Alcator C-Mod Run 1070522 Information

Back to runs

Miniproposals
Miniproposal:475
Date Filed: 3/23/2007
Title:Cryopump Startup
First Author:Brian Labombard
Session Leader:Brian Labombard (shots 1-1)

Operators
Session leader(s):Brian Labombard
Physics operator(s):Steve Wolfe
Engineering operator(s):

Engineering Operator Run Comment
automatically entered by signon - please replace with real comment

Session Leader Plans

Physics Operators Plans
Entered: May 21 2007 05:56:26:430PM
Author: Steve Wolfe
Physop plan for Tuesday, May 22, 2007

MP#475 Cryopump Startup
SL: Labombard
PO: wolfe

We will be doing mostly NO PLASMA checkout of the cryopump system,
with the possibility of running plasmas in the afternoon. 

Engineering Setup
-------------------
Alternator and Machine cooldown for a 2:00PM Start (lockup no earlier
than 1:30 PM). Run will end at 5:00PM. 

No overnight ECDC

Power Systems as on 1070511001
Acoil: +Dtop -Dbot -Jtop +Jbot (standard) Hybrid enabled

Gas setup:
----------
Fill B-Top with 6 psi D2 Hybrid enabled (PG4)
fill B-side lower with 1 psi Ar Hybrid DISABLED (PG1)
leave B-side upper as is Hybrid DISABLED (PG2)
fill B-main (C-side) with 40 psi D2 Hybrid enabled (PG3)
NINJA backfill with 25 PSI of D2.

Enable the following gate valves and shutters, assuming no vacuum problems:
ECE, VUV, Z-bolo shutters; Enable DNB gatevalve when requested by DNB operator.

Torvac setup: Pumpstack gatevalves CLOSED in PULSE (close time tbd)

ICRF: not required 
LH: not required

Physop plan:
------------

Most of the day is expected to be spent on the No-power run section 
of the MP (Cool-down/Regen and pumping speed benchmarks). See SL_PLAN
for details. If things go well, we will want to take a few plasma shots
with the pump operating, as described under the C-Mod Run#1 section of the
MP:

LSN Discharges: load from 1070511025 seg2, set nl04=0.8e20
Run a few shots with the pump not at LHe temperature, then cool the pump
to helium. May need to adjust pg4 puff for breakdown. We expect little
pumping in this configuration, but this needs to be quantified. Demonstrate 
pumping and regen cycles with plasma (manual control).

If we get this far:
USN discharges: load from 1070511022 seg3, set nl04=0.8e20  This should be maximum pumping configuration. Run a reference shot with pump "off" if there's
time, then cool it down and pump away. 


Session Leader Summaries
Entered: May 22 2007 11:11:34:257PM
Author: Brian Labombard
Run Summary for 1070522

MP#475 ""Cryopump Startup""

-Plan-
This miniproposal calls out five start-up phases for commissioning the upper divertor cryopump:

Phase I - System Assembly and Checkout
Phase II - Cool-down/Regeneration and Pumping Speed Benchmarks
Phase III - Operation during C-Mod Discharge
Phase IV - Effect of secondary separatrix on pumping throughput
Phase V - Density control in H-mode discharges

The goals for today's run were to finish Phase I, finish Phase II and if possible begin Phase III.
A 'no-power run' was planned for the morning with free access to the cell. Then sometime in the
afternoon we hoped to begin operation of the pump in C-Mod plasmas.

-Result-
Progess on Phase I came to a grinding halt yesterday evening when the ethernet-based PLC crate controller
for the cryopump died (we have no spare!). Without PLC control, none of the cryopump's valves
can be operated. So, we spent all of the morning scrambling around to get a borrowed crate controller
from the gas-jet injection system operating on top of the igloo with some new optical fibers.
This was very painful. We thought we had killed the controller until we realized that we hooked it up
wrong. Finally, with PLC control obtained around 1:00 pm, we started checking out the cryopump's
systems, hoping to flow LN2 and LHe for some initial gas-pumping benchmarks and then into plasmas. But
again the hardware was not willing. We found a number of problems: a bad power supply, wiring glitch on the
He exhaust pressure gauge. We did manage to purge the LN2 system and open it to the C-Mod sump. With the LN2
system on-line and most all the controls and valves operating, we began to test the LHe circuit.
Bad news. Several leaks where found on the newly assembled helium exhaust system, including a bad solder joint
and a large leak where some thermocouple wires penetrate a brass fitting. So we scrubbed plans for plasmas
and proceeded to remove the leaky components to be fixed.

We will be back for another go at it soon.

Physics Operator Summaries
Entered: May 22 2007 04:28:47:337PM
Author: Steve Wolfe
Physop summary for Tuesday, May 22
MP#475 Cryopump startup
SL: Labombard
PO: wolfe

After the PLC problem was fixed, and a 5V power supply replaced,
and the wiring to the helium exhaust pressure gauge corrected, 
significant gas leaks were found in the helium circuit. One leak was 
identified at the helium pressure gauge. The big leak was finally
located at an epoxied hole used for a thermocouple, and fixing
that will require some disassembly. The run was called off at ~16:00.

No shots, no plasmas, no fizzles. 



Session Leader Comments

Physics Operator Comments
May 22 2007 01:19:28:430PMSteve Wolfe
The PLC controller for the cryopump has been replaced using the one
from gas jet. There still seem to be some sensors that are not reporting
correctly, but these are being checked out. Once that's done, Brian 
will begin the non-plasma part of the run, starting with purge and
cool-down. With a lot of luck we'll be running plasmas later this afternoon. 



May 22 2007 01:29:12:233PMSteve Wolfe
Getting ready for plasma per the run plan (sort of):
Load from 1070511022. 
Seg 3 off, seg 2 on. This is lower null, 8e19
In seg1, PG 4 from 15 to 20msec
Confirm Br0 at -.003T, EF4 at -1335A

Not that we're going to get to it, but copy the nl04 trace
from seg2 to seg3 (the upper null)

Load it
Load at 22-May-2007 13:27:35.00
Open tree /home/wolfe/pcs_scratch      -1
Open tree done



Engineering Operator Comments
ShotTimeTypeStatusComment