Mathematical model for manoeuvrability of a riverine support patrol vessel with a pump-jet propulsion system

A study on the manoeuvrability of a riverine support patrol vessel is made to derive a mathematical model and simulate maneuvers with this ship. The vessel is mainly characterized by both its wide-beam and the unconventional propulsion system, that is, a pump-jet type azimuthal propulsion. By processing experimental data and the ship characteristics with diverse formulae to find the proper hydrodynamic coefficients and propulsion forces, a system of three differential equations is completed and tuned to carry out simulations of the turning test. The simulation is able to accept variable speed, jet angle and water depth as input parameters and its output consists of time series of the state variables and a plot of the simulated path and heading of the ship during the maneuver. Thanks to the data of full-scale trials previously performed with the studied vessel, a process of validation was made, which shows a good fit between simulated and full-scale experimental results, especially on the turning diameter

Electric current of an electrified jet issuing from a long metallic tube.

This paper presents an analysis of the transport of electric current in a jet of an electrically conducting liquid discharging from a metallic tube into a gas or a vacuum, and subject to an electric field due to a high voltage applied between the tube and a far electrode. The flow, the surface charge and the electric field are computed in the current transfer region of the jet, where conduction current in the liquid becomes surface current due to the convection of electric charge accumulated at its surface. The electric current computed as a function of the flow rate of the liquid injected through the tube increases first as the square root of this flow rate, levels to a nearly constant value when the flow rate is increased and finally sets to a linear increase when the flow rate is further increased. The current increases linearly with the applied voltage at small and moderate values of this variable, and faster than linearly at high voltages. The characteristic length and structure of the current transfer region are determined. Order-of-magnitude estimates for jets which are only weakly stretched by the electric stresses are worked out that qualitatively account for some of the numerical results.

The Learning of the subject Biology in a Master in Biomedical Physics

BIOLOGY is a dynamic and fascinating science. The study of this subject is an amazing trip for all the students that have a first contact with this subject. Here, we present the development of the study and learning experience of this subject belonging to an area of knowledge that is different to the training curriculum of students who have studied Physics during their degree period. We have taken a real example, the “Elements of Biology” subject, which is taught as part of the Official Biomedical Physics Master, at the Physics Faculty, of the Complutense University of Madrid, since the course 2006/07. Its main objective is to give to the student an understanding how the Physics can have numerous applications in the Biomedical Sciences area, giving the basic training to develop a professional, academic or research career. The results obtained when we use new virtual tools combined with the classical learning show that there is a clear increase in the number of persons that take and pass the final exam. On the other hand, this new learning strategy is well received by the students and this is translated to a higher participation and a decrease of the giving the subject up

Fluid-physics-module experiments

Some floating-liquid-zone experiments performed under reduced-gravity conditions are reviewed. Several types of instabilities are discussed, together with the relevant parameters controlling them. It is shown that the bounding values of these parameters could be increased, by orders of magnitude in several instances, by selecting appropriate liquids. Two of the many problems that a Fluid-Physics Module, devised to perform experiments on floating zones in a space laboratory, would involve are discussed: namely (i) procedures for disturbing the zoneunder controlled conditions, and (ii) visualisation of the inner flow pattern. Several topics connected with the nonisothermal nature and the phase-changes of floating zones are presented. In particular, a mode of propagation through the liquid zone for disturbances which could appear in the melting solid/liquid interface is suggested. Although most research on floating liquid zones is aimed at improving the crystal-growth process, some additional applications are suggested.

Fluid physics under reduced gravity : an overview

Problems related to several fluid physics experiments the case of two experiemnts to be performed under reduced gravity, onboard Space- temperatures,lab (1st Mission), are discussed. Special attention is placed on parallel and preparatory work on erth, wich could throw some light on the opportunity, present interest and limitations of these experiments. The need for strong supporting fundamental research and, in particular, a more precise determination of the paremeters involved, is stressed.

