Real-Time Data Acquisition System for Control and Long-Pulse Operation in Tore Supra

The tokamak Tore Supra was initially designed to operate long pulses, though the control and data acquisition systems nevertheless had to be upgraded to effectively perform these long-duration pulses. Continuous data acquisition was required for controlling the thermal phenomena, and huge amounts of data had to be handled, especially with the development of video imaging for the safety of the actively cooled vessel. A distributed architecture had to be developed so that real-time feedback could be implemented to ensure safe operation and to optimize the long-duration plasma performance. This paper briefly describes the initial control and data acquisition system and then reviews the developments and enhancements that were made to perform long pulses in Tore Supra.