Magnetic diagnostics for equilibrium reconstruction and realtime plasma control in NSTX-Upgrade

Area of Science:

• Plasma physics
• Fusion energy research
• Magnetic confinement fusion

Background:

• The National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) requires advanced diagnostics for operational control.
• Real-time monitoring of plasma behavior is crucial for stable fusion experiments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe magnetic diagnostic systems for NSTX-U.
• To present new hardware and algorithms for plasma control.
• To improve the estimation of plasma vertical velocity.

Main Methods:

• Detailed description of sensor arrangement on the upgraded center column.
• Presentation of new analog and digital circuitry for processing plasma current data.
• Development and application of an improved algorithm for vertical velocity estimation.

Main Results:

• Successful implementation of new sensor configurations.
• Functional analog and digital circuitry for Rogowski coil data.
• Demonstrated improvement in plasma vertical velocity estimation for feedback control.

Conclusions:

• The described magnetic diagnostics and algorithms enhance real-time control capabilities for NSTX-U.
• These advancements contribute to the operational stability and research potential of the NSTX-U device.
• The improved velocity estimation is key for effective feedback control in spherical tokamak operations.