Advances in fast 2D camera data handling and analysis on NSTX

The use of fast 2D cameras on NSTX continues to grow. There are 6 cameras with the capability of taking up to 1–2 gigabytes (GBs) of data apiece during each plasma shot on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). Efficient storage and retrieval of this data remains a challenge. Performance comparisons are presented for reading data stored in MDSplus, using both compressed data and segmented records, and direct access I/O with different read sizes. Encouragingly, fast 2D camera data provides considerable insight into plasma complexities, such as small-scale turbulence and particle transport. The last part of this paper is an example of more recent uses: dual cameras looking at the same region of the plasma from different angles, which can provide trajectories of incandescent particles in 3D. A laboratory simulation of the 3D trajectories is presented, as well as corresponding data from NSTX plasma where glowing dust particles can be followed.