Controlling a new plasma regime.
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci
; 382(2280): 20230403, 2024 Oct 09.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39183657
ABSTRACT
Success of the UK's Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) programme requires a robust plasma control system. This system has to guide the plasma from initiation to the burning phase, maintain it there, produce the desired fusion power for the desired duration and then terminate the plasma safely. This has to be done in a challenging environment with limited sensors and without overloading plasma-facing components. The plasma parameters and the operational regime in the STEP prototype will be very different from tokamaks, which are presently in operation. During fusion burn, the plasma regime in STEP will be self-organizing, adding further complications to the plasma control system design. This article describes the work to date on the design of individual controllers for plasma shape and position, magneto hydrodynamic instabilities, heat load and fusion power. Having studied 'normal' operation, the article discusses the philosophy of how the system will handle exceptions, when things do not go exactly as planned. This article is part of the theme issue 'Delivering Fusion Energy - The Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP)'.
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01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article