NSTX-U Control System Upgrades
Abstract
The National Spherical Tokamak Experiment (NSTX) is undergoing a wealth of upgrades (NSTX-U). These upgrades, especially including an elongated pulse length, require broad changes to the control system that has served NSTX well. A new fiber serial Front Panel Data Port input and output (I/O) stream will supersede the aging copper parallel version. Driver support for the new I/O and cyber security concerns require updating the operating system from Redhat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) v4 to RedHawk (based on RHEL) v6. While the basic control system continues to use the General Atomics Plasma Control System (GA PCS), the effort to forward port the entire software package to run under 64-bit Linux instead of 32-bit Linux included PCS modifications subsequently shared with GA and other PCS users. Software updates focused on three key areas: (1) code modernization through coding standards (C99/C11), (2) code portability and maintainability through use of the GA PCS code generator, and (3) support of 64-bit platforms. Central to the control system upgrade is the use of a complete real time (RT) Linux platform provided by Concurrent Computer Corporation, consisting of a computer (iHawk), an operating system and drivers (RedHawk), and RT tools (NightStar). Strong vendor support coupled withmore »
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1172638
- Report Number(s):
- PPPL-5045
Journal ID: ISSN 0920-3796; TRN: US1500484
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-09CH11466
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Fusion Engineering and Design
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 89; Journal Issue: 6; Conference: IAEA 2013, Hefei (China), 6 May 2013; Journal ID: ISSN 0920-3796
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; NSTX-U; PCS; Real time control; Linux; RedHawk
Citation Formats
Erickson, K. G., Gates, D. A., Gerhardt, S. P., Lawson, J. E., Mozulay, R., Sichta, P., and Tchilinguirian, G. J. NSTX-U Control System Upgrades. United States: N. p., 2014.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.fusengdes.2014.04.069.
Erickson, K. G., Gates, D. A., Gerhardt, S. P., Lawson, J. E., Mozulay, R., Sichta, P., & Tchilinguirian, G. J. NSTX-U Control System Upgrades. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2014.04.069
Erickson, K. G., Gates, D. A., Gerhardt, S. P., Lawson, J. E., Mozulay, R., Sichta, P., and Tchilinguirian, G. J. Sun .
"NSTX-U Control System Upgrades". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2014.04.069. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1172638.
@article{osti_1172638,
title = {NSTX-U Control System Upgrades},
author = {Erickson, K. G. and Gates, D. A. and Gerhardt, S. P. and Lawson, J. E. and Mozulay, R. and Sichta, P. and Tchilinguirian, G. J.},
abstractNote = {The National Spherical Tokamak Experiment (NSTX) is undergoing a wealth of upgrades (NSTX-U). These upgrades, especially including an elongated pulse length, require broad changes to the control system that has served NSTX well. A new fiber serial Front Panel Data Port input and output (I/O) stream will supersede the aging copper parallel version. Driver support for the new I/O and cyber security concerns require updating the operating system from Redhat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) v4 to RedHawk (based on RHEL) v6. While the basic control system continues to use the General Atomics Plasma Control System (GA PCS), the effort to forward port the entire software package to run under 64-bit Linux instead of 32-bit Linux included PCS modifications subsequently shared with GA and other PCS users. Software updates focused on three key areas: (1) code modernization through coding standards (C99/C11), (2) code portability and maintainability through use of the GA PCS code generator, and (3) support of 64-bit platforms. Central to the control system upgrade is the use of a complete real time (RT) Linux platform provided by Concurrent Computer Corporation, consisting of a computer (iHawk), an operating system and drivers (RedHawk), and RT tools (NightStar). Strong vendor support coupled with an extensive RT toolset influenced this decision. The new real-time Linux platform, I/O, and software engineering will foster enhanced capability and performance for NSTX-U plasma control.},
doi = {10.1016/j.fusengdes.2014.04.069},
journal = {Fusion Engineering and Design},
number = 6,
volume = 89,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
Other availability
Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal
Cited by: 8 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science
Web of Science
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.
