Real-Time Equilibrium Reconstruction in a Tokamak

Abstract

This paper deals with the numerical reconstruction of the plasma current density in a Tokamak and of its equilibrium. The problem consists in the identification of a non-linear source in the 2D Grad-Shafranov equation, which governs the axisymmetric equilibrium of a plasma in a Tokamak. The experimental measurements that enable this identification are the magnetics on the vacuum vessel, but also polarimetric and interferometric measures on several chords, as well as motional Stark effect or pressure measurements. The reconstruction can be obtained in real-time using a finite element method, a non-linear fixed-point algorithm and a least-square optimization procedure.