Adequate control of the position of the plasma column within the STOR-M tokamak is a chief requirement in order for experimental quality discharges to be obtained. Optimal control over tokamak discharge parameters, including the plasma position, is very difficult to achieve. This is due in large part to the difficulty in modelling the tokamak discharge parameters, as they are highly nonlinear and time varying in nature. The difficulty of modelling the tokamak discharge parameters suggests that a control system, such as a fuzzy logic based controller, which does not require a system model may be well suited to the control of fusion plasma. In order to improve the quality of control over the plasma position within the STOR-M tokamak, the existing analog PID controller was modified. These modifications facilitate the application of a digital controller by a personal computer via the Advantech PCL-711B data acquisition card. The performance of the modified plasma position controller and an Arbitrary Signal Generator developed by the author was evaluated. This modified plasma position controller was applied successfully to the STOR-M tokamak during both normal mode and A.C. mode operation. In both cases, the modified controller provided adequate control over the position of the plasma column within the discharge chamber. Furthermore, the modified controller was more convenient to optimize than the original, existing analog PID controller. By taking advantage of the modifications that were made to the plasma position controller, a fuzzy logic controller was developed by the author. The fuzzy logic based plasma position controller was also successfully applied to the STOR-M tokamak during both normal mode and A.C. operation. The fuzzy controller was demonstrated to reliably provide a higher degree of control over the position of the plasma column within the STOR-M tokamak than the modified PID controller.

Adequate control of the position of the plasma column within the STOR-M tokamak is a chief requirement in order for experimental quality discharges to be obtained. Optimal control over tokamak discharge parameters, including the plasma position, is very difficult to achieve. This is due in large part to the difficulty in modelling the tokamak discharge parameters, as they are highly nonlinear and time varying in nature. The difficulty of modelling the tokamak discharge parameters suggests that a control system, such as a fuzzy logic based controller, which does not require a system model may be well suited to the control of fusion plasma. In order to improve the quality of control over the plasma position within the STOR-M tokamak, the existing analog PID controller was modified. These modifications facilitate the application of a digital controller by a personal computer via the Advantech PCL-711B data acquisition card. The performance of the modified plasma position controller and an Arbitrary Signal Generator developed by the author was evaluated. This modified plasma position controller was applied successfully to the STOR-M tokamak during both normal mode and A.C. mode operation. In both cases, the modified controller provided adequate control over the position of the plasma column within the discharge chamber. Furthermore, the modified controller was more convenient to optimize than the original, existing analog PID controller. By taking advantage of the modifications that were made to the plasma position controller, a fuzzy logic controller was developed by the author. The fuzzy logic based plasma position controller was also successfully applied to the STOR-M tokamak during both normal mode and A.C. operation. The fuzzy controller was demonstrated to reliably provide a higher degree of control over the position of the plasma column within the STOR-M tokamak than the modified PID controller.

This work revolves around the use of fractional order calculus in control science. Techniques such as fractional order universal adaptive stabilization (FO-UAS), and the fascinating results of their application to real-world systems, are presented initially. A major portion of this work deals with fractional order modeling and control of real-life systems like heat flow, fan and plate, and coupled tank systems. The fractional order models and controllers are not only simulated, they are also emulated using analog hardware. The main aim of all the above experimentation is to develop a fractional order controller for plasma position control of the Saskatchewan torus-1, modified (STOR-1M) tokamak at the Utah State University (USU) campus. A new method for plasma position estimation has been formulated. The results of hardware emulation of plasma position and its control are also presented. This work performs a small scale test measuring controller performance, so that it serves as a platform for future research efforts leading to real-life implementation of a plasma position controller for the tokamak.

Design and implementation of the plasma control system Mgr. Filip Janky The COMPASS tokamak was recommissioned in 2007 and it needed new digital controllers for its experimental research. This thesis presents the design and imple- mentation of control of main plasma parameters such as plasma current, plasma position, plasma shape and electron density. Improved plasma current control with resetting set points suppresses overshooting and thus increases the length of the flat top phase. A method for estimating the plasma position, gain tuning for the controller and decreasing latencies and delays to obtain robust position control are presented. Lower delays improve plasma stability and decrease the frequency of disruptions. The plasma shape controller is a feedforward controller with a method to suppress oscillations which are coming from mutual inductance between power supplies controlling plasma horizontal position, plasma shape and plasma current, which all use the same coil. Averaged electron density is corrected in real-time according to the interferometer line of sight and a non-linearity of measurement. Controllers and their improvements described here, played a major role in achiev- ing H-mode scenario and fulfilling the experimental program. Keywords: tokamak, plasma current control, plasma position...