotes stand-offclose quotes distance between the plasma torch tip and the material being cut. Manual plasma cutting techniques in radioactive environments require the operator to wear a plastic suit covered by a metallic suit. This is very cumbersome, time-consuming, and also generates additional waste (plastic and metallic suits). Teleoperated remote cutting is preferable to manual cutting, but our experience has shown that remote control of the stand-off distance is particularly difficult because of the brightness of the plasma arc and inadequate viewing angles. Also, the heat generated by the torch causes the sheet metal to deform and warp during plasma cutting, creating a dynamically changing metal surface. The aforementioned factors make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to perform plasma cuts of waste with a variety of shapes and sizes in a teleoperated fashion with an operator in the loop. Automating the process is clearly desirable

Real time control of plasmas and ECRH systems on TCV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paley, J.I.; Berrino, J.; Coda, S.; Duval, B.P.; Felici, F.; Goodman, T.P.; Martin, Y.; Moret, J.M.; Piras, F.; Cruz, N.; Rodriques, A.P.; Santos, B.; Varandas, C.A.F.

2009-01-01

Developments in the real time control hardware on Tokamak a Configuration Variable (TCV) coupled with the flexibility of plasma shaping and electron cyclotron (EC) heating and current drive actuators are opening many opportunities to perform real time experiments and develop algorithms and methods for fusion applications. The ability to control magnetohydrodynamic instabilities is particularly important for achieving high performance fusion plasmas and EC is envisaged as a key actuator in maintaining high performance. We have successfully demonstrated control of the sawtooth instability using the EC launcher injection angle to modify the current profile around the q =1 surface. This paper presents an overview of recent real time control experiments on TCV, developments in the hardware and algorithms together with plans for the future.

Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research 1971. Vol. III. Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1971-01-01

The ultimate goal of controlled nuclear fusion research is to make a new energy source available to mankind, a source that will be virtually unlimited and that gives promise of being environmentally cleaner than the sources currently exploited. This goal has stimulated research in plasma physics over the past two decades, leading to significant advances in the understanding of matter in its most common state as well as to progress in the confinement and heating of plasma. An indication of this progress is that in several countries considerable effort is being devoted to design studies of fusion reactors and to the technological problems that will be encountered in realizing these reactors. This range of research, from plasma physics to fusion reactor engineering, is shown in the present three-volume publication of the Proceedings of the Fourth Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research. The Conference was sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency and was held in Madison, Wisconsin, USA from 17 to 23 June 1971. The enthusiastic co-operation of the University of Wisconsin and of the United States Atomic Energy Commission in the organization of the Conference is gratefully acknowledged. The Conference was attended by over 500 scientists from 24 countries and 3 international organizations, and 143 papers were presented. These papers are published here in the original language; English translations of the Russian papers will be published in a Special Supplement to the journal Nuclear Fusion. The series of conferences on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research has become a major international forum for the presentation and discussion of results in this important and challenging field. In addition to sponsoring these conferences, the International Atomic Energy Agency supports controlled nuclear fusion research by publishing the journal Nuclear Fusion, and has recently established an International Fusion Research Council

Evolution of perturbation in charge-varying dusty plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popel, S.I.; Golub, A.P.; Losseva, T.V.; Bingham, R.; Benkadda, S.

2001-01-01

The nonstationary problem of the evolution of perturbation and its transformation into nonlinear wave structure in dusty plasmas is considered. For this purpose two one-dimensional models based on a set of fluid equations, Poisson's equation, and a charging equation for dust are developed. The first (simplified) model corresponds to the case [Popel et al., Phys. Plasmas 3, 4313 (1996)] when exact steady-state shock wave solutions can exist. This simplified model includes variable-charged dust grains, Boltzmann electrons, and inertial ions. The second (ionization source) model takes into account the variation of the ion density and the ion momentum dissipation due to dust particle charging as well as the source of plasma particles due to ionization process. The computational method for solving the set of equations which describe the evolution in time of a nonlinear structure in a charge-varying dusty plasma is developed. The case of the evolution of an intensive initial nonmoving region with a constant enhanced ion density is investigated on the basis of these two models. The consideration within the ionization source model is performed for the data of the laboratory experiment [Luo et al., Phys. Plasmas 6, 3455 (1999)]. It is shown that the ionization source model allows one to obtain shock structures as a result of evolution of an initial perturbation and to explain the experimental value of the width of the shock wave front. Comparison of the numerical data obtained on the basis of the ionization source model and the simplified model shows that the main characteristic features of the shock structure are the same for both models. Nevertheless, the ionization source model is much more sensitive to the form of the initial perturbation than the simplified model. The solution of the problem of the evolution of perturbation and its transformation into shock wave in charge-varying dusty plasmas opens up possibilities for description of the real phenomena like supernova

Current status and prospect of plasma control system for steady-state operation on QUEST

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasegawa, Makoto; Nakamura, Kazuo; Zushi, Hideki; Hanada, Kazuaki; Fujisawa, Akihide; Tokunaga, Kazutoshi; Idei, Hiroshi; Nagashima, Yoshihiko; Kawasaki, Shoji; Nakashima, Hisatoshi; Higashijima, Aki

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Overall configuration of plasma control system on QUEST are presented. • Multi core system and reflective memories are used for the real-time control. • Hall sensors are used for the identification of plasma current and its position. • Repetitive gas fueling with the feed-back control of Hα signal is implemented. - Abstract: The plasma control system (PCS) of QUEST is developed according to the progress of QUEST project. Since one of the critical goals of the project is to achieve the steady-state operation with high temperature vacuum vessel wall, the PCS is also required to have the capability to control the plasma for a long period. For the increase of the loads to processing power of the PCS, the PCS is decentralized with the use of reflective memories (RFMs). The PCS controls the plasma edge position with the real-time identification of plasma current and its position. This identification is done with not only flux loops but also hall sensors. The gas fueling method by piezo valve with monitoring the Hα signal filtered by a digital low-pass filter are proposed and suitable for the steady-state operation on QUEST. The present status and prospect of the PCS are presented with recent topics.

Current status and prospect of plasma control system for steady-state operation on QUEST

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hasegawa, Makoto, E-mail: hasegawa@triam.kyushu-u.ac.jp; Nakamura, Kazuo; Zushi, Hideki; Hanada, Kazuaki; Fujisawa, Akihide; Tokunaga, Kazutoshi; Idei, Hiroshi; Nagashima, Yoshihiko; Kawasaki, Shoji; Nakashima, Hisatoshi; Higashijima, Aki

2016-11-15

Highlights: • Overall configuration of plasma control system on QUEST are presented. • Multi core system and reflective memories are used for the real-time control. • Hall sensors are used for the identification of plasma current and its position. • Repetitive gas fueling with the feed-back control of Hα signal is implemented. - Abstract: The plasma control system (PCS) of QUEST is developed according to the progress of QUEST project. Since one of the critical goals of the project is to achieve the steady-state operation with high temperature vacuum vessel wall, the PCS is also required to have the capability to control the plasma for a long period. For the increase of the loads to processing power of the PCS, the PCS is decentralized with the use of reflective memories (RFMs). The PCS controls the plasma edge position with the real-time identification of plasma current and its position. This identification is done with not only flux loops but also hall sensors. The gas fueling method by piezo valve with monitoring the Hα signal filtered by a digital low-pass filter are proposed and suitable for the steady-state operation on QUEST. The present status and prospect of the PCS are presented with recent topics.

Comparing simulation of plasma turbulence with experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ross, David W.; Bravenec, Ronald V.; Dorland, William; Beer, Michael A.; Hammett, G. W.; McKee, George R.; Fonck, Raymond J.; Murakami, Masanori; Burrell, Keith H.; Jackson, Gary L.; Staebler, Gary M.

