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| 2. |
- Martin, P., et al.
(författare)
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Overview of the RFX fusion science program
- 2011
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Ingår i: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 51:9, s. 094023-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper summarizes the main achievements of the RFX fusion science program in the period between the 2008 and 2010 IAEA Fusion Energy Conferences. RFX-mod is the largest reversed field pinch in the world, equipped with a system of 192 coils for active control of MHD stability. The discovery and understanding of helical states with electron internal transport barriers and core electron temperature >1.5 keV significantly advances the perspectives of the configuration. Optimized experiments with plasma current up to 1.8 MA have been realized, confirming positive scaling. The first evidence of edge transport barriers is presented. Progress has been made also in the control of first-wall properties and of density profiles, with initial first-wall lithization experiments. Micro-turbulence mechanisms such as ion temperature gradient and micro-tearing are discussed in the framework of understanding gradient-driven transport in low magnetic chaos helical regimes. Both tearing mode and resistive wall mode active control have been optimized and experimental data have been used to benchmark numerical codes. The RFX programme also provides important results for the fusion community and in particular for tokamaks and stellarators on feedback control of MHD stability and on three-dimensional physics. On the latter topic, the result of the application of stellarator codes to describe three-dimensional reversed field pinch physics will be presented.
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| 3. |
- Lorenzini, R., et al.
(författare)
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Self-organized helical equilibria as a new paradigm for ohmically heated fusion plasmas
- 2009
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Ingår i: Nature Physics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1745-2473 .- 1745-2481. ; 5:8, s. 570-574
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the quest for new energy sources, the research on controlled thermonuclear fusion has been boosted by the start of the construction phase of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). ITER is based on the tokamak magnetic configuration, which is the best performing one in terms of energy confinement. Alternative concepts are however actively researched, which in the long term could be considered for a second generation of reactors. Here, we show results concerning one of these configurations, the reversed-field pinch (RFP). By increasing the plasma current, a spontaneous transition to a helical equilibrium occurs, with a change of magnetic topology. Partially conserved magnetic flux surfaces emerge within residual magnetic chaos, resulting in the onset of a transport barrier. This is a structural change and sheds new light on the potential of the RFP as the basis for a low-magnetic-field ohmic fusion reactor.
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| 4. |
- Martin, P., et al.
(författare)
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Overview of RFX-mod results
- 2009
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Ingår i: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 49:10, s. 104019-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With the exploration of the MA plasma current regime in up to 0.5 s long discharges, RFX-mod has opened new and very promising perspectives for the reversed field pinch (RFP) magnetic configuration, and has made significant progress in understanding and improving confinement and in controlling plasma stability. A big leap with respect to previous knowledge and expectations on RFP physics and performance has been made by RFX-mod since the last 2006 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference. A new self-organized helical equilibrium has been experimentally achieved ( the Single Helical Axis-SHAx-state), which is the preferred state at high current. Strong core electron transport barriers characterize this regime, with electron temperature gradients comparable to those achieved in tokamaks, and by a factor of 4 improvement in confinement time with respect to the standard RFP. RFX-mod is also providing leading edge results on real-time feedback control of MHD instabilities, of general interest for the fusion community.
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| 7. |
- Suttrop, W., et al.
(författare)
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In-vessel saddle coils for MHD control in ASDEX Upgrade
- 2009
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Ingår i: Fusion engineering and design. - Lausanne : ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA. - 0920-3796 .- 1873-7196. ; 84:2-6, s. 290-294
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A set of 24 in-vessel saddle coils is planned for MHD control experiments in ASDEX Upgrade. These coils can produce static and alternating error fields for suppression of Edge Localised Modes, locked mode rotation control and, together with additional conducting wall elements, resistive wall mode excitation and feedback stabilisation experiments. All of these applications address critical physics issues for the operation of ITER. This extension is implemented in several stages, starting with two poloidally separated rings of eight toroidally distributed saddle coils above and below the outer midplane. In stages 2 and 3, eight midplane coils around the large vessel access ports and 12 AC Power converters are added, respectively. Finally (stage 4), the existing passive stabilising loop (PSL), a passive conductor for vertical growth rate reduction, will be complemented by wall elements that allow helical Current patterns to reduce the RWM growth rate for active control within the accessible bandwidth. The system is capable of producing error fields with toroidal mode number n = 4 for plasma edge ergodisation with core island width well below the neo-classical tearing mode seed island width even without rotational shielding. Phase variation between the three toroidal coil rings allows to create or avoid resonances with the plasma safety factor profile, in order to test the importance of resonances for ELM suppression.
