Control and data acquisition system for SCR-1 Stellarator

Abstract

The design and implementation of a small-size modular stellarator’s (SCR-1) control and data acquisition system is introduced and discussed in this article. The described development includes the validation and integration of vacuum pumping, gas injection, Electron Cyclotron Heating (ECH), diagnostics, and magnetic confinement systems of the SCR-1.The control system was implemented on a National Instruments® PXIe® platform. By data flow programming, it was possible to develop different algorithms for the simultaneous execution of four threads during the plasma discharge sequence (device safety, gas injection, data acquisition and plasma discharge), where the primary goal is to implement a robust and secure system considering the integrity and safety of the SCR-1 work team and the hardware involved. Through the implementation of this control and data acquisition system, it was possible to perform the first plasma discharge and, therefore, obtain first data of device operation.