2002-01-01

The direct quantitative correspondence between theoretical predictions and the measured plasma fluctuations and transport is tested by performing nonlinear gyro-Landau-fluid simulations with the GRYFFIN (or ITG) code [W. Dorland and G. W. Hammett, Phys. Fluids B 5, 812 (1993); M. A. Beer and G. W. Hammett, Phys. Plasmas 3, 4046 (1996)]. In an L-mode reference discharge in the DIII-D tokamak [J. L. Luxon and L. G. Davis, Fusion Technol. 8, 441 (1985)], which has relatively large fluctuations and transport, the turbulence is dominated by ion temperature gradient (ITG) modes. Trapped electron modes and impurity drift waves also play a role. Density fluctuations are measured by beam emission spectroscopy [R. J. Fonck, P. A. Duperrex, and S. F. Paul, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 61, 3487 (1990)]. Experimental fluxes and corresponding diffusivities are analyzed by the TRANSP code [R. J. Hawryluk, in Physics of Plasmas Close to Thermonuclear Conditions, edited by B. Coppi, G. G. Leotta, D. Pfirsch, R. Pozzoli, and E. Sindoni (Pergamon, Oxford, 1980), Vol. 1, p. 19]. The shape of the simulated wave number spectrum is close to the measured one. The simulated ion thermal transport, corrected for ExB low shear, exceeds the experimental value by a factor of 1.5 to 2.0. The simulation overestimates the density fluctuation level by an even larger factor. On the other hand, the simulation underestimates the electron thermal transport, which may be accounted for by modes that are not accessible to the simulation or to the BES measurement

Application of optimal control theory to laser heating of a plasma in a solenoidal magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neal, R.D.

1975-01-01

Laser heating of a plasma column confined by a solenoidal magnetic field is studied via modern optimal control techniques. A two-temperature, constant pressure model is used for the plasma so that the temperature and density are functions of time and location along the plasma column. They are assumed to be uniform in the radial direction so that refraction of the laser beam does not occur. The laser intensity used as input to the column at one end is taken as the control variable and plasma losses are neglected. The localized behavior of the plasma heating dynamics is first studied and conventional optimal control theory applied. The distributed parameter optimal control problem is next considered with minimum time to reach a specified final ion temperature criterion as the objective. Since the laser intensity can only be directly controlled at the input end of the plasma column, a boundary control situation results. The problem is unique in that the control is the boundary value of one of the state variables. The necessary conditions are developed and the problem solved numerically for typical plasma parameters. The problem of maximizing the space-time integral of neutron production rate in the plasma is considered for a constant distributed control problem where the laser intensity is assumed fixed at maximum and the external magnetic field is taken as a control variable

Determination of the plasma position for its real-time control in the COMPASS tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janky, F.; Havlicek, J.; Valcarcel, D.; Hron, M.; Horacek, J.; Kudlacek, O.; Panek, R.; Carvalho, B.B.

2011-01-01

An efficient horizontal and vertical stabilization of the plasma column position are essential for a reliable tokamak operation. Plasma position is generally determined by plasma current, plasma pressure and external vertical and horizontal magnetic fields. Such fields are generated by poloidal field coils and proper algorithm for the current control have to by applied, namely, in case of fast feedback loops. This paper presents a real-time plasma position reconstruction algorithms developed for the COMPASS tokamak. Further, its implementation in the MARTe (Multithreaded Application Real-Time executor) is described and the first results from test of the algorithm for real-time control of horizontal plasma positions are presented.

Determination of the plasma position for its real-time control in the COMPASS tokamak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Janky, F., E-mail: jankyf@ipp.cas.cz [Institute of Plasma Physics, AS CR, v.v.i., Association EURATOM/IPP.CR, Za Slovankou 3, 182 00 Prague (Czech Republic); Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, V Holesovickach 2, CZ-18000 Prague (Czech Republic); Havlicek, J. [Institute of Plasma Physics, AS CR, v.v.i., Association EURATOM/IPP.CR, Za Slovankou 3, 182 00 Prague (Czech Republic); Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, V Holesovickach 2, CZ-18000 Prague (Czech Republic); Valcarcel, D. [Associacao EURATOM/IST, Instituto de Plasmas e Fusao Nuclear - Laboratorio Associado, Instituto Superior Tecnico, P1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Hron, M.; Horacek, J. [Institute of Plasma Physics, AS CR, v.v.i., Association EURATOM/IPP.CR, Za Slovankou 3, 182 00 Prague (Czech Republic); Kudlacek, O. [Czech Technical University, Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Technicka 2, 166 27 Prague (Czech Republic); Panek, R. [Institute of Plasma Physics, AS CR, v.v.i., Association EURATOM/IPP.CR, Za Slovankou 3, 182 00 Prague (Czech Republic); Carvalho, B.B. [Associacao EURATOM/IST, Instituto de Plasmas e Fusao Nuclear - Laboratorio Associado, Instituto Superior Tecnico, P1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal)

2011-10-15

An efficient horizontal and vertical stabilization of the plasma column position are essential for a reliable tokamak operation. Plasma position is generally determined by plasma current, plasma pressure and external vertical and horizontal magnetic fields. Such fields are generated by poloidal field coils and proper algorithm for the current control have to by applied, namely, in case of fast feedback loops. This paper presents a real-time plasma position reconstruction algorithms developed for the COMPASS tokamak. Further, its implementation in the MARTe (Multithreaded Application Real-Time executor) is described and the first results from test of the algorithm for real-time control of horizontal plasma positions are presented.

Spectral functions for the flat plasma sheet model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pirozhenko, I G

2006-01-01

The present work is based on Bordag M et al 2005 (J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 38 11027) where the spectral analysis of the electromagnetic field on the background of an infinitely thin flat plasma layer is carried out. The solutions to Maxwell equations with the appropriate matching conditions at the plasma layer are derived and the spectrum of electromagnetic oscillations is determined. The spectral zeta function and the integrated heat kernel are constructed for different branches of the spectrum in an explicit form. The asymptotic expansion of the integrated heat kernel at small values of the evolution parameter is derived. The local heat kernels are considered also

Improving Science Teacher Preparation through the APS PhysTEC and NSF Noyce Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Tasha; Tyler, Micheal; van Duzor, Andrea; Sabella, Mel

2013-03-01

Central to the recruitment of students into science teaching at a school like CSU, is a focus on the professional nature of teaching. The purpose of this focus is twofold: it serves to change student perceptions about teaching and it prepares students to become teachers who value continued professional development and value the science education research literature. The Noyce and PhysTEC programs at CSU place the professional nature of teaching front and center by involving students in education research projects, paid internships, attendance at conferences, and participation in a new Teacher Immersion Institute and a Science Education Journal Reading Class. This poster will focus on specific components of our teacher preparation program that were developed through these two programs. In addition we will describe how these new components provide students with diverse experiences in the teaching of science to students in the urban school district. Supported by the NSF Noyce Program (0833251) and the APS PhysTEC Program.

Feedback control modeling of plasma position and current during intense heating in ISX-B

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charlton, L.A.; Swain, D.W.; Neilson, G.H.

1979-08-01

The ISX-B Tokamak at ORNL is designed to have 1.8 MW (and eventually 3 MW) of neutral beam power injected to heat the plasma. This power may raise the anti β of the plasma to over 5% in less than 50 msec if the plasma is MHD stable. The results of a numerical simulation of the feedback control system and poloidal coil power supplies necessary to control the resulting noncircular (D-shaped or elliptical) plasma are presented. The resulting feedback control system is shown to be straightforward, although nonlinear voltage-current dependence is assumed in the power supplies. The required power supplied to the poloidal coils in order to contain the plasma under the high heating rates is estimated

Impact of bumpiness control on edge plasma in a helical-axis heliotron device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mizuuchi, T.; Watanabe, S.; Fujikawa, S.; Okada, H.; Kobayashi, S.; Yabutani, H.; Nagasaki, K.; Nakamura, H.; Torii, Y.; Yamamoto, S.; Kaneko, M.; Arimoto, H.; Motojima, G.; Kitagawa, H.; Tsuji, T.; Uno, M.; Matsuoka, S.; Nosaku, M.; Watanabe, N.; Nakamura, Y.; Hanatani, K.; Kondo, K.; Sano, F.

