The upgrade of the J-TEXT experimental data access and management system

The experimental data of J-TEXT tokamak are stored in the MDSplus database. The old J-TEXT data access system is based on the tools provided by MDSplus. Since the number of signals is huge, the data retrieval for an experiment is difficult. To solve this problem, the J-TEXT experimental data access and management system (DAMS) based on MDSplus has been developed. The DAMS left the old MDSplus system unchanged providing new tools, which can help users to handle all signals as well as to retrieve signals they need thanks to the user information requirements. The DAMS also offers users a way to create their jScope configuration files which can be downloaded to the local computer. In addition, the DAMS provides a JWeb-Scope tool to visualize the signal in a browser. JWeb-Scope adopts segment strategy to read massive data efficiently. Users can plot one or more signals on their own choice and zoom-in, zoom-out smoothly. The whole system is based on B/S model, so that the users only need of the browsers to access the DAMS. The DAMS has been tested and it has a better user experience. It will be integrated into the J-TEXT remote participation system later.     

MDSplus evolution continues

The MDSplus data system has been in operation on several fusion machines since 1991 and it is currently in use at over 30 sites spread over 5 continents. A consequence is the extensive feedback provided by the MDSplus user community for bug fixes and improvements and therefore the evolution of MDSplus is keeping pace with the evolution in data acquisition and management techniques. In particular, the recent evolution of MDSplus has been driven by the change in the paradigm for data acquisition in long lasting plasma discharges, where a sustained data stream is transferred from the acquisition devices into the database. Several new features are currently available or are being implemented in MDSplus. The features already implemented include a comprehensive Object-Oriented interface to the system, the python support for data acquisition devices and the full integration in EPICS. Work is in progress for the integration of multiple protocols and security systems in remote data access, a new high level data view layer and a new version of the jScope tool for online visualization and the optimized visualization of very large signals.     

基于PXI Express的托卡马克同步数据采集系统设计

随着J-TEXT装置的发展,原有的数据采集系统在稳定性、模块化、采样率等方面已不能满足装置运行的需要,所以需建立一套新的数据采集系统来满足实验需求。本文介绍了基于PXI Express的托卡马克分布式高速同步数据采集系统的设计与实现。系统的采集单元由PXIe机箱NI PXIe-1062Q、PXIe控制器NI PXIe-8133和高速同步数据采集卡NI PXIe-6368组成,兼容ITER CODAC最新标准,具有良好的机械封装性、模块化程度高和高采样率等优点。系统采用同步差分采集方式采集实验数据,并将数据存储于核聚变领域通用的MDSplus数据库中。测试和使用结果表明,系统能在2 MSps采样率下连续稳定工作,可较好地满足装置运行的需要。     

Transient Fault Current Test for ITER DC Reactor on DC Test Platform in ASIPP

Transient fault current test of ITER DC reactor is performed to verify the fault suppression capability of DC reactor. In this paper, the research background, test scheme and test platform of transient fault current test of ITER DC reactor are presented in the first place. The next, the test requirements and acceptance criteria are presented. Finally, the calculation and simulation for DC test platform of ASIPP are presented, and the effectiveness of test scheme is proved by the simulation result and the test results based on DC test platform. The contents presented in this paper can be available for short-circuit test of DC reactor with large current.     

ITER氚增殖实验包层设计研究进展

国际热核实验反应堆(ITER)为人类开发聚变能提供重要的物理和工程技术实验平台,ITER氚增殖实验包层模块(TBM)技术是必须掌握的关键技术.参与ITER计划的成员国根据本国商用演示堆包层发展策略,分别提出了各自的实验包层概念,以便在ITER运行期间进行实验.本文对ITER-TBM目前已经开展和正在进行的主要设计研究工作进展进行总结,介绍了各方提出的设计方案、支撑设计的相关技术研究进展,以及合作实验窗口的分配现状.     

