Optimizing control for strike point sweeping using lower divertor coil in EAST

Abstract In 2021, EAST was equipped with a full-ring divertor coil to facilitate research on the fish tail divertor (FTD) concept. Initially, it was observed that the coil current had a negligible ability to sweep the strike point. Conversely, when the amplitude and frequency of the alternating current were marginally increased, there was a significant interruption to plasma control. This perturbation was attributed to the poloidal control field’s limited response rate to the coil’s fluctuations. To address this issue, novel control methodologies were devised to ensure stable and effective sweeping of the strike point using the divertor coil. The devised methods are twofold: For high-frequency strike point control, a low-pass filter decoupling technique based on ISOFLUX control strategy enabled achieving a sweeping frequency of 100 Hz. This strategy allowed for consistent plasma management without compromising average stored energy or density regulation. Resulting from this proficient manipulation of the strike point, a reduction in the peak temperature of the divertor plate was observed. For low-frequency sweeping, a static Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) decoupling approach was developed, facilitating concurrent sweeping of both the outer and inner strike points.