Design of a novel plasma shape controller for the TCV tokamak

Tokamaks are experimental nuclear fusion reactors that exploit magnetic-field-generating coils to confine a plasma. In these devices, plasma shape control is crucial to achieving high performance and pursuing challenging scientific objectives. With its large number of independent coils and unique flexibility in terms of achievable plasma configurations, The Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV) at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne provides an excellent testbed for such a control system. This article discusses the design and validation of a novel shape control system for TCV. The proposed solution acts as a reference governor for the preexisting magnetic controller, leveraging it as an inner control loop to fulfill the primary magnetic control objectives while driving the plasma shape towards the desired reference.