Alcator C-Mod Run 1030425 Information

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Miniproposals
Miniproposal:
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Session Leader: Unknown (shots 1-39)

Operators
Session leader(s): Unknown
Physics operator(s):Robert Granetz
Engineering operator(s):Bill Byford,Ed Fitzgerald,Gary Dekow

Engineering Operator Run Comment
Continue Startup and begin using A-coils for locked mode studies

Session Leader Plans

Physics Operators Plans

Session Leader Summaries

Physics Operator Summaries
Entered: Jul 7 2004 04:37:17:567PM
Author: To Be Determined
Physics operator summary for run 1030425 (Friday):

Startup continuation and initial A-coil locked mode studies

Physics operator: R. Granetz
Engineers in charge: G. Dekow/W. Byford/E. Fitzgerald

Summary: No physics results were obtained from this first A-coil run. We
started the day at 0.8 MA and very low density. This gave
reproducible locked modes for the first few plasmas (shots 01,
05). Then we switched on the A-coils for a series of shots (06,
07, 08), and observed that the locked mode went away. However,
the density was also creeping up during this time, and since the
gas valves were off for most of the shot, it wasn't easy to get
the density to stay very low as the day progressed. We then
turned off the A-coil (shots 09, 10) and still did not see a
locked mode, presumably because of the slightly increased density.
So this was an inconclusive result. I then went to 1 MA in order
to get a more robust locked mode (shot 11). This worked, but we
also got a disruption during rampdown, which precipitated a series
of fizzles. Things got substantially worse when the data
acquisition cycle began to hang for many shots in the afternoon.
I managed to get only 2 more plasmas, and both of these disrupted
early due to large molybdenum injections. On shot 25, the A-coil
TMX should have given current, but didn't. This supply will have
to be checked out on Monday.

Scorecard: 11 plasmas
6 fizzles
0 duds
7 test or no-power shot cycle
2 aborted and/or screwed up by computer problems
----------
26 total

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Engineering setup for Friday, 25 April 2003

Purpose: continue startup, and begin using A-coils for locked mode studies

Physics operator: R. Granetz

ECDC overnight in D2 at 2e-4 Torr, stopping by 07:00.
Bake at 60 C overnight as well, if possible.

Run begins at 09:00 and ends at 17:00.

Power systems the same as on 1030424007 (0.8 MA, 5.4 T, lower single null)

A-coil hookup: +Dtop -Dbot -Jtop +Jbot

Gas setup:
fill B-Top with 6 psi D2 Hybrid enabled (PG4)
fill B-side lower with 1 psi Ar Hybrid enabled (PG1)
fill B-side upper with 10 psi D2 Hybrid DISABLED (PG2) (for ECDC)
fill C-side with 30 psi D2 Hybrid enabled (PG3)

Enable the following gate valves, assuming no vacuum problems:
ECE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RF Setup: All 4 transmitters Run On by 08:30.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Run Plan: Start with shot 7 from yesterday (1030424007), which had a clear
locked mode, yet had PCS density feedback enabled. Assuming the locked
mode signatures are seen, then begin using the new A-coil set to see if
they have any effect on these signatures. I will probably stick to full
current (2.3 kA), with quad sets of coils energized (upper and lower at
opposite toroidal locations.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ECDC was done overnight, as well as a 60 C bake.

Hybrid coldstart done by the engineering group; no errors found

Loaded PCS from shot 1030424007 (0.8 MA, 5.4 T, single null lower),
and programmed in a 40 ms argon pulse starting at t=0.35 s.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shot 01 -- Plasma. Ramped all the way down. 0.8 MA, 5.4 T, nl_04=0.5e20 m-2.
Plenty of hard x-rays. Large locked mode starts at t=1.31 s.
Startup had a bounce. Bz0 was a bit high, but I'll leave it for
now.

Next shot: repeat with no changes. I want to get some idea of
the variability of the onset time of the locked mode.

