25–29 May 2026
La Biodola - Isola d'Elba (Italy)
Europe/Rome timezone
NB: The submission deadline for the Student Paper Awards is Monday, 11 May.

215 Fueling modeling and control for ITER start of research operation

27 May 2026, 10:34
2m
Maria Luisa Room (Hotel Hermitage)

Maria Luisa Room

Hotel Hermitage

Mini Oral Real Time Diagnostics, Digital Twin, Control, Monitoring, Safety and Security Mini Orals

Speaker

David Weldon (CEA, Cadarache)

Description

ITER's Start of Research Operation (SRO) targets aims for plasmas reaching ~7.5 MA for durations exceeding 100 seconds. Effective control of fueling, density, impurity dosing, edge-localized modes (ELMs), and H-mode transitions is critical. To support model-based controller design, the Gas Injection System (GIS) and Pellet Injection System (PIS) have been modeled such that a complete fueling control system can be developed and assessed to address the complex requirements and challenges unique to ITER. These challenges involve lag-time due to lengthy gas lines, fueling efficiency decay at high plasma temperatures and densities, synchronization of multiple actuators, and balancing ELM pacing with fueling needs using an advanced Actuator Manager (AM).
The GIS and PIS models utilize 1-D particle transport models for the gas flow and diffusion through the pipe and the pellet transport through the Flight Tubes (FTs), which have been implemented within the Plasma Control System Simulation Platform (PCSSP). Furthermore, the particle deposition into the plasma and the plasma-neutral interactions are modeled through the RApid Plasma DENsity Simulator (RAPDENS). The density and neutral pressure are also monitored and controlled with respect to the various density and pressure limits at all phases of the plasma, from prefill to termination. The results presented here demonstrate the complete feedback control and integration of the GIS, PIS, AM, RAPDENS, and limit monitoring functions for modeling the smooth transitions between fueling modes and effective handling of actuator failures. This poster presents the architectural design, simulation results, and future strategies for optimizing fueling control on ITER.

Minioral Yes
IEEE Member Yes
Are you a student? No

Author

David Weldon (CEA, Cadarache)

Co-authors

Ms Aura Sanchez-Mora (CEA, Cadarache) Dr Luca Zabeo (ITER) Dr Luigi Pangione (ITER) Dr Ondrej Kudlacek (IPP) Dr Peter de Vries (ITER) Dr Philippe Moreau (CEA, Cadarache) Dr Rémy Nouailletas (CEA, Cadarache) Dr Thomas Keenan (ITER) Dr Timo Ravensbergen (ITER)

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