Harmonics analysis of the ITER poloidal field converter based on a piecewise method

Poloidal field (PF) converters provide controlled DC voltage and current to PF coils.The many harmonics generated by the PF converter flow into the power grid and seriously affect power systems and electric equipment.Due to the complexity of the system,the traditional integral operation in Fourier analysis is complicated and inaccurate.This paper presents a piecewise method to calculate the harmonics of the ITER PF converter.The relationship between the grid input current and the DC output current of the ITER PF converter is deduced.The grid current is decomposed into the sum of some simple functions.By calculating simple function harmonics based on the piecewise method,the harmonics of the PF converter under different operation modes are obtained.In order to examine the validity of the method,a simulation model is established based on Matlab/ Simulink and a relevant experiment is implemented in the ITER PF integration test platform.Comparative results are given.The calculated results are found to be consistent with simulation and experiment.The piecewise method is proved correct and valid for calculating the system harmonics.     

Tokamak TCABR: Acquisition system,data analysis,and remote participation using MDSplus

Each plasma physics laboratory has a proprietary scheme to control and data acquisition system. Usually, it is different from one laboratory to another. It means that each laboratory has its own way to control the experiment and retrieving data from the database. Fusion research relies to a great extent on international collaboration and this private system makes it difficult to follow the work remotely. The TCABR data analysis and acquisition system has been upgraded to support a joint research programme using remote participation technologies. The choice of MDSplus (Model Driven System plus) is proved by the fact that it is widely utilized, and the scientists from different institutions may use the same system in different experiments in different tokamaks without the need to know how each system treats its acquisition system and data analysis. Another important point is the fact that the MDSplus has a library system that allows communication between different types of language (JAVA, Fortran, C, C++, Python) and programs such as MATLAB, IDL, OCTAVE. In the case of tokamak TCABR interfaces (object of this paper) between the system already in use and MDSplus were developed, instead of using the MDSplus at all stages, from the control, and data acquisition to the data analysis. This was done in the way to preserve a complex system already in operation and otherwise it would take a long time to migrate. This implementation also allows add new components using the MDSplus fully at all stages.     

Overview of the ITER TBM Program

The objective of the ITER TBM Program is to provide the first experimental data on the performance of the breeding blankets in the integrated fusion nuclear environment. Such information is essential to design and predict the performance of DEMO and future fusion reactors. It foresees to test six mock-ups of breeding blankets, called Test Blanket Module (TBM), in three dedicated ITER equatorial ports from the beginning of the ITER operation. The TBM and its associated ancillary systems, including cooling system and tritium extraction system, forms the Test Blanket System (TBS) that will be fully integrated in the ITER machine and buildings. This paper describes the main features of the six TBSs that are presently planned for installation and operation in ITER, the main interfaces with other ITER systems and the main aspects of the TBM Program management.     

The 70 kA pyrobreaker for ITER magnet back-up protection

The paper presents the results of development and testing of an explosively actuated circuit-breaker (the so-called pyrobreaker) designed and manufactured at the Efremov Institute [1]. In accordance with the ITER specifications this switch will be used for continuous operation with DC currents up to 70 kA and shall be capable, on command, to transfer this current to a resistive load under a voltage up to 10 kV in less than 1 ms.A number of current commutation tests have been carried out on several prototypes [2]. The last experimental campaign has demonstrated reliable operation of the pyrobreaker with 20% safety margin for the interrupted current and 100% margin for the recovery voltage relative to the ITER requirements.Besides, peak current withstand tests have been performed with pulse currents up to 420 kA generated by the unipolar current generator available at the Efremov Institute.     

R&D of High Current Balance Reactors

The design of high current balance reactors used in the ITER DC testing platform is presented,which is verified by simulations with finite element method software,and the reactors are fabricated and tested according to the design output.These reactors are chosen as multilayer multi-turn structure and cooled by water.The multilayer multi-turn structure is usually selected by some high voltage reactors,but is seldom used in high current situations.The analysis and testing results indicate that the multilayer multi-turn structure is also feasible for high current reactors with many advantages,and is of considerable significance to similar applications.     

