Feedback control of vertical instability in TNS

Due to the unfavorable curvature of the vertical vacuum magnetic field, elongated plasmas are vertically unstable when the elongation, epsilon, becomes too large. The TNS (The Next Step) tokamak, as evolved in the Westinghouse-ORNL studies has an inside-D configuration (epsilon = 1.6, A = 5/1.25 = 4) characterized by an average decay index n approximately equal -0.75 at the plasma flux surface near the magnetic axis and is vertically unstable with a growth rate γ0 approximately 105 sec-1. Eddy currents produced in the vacuum vessel wall will slow this instability to growth rates γ0 approximately 102 sec-1 provided there are no transverse insulating gaps in the vessel wall. A matrix equation has been developed for calculating the eddy currents induced in the EF coils and their stabilizing effect. Control theory for feedback systems with and without delay time is presented and possible plasma position detectors are discussed. For a plasma current of 6.1 MA, the controller peak power requirements using separate controller circuits are approximately 1 MW depending upon EF coil configurations and time delay. This feedback system is designed to stabilize a maximum plasma excursion of 10 cm from the midplane with delay times up to 2 sec