Código híbrido avanzado de motores de plasma de efecto Hall

La propulsión eléctrica constituye hoy una tecnología muy competitiva y de gran proyección de futuro. Dentro de los diversos motores de plasma existentes, el motor de efecto Hall ha adquirido una gran madurez y constituye un medio de propulsión idóneo para un rango amplio de misiones. En la presente Tesis se estudian los motores Hall con geometría convencional y paredes dieléctricas. La compleja interacción entre los múltiples fenómenos físicos presentes hace que sea difícil la simulación del plasma en estos motores. Los modelos híbridos son los que representan un mejor compromiso entre precisión y tiempo de cálculo. Se basan en utilizar un modelo fluido para los electrones y algoritmos de dinámica de partículas PIC (Particle-In- Cell) para los iones y los neutros. Permiten hacer uso de la hipótesis de cuasineutralidad del plasma, a cambio de resolver separadamente las capas límite (o vainas) que se forman en torno a las paredes de la cámara. Partiendo de un código híbrido existente, llamado HPHall-2, el objetivo de la Tesis doctoral ha sido el desarrollo de un código híbrido avanzado que mejorara la simulación de la descarga de plasma en un motor de efecto Hall. Las actualizaciones y mejoras realizadas en las diferentes partes que componen el código comprenden tanto aspectos teóricos como numéricos. Fruto de la extensa revisión de la algoritmia del código HPHall-2 se han conseguido reducir los errores de precisión un orden de magnitud, y se ha incrementado notablemente su consistencia y robustez, permitiendo la simulación del motor en un amplio rango de condiciones. Algunos aspectos relevantes a destacar en el subcódigo de partículas son: la implementación de un nuevo algoritmo de pesado que permite determinar de forma más precisa el flujo de las magnitudes del plasma; la implementación de un nuevo algoritmo de control de población, que permite tener suficiente número de partículas cerca de las paredes de la cámara, donde los gradientes son mayores y las condiciones de cálculo son más críticas; las mejoras en los balances de masa y energía; y un mejor cálculo del campo eléctrico en una malla no uniforme. Merece especial atención el cumplimiento de la condición de Bohm en el borde de vaina, que en los códigos híbridos representa una condición de contorno necesaria para obtener una solución consistente con el modelo de interacción plasma-pared, y que en HPHall-2 aún no se había resuelto satisfactoriamente. En esta Tesis se ha implementado el criterio cinético de Bohm para una población de iones con diferentes cargas eléctricas y una gran dispersión de velocidades. En el código, el cumplimiento de la condición cinética de Bohm se consigue por medio de un algoritmo que introduce una fina capa de aceleración nocolisional adyacente a la vaina y mide adecuadamente el flujo de partículas en el espacio y en el tiempo. Las mejoras realizadas en el subcódigo de electrones incrementan la capacidad de simulación del código, especialmente en la región aguas abajo del motor, donde se simula la neutralización del chorro del plasma por medio de un modelo de cátodo volumétrico. Sin abordar el estudio detallado de la turbulencia del plasma, se implementan modelos sencillos de ajuste de la difusión anómala de Bohm, que permiten reproducir los valores experimentales del potencial y la temperatura del plasma, así como la corriente de descarga del motor. En cuanto a los aspectos teóricos, se hace especial énfasis en la interacción plasma-pared y en la dinámica de los electrones secundarios libres en el interior del plasma, cuestiones que representan hoy en día problemas abiertos en la simulación de los motores Hall. Los nuevos modelos desarrollados buscan una imagen más fiel a la realidad. Así, se implementa el modelo de vaina de termalización parcial, que considera una función de distribución no-Maxwelliana para los electrones primarios y contabiliza unas pérdidas energéticas más cercanas a la realidad. Respecto a los electrones secundarios, se realiza un estudio cinético simplificado para evaluar su grado de confinamiento en el plasma, y mediante un modelo fluido en el límite no-colisional, se determinan las densidades y energías de los electrones secundarios libres, así como su posible efecto en la ionización. El resultado obtenido muestra que los electrones secundarios se pierden en las paredes rápidamente, por lo que su efecto en el plasma es despreciable, no así en las vainas, donde determinan el salto de potencial. Por último, el trabajo teórico y de simulación numérica se complementa con el trabajo experimental realizado en el Pnnceton Plasma Physics Laboratory, en el que se analiza el interesante transitorio inicial que experimenta el motor en el proceso de arranque. Del estudio se extrae que la presencia de gases residuales adheridos a las paredes juegan un papel relevante, y se recomienda, en general, la purga completa del motor antes del modo normal de operación. El resultado final de la investigación muestra que el código híbrido desarrollado representa una buena herramienta de simulación de un motor Hall. Reproduce