Projet de Recherche TORID
Tokamak cOntrol of plasma Radial profiles in Infinite Dimensional setting

Équipe : Systèmes Dynamiques, Optimisation et Robotique

Labellisation : non

Durée : 4 ans (2013 - 2016)

Financement : ANR

Personnels impliqués du LARIS : Laurent Autrique, Jean-Claude Jolly, Lamia Attar, Alban Vergnaud

Partenaires du projet : CEA - S. Brémond, R.Nouailletas, J.F. Artaud, P. Moreau, N. Ravenel, D. Moreau, L. Lefevre (LCIS); GIPSA-LAB - E. Witrant, C. Prieur, L. Dugard; E. Moulay (XLIM);  L. Perez (LTN)

The TORID Project (Tokamak cOntrol of plasma Radial profiles in Infinite Dimensional setting) aims at bringing together teams of researchers in feedback control, applied mathematics and plasma physics in order to make a significant step forward on a key issue in magnetic fusion control research: the control of 1D distributed plasma profiles in the so called tokamak facilities. The consortium which is proposing this Project comprise three French research entities with world-wide reputation : the “Institut de Recherche sur la Fusion par confinement Magnétique” (IRFM) from CEA, the “ Grenoble Image Parole Signal Automatique – laboratory” (GIPSA-lab) from University of Grenoble, and the “ Laboratoire d'ingénierie des systèmes automatisés” (LISA) from University of Angers.

Feedback control of the main macroscopic plasma parameters is now quite well mastered in the different worldwide tokamaks, but the control of plasma radial profiles, in particular the so-called safety factor profile, is still in its infancy, whereas it now appears to be crucial in order both to ensure safe operation and to sustain high performance regimes. This topic will have a direct impact on the success of the key world project in the domain, ITER, which is presently under construction in Cadarache, in the South of France, but also to reduce the size and cost of future fusion reactors.

The specific target of this Project with respect to the state of the art is:

(a) to develop control approaches in infinite dimensional setting in view of potential benefit in terms of better handling of non linear couplings and physics model uncertainties as compared to previously developed finite dimensional approaches;

(b) to implement the resulting advanced control algorithms on the French Tore Supra tokamak which, due to its capability to run long lasting plasma discharges, offers a unique opportunity to develop and test plasma safety factor profile control schemes on relevant time scales.

Contact : Laurent Autrique - laurent.autrique @ univ-angers.fr (laurent.autrique @ univ-angers.fr)

Lien web : http://perso-laris.univ-angers.fr/~l.autrique/TORID/