Alcator C-Mod Weekly Highlights
			     June 12, 2006

				
FY2006 weeks of research operations:
   Planned: 14 weeks
   Completed: 12.7 weeks


Last week was a maintenance week for Alcator C-Mod.  We plan to resume
plasma operations this week.


Operations
----------

The ICRF instrumentation breaker panel has been replaced and brought
back into operation.  Changes to the J-Port antenna transmission line
components in the cell have been completed and both the #3 and #4
transmitters have been re-tuned for 50 MHz operation.  Both
transmitters are delivering 1.5 MW of power into a dummy load and
should be ready for operation into plasmas on Tuesday.

The magnet current bus has been returned to the forward direction.

A semiannual inspection of the backup diesel generators for the
alternator took place last week.  Standard maintenance on several
alternator systems was also performed.  More tests were done to verify
proper operation of the alternator diver motor control system which
caused some down down two weeks ago.

The calibrations for the TF current and voltage measurements needed
for the ECDC system have been checked and verified, and gas monitor
and alarm systems for the cell and power room have been re-calibrated,
and trip levels have been set.

We continued upgrades to the engineering system PLC to PC control
software.  This new software allows near real-time monitoring of
system parameters with MDSplus Scopes.


Upper Divertor Cryopump
-----------------------

Welding of components needed for the new upper divertor cyropump is
proceeding. Work on the LHe fittings, transfer lines and heat
exchanger, and cleaning of molybdenum protection tiles also proceeded.
Support hardware for the tiles has been flame sprayed or silver plated
as required.  Bake tests of these components have been successfully
completed.


Lower Hybrid System
-------------------

We continued to verify calibrations and improve noise immunity in the
the Lower Hybrid coupler protection system.  Work also continued on
the new klystron test stand.  This stand will be needed to test
reconditioned klystrons as they become available.


Travel and Visitors
-------------------

David Mikkelsen spent the week at MIT preparing for experiments
planned for the 70/80 MHz phase of the current Alcator C-Mod
campaign. He also learned about plasmas with modestly peaked density
profiles across a large range of collisionality; these probably have
significant particle pinches. They may provide a strong test of the
density transport predictions of gyrokinetic turbulence theory.

Steve Scott visited PPPL on Wednesday for discussions with the
PPPL-C-Mod collaborators.

Manfred Bitter and Ken Hill continued discussions with Alex
Ince-Cushman and John Rice regarding the design of the proposed curved
x-ray crystal spectrometer for ion temperature and velocity
measurements.  They identified several interferences between the long
"arm" of the spectrometer and existing diagnostics on A-Port and
B-Port horizontal. which will have to be resolved.
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