adecuadamente la física del motor, proporcionando resultados similares a los experimentales, y demuestra ser un buen laboratorio numérico para estudiar el plasma en el interior del motor. Abstract Electric propulsion is today a very competitive technology and has a great projection into the future. Among the various existing plasma thrusters, the Hall effect thruster has acquired a considerable maturity and constitutes an ideal means of propulsion for a wide range of missions. In the present Thesis only Hall thrusters with conventional geometry and dielectric walls are studied. The complex interaction between multiple physical phenomena makes difficult the plasma simulation in these engines. Hybrid models are those representing a better compromise between precision and computational cost. They use a fluid model for electrons and Particle-In-Cell (PIC) algorithms for ions and neutrals. The hypothesis of plasma quasineutrality is invoked, which requires to solve separately the sheaths formed around the chamber walls. On the basis of an existing hybrid code, called HPHall-2, the aim of this doctoral Thesis is to develop an advanced hybrid code that better simulates the plasma discharge in a Hall effect thruster. Updates and improvements of the code include both theoretical and numerical issues. The extensive revision of the algorithms has succeeded in reducing the accuracy errors in one order of magnitude, and the consistency and robustness of the code have been notably increased, allowing the simulation of the thruster in a wide range of conditions. The most relevant achievements related to the particle subcode are: the implementation of a new weighing algorithm that determines more accurately the plasma flux magnitudes; the implementation of a new algorithm to control the particle population, assuring enough number of particles near the chamber walls, where there are strong gradients and the conditions to perform good computations are more critical; improvements in the mass and energy balances; and a new algorithm to compute the electric field in a non-uniform mesh. It deserves special attention the fulfilment of the Bohm condition at the edge of the sheath, which represents a boundary condition necessary to match consistently the hybrid code solution with the plasma-wall interaction, and remained as a question unsatisfactory solved in the HPHall-2 code. In this Thesis, the kinetic Bohm criterion has been implemented for an ion particle population with different electric charges and a large dispersion in their velocities. In the code, the fulfilment of the kinetic Bohm condition is accomplished by an algorithm that introduces a thin non-collisional layer next to the sheaths, producing the ion acceleration, and measures properly the flux of particles in time and space. The improvements made in the electron subcode increase the code simulation capabilities, specially in the region downstream of the thruster, where the neutralization of the plasma jet is simulated using a volumetric cathode model. Without addressing the detailed study of the plasma turbulence, simple models for a parametric adjustment of the anomalous Bohm difussion are implemented in the code. They allow to reproduce the experimental values of the plasma potential and the electron temperature, as well as the discharge current of the thruster. Regarding the theoretical issues, special emphasis has been made in the plasma-wall interaction of the thruster and in the dynamics of free secondary electrons within the plasma, questions that still remain unsolved in the simulation of Hall thrusters. The new developed models look for results closer to reality, such as the partial thermalization sheath model, that assumes a non-Maxwellian distribution functions for primary electrons, and better computes the energy losses at the walls. The evaluation of secondary electrons confinement within the chamber is addressed by a simplified kinetic study; and using a collisionless fluid model, the densities and energies of free secondary electrons are computed, as well as their effect on the plasma ionization. Simulations show that secondary electrons are quickly lost at walls, with a negligible effect in the bulk of the plasma, but they determine the potential fall at sheaths. Finally, numerical simulation and theoretical work is complemented by the experimental work carried out at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, devoted to analyze the interesting transitional regime experienced by the thruster in the startup process. It is concluded that the gas impurities adhered to the thruster walls play a relevant role in the transitional regime and, as a general recomendation, a complete purge of the thruster before starting its normal mode of operation it is suggested. The final result of the research conducted in this Thesis shows that the developed code represents a good tool for the simulation of Hall thrusters. The code reproduces properly the physics of the thruster, with results similar to the experimental ones, and represents a good numerical laboratory to study the plasma inside the thruster.

