Design and experimental results of feedback control of Ohmic-heating transformer magnetic flux by LHCD power in HT-7 Tokamak

In order to make a research on long pulse or even steady state operation with non-inductive drive in plasma discharge, a new feedback control scheme instead of the previous one has been designed and operated in HT-7 [HT-7 team presented by J. Li, et al., Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 42 (2) (2000) 135–146] Tokamak experiment, 2004. Consumption of iron-core transformer magnetic flux (MFT) is feedback controlled for the first time by power of lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) PLH, when the Ohmic-heating circuit current can maintain the plasma current IP constant with another feedback control loop, which make MFT evolve at alternating-change state to avoid flux saturation. Plasma current IP can be maintained steadily up to 120 s in this operation mode at reduced plasma parameters (IP ≈ 50–100 KA, average density n¯e=0.4–0.5×1019 m−3, PLH = 100–200 KW). Design and experimental results are presented in the paper, which including control model analysis, configurations of control system and MFT feedback control experiments in HT-7. The high voltage power supply (HVPS) of LHCD is the main controller that regulates the LHCD power into the plasma to control the MFT.