The Design of the Plasma Control System in KTX

KTX（Keda Torus for eXperiment）is a new reversed field pinch device.The KTX plasma control system（PCS）can provide real-time,stable,flexible plasma control which is designed by ASIPP（Institute of Plasma Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences）,based on the Linux cluster system and EPICS（Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System）framework,and developed from DIII-D（Doublet III-D）PCS.The control of the equilibrium field in KTX uses a PID（Proportional-Integral-Derivative）feedback controller.The control of the gas injection is an open loop control.The plasma control simulation system is one part of the plasma control system,which is used to test the plasma control algorithm if it is revised and updated.The KTX PCS has been successfully tested using HT-7（Hefei Torus 7）experiment data in simulation mode.In the next phase,an error field feedback control and KTX simulator will be added to the KTX PCS,and the KTX PCS will be applied in experiments in the future.

Development of the simulation platform between EAST plasma control system and the tokamak simulation code based on Simulink

Plasma control system（PCS）,mainly developed for real-time feedback control calculation,plays a significant part during normal discharges in a magnetic fusion device,while the tokamak simulation code（TSC） is a nonlinear numerical model that studies the time evolution of an axisymmetric magnetized tokamak plasma.The motivation to combine these two codes for an integrated simulation is specified by the facts that the control system module in TSC is relatively simple compared to PCS,and meanwhile,newly-implemented control algorithms in PCS,before applied to experimental validations,require numerical validations against a tokamak plasma simulator that TSC can act as.In this paper,details of establishment of the integrated simulation framework between the EAST PCS and TSC are generically presented,and the poloidal power supply model and data acquisition model that have been implemented in this framework are described as well.In addition,the correctness of data interactions among the EAST PCS,Simulink and TSC is clearly confirmed during an interface test,and in a simulation test,the RZIP control scheme in the EAST PCS is numerically validated using this simulation platform.

Flow control performance evaluation of a tri-electrode sliding discharge plasma actuator

Tri-electrode sliding discharge(TED)plasma actuators are formed by adding a direct current(DC)exposed electrode to conventional dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)plasma actuators.There are three TED modes depending on the polarity and amplitude of the DC supply:DBD discharge,extended discharge and sliding discharge.This paper evaluates the electrical,aerodynamic and mechanical characteristics of a TED plasma actuator based on energy analysis,particle image velocimetry experiments and calculations using the Navier-Stokes equation.The flow control performances of different discharge modes are quantitatively analyzed based on characteristic parameters.The results show that flow control performance in both extended discharge and sliding discharge is more significant than that of DBD,mainly because of the significantly higher(up to 141%)body force of TED compared with DBD.However,conductivity loss is the primary power loss caused by the DC polarity for TED discharge.Therefore,power consumption can be reduced by optimizing the dielectric material and thickness,thus improving the flow control performance of plasma actuators.

Integrated design and performance optimization of three-electrode sliding discharge plasma power supply

The three-electrode sliding dielectric barrier discharge(TES-DBD) plasma actuator significantly enhances the ionization rate and momentum exchange between charged particles and neutral particles by incorporating a parallel DC electrode into the standard DBD design. This design improves the body force and induced jet velocity while allowing flexible control of the induced jet angle, overcoming the limitations of discharge extension and uncontrollable direction in traditional DBD plasma actuators. An integrated plasma power supply has been designed specifically for TES-DBD plasma actuators, streamlining the power supply management. The methodology involves designing the circuit topology for the TES-DBD power supply, followed by simulating and validating its operating principles using Multisim software. The operational performance of the power supply is evaluated through a comprehensive analysis of its electrical,thermal, and aerodynamic properties specific to TES-DBD plasma actuation.

A computer-based control system for keyhole plasma arc welding

A new kind of control system for keyhole plasma arc welding （K-PAW） was developed based on the computer and the Graphics Language--LabVIEW. It can set and output the required current waveforms with desired decreasing slopes so that the corresponding ＂opening and closing＂ of keyhole can occur periodically. With this control strategy of welding current waveforms, the workpiece is fully penetrated while no burn-through Occurs. Keyhole plasma arc welding experiments were conducted to verify the stability and reliability of the developed system.