2007-01-01

In the helical-axis heliotron configuration, bumpiness of the confinement field ε b is introduced to control the plasma transport. The plasma performance were experimentally investigated in Heliotron J for three configurations with ε b = 0.01, 0.06 and 0.15 at ρ = 2/3. The obtained volume-averaged stored energy depends on the configuration. To understand the observed difference in global energy confinement, the ε b -control effects on the edge plasma is discussed. For ε b = 0.01, the plasma density and temperature in the peripheral region is low compared to other cases. This poor plasma edge relates to the observed low stored energy or poor energy confinement for ε b = 0.01

Towards the conceptual design of the ITER real-time plasma control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winter, A.; Makijarvi, P.; Simrock, S.; Snipes, J.A.; Wallander, A.; Zabeo, L.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We describe the main control areas and interfaces for the ITER real-time plasma control system and the current state of their design. • An overview is given for the implementation strategy for the plasma control system as part of the ITER control, data access and communication system. • Current efforts on the creation of simulation and development tools are presented. - Abstract: ITER will be the world's largest magnetic confinement tokamak fusion device and is currently under construction in southern France. The ITER Plasma Control System (PCS) is a fundamental component of the ITER Control, Data Access and Communication system (CODAC). It will control the evolution of all plasma parameters that are necessary to operate ITER throughout all phases of the discharge. The design and implementation of the PCS poses a number of unique challenges. The timescales of phenomena to be controlled spans three orders of magnitude, ranging from a few milliseconds to seconds. Novel control schemes, which have not been implemented at present-day machines need to be developed, and control schemes that are only done as demonstration experiments today will have to become routine. In addition, advances in computing technology and available physics models make the implementation of real-time or faster-than-real-time predictive calculations to forecast and subsequently to avoid disruptions or undesired plasma regimes feasible. This requires the PCS design to be adaptable in real-time to the results of these forecasting algorithms. A further novel feature is a sophisticated event handling system, which provides a means to deal with plasma related events (such as MHD instabilities or L-H transitions) or component failure. Finally, the schedule for design and implementation poses another challenge. The beginning of ITER operation will be in late 2020, but the conceptual design activity of the PCS has already commenced as required by the on-going development of

Framework of the parametric instabilities in the presence of space-time fluctuations in homogeneous and inhomogeneous plasma. II. Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, L.

1989-01-01

Based on the formalism developed in another paper [Phys. Fluids 31, 3362 (1988)], three analytical results are obtained relating to (1) a WKB type of equation in inhomogeneous plasma, (2) the Raman process at (1/4) n/sub c/, and (3) two plasma decay processes at (1/4) n/sub c/. Interesting scaling results are found

Control and metrology of high harmonic generation on plasma mirrors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monchoce, Sylvain

2014-01-01

When an ultra intense femtosecond laser with high contrast is focused on a solid target, the laser field at focus is sufficient enough to completely ionize the target surface during the rising edge of the laser pulse and form a plasma. This dense plasma entirely reflects the incident beam in the specular direction: this is a so-called plasma mirror. As the interaction between the laser and the plasma mirror is highly non-linear, it thus leads to the high harmonic generation (HHG) in the reflected beam. In the temporal domain, this harmonic spectrum is associated to a train of atto-second pulses. The aim of my PhD were to experimentally control this HHG and to measure the properties of the harmonics. We first studied the optimization of the harmonic signal, and then the spatial characterization of the harmonic beam in the far-field (harmonic divergence). These characterizations are not only important to develop an intense XUV/atto-second light source, but also to get a better understanding of the laser-matter interaction at very high intensity. We have thus been able to get crucial information of the electrons and ions dynamics of the plasma, showing that the harmonics can also be used as a diagnostic of the laser-plasma interaction. We then developed a new general approach for optically-controlled spatial structuring of overdense plasmas generated at the surface of initially plain solid targets. We demonstrate it experimentally by creating sinusoidal plasma gratings of adjustable spatial periodicity and depth, and study the interaction of these transient structures with an ultra-intense laser pulse to establish their usability at relativistically high intensities. We then show how these gratings can be used as a 'spatial ruler' to determine the source size of the high-order harmonic beams produced at the surface of an overdense plasma. These results open new directions both for the metrology of laser-plasma interactions and the emerging field of ultrahigh

Status of the new WEST plasma control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ravene, Nathalie; Nouailletas, Rémy; Signoret, Jacqueline; Guillerminet, Bernard; Treutterrer, Wolfgang; Spring, Anett; Masand, Harish; Dhongde, Jasraj; Bhandarkar, Manisha; Rapson, Chris; Laqua, Heike; Lewerentz, Marc; Moreau, Philippe; Brémond, Sylvain; Allegretti, Ludovic; Raupp, Gerhard; Werner, Andreas; Laurent, François Saint; Nardon, Eric

2016-01-01

The WEST (W – for Tungsten – Environment in Steady state Tokamak) project is aiming at minimizing technology and operational risks of a full tungsten actively cooled divertor on ITER. It was started in 2013 and consists in transforming the Tore Supra tokamak into an X point divertor device, while taking advantage of its long discharge capability. To operate the next coming operations of WEST, new controllers are required. These developments are an opportunity to develop a new Plasma Control System (PCS) architecture featuring build-in real time handling of both plasma and plants events, thus addressing key ITER needs. The Tore Supra PCS will be refurbished including a new Pulse Schedule Editor (PSE). The main idea is to use a time segmented approach to describe the pulse schedule with a full integration of event handling both on PCS and PSE. Further to detailed requirement specifications and architecture design, two software tools were selected to define and execute a whole plasma discharge defined as a set of time segments. The PCS real-time framework (RTF) is based on an upgraded version of the AUG framework, called DCS (Discharge Control System). The PSE is the Xedit application used on WEGA and under further development for W7-X facility. This paper reports on the status of the new WEST PCS developments. The on-going developments to adapt DCS to the Tore Supra Control infrastructure networks (new real-time network, chronology system and pulse supervision) will be reported. The required preparations for the use of Xedit will be presented, mainly the appropriate formal description of the WEST control system and the implementation of the mapping between the Xedit experiment configuration and DCS configuration files.

Status of the new WEST plasma control system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ravene, Nathalie, E-mail: nathalie.ravenel@gmail.com [IRFM, CEA, F-13108 Saint Paul lez Durance (France); Nouailletas, Rémy; Signoret, Jacqueline; Guillerminet, Bernard [IRFM, CEA, F-13108 Saint Paul lez Durance (France); Treutterrer, Wolfgang [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Boltzmannstraße 2, 85748 Garching (Germany); Spring, Anett [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Teilinstitut Greifswald, Wendelsteinstraße 1, D-17491 Greifswald (Germany); Masand, Harish; Dhongde, Jasraj; Bhandarkar, Manisha [Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Near Indira Bridge, Bhat, Gandhinagar, 382 428 Gujarat (India); Rapson, Chris [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Boltzmannstraße 2, 85748 Garching (Germany); Laqua, Heike; Lewerentz, Marc [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Teilinstitut Greifswald, Wendelsteinstraße 1, D-17491 Greifswald (Germany); Moreau, Philippe; Brémond, Sylvain; Allegretti, Ludovic [IRFM, CEA, F-13108 Saint Paul lez Durance (France); Raupp, Gerhard [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Boltzmannstraße 2, 85748 Garching (Germany); Werner, Andreas [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Teilinstitut Greifswald, Wendelsteinstraße 1, D-17491 Greifswald (Germany); Laurent, François Saint; Nardon, Eric [IRFM, CEA, F-13108 Saint Paul lez Durance (France)

2016-11-15

The WEST (W – for Tungsten – Environment in Steady state Tokamak) project is aiming at minimizing technology and operational risks of a full tungsten actively cooled divertor on ITER. It was started in 2013 and consists in transforming the Tore Supra tokamak into an X point divertor device, while taking advantage of its long discharge capability. To operate the next coming operations of WEST, new controllers are required. These developments are an opportunity to develop a new Plasma Control System (PCS) architecture featuring build-in real time handling of both plasma and plants events, thus addressing key ITER needs. The Tore Supra PCS will be refurbished including a new Pulse Schedule Editor (PSE). The main idea is to use a time segmented approach to describe the pulse schedule with a full integration of event handling both on PCS and PSE. Further to detailed requirement specifications and architecture design, two software tools were selected to define and execute a whole plasma discharge defined as a set of time segments. The PCS real-time framework (RTF) is based on an upgraded version of the AUG framework, called DCS (Discharge Control System). The PSE is the Xedit application used on WEGA and under further development for W7-X facility. This paper reports on the status of the new WEST PCS developments. The on-going developments to adapt DCS to the Tore Supra Control infrastructure networks (new real-time network, chronology system and pulse supervision) will be reported. The required preparations for the use of Xedit will be presented, mainly the appropriate formal description of the WEST control system and the implementation of the mapping between the Xedit experiment configuration and DCS configuration files.

Experimental and neoclassical electron heat transport in the LMFP regime for the stellarators W7-A, L-2, and W7-AS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maassberg, H.; Burhenn, R.; Gasparino, U.; Kuehner, G.; Ringler, H.; Dyabilin, K.S.

