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- RamonaValenzuelaPerez - 2012-09-25

Graduate Research - Ramona Perez

Plasma Fast Ion Instrument Design, Development, and Validation

My research focus is to find out where and at what rates in the plasma charged fusion products, created inside of a fusion plasma, are created; this is called the product profile. A prototype diagnostic, or instrument, will be designed, constructed, assembled, and installed in the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST) in the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) in the United Kingdom for data collection. Subsequent data analysis will be used to reconstruct the time-dependent charged fusion product profile from deuterium-deuterium reactions in the plasma. This will allow studies of plasma instabilities (such as toridal Alfven eigenmodes and fishbones) and neutral beam ion density profile effects on plasma stability. Plasma instability studies become vital to reduce hindrances on plasma performance so as not to impede efficient fusion energy production. The Proton Detector (or Charged Fusion Products Diagnostic) provides the foundation for future research in spherical tokamaks (machines used to create fusion plasmas), especially as these devices upgrade to higher density plasmas. [Excerpt from Dissertation Proposal]

LEFT: Diagnostic design that would have been installed in NSTX (if the upgrade did not begin earlier than expected) RIGHT: The front panel of data acquisition software written in LabVIEW for diagnostic data collection

assembled_lower_right_isometric_new.png panel.png

Dissertation Title: A charged fusion product diagnostic for a spherical tokamak.

FIU University Graduate School (UGS) Disssertation Proposal Documents

Date and Time:

  • September 27th 2012 - 10:30AM FL - 4:30PM SPAIN
Presentation: Written Proposal (to submit to UGS): Supporting Documents (only for reference if needed): Dissertation Committee Members:
  • Advisor: Dr. Werner Boeglin (FIU)
  • Dr. Douglass Darrow (PPPL)
  • Dr. Oren Maxwel (FIU)
  • Dr. Jorge Rodriguez (FIU)
  • Dr. Mike Sukop (FIU)

My Graduate Research Experience in FEPP

What kind of experience can you gain from working in FIU's Experimental Plasma Physics (FEPP) Group? Speak to myself and Dr. Boeglin regarding current and future research opportunities.

  • Programming:
    • Python, C, C++, Fortran 95, Shell scripting (Monte Carlos simulations)
    • IDL (writing and running code to access NSTX and MAST data)
  • Operating systems:
    • Mac
    • Windows (to use Solidworks and LabVIEW)
    • Linux/Unix (to access NSTX and MAST data)
  • Software:
    • LaTeX
    • Vectorworks, Solidworks (machine design)
    • LabVIEW (data acqusition programming)
    • GNU Make (Monte Carlos simulations)
    • Virtual Network Computing
    • Video conferencing (Polycom H.323)
  • Mechanical hardware:
    • Basic design concepts and creating machine drawings/ shop drawings
    • Vacuum and ultra high vacuum systems
      • Turbo and roughing pumps
      • Building and designing vacuum systems
      • Basic leak detection techniques
    • Preparation for Mechanical Design Reviews
  • Electrical hardware:
    • Radiation detection electronics (some examples below)
      • Surface barrier detectors
      • Electronic amplifiers
      • High-speed digitizers
      • Pulse generators, oscilloscopes
    • Cable assembly basics (types of cables for different applications as well as their properties and connectors)
    • Data acquisition automation (writing programs to interface with hardware)
    • Preparation for Electrical Design Reviews
  • General:
    • Fundamental concepts in magnetic confinment fusion and fusion plasma dynamics
    • Statistical analysis
    • Mentoring undergraduate researchers
    • Project management
      • Planning, prioritizing, monitoring, and accomplishing research goals for the Proton Detector (prototype 4-channel system)
      • Budgeting, obtaining product quotes, processing vendor paperwork
      • Coordinating and processing paperwork for exporting equipment (domestic, international)
      • Running weekly research meetings
BELOW: Data using radiation source during MAST March 2013 noise testing installation (for diagnostic design to be installed in MAST)
image1_new.png

BELOW: Earlier version module cross section of diagnostic to be installed in MAST
dim_module_cross_section_exploded_0_new.png *

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Topic revision: r17 - 2013-04-16 - lc_2eramona
 
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