Shot 02 -- No-power shot cycle - one of the engineering decoders failed to
init properly.

Shot 03 -- Plasma. Good shot. There was no locked mode on this shot,
possibly because the RF turned on (1.5 MW) and raised the density
a bit (and heated a little as well). This sensitivity to plasma
parameters may make the A-coil studies difficult to interpret.

Next shot: one more repeat, this time without RF.

Shot 04 -- No-power shot cycle - one of the engineering decoders failed to
init properly (again).

Shot 05 -- Plasma. Good shot. Got the locked mode back. It starts at
about t=1.33 s (about 50 ms different than on shot 01). There
were NO hard x-rays on this shot, and no bounce during the
startup.

Next shot: energize the A-coils. I'll have them go from 1.0 s to
1.6 s. The initial hookup maximizes m=2/n=1.

Shot 06 -- Plasma. Good shot. The locked mode is gone! We need to see if
this is reproducible, or just a fluke. (At t=1.35 s, there
was a particularly large sawtooth on the GPC ECE.) Hard x-rays
are back, and so is the startup bounce.

Note: a small helium puff was on at t=1.3 s for the first time
today. I will have them move it to t=0.7 s for following shots.

A-coil details: +Dtop -Dbot -Jtop +Jbot (maximize m=2/n=1),
Programmed for 3700 amps (including offset), PLC limit=4 kA,
Ramp on: t=1.0-1.1 s, Ramp off: t=1.6-1.7 s.
Actual measured current: 2000 A.

Next shot: repeat with no changes, including the A-coils. We need
to check whether there's really an effect here or not.

Shot 07 -- Plasma. Good shot. No locked mode. 2 for 2. Hard x-rays and
the startup bounce are still with us. The density has been
creeping up from shot-to-shot, even though NL_04 feedback is on.
Martin points out that the EFIT Wp does not droop very much during
the discharge for shots 06 and 07 compared to shots 01 and 05.

Next shot: one more repeat with no changes. A-coils will still
be on.

Shot 08 -- Plasma. Good shot. No locked mode. 3 for 3, but the density has
been creeping up, so it may not mean anything. This startup had
two bounces, just to make sure that there were plenty of hard
x-rays.

Next shot: turn off the A-coils. Will the locked mode come back?

Shot 09 -- Plasma. Good shot. No locked mode. So it seems that the density
increases over the last several shots have been responsible for
getting rid of the locked mode, rather than the A-coils.
Note: A-coils have been disabled at the PLC. The programmed
waveform has been left on the PCS wire.

Next shot: reduce nl_04 during the first part of the shot. (It's
already asking for negative density after t=0.8 s.)

Shot 10 -- Plasma. Good shot. Still no locked mode, even though the density
is a little lower. But I don't think we'll be able to get the
density much lower, so maybe I'll try raising the plasma current.

Next shot: raise Ip to 1.0 MA, keeping the density low.

Shot 11 -- Plasma. Disrupted at t=1.6 s. Big locked mode, with onset
at t=0.92 s. (Also lots of hard x-rays.)

Next shot: re-enable the A-coils. Also increase pre-fill
pressure a bit.

Shot 12 -- Fizzle. Lots of carbon...chalk it up to the disruption, rather
than to the higher pre-fill pressure. No bounce.

Next shot: try again, no changes. A-coils will be energized.

Shot 13 -- Fizzle. Several bounces, really ugly.

Next shot: reduce pre-fill a touch. Keep the A-coils on.

Shot 14 -- Plasma. Disrupted at t=0.76 s. Looks like an injection killed
this one early. Hard x-rays were reduced, but not eliminated.

Next shot: try again, no changes. Keep the A-coils on.

Shot 15 -- Fizzle.

Next shot: add -10 amps to IC_EF4U, subtract 0.5 mT from Br0 offset.
Leave A-coils energized.

Shot 16 -- No-power shot cycle. Problem with engineering camac init.