1993-01-01

The electron energy balance is analyzed for equivalent low-density electron cyclotron resonance heated (ECRH) discharges with highly peaked central power deposition in the stellarators W7-A [Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 28, 43 (1986)], L-2 [Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research, Berchtesgaden, 1976 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1977), Vol. 2, p. 115] and W7-AS [Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research, Baltimore, 1982 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1983), Vol. 3, p. 141]. Within the long mean-free path (LMFP) collisionality regime in stellarators, the neoclassical electron heat diffusivity χ e can overcome the ''anomalous'' one. The neoclassical transport coefficients are calculated by the DKES code (Drift Kinetic Equation Solver) [Phys. Fluids 29, 2951 (1986); Phys. Fluids B 1, 563 (1989)] for these configurations, and the particle and energy fluxes are estimated based on measured density and temperature profiles

Confinement control mechanism for two-electron Hulthen quantum dots in plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Bahar, M. K.; Soylu, A.

2018-05-01

In this study, for the first time, the energies of two-electron Hulthen quantum dots (TEHQdots) embedded in Debye and quantum plasmas modeled by the more general exponential cosine screened Coulomb (MGECSC) potential under the combined influence of electric and magnetic fields are investigated by numerically solving the Schrödinger equation using the asymptotic iteration method. To do this, the four different forms of the MGECSC potential, which set through the different cases of the potential parameters, are taken into consideration. We propose that plasma environments form considerable quantum mechanical effects for quantum dots and other atomic systems and that plasmas are important experimental arguments. In this study, by considering the quantum dot parameters, the external field parameters, and the plasma screening parameters, a control mechanism of the confinement on energies of TEHQdots and the frequency of the radiation emitted by TEHQdots as a result of any excitation is discussed. In this mechanism, the behaviors, similarities, the functionalities of the control parameters, and the influences of plasmas on these quantities are explored.

The relative importance of fluid and kinetic frequency shifts of an electron plasma wave

Science.gov (United States)

Winjum, B. J.; Fahlen, J.; Mori, W. B.

2007-10-01

The total nonlinear frequency shift of a plasma wave including both fluid and kinetic effects is estimated when the phase velocity of the wave is much less than the speed of light. Using a waterbag or fluid model, the nonlinear frequency shift due to harmonic generation is calculated for an arbitrary shift in the wavenumber. In the limit where the wavenumber does not shift, the result is in agreement with previously published work [R. L. Dewar and J. Lindl, Phys. Fluids 15, 820 (1972); T. P. Coffey, Phys. Fluids 14, 1402 (1971)]. This shift is compared to the kinetic shift of Morales and O'Neil [G. J. Morales and T. M. O'Neil, Phys. Rev. Lett. 28, 417 (1972)] for wave amplitudes and values of kλD of interest to Raman backscatter of a laser driver in inertial confinement fusion.

A microfluidic chip for blood plasma separation using electro-osmotic flow control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Hai; Weng, Xuan; Chon, Chan Hee; Wu, Xudong; Li, Dongqing

2011-01-01

In this paper, a microfluidic-based chip with two straight microchannels and five branch microchannels was designed and tested to separate blood plasma from a small sample of fresh human blood. The electro-osmotic flow method was used to control the separation of blood plasma. Blood cell removal and blood plasma extraction were realized in experiments. The efficiency of extracting blood plasma can be as high as 26%

Real time determination and control of the plasma localisation and internal inductance in Tore Supra

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saint-Laurent, F. E-mail: stlauren@drfc.cad.cea.fr; Martin, G

2001-10-01

The study of long-duration high-power discharges need an efficient real time control of the plasma parameters, especially the plasma position when RF heating systems are used. On Tore Supra, recent improvements have been carried out (i) for the poloidal interpolation and the radial extrapolation of the magnetic measurements, (ii) for a better feedback matrix converting the radial errors of the plasma position to voltage values for the poloidal generators, and (iii) for a very fast solution to find the plasma parameters from the knowledge of its surface. The plasma edge localisation is now controlled with a precision better than 1 cm and controlled within a few millimetres uncertainty for several tenths of seconds. Moreover, for advanced tokamak scenarios, a precise real time determination of safety factor, poloidal beta, internal inductance, Shafranov shift as well as the online computation of the electron density and current density profiles are now available on Tore Supra. These quantities compare well with results from batch calculations using an equilibrium code. To fulfil the new requirements of plasma control for the CIEL project, a local control of the plasma edge position and curvature is planned for the near future.

Statistical analysis of trace metals in the plasma of cancer patients versus controls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pasha, Qaisara; Malik, Salman A.; Shah, Munir H.

2008-01-01

The plasma of cancer patients (n = 112) and controls (n = 118) were analysed for selected trace metals (Al, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sr and Zn) by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. In the plasma of cancer patients, mean concentrations of macronutrients/essential metals, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe and Zn were 3971, 178, 44.1, 7.59, 4.38 and 3.90 ppm, respectively, while the mean metal levels in the plasma of controls were 3844, 151, 74.2, 18.0, 6.60 and 2.50 ppm, respectively. Average concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sr and Zn were noted to be significantly higher in the plasma of cancer patients compared with controls. Very strong mutual correlations (r > 0.70) in the plasma of cancer patients were observed between Fe-Mn, Ca-Mn, Ca-Ni, Ca-Co, Cd-Pb, Co-Ni, Mn-Ni, Mn-Zn, Cr-Li, Ca-Zn and Fe-Ni, whereas, Ca-Mn, Ca-Mg, Fe-Zn, Ca-Zn, Mg-Mn, Mg-Zn, Cd-Sb, Cd-Co, Cd-Zn, Co-Sb and Sb-Zn exhibited strong relationships (r > 0.50) in the plasma of controls, all were significant at p < 0.01. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the data extracted five PCs, both for cancer patients and controls, but with considerably different loadings. The average metals levels in male and female donors of the two groups were also evaluated and in addition, the general role of trace metals in the carcinogenesis was discussed. The study indicated appreciably different pattern of metal distribution and mutual relationships in the plasma of cancer patients in comparison with controls

Statistical analysis of trace metals in the plasma of cancer patients versus controls

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pasha, Qaisara; Malik, Salman A. [Department of Biochemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320 (Pakistan); Shah, Munir H. [Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320 (Pakistan)], E-mail: munir_qau@yahoo.com

2008-05-30

The plasma of cancer patients (n = 112) and controls (n = 118) were analysed for selected trace metals (Al, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sr and Zn) by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. In the plasma of cancer patients, mean concentrations of macronutrients/essential metals, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe and Zn were 3971, 178, 44.1, 7.59, 4.38 and 3.90 ppm, respectively, while the mean metal levels in the plasma of controls were 3844, 151, 74.2, 18.0, 6.60 and 2.50 ppm, respectively. Average concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sr and Zn were noted to be significantly higher in the plasma of cancer patients compared with controls. Very strong mutual correlations (r > 0.70) in the plasma of cancer patients were observed between Fe-Mn, Ca-Mn, Ca-Ni, Ca-Co, Cd-Pb, Co-Ni, Mn-Ni, Mn-Zn, Cr-Li, Ca-Zn and Fe-Ni, whereas, Ca-Mn, Ca-Mg, Fe-Zn, Ca-Zn, Mg-Mn, Mg-Zn, Cd-Sb, Cd-Co, Cd-Zn, Co-Sb and Sb-Zn exhibited strong relationships (r > 0.50) in the plasma of controls, all were significant at p < 0.01. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the data extracted five PCs, both for cancer patients and controls, but with considerably different loadings. The average metals levels in male and female donors of the two groups were also evaluated and in addition, the general role of trace metals in the carcinogenesis was discussed. The study indicated appreciably different pattern of metal distribution and mutual relationships in the plasma of cancer patients in comparison with controls.

Controlled gas-liquid interfacial plasmas for synthesis of nano-bio-carbon conjugate materials

Science.gov (United States)

Kaneko, Toshiro; Hatakeyama, Rikizo

2018-01-01

Plasmas generated in contact with a liquid have been recognized to be a novel reactive field in nano-bio-carbon conjugate creation because several new chemical reactions have been yielded at the gas-liquid interface, which were induced by the physical dynamics of non-equilibrium plasmas. One is the ion irradiation to a liquid, which caused the spatially selective dissociation of the liquid and the generation of additive reducing and oxidizing agents, resulting in the spatially controlled synthesis of nanostructures. The other is the electron irradiation to a liquid, which directly enhanced the reduction action at the plasma-liquid interface, resulting in temporally controlled nanomaterial synthesis. Using this novel reaction field, gold nanoparticles with controlled interparticle distance were synthesized using carbon nanotubes as a template. Furthermore, nanoparticle-biomolecule conjugates and nanocarbon-biomolecule conjugates were successfully synthesized by an aqueous-solution contact plasma and an electrolyte plasma, respectively, which were rapid and low-damage processes suitable for nano-bio-carbon conjugate materials.

