ITER Plasma Position Reflectometry (PPR) Diagnostic System

Project Leaders: Bruno Soares Gonçalves and Paulo Varela

ITER will be equipped with a set of plasma diagnostics to measure the plasma and first wall parameters. The functions of these plasma diagnostics are machine protection, basic and advanced control, and physics studies. The diagnostics are necessary to meet the overall ITER project requirements.

This contract aims at designing the ITER Plasma Position Reflectometry system. This diagnostic system comprises several components (antennas, waveguides, microwave electronics and real-time analysis software). The antennas and waveguides launch and receive a radio frequency signal in the range 15 – 75 GHz, which is as-sessed by microwave electronics and real-time analysis software to de-termine the density profile at the plasma edge and to estimate the distance between the plasma and tokamak wall. This parameter is then fed to the plasma control system and used to keep the plasma stable and prevent it from touching the wall, leading to a plasma disruption which would stop the nuclear fusion process. Overall, this contract will bring together the work of some 30 physicists and engineers per year.

The contract covers R&D (including prototypes of the transmissions lines and microwave electronics), engineering, quality support and managerial activities, and testing from functional specifications, up to the supply of an F4E-approved final design. This activity will be followed by the support for the production of Manufactur-ing Drawings for all components of the system as well as the final design for Electronics Components and for the data acquisition and real-time software.

Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), from Portugal leads the consortium of three Euratom Associates including Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), from Spain; and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Fisica del Plasma "Piero Caldirola" (IFP-CNR), from Italy.

The contract has a duration of 4 years and a total budget of 8.5 M€. This is the 6th contract awarded to IPFN, that since 2009 has been responsible for the development of the ITER prototype Fast Plant System Controller, the development of Remote Handling Systems, participates in the consortium that provides Provision of System & Instrumentation Engineering support to F4E and to the consortium for the development of the ITER neutron cameras (contributing to the development of the data acquisition system).

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