Shot 17 -- Fizzle. Lots of carbon light. Breakdown was nice and early though.

Next shot: add -5 A to IC_EF4U. Keep A-coils energized.

Shot 18 -- Fizzle.

Next shot: add 0.5 mT to Br0. Keep A-coils energized.

Shot 19 -- Fizzle.

Next shot: reload shot 11, except reduce Ip to 0.9 MA. Keep
A-coils energized.

Shot 20 -- No-power shot cycle. Data system hung.

Shot 21 -- Aborted.

Shot 22 -- No-power shot cycle. Data system hung.

Shot 23 -- No-power shot cycle. Data system hung.

Shot 24 -- No-power shot cycle. Data system hung.

Shot 25 -- Plasma. Disrupted at t=0.71 s. Brick. The A-coil TMX supply
doesn't seem to have worked. EngOp is looking into it.

Next shot: reduce pre-fill puff by 5 ms for disruption recovery.
A-coils are still being energized.

Shot 26 -- Aborted.

End of run.

Session Leader Comments

Physics Operator Comments
Apr 25 2003 08:29:30:353AMRobert GranetzEngineering setup for Friday, 25 April 2003

Purpose: continue startup, and begin using A-coils for locked mode studies

Physics operator: R. Granetz

ECDC overnight in D2 at 2e-4 Torr, stopping by 07:00.
Bake at 60 C overnight as well, if possible.

Run begins at 09:00 and ends at 17:00.

Power systems the same as on 1030424007 (0.8 MA, 5.4 T, lower single null)

A-coil hookup: +Dtop -Dbot -Jtop +Jbot

Gas setup:
fill B-Top with 6 psi D2 Hybrid enabled (PG4)
fill B-side lower with 1 psi Ar Hybrid enabled (PG1)
fill B-side upper with 10 psi D2 Hybrid DISABLED (PG2) (for ECDC)
fill C-side with 30 psi D2 Hybrid enabled (PG3)

Enable the following gate valves, assuming no vacuum problems:
ECE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RF Setup: All 4 transmitters Run On by 08:30.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Run Plan: Start with shot 7 from yesterday (1030424007), which had a clear
locked mode, yet had PCS density feedback enabled. Assuming the locked
mode signatures are seen, then begin using the new A-coil set to see if
they have any effect on these signatures. I will probably stick to full
current (2.3 kA), with quad sets of coils energized (upper and lower at
opposite toroidal locations.
Apr 25 2003 05:20:58:023PMRobert Granetz ECDC was done overnight, as well as a 60 C bake.

Hybrid coldstart done by the engineering group; no errors found

Loaded PCS from shot 1030424007 (0.8 MA, 5.4 T, single null lower),
and programmed in a 40 ms argon pulse starting at t=0.35 s.
Apr 25 2003 09:09:40:523AM1030425001Robert GranetzShot 01 -- Plasma. Ramped all the way down. 0.8 MA, 5.4 T, nl_04=0.5e20 m-2.
Plenty of hard x-rays. Large locked mode starts at t=1.31 s.
Startup had a bounce. Bz0 was a bit high, but I'll leave it for
now.

Next shot: repeat with no changes. I want to get some idea of
the variability of the onset time of the locked mode.
Apr 25 2003 09:13:05:130AM1030425002Robert GranetzShot 02 -- Test. No-power shot cycle - one of the engineering decoders
failed to init properly.
Apr 25 2003 09:33:42:687AM1030425003Robert GranetzShot 03 -- Plasma. Good shot. There was no locked mode on this shot,
possibly because the RF turned on (1.5 MW) and raised the density
a bit (and heated a little as well). This sensitivity to plasma
parameters may make the A-coil studies difficult to interpret.