Control of radial propagation and polarity in a plasma jet in surrounding Ar

KAUST Repository

Gong, W.

2018-01-08

In recent years, the use of shielding gas to prevent the diffusion of the ambient air, particularly oxygen and nitrogen species, into the effluent of the atmospheric pressure plasma jet, and thus control the nature of chemical species used in the plasma treatment has increased. In this paper, the radial propagation of a plasma jet in ambient Ar is examined to find the key determinants of the polarity of plasma jets. The dynamics of the discharge reveal that the radial diffusion discharge is a special phenomenon observed only at the falling edge of the pulses. The radial transport of electrons, which is driven by the radial component of the applied electric field at the falling edge of the pulse, is shown to play an important role in increasing the seed electron density in the surrounding Ar. This result suggests a method to provide seed electrons at atmospheric pressure with a negative discharge. The polarity of the plasma jet is found to be determined by the pulse width rather than the polarity of the applied voltage, as it dictates the relative difference in the intensity of the two discharges in a single pulse, where the stronger discharge in a pulse dominates the behavior of the plasma jet. Accordingly, a method to control the polarity of a plasma jet through varying the pulse width is developed. Since plasma jets of different polarities differ remarkably in terms of their characteristics, the method to control the polarity reported in this paper will be of use for such applications as plasma-enhanced processing of materials and plasma biomedicine.

Control of radial propagation and polarity in a plasma jet in surrounding Ar

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, W.; Yue, Y.; Ma, F.; Yu, F.; Wan, J.; Nie, L.; Bazaka, K.; Xian, Y.; Lu, X.; Ostrikov, K.

2018-01-01

In recent years, the use of shielding gas to prevent the diffusion of the ambient air, particularly oxygen and nitrogen species, into the effluent of the atmospheric pressure plasma jet, and thus control the nature of chemical species used in the plasma treatment has increased. In this paper, the radial propagation of a plasma jet in ambient Ar is examined to find the key determinants of the polarity of plasma jets. The dynamics of the discharge reveal that the radial diffusion discharge is a special phenomenon observed only at the falling edge of the pulses. The radial transport of electrons, which is driven by the radial component of the applied electric field at the falling edge of the pulse, is shown to play an important role in increasing the seed electron density in the surrounding Ar. This result suggests a method to provide seed electrons at atmospheric pressure with a negative discharge. The polarity of the plasma jet is found to be determined by the pulse width rather than the polarity of the applied voltage, as it dictates the relative difference in the intensity of the two discharges in a single pulse, where the stronger discharge in a pulse dominates the behavior of the plasma jet. Accordingly, a method to control the polarity of a plasma jet through varying the pulse width is developed. Since plasma jets of different polarities differ remarkably in terms of their characteristics, the method to control the polarity reported in this paper will be of use for such applications as plasma-enhanced processing of materials and plasma biomedicine.

Dynamics and feedback control of plasma equilibrium position in a tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burenko, O.

1983-01-01

A brief history of the beginnings of nuclear fusion research involving toroidal closed-system magnetic plasma containment is presented. A tokamak machine is defined mathematically for the purposes of plasma equilibrium position perturbation analysis. The perturbation equations of a tokamak plasma equilibrium position are developed. Solution of the approximated perturbation equations is carried out. A unique, simple, and useful plasma displacement dynamics transfer function of a tokamak is developed. The dominant time constants of the dynamics transfer function are determined in a symbolic form. This symbolic form of the dynamics transfer function makes it possible to study the stability of a tokamak's plasma equilibrium position. Knowledge of the dynamics transfer function permits systematic syntheses of the required plasma displacement feedback control systems

Interpreting Disruption Prediction Models to Improve Plasma Control

Science.gov (United States)

Parsons, Matthew

2017-10-01

In order for the tokamak to be a feasible design for a fusion reactor, it is necessary to minimize damage to the machine caused by plasma disruptions. Accurately predicting disruptions is a critical capability for triggering any mitigative actions, and a modest amount of attention has been given to efforts that employ machine learning techniques to make these predictions. By monitoring diagnostic signals during a discharge, such predictive models look for signs that the plasma is about to disrupt. Typically these predictive models are interpreted simply to give a `yes' or `no' response as to whether a disruption is approaching. However, it is possible to extract further information from these models to indicate which input signals are more strongly correlated with the plasma approaching a disruption. If highly accurate predictive models can be developed, this information could be used in plasma control schemes to make better decisions about disruption avoidance. This work was supported by a Grant from the 2016-2017 Fulbright U.S. Student Program, administered by the Franco-American Fulbright Commission in France.

Jet flow and premixed jet flame control by plasma swirler

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Gang, E-mail: ligang@iet.cn [Key laboratory of light duty gas turbine, Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Jiang, Xi [School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS (United Kingdom); Zhao, Yujun [School of Mechanism, Electronic and Control Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044 (China); Liu, Cunxi [Key laboratory of light duty gas turbine, Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Chen, Qi [School of Mechanism, Electronic and Control Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044 (China); Xu, Gang; Liu, Fuqiang [Key laboratory of light duty gas turbine, Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China)

2017-04-04

A swirler based on dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators is designed and its effectiveness in both jet flow and premixed jet flame control is demonstrated. In contrast to traditional spanwise-oriented actuators, plasma actuators are placed along the axial direction of the injector to induce a circumferential velocity to the main flow and create a swirl flow without any insertion or moving part. In the DBD plasma swirl injector, the discharge does not ignite the mixture nor does it induce flashback. Flame visualization is obtained by cameras while velocity profiles are obtained by Laser Doppler Anemometry measurements. The results obtained indicate the effectiveness of the new design. - Highlights: • The discharge does not ignite the mixture nor does it induce flashback. • The prominent advantage of this novel plasma swirler is its swirl number adjustable without any mechanical movement. • The frequency of the plasma swirler is adjustable. • The plasma swirler can be used as an oscillator to the reactants. • The plasma swirler can be used alone or combine with other traditional swirlers.

New achievements in the EAST plasma control system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yuan, Q.P., E-mail: qpyuan@ipp.ac.c [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); Xiao, B.J. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); Penaflor, B.G.; Piglowski, D.A. [General Atomics, DIII-D National Fusion Facility, San Diego, CA (United States); Liu, L.Z. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); Johnson, R.D.; Walker, M.L.; Humphreys, D.A. [General Atomics, DIII-D National Fusion Facility, San Diego, CA (United States)

2010-07-15

In order to realize the low latency and distortion-free signal transmission between the plasma control system (PCS) and servo systems, the digital output structure configured with reflective memory board (RFM) was adopted in EAST PCS. And the enhanced performances are reported. Another achievement made in the latest EAST PCS was the implementation of density control algorithm, which controlled the line average density in either voltage or width modulation mode. The new integrated algorithm improved the precision of density calculation and control performance greatly. The details and experiment results are presented in this paper.

Control method for thermonuclear plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azuma, Kingo; Oda, Yasushi.

1997-01-01

CT (Compact Troid) is a doughnut-like shaped plasmas having a toroidal current and a poloidal current at the inside and forming a poloidal magnetic fluxes and toroidal magnetic flux. The structure of the CT is collapsed at a time of stationary state, accordingly, when it is injected to thermonuclear plasmas, particles can be supplied locally, and the state of the plasmas to be supplied can be changed by changing the direction of the injection. If a CT which is reverse to the poloidal magnetic fields is injected, plasmas with excessive ions can be supplied locally thereby enabling to form magnetic field in the thermonuclear plasmas. If the magnetic fields are formed in the vicinity of the surface of the thermonuclear plasmas, fast ions which have come over the magnetic field structure can be returned to the central portion of the plasmas. Then, confining performance of thermonuclear plasmas can be greatly improved, the efficiency for fuel supply can be increased, and energy required for ignition can be suppressed. (N.H.)

