Alcator C-Mod Run 930519 Information

Back to runs

Miniproposals
Miniproposal:
Date Filed:
Title:
First Author:
Session Leader:Yuichi Takase (shots 1-29)

Operators
Session leader(s):Yuichi Takase
Physics operator(s):Ian Hutchinson
Engineering operator(s): Unknown

Engineering Operator Run Comment
Continuing to try to raise plasma current. Ian is driving the bus today.

Session Leader Plans

Physics Operators Plans

Session Leader Summaries
Entered: Jul 7 2004 03:49:07:257PM
Author: To Be Determined

From: LEADER::HUTCH
Date: 19-MAY-1993 17:38:29
Description: Summary of 19 May 93 Run

Summary of 19 May 93 Run

29 Shots total. Approximately 13 had plasma current above 100kA.

Strategy of reducing the voltages on OH1/2 EF1, which control the flux
swing on the inboard side, combined with minimizing the EF3 current at
breakdown was successful in giving plasma current rise.

Shot 3, immediately after lowering the commutation resistors, had
150kA. Shot 5 had 300kA; however, it also gave a small bright
afterglow spot on the outboard limiter. This was interpreted as a
runaway electron effect. Thereafter, pulse gas was moved earlier, to
20ms or less, and no further bright heating spots were seen.

During the morning, rather repeatable current rises were obtained, up
to shot 11. (Shot 9 had very early gas pulse -- Oms -- and fizzled.)
During the afternoon, with pulse gas at 10 ms, rather irreproducible
current rises were obtained. Some of the familiar instability/phasing
problems were observed on OH2. But it is not clear that they were the
cause.

Shots 24 on had a further reduction in OH2 commutation resistance and
good looking current ramps on those shots that went (25,27,28).

Suggested priorities for the rest of the week.

1. Get reproducible current rise.
2. Get radial position feedback going.
3. Bring up and debug diagnostics.
4. Flat-top the current at about 300kA for 0.1-0.2 s.
5. Move to the proportional internal regulator on OH2.
6. Clean up the plasma and try to avoid disruptions.

Physics Operator Summaries

Session Leader Comments
May 19 1993 09:04:03:300AMYuichi TakaseTry to get the vertical field to rise faster so we don't lose equilibrium.
Ian has a few things to try:
reduce the EF3 front porch to 0
delay EF3 turn on
crowbar OH's at around 8msec
lower commutation resistors
invert EF2 harder

start with the same settings as yesterday's shot 9.

May 19 1993 09:06:28:410AM930519001Yuichi TakaseShot 1
Same settings as yesterday's shot 9.
36kA @ 14ms. Bd at 9ms

May 19 1993 09:24:57:660AM930519002Yuichi TakaseShot 2
Lowered EF3 front porch V to 0 (was -50 to -100)
Delayed EF3 ramp start to 0 (was -2ms), ramp end at 2ms (unchanged)
Lowered EF4 to 600A (was 663.55)

Ip 20kA @ 11ms, ragged current rise.

May 19 1993 09:57:25:020AM930519003Yuichi TakaseShot 3
Changed commutation resistors:
from to
OH1 156 100 mOhm
OH2 47 32
EF1 253 180

150 kA !!!!!
Bd at 4ms, 7V, -3mT
Linear current rise (slower Ip rise, faster Bz rise).
Bz wasn't on long enough.

May 19 1993 10:19:19:080AM930519004Yuichi Takaseshot 4
Extended EF3 to 50ms.
Enabled hybrid gas control.

49kA @ 15ms, Bz=-10mT, Bd @ 4ms.

May 19 1993 10:28:38:320AM930519005Yuichi Takaseshot 5
Repeat.

300kA @ 60ms.
Hot spot on the outboard limiter (looks like runaway e's),
lasts for 20 frames (3sec) after the shot.

May 19 1993 10:46:07:840AM930519006Yuichi Takaseshot 6
Moved pulsed gas early to 20ms.

260kA
No hot spot on the limiter.

May 19 1993 10:57:47:510AM930519007Yuichi Takaseshot 7
Moved pulsed gas earlier to 10ms, kept on till 100ms.
Extended EF3 to 80ms, then slow ramp down.

Similar to shot 6.

May 19 1993 11:19:24:300AM930519008Yuichi Takaseshot 8
Doubled pulsed gas height to 60V.
Extended EF3 to 80ms, then slow ramp down. (not for last shot)
Current rises till 100msec.

2 on 3 scale pressure excursion after shot.
Sawteeth on soft X-rays.
Event at 60msec (soft X-ray down, H_alpha up), maybe transition from diverted
to limited plasma.
Gas is showing up on H_alpha at about 20-30ms.

May 19 1993 11:26:29:710AM930519009Yuichi TakaseShot 9
Moved pulsed gas. 60V (0-50ms), 30V (50-100ms).

gas excursion to 1.5 on 3 after shot.
dud (15kA).

May 19 1993 11:45:48:240AM930519009Yuichi TakaseShot 10
Moved pulsed gas later by 5ms. 60V (5-55ms), 30V (55-105ms).

200kA, losing current after 90ms.

May 19 1993 11:49:13:650AM930519011Yuichi TakaseShot 11
Moved pulsed gas later by 5ms. 60V (5-55ms), 0 after 55ms.
OH2 crowbars fire at 50ms.

Fizzled (20kA).

May 19 1993 12:59:13:130PM930519012Yuichi TakaseShot 12
First shot after lunch break.
Pulsed gas start moved back, 60V (10-55ms), 0 after 55ms.