Next shot: one more repeat, this time without RF.
Apr 25 2003 09:41:56:870AM1030425004Robert GranetzShot 04 -- No-power shot cycle - one of the engineering decoders failed to
init properly (again).
Apr 25 2003 10:05:39:920AM1030425005Robert GranetzShot 05 -- Plasma. Good shot. Got the locked mode back. It starts at
about t=1.33 s (about 50 ms different than on shot 01). There
were NO hard x-rays on this shot, and no bounce during the
startup.

Next shot: energize the A-coils. I'll have them go from 1.0 s to
1.6 s. The initial hookup maximizes m=2/n=1.
Apr 25 2003 10:36:05:793AM1030425006Robert GranetzShot 06 -- Plasma. Good shot. The locked mode is gone! We need to see if
this is reproducible, or just a fluke. (At t=1.35 s, there
was a particularly large sawtooth on the GPC ECE.) Hard x-rays
are back, and so is the startup bounce.

Note: a small helium puff was on at t=1.3 s for the first time
today. I will have them move it to t=0.7 s for following shots.

A-coil details: +Dtop -Dbot -Jtop +Jbot (maximize m=2/n=1),
Programmed for 3700 amps (including offset), PLC limit=4 kA,
Ramp on: t=1.0-1.1 s, Ramp off: t=1.6-1.7 s.
Actual measured current: 2000 A.

Next shot: repeat with no changes, including the A-coils. We need
to check whether there's really an effect here or not.
Apr 25 2003 10:53:49:490AM1030425007Robert GranetzShot 07 -- Plasma. Good shot. No locked mode. 2 for 2. Hard x-rays and
the startup bounce are still with us. The density has been
creeping up from shot-to-shot, even though NL_04 feedback is on.
Martin points out that the EFIT Wp does not droop very much during
the discharge for shots 06 and 07 compared to shots 01 and 05.

Next shot: one more repeat with no changes. A-coils will still
be on.
Apr 25 2003 11:04:59:587AM1030425008Robert GranetzShot 08 -- Plasma. Good shot. No locked mode. 3 for 3, but the density has
been creeping up, so it may not mean anything. This startup had
two bounces, just to make sure that there were plenty of hard
x-rays.

Next shot: turn off the A-coils. Will the locked mode come back?
Apr 25 2003 11:27:37:357AM1030425009Robert GranetzShot 09 -- Plasma. Good shot. No locked mode. So it seems that the density
increases over the last several shots have been responsible for
getting rid of the locked mode, rather than the A-coils.
Note: A-coils have been disabled at the PLC. The programmed
waveform has been left on the PCS wire.

Next shot: reduce nl_04 during the first part of the shot. (It's
already asking for negative density after t=0.8 s.)
Apr 25 2003 11:44:17:007AM1030425010Robert GranetzShot 10 -- Plasma. Good shot. Still no locked mode, even though the density
is a little lower. But I don't think we'll be able to get the
density much lower, so maybe I'll try raising the plasma current.

Next shot: raise Ip to 1.0 MA, keeping the density low.
Apr 25 2003 12:11:46:627PM1030425011Robert GranetzShot 11 -- Plasma. Disrupted at t=1.6 s. Big locked mode, with onset
at t=0.92 s. (Also lots of hard x-rays.)

Next shot: re-enable the A-coils. Also increase pre-fill
pressure a bit.
Apr 25 2003 12:29:28:793PM1030425012Robert GranetzShot 12 -- Fizzle. Lots of carbon...chalk it up to the disruption, rather
than to the higher pre-fill pressure. No bounce.

Next shot: try again, no changes. A-coils will be energized.
Apr 25 2003 12:35:54:053PM1030425013Robert GranetzShot 13 -- Fizzle. Several bounces, really ugly.

Next shot: reduce pre-fill a touch. Keep the A-coils on.
Apr 25 2003 12:59:04:323PM1030425014Robert GranetzShot 14 -- Plasma. Disrupted at t=0.76 s. Looks like an injection killed
this one early. Hard x-rays were reduced, but not eliminated.

