From: irby@PSFC.MIT.EDU

Reply-To: IRBY@PSFC.MIT.EDU

Subject:  Alcator C-Mod Weekly Highlights

Newsgroups: sci.physics.plasma

Organization: MIT

 

 

            Alcator C-Mod Weekly Highlights

                  January 25, 2002

 

 

Assembly of C-Mod continued this week with installation of the lower

TF arms.  Work continued on ICRF, LH MIE, DNB, and diagnostic systems.

 

 

Physics

-------

 

At the weekly physics meeting, Robert Granetz presented some initial

results involving analysis of x-ray tomography of ITB plasmas on C-Mod.

It may be possible to use the shapes of the reconstructed x-ray emissivity

contours to measure the q-profile near the axis.  Recent ITB plasmas on

C-Mod exhibit extremely peaked x-ray emissivity profiles, which

makes this technique feasible near the magnetic axis (in an earlier study,

on ohmic L-Mode plasmas, the technique was found not to be applicable).

These new preliminary results appear to determine elongation near the center

to an accuracy of +/-0.03, which would correspond to an error in q0 of +/-0.1.

Tomographic analysis of high performance eda H-Mode plasmas also shows promise.

 

 

Operations

----------

 

Assembly of C-Mod continued this week with the installation of 6 out of the

20 lower TF arms.  All arms are inspected carefully, hi-potted, and

thermocouple and voltage tap instrumentation is checked before installation.

Fitup and testing of the new springplate insertion tool has begun.

 

We continued setting up for machining the cylinder this week.  Fabrication of

the new cryostat ports by an outside vendor is on track for a late Feb

delivery.

 

Development of the drive amplifier and some small machining operations for

the new MHD antennas continued.

 

 

Lower Hybrid MIE Project

------------------------

 

Commissioning of the HVPS is well underway.  The primary power supply

transformers were energized to 13.8 kV this week with the modules initially

disconnected.  Following this initial test, the modules were reconnected

and testing continued.  The snubber, voltage divider, and triax inner conductor

were hi-potted successfully to 60 kV with low leakage current.  Testing of

the high voltage dummy load wiring is in progress.

 

Fabrication of control and protection circuit boards, development of PLC

software, preparations for installation of the remaining klystron carts,

development of the phase and amplitude control software, and work on the

water cooling system all continued this week.

 

 

ICRF Systems

------------

 

After achieving very good results with the phase measurements, careful tests

of the amplitude detection section of the new demodulator board are in

progress.  Both the amplitude and arc detector step response is less

than 1 us.  These fast response times will limit the damage done by

any antenna or transmission line fault condition to harmless levels.

 

Machining of the D and E-Port antenna Faraday shield and the J-Port antenna

straps are continuing in house.

 

 

DNB and Related Diagnostics

---------------------------

 

Planning and design for the initial installation and commissioning of

the RFX beam is largely complete.  We are ready to start

modifications to the beam support frame to accommodate the new beam.

Though not required for beam commissioning, the F-port flange has

been approved for machining.  Information has arrived from the Budker

Institute team  regarding the interface of the beam control software

with MDSPlus.  This information will be used to begin work on the software

that will transfer the beam parameters to MDSPlus on a shot by shot basis.

 

The PLC rack has been cleared of all old cabling, and new wiring is in

progress. Once the PLC is wired to the cross connect blocks, we can begin

installation of the vacuum controllers and other rack mounted equipment.

 

At PPPL, mechanical/optical work continued on the MSE diagnostic in

preparation for reassembly and testing next week.

 

 

Travel and Visits

-----------------

 

Steve Wukitch, Jim Zaks, Dave Terry, and Montgomery Grimes attended

SOFE this week in Atlantic City, NJ.   Steve presented an invited talk

on C-Mod with an accompanying paper.  Jim, Dave, and Montgomery

all presented posters, also with accompanying papers.  Peter Titus,

PSFC Fusion Engineering and Technology Division, also discussed analysis

results of our divertor and antennas.

 

"Results and Status of the Alcator C-Mod Tokamak", S. Wukitch, B. Beck,

E. Fitzgerald, R. Granetz, D. Gwinn, M. Grimes, J. Irby, D. Terry, P. Titus,

R. Vieira, S. Wolfe, J. Zaks, and the Alcator C-Mod Group, MIT-PSFC, and

S. Bernabei, R. Ellis, L. Gehrig, J. Hosea, D. Loesser, G. Schilling,

J.R. Wilson, PPPL

 

"Inner Divertor Detailed Design and Manufacturing", J. Zaks, M. DeMaria,

B. LaBombard, R. Granetz, E. Fitzgerald, H. Savelli, P. Stahle

 

"The Alcator C-Mod Lower Hybrid Current Drive Experiment Transmitter

and Power System", M. Grimes, D. Gwinn, R. Parker, D. Terry, MIT-PSFC,

and J. Alex, Thales AG

 

"The Alcator C-Mod Lower Hybrid Current Drive Experiment Low Power

Microwave and Active Control System", D. Terry, W. Burke, M. Grimes,

D. Gwinn, J. Irby, N. Kambouchev, R. Parker, P. Woskov

 

"Disruption Load Calculations Using ANSYS Transient Electromagnetic

Simulations for the Alcator C-Mod Antenna", P. Titus

 

"Alcator C-Mod Inner Divertor Upgrade Design and Analysis", P. Titus,

J. Zaks, M. DeMaria, B. LaBombard, R. Granetz, J. Irby, B. Lipschultz,

E. Fitzgerald, R. Childs, W. Beck, W. Burke, E. Marmar, D. Gwinn,

I. Hutchinson, R. Boivin

 

In addition, work on the Lower Hybrid system being done at PPPL was

discussed in three papers:

 

Design and Engineering of teh Alcator C-Mod Lower Hybrid Current Drive

System", G.D. Loesser, J. Rushinski, S. Bernabei, J.C. Hosea, J.R.

Wilson, PPPL, and B. Beck, R. Parker, MIT-PSFC

 

"A Third Generation Lower Hybrid Coupler", S. Bernabei, J. Hosea, C. Kung,

D. Loesser, J. Rushinski, J.R. Wilson, PPPL, and M. Grimes, R. Parker,

MIT-PSFC

 

"Compact Probe Design for the Power Monitoring Fromt he Narrow Side of

the Reduced Waveguide", C. Kung, S. Bernabei, J. Gumbas, N. Greenough,

E. Fredd, PPPL