Preliminary design of the control and data acquisition systems for the Neutral Beam Test Facility

The Neutral Beam Test Facility, which will be built in Padova, Italy, is aimed at developing the ITER heating neutral beam injector (HNB) and at testing and optimizing its operation up to nominal performance before installation on ITER. It requires the development of two independent experiments referred to as SPIDER (source for production of ions of deuterium extracted from Rf plasma) and MITICA (megavolt ITer injector & concept advancement). SPIDER will explore the full-size negative ion source for ITER, whereas MITICA will explore the full-size ITER neutral beam injector. Both experiments will be designed for long-pulse operation, up to 3600 s, as ITER itself. MITICA includes three functional components: the heating neutral beam injector plant system (HNB), which is the device under test; the auxiliary plant system (AUX), which includes all equipment to operate the HNB in the test facility (e.g. the local electric grid to feed the HNB power supplies), and MITICA supervisory system that is an electronics/informatics infrastructure to operate the facility. The paper introduces the requirements for the control and data acquisition systems of the experiments and proposes a preliminary design for both systems. SPIDER, which is preparatory to MITICA and will be developed on a shorter time scale, has no constraints coming from ITER CODAC, whereas MITICA includes the ITER neutral beam injector and therefore must be fully compatible with ITER CODAC.     

Preliminary Design and Analysis of the DC Reactor for the ITER Converter

The DC reactor is an important piece of equipment for restraining loop and ripple currents in the international thermonuclear experimental reactor （ITER） converter power supply system. As the reactor is operated at a steady state of 27.5 kA and needs to withstand a peak current of 175 kA, so the design of the DC reactor used in the ITER converter power supply system is necessary. A new water-cooling dry-type air-core reactor is designed in this work. The detailed structural parameters are calculated by theoretical formulas, and then the structure is optimized by electromagnetic simulation with ANSYS. Finally, thermal and dynamic stability analyses are performed to verify the temperature and stress at a rated current of 27.5 kA and pulsed current of 175 kA. The analysis results show that the temperature and stress meet the requirements of the ITER converter power supply system.     

Study of load balancing technology for EAST data management

With the continuous renewal and increasing number of diagnostics, the EAST tokamak routinely generates ∼3 GB of raw data per pulse of the experiment, which is transferred to a centralized data management system. In order to strengthen international cooperation, all the acquired data has been converted and stored in the MDSplus servers. During the data system operation, there are some problems when a lot of client machines connect to a single MDSplus data server. Because the server process keeps the connection until the client closes its connection, a lot of server processes use a lot of network ports and consume a large amount of memory, so that the speed of access to data is very slow, but the CPU resource is not fully utilized. To improve data management system performance, many MDSplus servers will be installed on the blade server and form a server cluster to realize load balancing and high availability by using LVS and heartbeat technology. This paper will describe the details of the design and the test results.     

Future directions of MDSplus

The first version of MDSplus was released in 1991 for VAX/VMS. Since then MDSplus has been progressively adopted in an increasing number of fusion experiments and its original implementation has been extended during these years to cover new requirements and toward a multi-platform implementation. Currently MDSplus is in use at more than 30 laboratories and is being used both for pulsed applications as well as for continuous data streaming for long lasting experiments. Thanks to its large user base, it has been possible to collect requirements driving the evolution of the system toward improved usability and better performance. An important recent feature of the MDSplus is its ability of handling a continuous stream of data, which is readily available as soon at it has been stored in the pulse files. Current development is oriented toward an improved modularity of MDSplus and the integration of new functionality.Improved modularity is achieved by moving away from monolithic implementation toward a plug-ins approach. This has already been achieved recently for the management of remote data access, where the original TCP/IP implementation can now be integrated with new user-provided network protocols. Following a similar approach, work is in progress to let new back-ends be integrated in the MDSplus data access layer. By decoupling the MDSplus data management from the disk data file format it is possible to integrate new solutions such as data cloud without affecting the user Application Programming Interface.     

MDSplus automated build and distribution system

Support of the MDSplus data handling system has been enhanced by the addition of an automated build system which does nightly builds of MDSplus for many computer platforms producing software packages which can now be downloaded using a web browser or via package repositories suitable for automatic updating. The build system was implemented using an extensible continuous integration server product called Hudson which schedules software builds on a collection of VMware based virtual machines. New releases are created based on updates via the MDSplus cvs code repository and versioning are managed using cvs tags and branches. Currently stable, beta and alpha releases of MDSplus are maintained for eleven different platforms including Windows, MacOSX, RedHat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, Ubuntu and Solaris. For some of these platforms, MDSplus packaging has been broken into functional modules so users can pick and choose which MDSplus features they want to install. An added feature to the latest Linux based platforms is the use of package dependencies. When installing MDSplus from the package repositories, any additional required packages used by MDSplus will be installed automatically greatly simplifying the installation of MDSplus. This paper will describe the MDSplus package automated build and distribution system.     