System Design of a Reference Model Adaptive Control for Radial Plasma Position on HL-2A Tokamak

The design of the control system for radial plasma position on HL-2A based on model reference adaptive control (MRAC) principle is presented in this paper. The simulated results show that it can be used to improve the performance of the system greatly. Compared with the classical PID control system, it has obvious advantages in the better dynamic response, the smaller quantity of calculation and the better robustness.

Closed-loop control system design and experimental study for controlled pulse keyhole plasma arc welding

The controlled pulse waveform is newly applied in keyhole plasma arc welding process. Two additional descending slopes can guarantee stable and smooth transition of keyhole closing and opening periodically. To develop a closed-loop control system for this special welding process, the key point is the determination of system input and output variables. The averaged efflux plasma voltage during a pulse cycle is defined as the characteristic variable reflecting the real keyhole dimension. Research and experiments are conducted to explore the relationship between the characteristic variable and weld pe^Cormance. Results show that alternated peak current can significantly change the keyhole dimension and the penetration. It is proposed that the keyhole average dimension is taken as the controlled variable, and the peak pulse current value and slopes are taken as control variables.

System Identification of Controlled Pulse Keyhole Plasma Arc Welding Process

The development of closed-loop control systems is one of the most effective ways to improve the stability of the keyhole status during keyhole plasma arc welding （K-PAW）. Due to the disadvantages of the ＂one-pulse-one-keyhole＂ technology based on the conventional square current waveform, the controlled pulse welding current waveform is newly applied to control the keyhole open and close periodically. In order to realize the real-time control on the keyhole behavior with this advanced current waveform, welding experiments and system identification are conducted based on the classical control theory. One complete welding cycle can be divided into 3 periods. The keyhole establishing time is the most important time variable, which determines the keyhole behavior and welding process stability. At the same time, the averaged effiux plasma arc voltage during one pulse cycle can reflect the real keyhole dimension and status in a real-time manner. Therefore, two single-input-single-output （SISO） systems are proposed, in which keyhole establishing time and keyhole average dimension are taken as the system controlled variables respectively. Welding experiments are designed with the peak current varying randomly. Experiments show that the keyhole establishing time changes in an opposite direction to the varied peak current, and the averaged efflux plasma arc voltage varies with the same trend as the peak current. Based on the least squares technique and F test of classical system identification, second order difference equation for keyhole establishing time/peak current system and first order difference equation for keyhole average dimension/peak current system are obtained. It is proved that the calculated data by the two mathematical expressions are well matched with the measured data. The proposed research provides mathematical expressions and theoretical analysis to develop closed-loop systems for the controlled pulse K-PAW.

Computer-Controlled System for Plasma Ion Energy Auto-Analyzer

A computer-controlled system for plasma ion energy auto-analyzer was technically studied for rapid and online measurement of plasma ion energy distribution. The system intelligently controls all the equipments via a RS-232 port, a printer port and a home-built circuit. The software designed by LabVIEW G language automatically fulfils all of the tasks such as system initializing, adjustment of scanning-voltage, measurement of weak-current, data processing, graphic export, etc. By using the system, a few minutes are taken to acquire the whole ion energy distribution, which rapidly provides important parameters of plasma process techniques based on semiconductor devices and microelectronics.

Welding of Ti-6Al-4V alloy using dynamically controlled plasma arc welding process

A novel dynamically controlled plasma arc welding process was introduced,which is able tominimize heat input into the workpiece materials while maintaining desired full penetration,and it was used to weld Ti-6Al-4V alloy sheets.The microstructures,facture surfaces and microhardness of the welded joints were characterized by using optical microscope,scanning electron microscope （SEM） and Vickers microhardness tester.Comparing with welds such as gas tungsten arc and conventional plasma arc processes,the experimental results revealed the improvements when using the present process including：1） reducing prior-beta （β） grain size and prohibiting formation of hard martensite phases in the fusion zone due to the decreased heat input;and 2） better toughness and higher hardness.

