Design of a feedback system to stabilise instabilities by ECRH using a combined ECW launcher and ECE receiver

Abstract

At the TEXTOR tokamak a 140 GHz, 800 kW, 10 s gyrotron is employed for studies on ECW heating and ECCD. A key program is the suppression of tearing modes, which is aided by the unique facility at TEXTOR to program magnetic structures during a discharge (DED). A scheme is under development which aims to detect the perturbations on the electron cyclotron emission caused by these instabilities via the same line of sight as is used by the ECRH beam, and to use this information for feedback control of the instability. A brief overview of TEXTOR and relevant island parameters is given as well as a description of the upgraded ECRH system. This is followed by a description of the design of the transmission line coupler and receiver for island detection which constitutes the main topic of the paper. The final section sketches the feedback controller that processes the receiver signals, and controls the moveable launcher and the gyrotron power.