FY2016 Facility and Diagnostic Milestones

F(16-1): Complete FY 2016 NSTX-U research operation.

Baseline funding levels in FY 2016 will allow resumption of experimental operations in the 3rd quarter of FY 2016.

F(16-2): Complete NCC engineering design and begin procurement.

Improved non-axisymmetric (3D) magnetic field spectrum flexibility and control on NSTX-U could significantly improve error field correction, resistive wall mode control, and rotation profile control using magnetic braking, and would also greatly improve the prospects for achieving and understanding ELM control using 3D fields in STs and tokamaks. In preparation for the NSTX-U 5 year plan, a physics design study was performed to identify the optimal expanded 3D coils set, and this study identified the upper and lower primary passive plate locations as favorable and as possible mounting points for in-vessel 3D field coils. The NCC system is a high priority upgrade for the NSTX-U Five Year Plan.

F(16-3): Begin cryo-pump engineering component procurement.

After the engineering design is completed in FY 2015, procurement of the cryo-pump system components including support structures passive plates and tiles should commence in FY 2016 for the FY 2017 installation.

FI(16-1): Begin construction of ECH/EBW gyrotron system (incremental).

After completion of the procurements, ECH/EBW system installation should begin including the utilities and power supplies in FY 2016.

D(16-1): Install and commission high k_θ diagnostic system.

To measure electron-scale micro-turbulence in NSTX-U, the 280 GHz high-k tangential scattering system of NSTX will be replaced by a 693 GHz poloidal scattering system being developed by UC Davis for NSTX-U, thereby considerably enhancing planned turbulence physics studies by providing a measurement of the k_θ - spectrum of ETG modes.