Works referenced in this record:
Exploration of spherical torus physics in the NSTX device
journal, March 2000
- Ono, M.; Kaye, S. M.; Peng, Y. -K. M.
- Nuclear Fusion, Vol. 40, Issue 3Y
Overview of the physics and engineering design of NSTX upgrade
journal, July 2012
- Menard, J. E.; Gerhardt, S.; Bell, M.
- Nuclear Fusion, Vol. 52, Issue 8
The Chodura sheath for angles of a few degrees between the magnetic field and the surface of divertor targets and limiters
journal, July 2012
- Stangeby, P. C.
- Nuclear Fusion, Vol. 52, Issue 8
Plasma shape control on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) using real-time equilibrium reconstruction
journal, December 2005
- Gates, D. A.; Ferron, J. R.; Bell, M.
- Nuclear Fusion, Vol. 46, Issue 1
Strike point control for the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX)
journal, September 2010
- Kolemen, E.; Gates, D. A.; Rowley, C. W.
- Nuclear Fusion, Vol. 50, Issue 10
Plasma modelling results and shape control improvements for NSTX
journal, November 2011
- Kolemen, E.; Gates, D. A.; Gerhardt, S.
- Nuclear Fusion, Vol. 51, Issue 11
Status of the control system on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX)
journal, July 2006
- Gates, D. A.; Ferron, J. R.; Bell, M.
- Fusion Engineering and Design, Vol. 81, Issue 15-17
Plasma control system upgrade and increased plasma stability in NSTX
journal, July 2010
- Mastrovito, D.; Gates, D.; Gerhard, S.
- Fusion Engineering and Design, Vol. 85, Issue 3-4
Current status of the upgraded DIII-D real-time digital plasma control system
journal, June 2004
- Penaflor, B. G.; Ferron, J. R.; Johnson, R. D.
- Fusion Engineering and Design, Vol. 71, Issue 1-4
Plasma control system for “Day-One” operation of KSTAR tokamak
journal, June 2009
- Hahn, Sang-hee; Walker, M. L.; Kim, Kukhee
- Fusion Engineering and Design, Vol. 84, Issue 2-6
Implementation of β N Control in the National Spherical Torus Experiment
journal, January 2012
- Gerhardt, S. P.; Mastrovito, D.; Bell, M. G.
- Fusion Science and Technology, Vol. 61, Issue 1
Disruptions, disruptivity and safer operating windows in the high- β spherical torus NSTX
journal, April 2013
- Gerhardt, S. P.; Bell, R. E.; Diallo, A.
- Nuclear Fusion, Vol. 53, Issue 4
MDS plus data acquisition system
journal, January 1997
- Stillerman, J. A.; Fredian, T. W.; Klare, K. A.
- Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 68, Issue 1
TFTR CAMAC data‐acquisition system
journal, August 1986
- Rauch, W. A.
- Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 57, Issue 8
TFTR diagnostic control and data acquisition system
journal, May 1985
- Sauthoff, N. R.; Daniels, R. E.
- Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 56, Issue 5
Works referencing / citing this record:
Simultaneous feedback control of plasma rotation and stored energy on NSTX-U using neoclassical toroidal viscosity and neutral beam injection
journal, May 2017
- Goumiri, I. R.; Rowley, C. W.; Sabbagh, S. A.
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 24, Issue 5
Plasma boundary shape control and real-time equilibrium reconstruction on NSTX-U
journal, January 2018
- Boyer, M. D.; Battaglia, D. J.; Mueller, D.
- Nuclear Fusion, Vol. 58, Issue 3
Scenario development during commissioning operations on the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade
journal, February 2018
- Battaglia, D. J.; Boyer, M. D.; Gerhardt, S.
- Nuclear Fusion, Vol. 58, Issue 4
Feedback control design for non-inductively sustained scenarios in NSTX-U using TRANSP
journal, April 2017
- Boyer, M. D.; Andre, R. G.; Gates, D. A.
- Nuclear Fusion, Vol. 57, Issue 6