Patent Number: 046506322
Section: claims

1. In a device for magnetically confining a plasma driven by a plasma current and contained within a toroidal vacuum chamber, the device having an inner toroidal limiter on an inside wall of said vacuum chamber, an arrangement for the rapid prediction and control in real time of a major plasma disruption, the arrangement including: scanning means sensitive to infrared radiation emanating from within said vacuum chamber, said infrared radiation indicating the temperature along a vertical profile of said inner toroidal limiter, said scanning means arranged to observe said infrared radiation and to produce in response thereto an electrical scanning output signal representative of a time scan of temperature along said vertical profile;  detection means for analyzing said scanning output signal to detect a first peaked temperature excursion occuring along said profile of said inner toroidal limiter, and to produce a detection output signal in response thereto, said detection output signal indicating a real time prediction of a subsequent major plasma disruption; and  plasma current reduction means for reducing said plasma current driving said plasma, in response to said detection output signal and in anticipation of a subsequent major plasma disruption. 2. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein said detection means comprises means for comparing a first scanning output signal taken at an outer edge of said limiter, and means for detecting a rapid increase in said first scanning output signal relative to said second scanning output signal and for producing said detection output signal in response to said rapid increase. 3. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein said detection means comprises means for comparing a first time rate of change of a first scanning output signal taken at a midplane of said limiter to a second time rate of change of a second scanning output signal taken at an outer edge of said limiter, and means for detecting a rapid increase in said first time rate of change relative to said second time rate of change, and for producing said detection output signal in response to said rapid increase. 4. The arrangement of claim 2 wherein said scanning means comprises an array of infrared photodetectors. 5. The arrangement of claim 2 wherein said scanning means comprises an infrared camera. 6. The arrangement of claim 3 wherein said scanning means comprises an array of infrared photodetectors. 7. The arrangement of claim 3 wherein said scanning means comprises an infrared camera. 8. The arrangement of claim 7 wherein said camera operates in the wavelength range of 3-5 micrometers. 9. The arrangement of claim 7 wherein said camera operates in the wavelength range of 8 to 12 micrometers.