The WEST Plasma Control System: Integration, Commissioning and Operation on First Experimental Campaigns

The new WEST configuration of Tore Supra facility leads to control challenges and the need to handle events of a modern diverted and metallic machine (vertical stabilization, impurity control, …). To address them, a new Plasma Control System (PCS) has been built based on the ASDEX upgrade (AUG) real-time framework called DCS (Discharge Control System). This contribution summarizes the work done during the 5 years of the project from the definition of the PCS concepts to its operation during the WEST campaigns. The integration into the Tore Supra control infrastructure is detailed as well as the different real-time control processes. The efficiency and the versatility of the PCS are illustrated by several examples of plasma operation.