Local burning velocity in a Bunsen jet flame

A PIV-based system has been set-up for the simultaneous measurement of the local burning velocity of premixed flames and the flame stretch due to the flame front curvature and the incoming flow strain rate. For moderately short jet flames, these measurements allow an indirect determination of the Markstein length, according to Clavin and Joulin (C–J) theory. For tall flames, the flame curvature becomes relatively large in a region around the tip where the C–J theory breaks down. However, our experiments confirm the appearance of a new linear relation between burning velocity and curvature at the flame tip. This relation defines a new proportionality factor which is probably associated to the evolution from rounded tips to slender tips when the jet velocity is increased.

Análisis de la influencia de distintos diseños de paraguas de micropilotes, pantalla de micropilotes, paraguas de jet grouting y pantallas de jet grouting en los asientos en superficie durante la ejecución de túneles perforados superficialmente

Ya en el informe acerca del estado de la tecnología en la excavación profunda y en la construcción de túneles en terreno duro presentado en la 7ª Conferencia en Mecánica de Suelos e Ingeniería de la Cimentación, Peck (1969) introdujo los tres temas a ser tenidos en cuenta para el diseño de túneles en terrenos blandos: o Estabilidad de la cavidad durante la construcción, con particular atención a la estabilidad del frente del túnel; o Evaluación de los movimientos del terreno inducidos por la construcción del túnel y de la incidencia de los trabajos subterráneos a poca profundidad sobre los asentamientos en superficie; o Diseño del sistema de sostenimiento del túnel a instalar para asegurar la estabilidad de la estructura a corto y largo plazo. Esta Tesis se centra en los problemas señalados en el segundo de los puntos, analizando distintas soluciones habitualmente proyectadas para reducir los movimientos inducidos por la excavación de los túneles. El objeto de la Tesis es el análisis de la influencia de distintos diseños de paraguas de micropilotes, pantalla de micropilotes, paraguas de jet grouting y pantallas de jet grouting en los asientos en superficie durante la ejecución de túneles ejecutados a poca profundidad, con objeto de buscar el diseño que optimice los medios empleados para una determinada reducción de asientos. Para ello se establecen unas premisas para los proyectistas con objeto de conocer a priori cuales son los tratamientos más eficientes (de los propuestos en la Tesis) para la reducción de asientos en superficie cuando se ha de proyectar un túnel, de tal manera que pueda tener datos cualitativos y algunos cuantitativos sobre los diseños más óptimos, utilizando para ello un programa de elementos finitos de última generación que permite realizara la simulación tensodeformación del terreno mediante el modelo de suelo con endurecimiento (Hardening Soil Small model), que es una variante elastoplástica del modelo hiperbólico, similar al Hardening Soil Model. Además, este modelo incorpora una relación entre deformación y el modulo de rigidez, simulando el diferente comportamiento del suelo para pequeñas deformaciones (por ejemplo vibraciones con deformaciones por debajo de 10-5 y grandes deformaciones (deformaciones > 10-3). Para la realización de la Tesis se han elegido cinco secciones de túnel, dos correspondiente a secciones tipo de túnel ejecutado con tuneladora y tres secciones ejecutados mediante convencionales (dos correspondientes a secciones que han utilizado el método Belga y una que ha utilizado el NATM). Para conseguir los objetivos marcados, primeramente se ha analizado mediante una correlación entre modelos tridimensionales y bidimensionales el valor de relajación usado en estos últimos, y ver su variación al cambio de parámetros como la sección del túnel, la cobertera, el procedimiento constructivo, longitud de pase (métodos convencionales) o presión del frente (tuneladora) y las características geotécnicas de los materiales donde se ejecuta el túnel. Posteriormente se ha analizado que diseño de pantalla de protección tiene mejor eficacia respecto a la reducción de asientos, variando distintos parámetros de las características de la misma, como son el empotramiento, el tipo de micropilotes o pilote, la influencia del arriostramiento de las pantallas de protección en cabeza, la inclinación de la pantalla, la separación de la pantalla al eje del túnel y la disposición en doble fila de la pantalla de pantalla proyectada. Para finalizar el estudio de la efectividad de pantalla de protección para la reducción de asiento, se estudiará la influencia de la sobrecarga cercanas (simulación de edificios) tiene en la efectividad de la pantalla proyectada (desde el punto de vista de reducción de movimientos en superficie). Con objeto de poder comparar la efectividad de la pantalla de micropilotes respecto a la ejecución de un paraguas de micropilotes se ha analizado distintos diseños de paraguas, comparando el movimiento obtenido con el obtenido para el caso de pantalla de micropilotes, comparando ambos resultados con los medidos en obras ya ejecutadas. En otro apartado se ha realizado una comparación entre tratamientos similar, comparándolos en este caso con un paraguas de jet grouting y pantallas de jet grouting. Los resultados obtenidos se han con valores de asientos medidos en distintas obras ya ejecutadas y cuyas secciones se corresponden a los empleados en los modelos numéricos. Since the report on the state of technology in deep excavation and tunnelling in hard ground presented at the 7th Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Peck (1969) introduced the three issues to be taken into account for the design of tunnels in soft ground: o Cavity Stability during construction, with particular attention to the stability of the tunnel face; o Evaluation of ground movements induced by tunnelling and the effect of shallow underground workings on surface settlement; o Design of the tunnel support system to be installed to ensure short and long term stability of the structure. This thesis focuses on the issues identified in the second point, usually analysing different solutions designed to reduce the movements induced by tunnelling. The aim of the thesis is to analyse the influence of different micropile forepole umbrellas, micropile walls, jet grouting umbrellas and jet grouting wall designs on surface settlements during near surface tunnelling in order to use the most optimal technique to achieve a determined reduction in settlement. This will establish some criteria for designers to know a priori which methods are most effective (of those proposed in the thesis) to reduce surface settlements in tunnel design, so that it is possible to have qualitative and some quantitative data on the optimal designs, using the latest finite element modelling software that allows simulation of the ground’s infinitesimal strain behaviour using the Hardening Soil Small Model, which is a variation on the elasto-plastic hyperbolic model, similar to Hardening Soil model. In addition, this model incorporates a relationship between strain and the rigidity modulus, simulating different soil behaviour for small deformations (eg deformation vibrations below 10-5 and large deformations (deformations > 10-3). For the purpose of this thesis five tunnel sections have been chosen, two sections corresponding to TBM tunnels and three sections undertaken by conventional means (two sections corresponding to the Belgian method and one corresponding to the NATM). To achieve the objectives outlined, a correlation analysis of the relaxation values used in the 2D and 3D models was undertaken to verify them against parameters such as the tunnel cross-section, the depth of the tunnel, the construction method, the length of step (conventional method) or face pressure (TBM) and the geotechnical characteristics of the ground where the tunnel is constructed. Following this, the diaphragm wall design with the greatest efficiency regarding settlement reduction was analysed, varying parameters such as the toe depth, type of micropiles or piles, the influence of bracing of the head protection diaphragm walls, the inclination of the diaphragm wall, the separation between the diaphragm wall and the tunnel axis and the double diaphragm wall design arrangement. In order to complete the study into the effectiveness of protective diaphragm walls ofn the reduction of settlements, the influence of nearby imposed loads (simulating buildings) on the effectiveness of the designed diaphragm walls (from the point of view of reducing surface movements) will be studied. In order to compare the effectiveness of micropile diaphragm walls regarding the installation of micropile forepole umbrellas, different designs of these forepole umbrellas have been analysed comparing the movement obtained with that obtained for micropiled diaphragm walls, comparing both results with those measured from similar completed projects. In another section, a comparison between similar treatments has been completed, comparing the treatments with a forepole umbrella by jet grouting and jet grouting walls. The results obtained compared with settlement values measured in various projects already completed and whose sections correspond to those used in the numerical models.