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| 8. |
- Brunsell, Per, et al.
(författare)
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Feedback Stabilization of Multiple Resistive Wall Modes
- 2004
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 93:22, s. 225001-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Active feedback stabilization of multiple independent resistive wall modes is experimentally demonstrated in a reversed-field pinch plasma. A reproducible simultaneous suppression of several nonresonant resistive wall modes is achieved. Coupling of different modes due to the limited number of the feedback coils is observed in agreement with theory. The feedback stabilization of nonresonant RWMs also has an effect on tearing modes that are resonant in the central plasma, leading to a significant prolongation of the discharge pulse.
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| 11. |
- Brunsell, Per, et al.
(författare)
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Resistive wall mode feedback control experiments in EXTRAP T2R
- 2007
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Ingår i: 34th EPS Conference on Plasma Physics 2007, EPS 2007 - Europhysics Conference Abstracts. - 9781622763344 ; , s. 544-547
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Experiments in EXTRAP T2R on RWM stabilization using intelligent shell feedback with a P-controller showed that mode suppression improves with increasing gain up to the system stability limit. A PD-controller gives faster response and allows operation with higher gain. The PI-controller is useful for suppression of modes driven by external resonant field error. Best mode suppression was in the present study achieved with a PID-controller.
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| 12. |
- Cavinato, M., et al.
(författare)
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Comparison of strategies and regulator design for active control of MHD modes
- 2005
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Ingår i: Fusion engineering and design. - : Elsevier BV. - 0920-3796 .- 1873-7196. ; 74:1-4, s. 549-553
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A system of evenly spaced poloidal arrays of saddle coils was recently installed on the reversed field pinch device EXTRAP T2R to perform experiments on the active control of MHD modes. The implementation of different control strategies, such as "intelligent shell" and "mode control", was made possible by a flexible digital control system. After giving some results on the performances of the innermost coil current control loop, two versions of "mode control" recently tested on the machine are presented. In the "wise shell" approach, equilibrium related modes are ruled out and a systematic increase of the pulse length is obtained. In a second, more model based, approach, a mode estimator/controller is designed aiming at a full state feedback by including modes, which are not directly measurable due to the limited number of available real-time signals.
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Drake, James Robert, et al.
(författare)
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Reversed-Field Pinch Contributions to Resistive Wall Mode Physics and Control
- 2008
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optimal feedback control of resistive-wall modes (RWM) is of common interest for toroidal fusionconcepts that use conducting walls for stabilization of ideal MHD modes. From the RWM control point of view,the RFP situation is in many respects similar to the advanced tokamak situation in the presence of very lowplasma rotation, where the most effective stabilizing mechanism is the feedback action of a set of active coils.Results from EXTRAP T2R (Sweden) and RFX-mod (Italy) RFP experiments have shown that full feedbackcontrol of multiple RWMs is possible and their deleterious effects can be completely suppressed. However it isnow important to optimize the RWM control systems both for the RFP and tokamak configuration for futureimplementation. Important aspects of optimization are effective mode identification and tracking capability,avoidance of the harmful effects of sideband modes (aliasing) in the control spectrum, minimized powerrequirements and robust controller stability. The paper describes collaborative work carried out on the two RFPexperiments. Controller models based on the mode harmonic control concept and on a state-space multipleinputmultiple-output intelligent shell concept are studied. Progress in development of optimal control schemesare presented both through experimental studies and simulations.
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| 15. |
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| 16. |
- Marchiori, G., et al.
(författare)
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Open loop characterization of an active control system of MHD modes
- 2005
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 23rd Symposium of Fusion Technology. - : Elsevier BV. ; , s. 555-560
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the last year different saddle coil set-ups were tested on EXTRAP T2R performing experiments of plasma MHD modes active control. In particular, a series of shots both without and with plasma were aimed at the electromagnetic characterization of the open loop system and to the validation of a model developed for the design of a digital control system. A very good agreement was observed between model and experiment both in terms of single coil electromagnetic parameters and in terms of harmonic distribution at different frequencies. The quality of the harmonic content as a function of the number of active coils was also analysed. Finally, encouraging results were obtained comparing theoretical and experimental growth rates of unstable modes after applying static perturbations of different toroidal order n.
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