The objective of the proposal is to develop an integrated research and education program in feedback control of fusion plasmas. The research plan will evolve around the following four central topics: (1) Neoclassical Tearing Mode (NTM) Stabilization, (2) Current and Kinetic Profile Control, (3) Resistive Wall Mode (RWM) Control, (4) Control of Plasma Flows. The outcomes of the proposed research will have a strong impact on the technological advancements that are needed to make nuclear fusion a viable source of energy. In addition, the application-motivated theoretical research activity proposed will significantly impact controls by addressing novel and challenging control problems such as (1) viscosity control of parabolic partial differential equations, (2) implementable closed-loop optimal control of distributed parameter systems, (3) robust and adaptive control of systems with structured uncertainties. The proposed research plan makes emphasis on experimental validation of the control solutions at the three most important fusion facilities in the U.S.: DIII-D (General Atomics), NSTX (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory), Alcator C-MOD (MIT).
Broader Impact: The proposal includes (1) education of students at the boundary of plasma/fusion physics, computational techniques, and theoretical and applied controls; enhanced by experimental work at the most important fusion facilities in the U.S. (2)-An Curriculum development (courses on Nonlinear Analysis and Control, Control of Distributed Parameter Systems, Nuclear Energy) and upgrade of the Interdisciplinary Automatic Controls Laboratory (IACL). (3) Outreach, which will be achieved by the use of the IACL, through remote access, by G6-12 teachers, non-PhD granting colleges members of the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (LVAIC), and local industries; and by exciting activities in fusion and controls for underrepresented and economically disadvantaged K-12 students through already established outreach programs at Lehigh University.
As fossil fuel depletes and the environmental impact of their use starts to be felt, nuclear fusion arises as an economically affordable, environmentally sustainable, and politically acceptable source of energy that can satisfy the demand of the increasing world population. For approximately 50 years, researchers around the world have worked toward understanding how to control nuclear fusion. As more of the fundamental physics problems are solved, the fusion community is moving beyond the realm of physics research toward the production of fusion energy. The best example of this is ITER, a multibillion tokamak whose construction is under way as the result of an unprecedented cooperative effort by governments around the world. The ITER tokamak will confine a mixture of ionized isotopes of hydrogen, also known as plasma, at around 100 million degrees centigrade, fusing isotopes of hydrogen into helium and thereby producing energy. As a consequence, the need for solutions to many engineering problems, including controls, has become critical. The control community thus has a historical opportunity to produce a profound impact on an area of immense importance to the welfare of society as a whole. The overall objective of this CAREER project has been to develop an integrated research and education program in control of fusion plasmas. The campus-wide plasma-physics and nuclear-fusion educational and research activity at Lehigh University (LU) has been strengthened, through this CAREER plan, by incorporating a currently missing engineering aspect of fusion, and by establishing a close collaboration between engineers and physicists at LU. The research plan has evolved around the following four central topics, which have been carefully selected to maximize the impact of the research on domestic and international fusion programs: (1) Neoclassical Tearing Mode (NTM) Stabilization, (2) Current and Kinetic Profile Control, (3) Resistive Wall Mode (RWM) Control, (4) Control of Plasma Flows. The outcomes of the proposed research have strongly impacted the technological advancements that are needed to make nuclear fusion a viable source of energy. In addition, the application-motivated theoretical research activity proposed within this CAREER plan has significantly impacted controls by addressing novel and challenging problems such as (1) viscosity control of parabolic partial differential equations, (2) implementable closed-loop optimal control of distributed parameter systems, (3) robust and adaptive control of systems with structured uncertainties. The proposed research plan has made emphasis on experimental validation of the control solutions at one of the most important fusion facilities in the country, the DIII-D National Facility at General Atomics in San Diego, California. As an example, the experiments on current profile control carried out at DIII-D mark the first time ever first-principles-driven, model-based, closed-loop, current-profile controllers were successfully implemented and tested in a tokamak device. A direct spin-off of the multidisciplinary proposed research has been the education of students at the boundary of plasma/fusion physics, computational techniques, and theoretical and applied controls. This education has been enhanced by experimental work at one of the most important fusion facilities in the U.S. Beyond this natural byproduct of the proposed research, an ambitious education plan has been carried out to maximize the impact of this project on the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics (MEM) at LU. This plan has included curriculum development in both controls and fusion, broadening of control activity in the MEM department at the undergraduate and master level, and upgrade of the Interdisciplinary Automatic Controls Laboratory. Four new control senior/graduate courses on advanced control techniques have been developed. In addition, an engineering senior/graduate course on nuclear fusion has been created to complement the plasma physics courses currently taught at LU, and to enrich the minor in energy systems in the MEM department. Recognizing the important role that diversity plays in the educational experience, the PI has conducted successful efforts to recruit underrepresented minority students.