Forebody asymmetric vortex control with extended dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators

Plasma control of forebody asymmetric vortices is mostly achieved by means of dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)plasma actuators. However, DBD actuators suffer from some disadvantages such as a weak induced body force, a singledirection induced jet, and an unclear control mechanism. We carry out wind tunnel experiments involving the forebody vortex control of a slender body at high angles of attack using an innovative extended DBD actuator, which has a stronger capacity to induce an electric wind than a DBD actuator. Through synchronous measurements of the pressure distribution and particle image velocimetry(PIV), the spatiotemporal evolution of the dynamic interactions between plasma-actuationinduced vortices and forebody asymmetric vortices is analyzed. The influence of plasma discharge on the boundary layer separation around a slender body and the spatial topological structures of asymmetric vortices are further surveyed, as the optimized actuation parameters. Extended DBD actuators are found to be more capable of controlling asymmetric vortices than DBD actuators, and a linear proportionality of the sectional lateral force versus the duty ratio is achieved.There exists an optimal normalized reduced frequency( f+= 2π fpd/U∞= 2.39) for asymmetric vortex control under the present experimental conditions. The research results can provide technical guidance for the control and reuse of forebody asymmetric vortices.

Turbulent boundary layer control with a spanwise array of DBD plasma actuators

The turbulent boundary layer control on NACA 0012 airfoil with Mach number ranging from 0.3 to 0.5 by a spanwise array of dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)plasma actuators by hot-film sensor technology is investigated.Due to temperature change mainly caused through heat produced along with plasma will lead to measurement error of shear stress measured by hot-film sensor,the correction method that takes account of the change measured by another sensor is used and works well.In order to achieve the value of shear stress change,we combine computational fluid dynamics computation with experiment to calibrate the hot-film sensor.To test the stability of the hot-film sensor,seven repeated measurements of shear stress at Ma=0.3 are conducted and show that confidence interval of hot-film sensor measurement is from−0.18 to 0.18 Pa and the root mean square is 0.11 Pa giving a relative error 0.5%over all Mach numbers in this experiment.The research on the turbulent boundary layer control with DBD plasma actuators demonstrates that the control makes shear stress increase by about 6%over the three Mach numbers,which is thought to be reliable through comparing it with the relative error 0.5%,and the value is hardly affected by burst frequency and excitation voltage.

Numerical Simulation of Stall Flow Control Using a DBD Plasma Actuator in Pulse Mode

A numerical simulation method is employed to investigate the effects of the unsteady plasma body force over the stalled NACA 0015 airfoil at low Reynolds number flow conditions. The plasma body force created by a dielectric barrier discharge actuator is modeled with a phenomenological method for plasma simulation coupled with the compressible Navier-Stokes equations. The governing equations are solved using an efficient implicit finitevolume method. The responses of the separated flow field to the effects of an unsteady body force in various inter- pulses and duty cycles as well as different locations and magnitudes are studied. It is shown that the duty cycle and inter-pulse are key parameters for flow separation control. Additionally, it is concluded that the body force is able to attach the flow and can affect boundary layer grow that Mach number 0.1 and Reynolds number of 45000.

Improving Plasma Confinement by Controlling Hard X-Ray

Since runaway electrons and magnetohydrodynamics activity can contribute to serious damage and energy losses in tokamaks, the effect of an external electric field on runaway electrons and hard x-ray spectra is investigated. Parameters such as the plasma current, the hard x-ray photons count and the mean energy of runaway electrons are measured. Positive and negative voltages of 300 V are applied at lOms after the plasma initiation （while the plasma is forming）, at 15ms （while the plasma is stable） and at 20ms （while the plasma is fading away） to attain the most effective time of applying the external electric field. The number of hard x-ray photons has the most changes in the range of O-200 keV when the external electric fields are applied. Also in the duration of 20-30ms of plasma the greatest number of hard x-ray spectra is detected. When the external electric fields are applied, the mean energy of runaway electrons reduces significantly, especially at 15 ms （while the plasma is stab/e）.

