Nonlinear Control and Optimization of the Burn Condition in Tokamak Nuclear Fusion Reactors
M. D. Boyer and E. Schuster
American Control Conference
Washington, DC, USA, June 17-19, 2013
Abstract
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The ITER tokamak, the next experimental step in the development of
nuclear fusion reactors, will explore the burning plasma regime in
which temperature is sustained mostly by fusion heating. Control of
the fusion power through modulation of fueling and heating sources,
referred to as burn control, will be essential for achieving and
maintaining desired operating points and ensuring stability. We
utilize a spatially averaged nonlinear transport model to design a
multi-variable nonlinear burn control strategy that can reject large
perturbations and move between operating points. The controller uses
the available actuation techniques in tandem to ensure good
performance, even if one or more of the actuators saturate. We propose
the use of a model-based optimization scheme to drive the system to a
state that minimizes a given cost function. A simulation study shows
the performance of the control scheme with a cost function weighting
fusion power and temperature tracking errors.