Thermal study of the DIII-D machine heat removal capacity

With each plasma shot, the DIII-D tokamak dissipates 0.5 to 1.0 GJ of energy. Plasma shots may occur as frequently as every ten minutes, and the energy is removed in the form of heat by a cooling water system. To remove heat from the machine, cooling water circulates through each major heat source. These sources include the power supplies, motor/generator, rf current drives, neutral beam power supplies, magnetic field coils, and vacuum vessel. The cooling water system consists of isolated primary and secondary cooling loops separated by intermediate heat exchangers. As future DIII-D plans include operation during summer months and longer pulse duration, the cooling system´s overall heat removal capacity and performance efficiency must be assessed. Temperature and flow data from around the DIII-D facility are collected by a programmable logic controller (PLC); the data are used to analyze the heat generating sources, the heat transfer rate to intermediate heat exchangers, and the ultimate heat rejection to the environment via the cooling towers. A comparison of the original DIII-D machine design versus the actual performance determines the margin of heat removal capacity. Projections of the heat removal rate for various longer plasma shots are made. Improvements in design and/or operational procedure will be necessary to attain the desired pulse duration.