Real time control of fully non-inductive operation in Tore Supra leading to 6 min, 1 GJ plasma discharges

The experimental programme of Tore Supra (a = 0.72 m, R = 2.4 m, I-p < 1.7 MA, B-T < 4.5 T) has been devoted in 2003 to study simultaneously heat removal capability and particle exhaust in steady-state fully non-inductive current drive discharges. This required both advanced technology integration and steady-state real time plasma control. In particular, an improvement of the plasma position within a few millimetres range, and new real time cross controls between radio frequency (RF) power and various actuators built around a shared memory network, have allowed Tore Supra to access a powerful steady-state regime with an improved safety level for the actively cooled plasma facing components. Feedback controlled fully non-inductive plasma discharges have been sustained in a steady-state regime up to 6 min with a new world record of injected-extracted energy exceeding 1 GJ. Advanced tools, experimental results and brief physics analysis of these discharges are presented and discussed. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.