Input/output plugin architecture for MDSplus

The first version of MDSplus was released in 1991 for VAX/VMS. Since that time the underlying file formats have remained constant. The software however has evolved, it was ported to unix, linux, Windows, and Macintosh. In 1997 a TCP based protocol, mdsip, was added to provide network access to MDSplus data. In 2011 a mechanism was added to allow protocol plugins to permit the use of other transport mechanisms such as ssh to access data users. This paper describes a similar design which permits the insertion of plugins to handle the reading and writing of MDSplus data at the data storage level. Tree paths become URIs which specify the protocol, host, and protocol specific information. The protocol is provided by a dynamically activated shared library that can provide any consistent subset of the data store access API, treeshr. The existing low level network protocol called mdsip, is activated by defining tree paths like “host::/directory”. Using the new plugin mechanism this is re-implemented as an instance of the general plugin that replaces the low level treeshr input/output routines. It is specified by using a path like “mdsip://host/directory”.This architecture will make it possible to adapt the MDSplus data organization and analysis tools to other underlying data storage. The first new application of this, after the existing network protocol is implemented, will be a plugin based on a key value store. Key value stores, can provide inexpensive scalable, redundant data storage. An example of this might be an Amazon G3 plugin which would let you specify a tree path such as “AG3://container” to access MDSplus data stored in the cloud.     

Feasibility study of an actively cooled tungsten divertor in Tore Supra for ITER technology testing

In order to reduce the risks for ITER Plasma Facing Components (PFCs), it is proposed to equip Tore Supra with a full tungsten divertor, benefitting from the unique long pulse capabilities, the high installed RF power and the long experience with actively cooled high heat flux components of the Tore Supra platform. The transformation from the current circular limiter geometry to the required X-point configuration will be achieved by installing a set of copper poloidal coils inside the vacuum vessel. The new configuration will allow for H-mode access, providing relevant plasma conditions for PFC technology validation. Furthermore, attractive steady-state regimes are expected to be achievable. The lower divertor target design will be closely based on that currently envisaged for ITER (W monoblocks), while the upper divertor region will be used to qualify the main first wall heat sink technology adopted for the ITER blanket modules (CuCrZr copper/stainless steel) with a tungsten coating (in place of the Be tiles which ITER will use). Extended plasma exposure will provide access to ITER critical issues such as PFC lifetime (melting, cracking, etc.), tokamak operation on damaged metallic surfaces, real time heat flux control through PFC monitoring, fuel retention and dust production.     

Design and experimental activities in view of Water Detritiation–Isotopic Separation Systems combination in TRENTA facility

To support the research activities needed to characterize the performance of various components for the Water Detritiation System (WDS) and the Isotope Separation System (ISS) processes needed for the ITER design, an experimental facility called TRENTA, simulating for the ITER WDS and ISS protium separation column, has been commissioned at Tritium Laboratory Karlsruhe (TLK). The TRENTA facility has been conceived to allow operation in a closed loop with respect to tritium inventory and to allow investigations of key design and operation issues of combined CECE (Combined Electrolytic Catalytic Exchange) and CD (Cryogenic Distillation) processes in similar conditions as envisaged for the ITER WDS–ISS. Activities combining CECE and CD processes are on going at TLK. For the CD system, dedicated heat-exchangers have been designed and manufactured to make the combination possible. The system of heat-exchangers has to provide a double barrier to avoid tritium contamination of the helium stream. The design of the heat-exchangers for feeding of the CD column, equilibrator loop and condenser will be presented. In addition, the ongoing experimental activities for to the investigation of different CD fillings will be presented.     

Fault Current Tests for ITER External Bypass on DC Test Platform in ASIPP

Fault current tests of ITER external bypass are performed to verify its fault suppression capability. This paper describes the test requirements, test schemes and test procedures of fault current test for external bypass. The effectiveness of test schemes for fault current tests is verified by the simulation results and test results based on DC test platform.