Implementation of a High-Speed Multichannel Data Acquisition System for Magnetic Diagnostics and Plasma Centroid Position Control in ISTTOK

Abstract

In tokamak and other fusion devices, magnetic control is the main tool that allows to regulate the plasma current, position and shape; it is in charge of actuating the desired plasma current waveform, steering the plasma position to a given set point and maintain the plasma shape close to a prescribed plasma equilibrium. This work describes the application of several physics concepts and computational tools in order to obtain a novel optimal controller for the plasma centroid position, which has been implemented and tested in the real-time plasma control system at the ISTTOK tokamak. A key point for the development of the new control system was the installation of a recently upgraded hardware, that numerically integrates in real-time the magnetic probes signals.INDEX TERMS Real-time control, plasma current, plasma current centroid position, magnetic probe, poloidal field coils, numerical integration.