Laser induced plasma methodology for ignition control in direct injection sprays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pastor, José V.; García-Oliver, José M.; García, Antonio; Pinotti, Mattia

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Laser Induced Plasma Ignition system is designed and applied to a Diesel Spray. • A method for quantification of the system effectiveness and reliability is proposed. • The ignition system is optimized in atmospheric and engine-like conditions. • Higher system effectiveness is reached with higher ambient density. • The system is able to stabilize Diesel combustion compared to auto-ignition cases. - Abstract: New combustion modes for internal combustion engines represent one of the main fields of investigation for emissions control in transportation Industry. However, the implementation of lean fuel mixture condition and low temperature combustion in real engines is limited by different unsolved practical issues. To achieve an appropriate combustion phasing and cycle-to-cycle control of the process, the laser plasma ignition system arises as a valid alternative to the traditional electrical spark ignition system. This paper proposes a methodology to set-up and optimize a laser induced plasma ignition system that allows ensuring reliability through the quantification of the system effectiveness in the plasma generation and positional stability, in order to reach optimal ignition performance. For this purpose, experimental tests have been carried out in an optical test rig. At first the system has been optimized in an atmospheric environment, based on the statistical analysis of the plasma records taken with a high speed camera to evaluate the induction effectiveness and consequently regulate and control the system settings. The same optimization method has then been applied under engine-like conditions, analyzing the effect of thermodynamic ambient conditions on the plasma induction success and repeatability, which have shown to depend mainly on ambient density. Once optimized for selected engine conditions, the laser plasma induction system has been used to ignite a direct injection Diesel spray, and to compare the evolution of combustion

Comment on 'The equations for electronegative plasmas are not singular at the plasma centre at low pressures' by R N Franklin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lampe, Martin; Manheimer, Wallace M; Fernsler, Richard F; Slinker, Steven P; Joyce, Glenn

2006-01-01

Franklin's criticism (Franklin R N 2005 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 38 2790) of our previous paper (Lampe M et al 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 15-26) is based on three arguments: (1) that the limit of weak attachment is equivalent to low pressure, where our model is inappropriate; (2) that our use of the T n → 0 limit is inappropriate; (3) that the negative ion density n n is never singular at the centre. We point out that the weak attachment limit also corresponds (at high pressure) to low fraction of attaching gas, give conditions for the T n → 0 limit and discuss its consequences, and reiterate that we never argued that n n (0) is infinite, but rather discussed a quite different type of singularity. This correspondence is now closed. (comment)

Ignition and burn control in tokamak plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borrass, K.; Gruber, O.; Lackner, K.; Minardi, E.; Neuhauser, J.; Wilhelm, R.; Wunderlich, R.; Bromberg, L.; Cohn, D.R.

1981-01-01

Different schemes for the control of the thermal instability in an ignited fusion reactor are analysed by zero- and one-dimensional models. Passive stabilization methods considered are ripple-enhanced ion heat conduction, the effect of the major-radius variation of the plasma column in a time-independent vertical field, and the combination of both effects, including the spatial variation of the toroidal-ripple amplitude. Active control methods analysed are high-Q-driven operation and feedback-controlled major-radius variation following different scenarios. One-dimensional analyses taking into account only conductive losses show the existence of a single unstable mode in the energy balance, justifying, under these assumptions, the study of only global control. (author)

Theoretical investigation of phase-controlled bias effect in capacitively coupled plasma discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Deuk-Chul; Yoon, Jung-Sik

2011-01-01

We theoretically investigated the effect of phase difference between powered electrodes in capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) discharges. Previous experimental result has shown that the plasma potential could be controlled by using a phase-shift controller in CCP discharges. In this work, based on the previously developed radio frequency sheath models, we developed a circuit model to self-consistently determine the bias voltage from the plasma parameters. Results show that the present theoretical model explains the experimental results quite well and there is an optimum value of the phase difference for which the V dc /V pp ratio becomes a minimum.

Comment on: Measurement of the force exerted on the surface of an object immersed in a plasma. Eur. Phys. J. D 69: 91 (2015), DOI: 10.1140/epjd/e2015-50743-2

Science.gov (United States)

Czarnetzki, Uwe; Tsankov, Tsanko V.

2015-10-01

Surfaces exposed to a plasma experience a certain pressure that pushes them away from the volume. This effect has been investigated experimentally in a recent article by Thomas Trottenberg, Thomas Richter, and Holger Kersten from Kiel University/Germany [Eur. Phys. J. D 69, 91 (2015)]. The experimental results are impressive and have actually drawn the attention of the community to an interesting question which so far has been largely ignored. In addition to their experimental results the Kiel group proposes also a rough concept in order to explain their findings which provides certainly a basic qualitative understanding of the physical processes involved. However, on a closer inspection the picture developed so far is not entirely satisfying and the problem seems to require a more fundamental approach. This comment shows that the effect of the wall pressure can be described exactly using only analytical methods. The physical situation is analyzed by three different approaches. First, the simple case of only one spatial dimension is presented in detail. Second, the case of spherical symmetry is analyzed by some simplifying assumptions in order to investigate the effect of higher dimensionality. Third, a formal derivation for arbitrary geometry is given. This general result includes the one-dimensional case but does not allow a convenient connection between the pressures at the wall and in the center. Finally, the results are summarized and some conclusions are drawn.

Emergent kink stability of a magnetized plasma jet injected into a transverse background magnetic field

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yue; Gilmore, Mark; Hsu, Scott C.; Fisher, Dustin M.; Lynn, Alan G.

2017-11-01

We report experimental results on the injection of a magnetized plasma jet into a transverse background magnetic field in the HelCat linear plasma device at the University of New Mexico [M. Gilmore et al., J. Plasma Phys. 81(1), 345810104 (2015)]. After the plasma jet leaves the plasma-gun muzzle, a tension force arising from an increasing curvature of the background magnetic field induces in the jet a sheared axial-flow gradient above the theoretical kink-stabilization threshold. We observe that this emergent sheared axial flow stabilizes the n = 1 kink mode in the jet, whereas a kink instability is observed in the jet when there is no background magnetic field present.

Plasma physics and controlled nuclear fusion research 1988. V.3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

Volume 3 of the proceedings of the twelfth international conference on plasma physics and controlled nuclear fusion, held in Nice, France, 12-19 October, 1988, contains papers presented on inertial fusion. Direct and indirect laser implosion experiments, programs of laser construction, computer modelling of implosions and resulting plasmas, and light ion beam fusion experiments are discussed. Refs, figs and tabs

Alushta-2012. International Conference-School on Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion and the Adjoint Workshop 'Nano-and micro-sized structures in plasmas'. Book of Abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makhlaj, V.A.

2012-01-01

The Conference was devoted to a new valuable information about the present status of plasma physics and controlled fusion research. The main topics was : magnetic confinement systems; plasma heating and current drive; ITER and fusion reactor aspects; basic plasma physics; space plasma; plasma dynamics and plasma-wall interaction; plasma electronics; low temperature plasma and plasma technologies; plasma diagnostics; formation of nano-and micro-sized structures in plasmas; properties of plasmas with nano- and micro- objects

Bifurcated equilibria in centrifugally confined plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shamim, I.; Teodorescu, C.; Guzdar, P. N.; Hassam, A. B.; Clary, R.; Ellis, R.; Lunsford, R.

2008-01-01

A bifurcation theory and associated computational model are developed to account for abrupt transitions observed recently on the Maryland Centrifugal eXperiment (MCX) [R. F. Ellis et al. Phys. Plasmas 8, 2057 (2001)], a supersonically rotating magnetized plasma that relies on centrifugal forces to prevent thermal expansion of plasma along the magnetic field. The observed transitions are from a well-confined, high-rotation state (HR-mode) to a lower-rotation, lesser-confined state (O-mode). A two-dimensional time-dependent magnetohydrodynamics code is used to simulate the dynamical equilibrium states of the MCX configuration. In addition to the expected viscous drag on the core plasma rotation, a momentum loss term is added that models the friction of plasma on the enhanced level of neutrals expected in the vicinity of the insulators at the throats of the magnetic mirror geometry. At small values of the external rotation drive, the plasma is not well-centrifugally confined and hence experiences the drag from near the insulators. Beyond a critical value of the external drive, the system makes an abrupt transition to a well-centrifugally confined state in which the plasma has pulled away from the end insulator plates; more effective centrifugal confinement lowers the plasma mass near the insulators allowing runaway increases in the rotation speed. The well-confined steady state is reached when the external drive is balanced by only the viscosity of the core plasma. A clear hysteresis phenomenon is shown.

Software development for the PBX-M plasma control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lagin, L.; Bell, R.; Chu, J.; Hatcher, R.; Hirsch, J.; Okabayashi, M.; Sichta, P.

