Alcator C-Mod Weekly Highlights
                  July 21, 2008


FY2008 weeks of research operations:
    Target: 15 weeks
    Completed:  15.7 weeks


Operations
----------

Disassembly of the C-Mod tokamak continues. Removal of the upper TF magnet
arms was completed. The upper wedge plate was then removed, and the
installation of the vessel assembly stand in the SE corner of the cell was
completed. The tokamak assembly, including the vacuum vessel, TF core, lower
TF arms and wedge plate, and poloidal field coils, was transferred from the
center of the cell onto the assembly stand. The lower core spring plates were
then removed in preparation for removal of the lower TF magnet arms.

We continued work in preparation for the alternator inspection.  The motor
lift pumps have been disconnected and removed to temporary storage.  All of
the vibration probes have been removed except the vibration probes on the
thrust bearing which need to be removed after the flywheel cover is lifted.



Data Acquisition and Computation
---------------------------------

A new RAID array was installed for online storage of the C-Mod experiment
data. The quantity of data had reached the capacity of the previous raid
array. The new array will provide sufficient storage for the existing data
from 1991 through 2008 and will handle the additional data storage
requirements at least through the 2009 run campaign. The older raid array
along with the backup raid array will provide a warm backup to the primary
system for the entire archive. The new array will provide over 24 terabytes of
usable RAID level 6 storage. Migration of the archive from the older raid
array to the new array is underway.

Diagnostics
-----------

Perry Phillips (UT-FRC) started design and fabrication of the soft-iron box
for the FRCECE RF units. Supports for the RF cards and mounts for the mixers
were designed and submitted to the UT shops for fabrication.

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

Dennis Whyte and Robert Granetz traveled to Caderache, France, to attend an
ITER Workshop on suppression of runaway electrons in ITER. They presented new
experimental and modeling results on runaway transport and confinement from
C-Mod and participated in the discussions of specifications required for
disruption mitigation and runaway suppression in ITER.
_______________________________________________
Cmod_weekly mailing list
Cmod_weekly@lists.psfc.mit.edu
http://lists.psfc.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/cmod_weekly