Numerical simulation of tangling in jet engine turbines

The numerical analysis of certain safety related problems presents serious difficulties, since the large number of components present leads to huge finite elementmodels that can only be solved by using large and expensive computers or by making rough approaches to the problem. Tangling, or clashing, in the turbine of a jet engine airplane is an example of such problems. This is caused by the crash and friction between rotor and stator blades in the turbine after an eventual shaft failure. When facing the study of an event through numerical modelling, the accurate simulation of this problem would require the engineer to model all the rotor and stator blades existing in the turbine stage, using a small element size in all pieces. Given that the number of stator and rotor blades is usually around 200, such simulations would require millions of elements. This work presents a new numerical methodology, specifically developed for the accurate modelling of the tangling problem that, depending on the turbine configuration, is able to reduce the number of nodes up to an order of magnitude without losing accuracy. The methodology, which benefits from the cyclic configuration of turbines, is successfully applied to the numerical analysis of a hypothetical tangling event in a turbine, providing valuable data such as the rotating velocity decrease of the turbine, the braking torque and the damage suffered by the blades. The methodology is somewhat general and can be applied to any problem in which damage caused by the interaction between a rotating and static piece is to be analysed.

Simulator of the JET real-time disruption predictor

A disruption predictor based on support vector machines (SVM) has been developed to be used in JET. The training process uses thousands of discharges and, therefore, high performance computing has been necessary to obtain the models. To this respect, several models have been generated with data from different JET campaigns. In addition, various kernels (mainly linear and RBF) and parameters have been tested. The main objective of this work has been the implementation of the predictor model under real-time constraints. A “C-code” software application has been developed to simulate the real-time behavior of the predictor. The application reads the signals from the JET database and simulates the real-time data processing, in particular, the specific data hold method to be developed when reading data from the JET ATM real time network. The simulator is fully configurable by means of text files to select models, signal thresholds, sampling rates, etc. Results with data between campaigns C23and C28 will be shown.

