Funding was granted by the European organisation EUROfusion in a competition for projects solving scientific problems related to thermonuclear fusion. The supervisors of the grant, which was awarded to Eng. Bartłomiej Jabłoński, M.Sc., are professors at Lodz University of Technology: Prof. Dariusz Makowski and Prof. Wojciech Tylman. The research will be carried out in cooperation with scientists from foreign centres, including Dr Marcin Jakubowski from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Greifswald, Germany, Dr Raphael Mitteau from the CEA Nuclear Research Centre, and scientists from the ITER centre in France.
- The three-year grant will involve research into new methods of real-time image processing and the use of machine learning and neural networks to protect and control fusion plasma devices. The main objective of the project is to develop methods and algorithms for plasma control and machine protection using images from thermal imaging cameras for plasma discharges longer than 30 minutes, says Prof. Dariusz Makowski, from the Department of Microelectronics and Computer Science, who submitted the grant application together with the doctoral student.
The results are crucial for future fusion devices such as the ITER tokamak under construction in France, or the DEMO fusion demonstration power plant under development to produce electricity for commercial use.
- The developed image acquisition devices, algorithms and IT solutions will be practically tested in devices used to generate plasma and carry out controlled thermonuclear reactions: in the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator, which is currently being launched in Germany, and in the WEST tokamak in France, explains Prof. Dariusz Makowski, from Lodz University of Technology.