1995-01-01

This paper describes the software development effort for the PBX-M plasma control system. The algorithms being developed for the system will serve to test advanced control concepts for TPX and ITER. This will include real-time algorithms for shaping control, vertical position control, current and density profile control and MHD avoidance. The control system consists of an interactive Host Processor (SPARC-10) interfaced through VME with four real-time Computer Processors (i860) which run at a maximum computational speed of 320 MFLOPs. Plasma shaping programs are being tested to duplicate the present PBX-M analog control system. Advanced algorithms for vertical control and x-point control will then be developed. Interactive graphical user interface programs running on the Host Processor will allow operators to control and monitor shot parameters. A waveform edit program will be used to download pre-programmed waveforms into the Compute Processor memory. Post-shot display programs will be used to interactively display data after the shot. Automatic pre-shot arming and data acquisition programs will run on the Host Processor. Event system programs will process interrupts and activate programs on the Host and Compute Processors. These programs are being written in C and Fortran and use system service routines to communicate with the Compute Processors and its memory. IDL and IDL widgets are being used to build the graphical user interfaces

Feasibility studies on plasma vertical position control by ex-vessel coils in ITER-like tokamak fusion reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishio, Satoshi; Sugihara, Masayoshi; Shimomura, Yasuo

1993-01-01

Feasibility of the plasma vertical position control by control coils installed outside the vacuum vessel (ex-vessel) in a tokamak fusion reactor is examined for an ITER-like device. When a pair of ex-vessel control coils is made of normal conductor material and located near the outmost superconducting (SC) poloidal field (PF) coils, the applied voltage of several hundred volts on the control coils is the maximum allowable value which is limited by the maximum allowable induced voltage and eddy current heating on the SC PF coils, under the conditions that the SC PF coils are connected in series and a partitioning connection is employed for each of these PF coils. A proportional and derivative (PD) controller with and without voltage limitation has been employed to examine the feasibility. Indices of settling time and overshoot are introduced to measure the controllability of the control system. Based on these control schemes and indices, higher elongation (κ=2) and moderate elongation (κ=1.6) plasmas are examined for normal and deteriorated (low beta value and peaked current profile) plasma conditions within the restriction of applied voltage and current of control coils. The effect of the time constant of the passive stabilizer is also examined. The major results are: (1) A plasma with an elongation of 2.0 inevitably requires a passive stabilizer close to the plasma surface, (2) in case of a higher elongation than κ=2, even the ex-vessel control coil system is marginally controllable under normal plasma conditions, while it is difficult to control the deteriorated plasma conditions, (3) the time constant of the passive stabilizer is not an essential parameter for the controllability, (4) when the elongation is reduced down to 1.6, the ex-vessel control coil system can control the plasma even under deteriorated plasma conditions. (orig.)

Experimental Investigation on Airfoil Shock Control by Plasma Aerodynamic Actuation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Quan; Cheng Bangqin; Li Yinghong; Cui Wei; Jin Di; Li Jun

2013-01-01

An experimental investigation on airfoil (NACA64—215) shock control is performed by plasma aerodynamic actuation in a supersonic tunnel (Ma = 2). The results of schlieren and pressure measurement show that when plasma aerodynamic actuation is applied, the position moves forward and the intensity of shock at the head of the airfoil weakens. With the increase in actuating voltage, the total pressure measured at the head of the airfoil increases, which means that the shock intensity decreases and the control effect increases. The best actuation effect is caused by upwind-direction actuation with a magnetic field, and then downwind-direction actuation with a magnetic field, while the control effect of aerodynamic actuation without a magnetic field is the most inconspicuous. The mean intensity of the normal shock at the head of the airfoil is relatively decreased by 16.33%, and the normal shock intensity is relatively reduced by 27.5% when 1000 V actuating voltage and upwind-direction actuation are applied with a magnetic field. This paper theoretically analyzes the Joule heating effect generated by DC discharge and the Lorentz force effect caused by the magnetic field. The discharge characteristics are compared for all kinds of actuation conditions to reveal the mechanism of shock control by plasma aerodynamic actuation

The analysis of senior high school students' physics HOTS in Bantul District measured using PhysReMChoTHOTS

Science.gov (United States)

Istiyono, Edi

2017-08-01

The purpose of this research is to describe the results of higher order thinking skills in physics (PhysHOTS) measurement including: (1) percentage of PhysHOTS level and (2) percentage of the domination of response in the category of students in each analyzing, evaluating, and creating skill. There were 404 10th grade students in Bantul District as the respondents of this research. The instrument used for measurement was PhysReMChoTHOTS. It was divided into two sets consisting of 44 items and including 8 anchor items stated valid by a Physicist, Physics Education Expert, and Physics Education Measurement Expert. The instrument was fit to PCM. The reliability coefficient of this test is 0.71, while the difficulty index of the items ranges from -0.61 to 0.51. The results of the measurement show that: (1) The percentage of each category of PhysHOTS for the 10th grade students in Bantul District for the very low, low, medium, high, and very high category is 4.75 %, 40.30 %, 33.45 %, 19.50 %, and 2.00 %, respectively; and (2) The order in analyzing skills, starts from the weakest, is attributing, differentiating and organizing. The order in evaluating skills, starts from the weakest, is critiquing and checking. Meanwhile, the order in creating skills, starts from the weakest, is producing, planning, and generating.

National Spherical Torus Experiment Real Time Plasma Control Data Acquisition Hardware

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

R.J. Marsala; J. Schneider

2002-01-01

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) is currently providing researchers data on low aspect-ratio toroidal plasmas. NSTX's Plasma Control System adjusts the firing angles of thyristor rectifier power supplies, in real time, to control plasma position, shape and density. A Data Acquisition system comprised of off-the-shelf and custom hardware provides the magnetic diagnostics data required in calculating firing angles. This VERSAmodule Eurocard (VME) bus-based system utilizes Front Panel Data Port (FPDP) for high-speed data transfer. Data coming from physically different locations is referenced to several different ground potentials necessitating the need for a custom FPDP multiplexer. This paper discusses the data acquisition system configuration, the in-house designed 4-to-1 FPDP Input Multiplexing Module (FIMM), and future expansion plans

Modeling and control of plasma rotation for NSTX using neoclassical toroidal viscosity and neutral beam injection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goumiri, I. R. [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States). Mechanical and Aerospace Dept.; Rowley, C. W. [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States). Mechanical and Aerospace Dept.; Sabbagh, S. A. [Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States). Dept. of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics; Gates, D. A. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Gerhardt, S. P. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Boyer, M. D. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Andre, R. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Kolemen, E. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Taira, K. [Florida State Univ, Dept Mech Engn, Tallahassee, FL USA.

2016-02-19

A model-based feedback system is presented to control plasma rotation in a magnetically confined toroidal fusion device, to maintain plasma stability for long-pulse operation. This research uses experimental measurements from the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) and is aimed at controlling plasma rotation using two different types of actuation: momentum from injected neutral beams and neoclassical toroidal viscosity generated by three-dimensional applied magnetic fields. Based on the data-driven model obtained, a feedback controller is designed, and predictive simulations using the TRANSP plasma transport code show that the controller is able to attain desired plasma rotation profiles given practical constraints on the actuators and the available measurements of rotation.

Electron distribution function in laser heated plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fourkal, E.; Bychenkov, V. Yu.; Rozmus, W.; Sydora, R.; Kirkby, C.; Capjack, C. E.; Glenzer, S. H.; Baldis, H. A.

2001-01-01

A new electron distribution function has been found in laser heated homogeneous plasmas by an analytical solution to the kinetic equation and by particle simulations. The basic kinetic model describes inverse bremsstrahlung absorption and electron--electron collisions. The non-Maxwellian distribution function is comprised of a super-Gaussian bulk of slow electrons and a Maxwellian tail of energetic particles. The tails are heated due to electron--electron collisions and energy redistribution between superthermal particles and light absorbing slow electrons from the bulk of the distribution function. A practical fit is proposed to the new electron distribution function. Changes to the linear Landau damping of electron plasma waves are discussed. The first evidence for the existence of non-Maxwellian distribution functions has been found in the interpretation, which includes the new distribution function, of the Thomson scattering spectra in gold plasmas [Glenzer , Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 97 (1999)

Plasma Antenna Based on Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Papadopoulos, K.

