Plasma control for ITER and future fusion power plants

An overview of advanced plasma control strategies that are being developed in current fusion test facilities such as DIII-D and NSTX-U in order to meet the challenges of ITER and future fusion power plants will be presented. The ITER fusion reactor, which is under construction, will produce 500 MW of power and pave the way for future fusion power plants. An economically feasible tokamak power plant requires operation at physics parameters that are simultaneously close to the limits of plasma stability and to the technical possibilities of existing materials required at the plasma wall interface. This necessitates operations with high plasma energy content, heat flux, neutron flux, and very long pulse operation, which places novel performance demands in specific areas ranging from plasma boundary and divertor regulation to plasma kinetics. This presentation focuses on the application of advanced control solutions that address these key challenges. After an overview, present solutions that are being developed for heat flux control to avoid damage to the plasma facing components, fusion scenario control to achieve and sustain high fusion energy throughout the whole discharge, and active stability control against various plasma instabilities such as tearing modes to avoid disruption of the plasma will be explained.