Advanced Control in DIII-D: Supervisory and Fail-safe Algorithms for Future Reactor-grade Tokamaks
A. Pajares, W.P. Wehner, A.S. Welander, D. Humphreys, E. Schuster
29th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference
London, UK, October 16-21, 2023
Abstract
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Supervisory, fail-safe algorithms will be necessary in ITER and future reactor-grade tokamaks where achieving numerous
control objectives will rely on plant supervision and efficient actuator handling. In this work, advanced control algorithms
with relevance for the next generation of tokamaks have been successfully tested in DIII-D simulations and experiments.
Two algorithms have been developed in this work which have supervisory and actuator-management capabilities. The first
algorithm is a reference governor, which supervises the plasma state and accordingly updates the targets in real time to
ensure plant safety under feedback. The second algorithm is an actuator manager which optimizes how the tokamak
actuators are used to attain the control objectives, even if actuator failures happen. These results illustrate the importance of
advanced control techniques to optimize the scientific and economic output desired from reactor-grade devices, while also
protecting the high investment that these plants represent.