2017-12-01

A novel plasma antenna for space or ground based generation and injection of whistler and Alfven waves is presented. The new antenna concept is based on recently manufactured, small (10-60 nm radius), single domain, non-interacting magnetic grains with uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, known as superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SPN), dispersed in low viscosity, non-conducting media. SPNs can be described as ensembles of non-interacting magnetic moments μ with energy E=-μB when driven by a magnetic field B, similar to ordinary paramagnets, with exception that SPNs are composed by many thousands of magnetic atoms and as result have susceptibilities comparable to ferromagnets but with zero coercivity. The Langevin function accurately describes the dynamic behavior of the magnetization in the presence of low frequency AC fields since the characteristic mechanical (Brownian) and magnetic (Neel) relaxation times are shorter than 10msecs. For ground-based applications the grains are suspended in low viscosity carrier liquids, such as water or benzne and are known as ferrofluids. For space based applications, such as wave injection from CubeSats they can be dispersed as dust in vacuum containers. Agglomeration is avoided by coating the grains by coating their surface by an appropriate surfactant molecule. The ensemble of magnetic grains is driven to rotation at the desired VLF or ELF frequency by a pair of Helmholtz like coils surrounding the grain container. The near field electric field associated with rotating magnetic field then drives currents such as were observed in Rotating Magnetic Field experiments at the UCLA/LAPD chamber [Gigliotti et al., Phys. of Plasmas 16:092106; Karavaev et al., Phys. of Plasmas 17(1):012102,2010]. The magnetic moment of the AC coil is amplified by the susceptibility χ of the SPN ensemble that depending on the grain size and material can reach values of 104-105. Preliminary estimates indicate that less than 1 kg of SPN grains and power of

Numerical modeling of deflagration mode in coaxial plasma guns

Science.gov (United States)

Sitaraman, Hariswaran; Raja, Laxminarayan

2012-10-01

Pulsed coaxial plasma guns have been used in several applications in the field of space propulsion, nuclear fusion and materials processing. These devices operate in two modes based on the delay between gas injection and breakdown initiation. Larger delay led to the plasma detonation mode where a compression wave in the form of a luminous front propagates from the breech to the muzzle. Shorter delay led to the more efficient deflagration mode characterized by a relatively diffuse plasma with higher resistivity. The overall physics of the discharge in the two modes of operation and in particular the latter remain relatively unexplored. Here we perform a computational modeling study by solving the non-ideal Magneto-hydrodynamics equations for the quasi-neutral plasma in the coaxial plasma gun. A finite volume formulation on an unstructured mesh framework with an implicit scheme is used to do stable computations. The final work will present details of important species in the plasma, particle energies and Mach number at the muzzle. A comparison of the plasma parameters will be made with the experiments reported in ref. [1]. [4pt] [1] F. R. Poehlmann et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 123508 (2010)

The ITER Plasma Control System Simulation Platform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, M.L.; Ambrosino, G.; De Tommasi, G.; Humphreys, D.A.; Mattei, M.; Neu, G.; Rapson, C.J.; Raupp, G.; Treutterer, W.; Welander, A.S.; Winter, A.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A development and test environment called PCSSP has been constructed for the ITER PCS. • A description of requirements and use cases, a final design and software architecture design, users guide, and a prototype implementation have been delivered. • The prototype implementation was demonstrated at IO in December of 2013. • PCSSP will be deployed for alpha testing to the IO, the development group, and selected other ITER partners upon completion of the next development phase. - Abstract: The Plasma Control System Simulation Platform (PCSSP) is a highly flexible, modular, time-dependent simulation environment developed primarily to support development of the ITER Plasma Control System (PCS). It has been under development since 2011 and is scheduled for first release to users in the ITER Organization (IO) and at selected additional sites in 2015. Modules presently implemented in PCSSP enable exploration of axisymmetric evolution and control, basic kinetic control, and tearing mode suppression. A basic capability for generation of control-relevant events is included, enabling study of exception handling in the PCS, continuous controllers, and PCS architecture. While the control design focus of PCSSP applications tends to require only a moderate level of accuracy and complexity in modules, more complex codes can be embedded or connected to access higher accuracy if needed. This paper describes the background and motivation for PCSSP, provides an overview of the capabilities, architecture, and features of PCSSP, and discusses details of the PCSSP vision and its intended goals and application. Completed work, including architectural design, prototype implementation, reference documents, and IO demonstration of PCSSP, is summarized and example use of PCSSP is illustrated. Near-term high-level objectives are summarized and include preparation for release of an “alpha” version of PCSSP and preparation for the next development phase. High

The ITER Plasma Control System Simulation Platform

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walker, M.L., E-mail: walker@fusion.gat.com [General Atomics, PO Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186-5608 (United States); Ambrosino, G.; De Tommasi, G. [CREATE/Università di Napoli Federico II, Napoli (Italy); Humphreys, D.A. [General Atomics, PO Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186-5608 (United States); Mattei, M. [CREATE/Seconda Università di Napoli, Napoli (Italy); Neu, G.; Rapson, C.J.; Raupp, G.; Treutterer, W. [Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Boltzmannstr. 2, 85748 Garching (Germany); Welander, A.S. [General Atomics, PO Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186-5608 (United States); Winter, A. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon-sur-Verdon, 13115 St. Paul-lez-Durance (France)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • A development and test environment called PCSSP has been constructed for the ITER PCS. • A description of requirements and use cases, a final design and software architecture design, users guide, and a prototype implementation have been delivered. • The prototype implementation was demonstrated at IO in December of 2013. • PCSSP will be deployed for alpha testing to the IO, the development group, and selected other ITER partners upon completion of the next development phase. - Abstract: The Plasma Control System Simulation Platform (PCSSP) is a highly flexible, modular, time-dependent simulation environment developed primarily to support development of the ITER Plasma Control System (PCS). It has been under development since 2011 and is scheduled for first release to users in the ITER Organization (IO) and at selected additional sites in 2015. Modules presently implemented in PCSSP enable exploration of axisymmetric evolution and control, basic kinetic control, and tearing mode suppression. A basic capability for generation of control-relevant events is included, enabling study of exception handling in the PCS, continuous controllers, and PCS architecture. While the control design focus of PCSSP applications tends to require only a moderate level of accuracy and complexity in modules, more complex codes can be embedded or connected to access higher accuracy if needed. This paper describes the background and motivation for PCSSP, provides an overview of the capabilities, architecture, and features of PCSSP, and discusses details of the PCSSP vision and its intended goals and application. Completed work, including architectural design, prototype implementation, reference documents, and IO demonstration of PCSSP, is summarized and example use of PCSSP is illustrated. Near-term high-level objectives are summarized and include preparation for release of an “alpha” version of PCSSP and preparation for the next development phase. High

Observation of inward and outward particle convection in the core of electron cyclotron heated and current driven plasmas in the Tokamak a Configuration Variable

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furno, I.; Weisen, H.

2003-01-01

In the Tokamak a Configuration Variable [F. Hofmann, J.B. Lister, M. Anton et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 36, B277 (1994)], inward or outward convection in the core of electron cyclotron heated and current driven plasmas is observed, depending on discharge conditions. In sawtoothing discharges with central electron cyclotron heating, outward convection is observed when a quasicontinuous m=1 kink mode is present, resulting in inverted sawteeth on the central electron density, while in the absence thereof, inward convection between successive sawtooth crashes leads to 'normal' sawteeth. The occurrence of a kink mode depends sensitively on plasma triangularity. When sawteeth are stabilized with central co- or counterelectron cyclotron current drive, stationary hollow electron density profiles are observed in the presence of m=1 modes, while peaked or flat profiles are observed in magnetohydrodynamic quiescent discharges. The observation of peaked density profiles in fully electron cyclotron driven plasmas demonstrates that pinch processes other than the Ware pinch must be responsible for these phenomena

Cutoff effects of electron velocity distribution to the properties of plasma parameters near the plasma-sheath boundary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jelic, N.

2011-01-01

The plasma properties under high thermodynamic non-equilibrium condition, established due to the presence of electrically biased electrode, are investigated. Assumption of electron cut-off velocity distribution function (VDF), as done by Andrews and Varey in their investigations of the sheath region [J. Phys. A 3, 413 (1970)], has been extended here to both plasma and sheath regions. Analytic expressions for the moments of electron VDF, as well as for the electron screening temperature function dependence on the plasma-sheath local potential are derived. In deriving the ion velocity distribution the ''standard'' assumption of strict plasma quasineutrality, or equivalently vanishing of the plasma Debye length, is employed, whereas the ions are assumed to be generated at rest over the plasma region. However, unlike the standard approach of solving the plasma equation, where pure Boltzmann electron density profile is used, here we employ modified Boltzmann's electron density profile, due to cutoff effect of the electron velocity distribution. It is shown that under these conditions the quasineutrality equation solution is characterised by the electric field singularity for any negative value of the electrode bias potential as measured with respect to the plasma potential. The point of singularity i.e., the plasma length and its dependence on the electrode bias and sheath potential is established for the particular case of ionization profile mechanism proportional to the local electron density. Relevant parameters for the kinetic Bohm criterion are explicitly calculated for both ions and electrons, for arbitrary electrode bias.