A new generation of real-time systems in the JET tokamak

Recently a new recipe for developing and deploying real-time systems has become increasingly adopted in the JET tokamak. Powered by the advent of x86 multi-core technology and the reliability of the JET’s well established Real-Time Data Network (RTDN) to handle all real-time I/O, an official Linux vanilla kernel has been demonstrated to be able to provide realtime performance to user-space applications that are required to meet stringent timing constraints. In particular, a careful rearrangement of the Interrupt ReQuests’ (IRQs) affinities together with the kernel’s CPU isolation mechanism allows to obtain either soft or hard real-time behavior depending on the synchronization mechanism adopted. Finally, the Multithreaded Application Real-Time executor (MARTe) framework is used for building applications particularly optimised for exploring multicore architectures. In the past year, four new systems based on this philosophy have been installed and are now part of the JET’s routine operation. The focus of the present work is on the configuration and interconnection of the ingredients that enable these new systems’ real-time capability and on the impact that JET’s distributed real-time architecture has on system engineering requirements, such as algorithm testing and plant commissioning. Details are given about the common real-time configuration and development path of these systems, followed by a brief description of each system together with results regarding their real-time performance. A cycle time jitter analysis of a user-space MARTe based application synchronising over a network is also presented. The goal is to compare its deterministic performance while running on a vanilla and on a Messaging Real time Grid (MRG) Linux kernel.

Results of the JET real-time disruption predictor in the ITER-like wall campaigns

The impact of disruptions in JET became even more important with the replacement of the previous Carbon Fiber Composite (CFC) wall with a more fragile full metal ITER-like wall (ILW). The development of robust disruption mitigation systems is crucial for JET (and also for ITER). Moreover, a reliable real-time (RT) disruption predictor is a pre-requisite to any mitigation method. The Advance Predictor Of DISruptions (APODIS) has been installed in the JET Real-Time Data Network (RTDN) for the RT recognition of disruptions. The predictor operates with the new ILW but it has been trained only with discharges belonging to campaigns with the CFC wall. 7 realtime signals are used to characterize the plasma status (disruptive or non-disruptive) at regular intervals of 1 ms. After the first 3 JET ILW campaigns (991 discharges), the success rate of the predictor is 98.36% (alarms are triggered in average 426 ms before the disruptions). The false alarm and missed alarm rates are 0.92% and 1.64%.

Latest developments in data analysis tools for disruption prediction and for the exploration of multimachine operational spaces.

In the last years significant efforts have been devoted to the development of advanced data analysis tools to both predict the occurrence of disruptions and to investigate the operational spaces of devices, with the long term goal of advancing the understanding of the physics of these events and to prepare for ITER. On JET the latest generation of the disruption predictor called APODIS has been deployed in the real time network during the last campaigns with the new metallic wall. Even if it was trained only with discharges with the carbon wall, it has reached very good performance, with both missed alarms and false alarms in the order of a few percent (and strategies to improve the performance have already been identified). Since for the optimisation of the mitigation measures, predicting also the type of disruption is considered to be also very important, a new clustering method, based on the geodesic distance on a probabilistic manifold, has been developed. This technique allows automatic classification of an incoming disruption with a success rate of better than 85%. Various other manifold learning tools, particularly Principal Component Analysis and Self Organised Maps, are also producing very interesting results in the comparative analysis of JET and ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) operational spaces, on the route to developing predictors capable of extrapolating from one device to another.

Implementation of the disruption predictor APODIS in JET Real Time Network using the MARTe framework

Disruptions in tokamaks devices are unavoidable, and they can have a significant impact on machine integrity. So it is very important have mechanisms to predict this phenomenon. Disruption prediction is a very complex task, not only because it is a multi-dimensional problem, but also because in order to be effective, it has to detect well in advance the actual disruptive event, in order to be able to use successful mitigation strategies. With these constraints in mind a real-time disruption predictor has been developed to be used in JET tokamak. The predictor has been designed to run in the Multithreaded Application Real-Time executor (MARTe) framework. The predictor ?Advanced Predictor Of DISruptions? (APODIS) is based on Support Vector Machine (SVM).

Physics and applications of electrodynamic space tethers

Basic effects and dynamical and electrical contact issues in the physics of (electrodynamic space) bare tethers are discussed. Scientific experiments and powerpropulsion applications, including a paradoxical use of bare tethers in outer-planet exploration,are considered.