Recent Progress in Plasma Control Studies on the Improvement of Plasma Performance in Heliotron J

Recent progress in plasma control studies on the improvement of plasma performance in Heliotron J is reviewed. The supersonic molecular beam injection （SMBI） fueling is successfully applied to Heliotron J plasma. A supersonic H2-beam is effectively injected to increase fueling efficiency and generate a peaked density profile. Local fueling with a short-pulsed SMBI can increase the core plasma density and avoid the degradation arising from edge cooling. Second harmonic electron cyclotron current drive （ECCD） experiments were conducted by launching a focused Gaussian beam with a parallel refractive index of -0.05 ≤ Nil 〈 0.6. Results show that the electron cyclotron （EC） driven current is determined not only by Nil but also by local magnetic field （B） structure where the EC power is deposited. Detailed analysis of the observed NI and B dependences is in progress with a ray-tracing simulation using the TRAVIS code. Fast ion velocity distribution was investigated using fast protons generated by ion cyclotron resonant frequency （ICRF） minority heating. For the standard configuration in Heliotron J, charge ex- change neutral particle analysis （CX-NPA） measurements show higher effective temperature of fast minority protons in the on-axis resonance case compared to that in the HFS （high field side） off-axis resonance case. However, the increase in bulk ion temperature in the HFS resonance case is larger than that in the on-axis resonance.

Feedback Control of Plasma Current and Horizontal Position in HT-7

There is a strong magnetic coupling between poloidal field coils of superconducting tokamak HT-7, especially between ohinic heating and vertical field coils. These coils are connected to individual power supply. The control system for the plasma current and horizontal position control has been designed and showed satisfactory results with the feedback control of multivari- able feedforward-decoupling and var-parameter PID controller to simultaneously modulate power supplies. The design and analysls of the control system is presented.

Specialized Numerical Control Plasma Cutting Machine

The large thermal cutting equipment——The DHG. CNC numerical control plasma cutting machine is produced by The Ha’erbin Welding & Cutting Equipment Co. It specializes in the precise formation and baiting of nonferrous boards and thin carbon steel plates at a high speed. It avoids the disadvantage of flame cutting, which cannot cut nonferrous and thin steel plates.

Experimental and numerical investigation of a self-supplementing dual-cavity plasma synthetic jet actuator

The primary issue regarding the plasma synthetic jet actuator(PSJA)is its performance attenuation at high frequencies.To solve this issue,a self-supplementing,dual-cavity,plasma synthetic jet actuator(SD-PSJA)is designed,and the static properties of the SD-PSJA are investigated through experiments and numerical simulations.The pressure measurement shows that the SD-PSJA has two saturation frequencies(1200 Hz and 2100 Hz),and the experimental results show that both the saturation frequencies decrease as the volume of the bottom cavity of the SD-PSJA increases.As the size of the supplement hole increases,the first saturation frequency increases continuously,while the second saturation frequency shows a trend of first decreasing and then increasing.Numerical simulations show that the working process of the SD-PSJA is similar to that of the PSJA,but the volume of the cavity in the SD-PSJA is smaller than that of the PSJA;the SD-PSJA can supplement air to the top cavity through two holes,thus reducing the refresh time and effectively improving the jet intensity of the actuator at high frequencies.

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON INDUCED FLOW VELOCITY OF PLASMA AERODYNAMIC ACTUATION

Plasma flow control is an active flow control technology that based on the plasma aerodynamic actuation. It can be used to enhance the aerodynamic characteristics of aircraft and propulsion systems. To study the phenomena occurring in plasma aerodynamic actuation and the mechanism of plasma flow control, the induced flow velocity of the plasma aerodynamic actuator is experimentally investigated under a variety of parameter conditions. The results indicate that plasma aerodynamic actuation accelerates the near surface air at velocities of a few meters per second, and there is an angle about 5° between the mainstream and the actuator wall and a spiral vortex is formed when the induced flow is moving along the wall. Besides, with the fixed frequency, the induced flow velocity increases linearly with the applied voltage, but it is insensitive to the frequency when the applied voltage is fixed. And the configuration is an effective factor for the performance of the plasma aerodynamic actuator.

EAST Plasma Current and Position Prediction by TSC and Experimental Verification

A predictive study on the plasma current and position control was carried out by applying TSC to the EAST experiments with a plasma control system （PCS）. Good agreement was achieved between predicted and experimental results in the plasma current, major radius, minor radius, elongation and plasma electron density, etc., which indicates that TSC has high predictability and reliability.