Next shot: try again, no changes. Keep the A-coils on.
Apr 25 2003 01:11:13:733PM1030425015Robert GranetzShot 15 -- Fizzle.

Next shot: add -10 amps to IC_EF4U, subtract 0.5 mT from Br0 offset.
Leave A-coils energized.
Apr 25 2003 01:16:46:257PM1030425016Robert GranetzShot 16 -- No-power shot cycle. Problem with engineering camac init.
Apr 25 2003 01:52:33:750PM1030425017Robert GranetzShot 17 -- Fizzle. Lots of carbon light. Breakdown was nice and early though.

Next shot: add -5 A to IC_EF4U. Keep A-coils energized.
Apr 25 2003 02:26:29:440PM1030425018Robert GranetzShot 18 -- Fizzle.

Next shot: add 0.5 mT to Br0. Keep A-coils energized.
Apr 25 2003 02:56:52:660PM1030425020Robert GranetzShot 19 -- Fizzle.

Next shot: reload shot 11, except reduce Ip to 0.9 MA. Keep
A-coils energized.
Apr 25 2003 03:19:03:600PM1030425020Robert GranetzShot 20 -- No-power shot cycle. Data system hung.
Apr 25 2003 03:41:09:400PM1030425021Robert GranetzShot 21 -- Aborted.
Apr 25 2003 03:40:35:243PM1030425022Robert GranetzShot 22 -- No-power shot cycle. Data system hung.
Apr 25 2003 03:58:06:520PM1030425023Robert GranetzShot 23 -- No-power shot cycle. Data system hung.
Apr 25 2003 04:20:59:087PM1030425024Robert GranetzShot 24 -- No-power shot cycle. Data system hung.
Apr 25 2003 04:45:32:267PM1030425025Robert GranetzShot 25 -- Plasma. Disrupted at t=0.71 s. Brick. The A-coil TMX supply
doesn't seem to have worked. EngOp is looking into it.

Next shot: reduce pre-fill puff by 5 ms for disruption recovery.
A-coils are still being energized.
Apr 25 2003 05:00:16:070PM1030425025Robert GranetzShot 26 -- No-power shot cycle. Data system hung.

Engineering Operator Comments
ShotTimeTypeStatusComment
108:54:42:237AMPlasmaOk
209:08:51:240AMPlasmaBadEF4 Decoder did not init properly
309:20:18:263AMPlasmaOk
409:38:40:717AMPlasmaBadBUSLV Ddecoder Init Fail
509:52:47:960AMPlasmaOk
610:21:16:817AMPlasmaOk
710:37:50:687AMPlasmaOk
810:54:01:303AMPlasmaOk
911:10:35:987AMPlasmaOk
1011:27:55:950AMPlasmaOk
1111:56:26:197AMPlasmaOk
1212:15:41:240PMPlasmaOk
1312:30:06:530PMPlasmaOk
1412:43:58:893PMPlasmaOk
1501:00:28:980PMPlasmaOk
1601:13:59:250PMPlasmaBadEngineering Power System Camac Fault
1701:40:55:200PMPlasmaOk
1802:13:45:877PMPlasmaOk
2002:48:00:007PMPlasmaOk
2103:06:18:673PMTestBad
2203:36:42:877PMTestOkCycle Test for IGOR
2303:55:28:923PMTestOkCycle Test for IGOR
2404:17:42:893PMTestOkCycle Test for IGOR
2504:29:20:723PMPlasmaOk
2710:34:43:827AMTestBad
2902:11:10:673PMTestBad
3002:22:11:433PMTestBad
3102:37:19:587PMTestBad
3202:46:07:110PMTestBad
3303:05:06:607PMTestBad
3403:20:53:243PMTestBad
3503:39:49:117PMTestBad
3603:59:57:210PMTestBad
3704:10:41:517PMTestBad
3804:24:44:700PMTestBad
3904:42:17:230PMTestBad