Automation and control system for the PUPR Mirror/Cusp plasma machine

Abstract

The automation of the PUPR Mirror/Cusp (M/C) plasma machine is the result of a collaboration between the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, NASA and Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory for the NASA Solar Probe mission. The PUPR M/C plasma machine is the only machine of its type in the Caribbean that has been set up for automatic operation. It valves and pumps together with a current source and microwave generator to create plasma. This process requires the operator to do a series of strict steps while constantly monitoring the pressure and temperature. This process was automated using a programmable logic controller (PLC). The PLC manages all the equipment used to make plasma, and communicates with the vacuum-measuring system and the cooling temperature control system to acquire the state of the system and determine the next step in the process of making plasma. The machine operation can be switched between manual and automatic mode, allowing the operator to take control of the operation at any moment. The system has improved the speed and precision of the operations at the Plasma Engineering Laboratory of the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, by eliminating most of the possible human errors in the operation of the plasma device.