Alcator C-Mod Weekly Highlights
             September 24, 2007
				

FY2007 weeks of research operations:
     Target: 15 weeks
     Completed: 14.7 weeks


National Tokamak Planning Workshop
----------------------------------

This week, the PSFC hosted a National Tokamak Planning Workshop. The
main purpose of the 2.5 day workshop was to present preliminary
five-year research plans (FY2009 through FY2013) for the three
operating major U.S. fusion facilities, Alcator C-Mod, DIII-D and NSTX, to
get feedback from the community on those plans, and to identify and
discuss opportunities for joint coordinated research among the
facilities. Approximately 80 people participated in the meeting
on-site, including representatives from the facilities and OFES, and 8
external facilitators who led the extensive discussions. The entire
meeting was broadcast by 2-way video-conference, as well as internet
streaming, and all viewgraph presentations were shared in real-time
using MeetingPlace and VNC. At various times, up to 8 sites were
connected to the H.323 video, 12 sites were viewing the streaming, and
more than 20 locations were viewing the presentation slides. Links to
all of the presentations, along with associated reports, can be found
at www.psfc.mit.edu/tpw07.

DoE Quarterly Review
--------------------

On Thursday, 9/20, a DoE quarterly review was held at MIT.  Bob Granetz,
Brian Labombard, and Jim Irby gave presentations on run statistics from
the last campaign, results from the new upper divertor cryopump, and
C-Mod status and plans.  Attending at MIT were Rostom Dagazian (DoE,
OFES), Steve Scott (PPPL), Earl Marmar, Miklos Porkolab, Ron Parker,
Jerry Hughes, and Steve Wolfe.  Bill Rowan (U-Tx), attended remotely.

Quarterly review viewgraphs may be found at

http://www.psfc.mit.edu/research/alcator/pubs/quarterlies.html


In-vessel Work
--------------

We continued documentation of in-vessel components last week, and also
started work on the repair of the flux loops.  Locations where the
loops were shorted to the vacuum vessel have been identified for two
of the loops.  Repair options are being considered.  Installation of
new loops has begun.

Tests of the MSE optical housing also continued.  The housing was
thermally stressed as movement of the object plane was measured by
back-lighting the fibers and observing the light on an in-vessel
screen.  This new information is being analyzed.

Igor Bespamyatnov and Bill Rowan, both of UT-FRC, are preparing for
in-vessel spatial and intensity calibration of the wide-view CXRS
diagnostic. The calibration supports and jigs have been assembled on the
bench. The intensity calibration of the small in-vessel labsphere has
been checked. A detailed, prioritized calibration plan has been
developed to assure that the calibration can proceed quickly and as time
in-vessel becomes available.


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

The 1st lower hybrid launcher forward and rear waveguides have been
separated, and an inspection has begun of the waveguides and rf gaskets.
The components making up the rf feed system for the launcher (jungle
gym) are being disassembled, inspected, and sub-assemblies are being
tested at power levels of up to 200 kW.  These efforts are directed at
increasing the coupled power above the limit experienced during the last
campaign.

The rebuild of our #117 klystron continues.  This tube is leak-tight,
has been hi-potted successfully by the vendor, and has acceptably low
body current.  Two of our engineers will travel to witness the
acceptance tests this week.  Two other klystrons are being evaluated by
the vendor for rebuild.


Travel and Visits
-----------------

David Mikkelsen, PPPL, visited MIT to learn about results from the
curved crystal X-ray spectrometer during the recent C-Mod campaign,
and discuss plans for GYRO turbulence simulations.

Dr. Olaf Grulke, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University, Germany, completed a
three week visit to C-Mod last week. During this time he worked
closely with Jim Terry and Stewart Zweben, PPPL, in the interpretation
and analysis of C-Mod's edge turbulence measurements.

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