Fizzled (36kA).

May 19 1993 01:11:33:910PM930519013Yuichi TakaseShot 13
Lowered fill pressure to 5.e-5 Torr (was 6).

80kA.

May 19 1993 01:40:03:730PM930519014Yuichi TakaseShot 14
Lowered EF4 to 580A (was 600A).

Good shot 290kA.
Have TCI data, Luke and Irby don't agree on calibration.

May 19 1993 02:00:18:500PM930519015Yuichi TakaseShot 15
Lowered EF4 to 560A.

Bd @ 5.6ms (late). Disrupted during current rise @ 180kA.
OH2 problem and vertical position.

May 19 1993 02:12:55:520PM930519016Yuichi TakaseShot 16
Raised EF4 to 580A.
Lowered gas to 50V.

40kA, horizontal field problem?

May 19 1993 02:26:40:930PM930519017Yuichi TakaseShot 17
Started OH2 voltage down-ramp at 46ms (vs 48ms), reaches -100V at 50ms.

35kA, late break down (10ms).

May 19 1993 02:40:49:130PM930519018Yuichi TakaseShot 18
Fill pressure increased to 8.e-5.

30kA still horiz. field problem.

May 19 1993 03:05:14:570PM930519019Yuichi TakaseShot 19
Fill pressure decreased to 4.e-5.

SX shows sawteeth.
Light shows drift down followed by disruption (300kA/ms).
OH2 breaker pulled.

May 19 1993 03:23:58:580PM930519020Yuichi TakaseShot 20
Repeat after OH2 check.

No breakdown.

May 19 1993 03:27:59:300PM930519021Yuichi TakaseShot 21
Fill pressure 6.e-5.

Bd @ 5ms, 25kA @ 12ms, no H_alpha burnout.

May 19 1993 03:45:17:800PM930519022Yuichi TakaseShot 22
EF4 back to 600A.

Fizzle (30kA).

May 19 1993 03:53:42:970PM930519023Yuichi TakaseShot 23
Moved OH1 commutation to -0.5ms (was at 0).

Fizzled.

May 19 1993 04:10:57:250PM930519024Yuichi TakaseShot 24
OH2 comm. resistor to 25 mOhm (from 32).
OH2 demand voltage after commutation to 0 (from +100V).

Bd @ 5ms, Bz=0, 20kA.

May 19 1993 04:27:38:000PM930519025Yuichi TakaseShot 25
OH2 demand to 30V (was 0), OH1 demand to -300V (was -400V),
want faster Bz ramp.

Bd @ 5ms, Bz=-2mT, more circular, disrupted at 230kA.

May 19 1993 04:38:15:980PM930519026Yuichi TakaseShot 26
OH2 demand ramped from -84V @ 50ms to -40V @ 100ms. No change prior to 50ms.

Weak bd @ 5ms, Bz a little higher.

May 19 1993 04:51:00:190PM930519027Yuichi TakaseShot 27
OH1 comm. back to 0ms (was @ -0.5ms).

Good shot, disrupted at 230kA.

May 19 1993 05:03:43:770PM930519028Yuichi TakaseShot 28
OH1 comm. to +0.5ms.
EF3 voltage ramps to 0 at 0.1s (was 0.13s).

Ip max at 0.1s (220kA) then ramps down.

Predictor for B_r has been overflowing since Shot 14.
Reduced it by a factor of 2 for Shot 29.

May 19 1993 05:18:58:660PM930519029Yuichi TakaseShot 29

Reduced the predictor for B_r by a factor of 2 for Shot 29.
OH1 voltage at 45ms -150V.

Lost it again, 20kA.

Physics Operator Comments

Engineering Operator Comments
ShotTimeTypeStatusComment
108:52:16:880AMPlasmaOkplasma I 36 ka
209:08:49:030AMPlasmaOk1 comm 100, 2 comm 32m, ef1 comm 180m
309:37:24:830AMPlasmaOk150ka plasma
409:54:09:110AMPlasmaOk50 ka shorter plasma
510:06:40:100AMPlasmaOk303 ka!!
610:23:59:040AMPlasmaOkok .26ma
710:42:40:270AMPlasmaOk.25 MA
810:59:33:200AMPlasmaOkgetting better 240 ka
911:17:22:790AMPlasmaOklow current < 20kA
1011:31:00:180AMPlasmaOk200 ka
1111:43:08:490AMPlasmaOkgot cocky 20 KA
1212:46:32:790PMPlasmaOk30 KA
1312:59:42:520PMPlasmaOk80 KA
1401:13:54:850PMPlasmaOk300 KA
1501:36:24:920PMPlasmaOkok
1601:58:07:360PMPlasmaOk40KA
1702:13:22:220PMPlasmaOk30ka
1802:29:36:420PMPlasmaOk30ka
1902:45:51:180PMPlasmaOk300ka OH2 comm fail
2003:02:45:340PMPlasmaOk
2103:17:00:580PMPlasmaOk20KA
2203:29:47:140PMPlasmaOk20 KA
2303:44:57:960PMPlasmaOk20 KA
2404:01:08:770PMPlasmaOk20KA
2504:13:34:410PMPlasmaOk240 KA
2604:29:12:870PMPlasmaOk20 KA
2704:39:51:360PMPlasmaOk230 ka
2804:51:55:440PMPlasmaOk220 KA
2905:03:47:410PMPlasmaOkgood run