Problemi di modellazione e controllo magnetico per la progettazione dei tokamak di prossima generazione

This work describes the research activities carried out during the three-year doctoral program in Fusion Science & Engineering in the fields of magnetic plasma control, magnetic scenario modeling and optimization for next genera- tion tokamaks, namely, the devices, like DTT and VNS, that will be forerunners of DEMO in facing unprecedented challenges, like the power-exhaust and the presence of a breeding blanket. This subject is developed in two main parts. The first part is dedicated to the analysis of the classical and emerging magnetic control issues for the next generation devices. Particular attention is payed to the power-exhaust problem, which requires the investigation of both alternative magnetic topologies - calling for a renovation of the classical tokamak control laws - and advanced active control strategies, like plasma wobbling and strike- point sweeping. In this framework, in-vessel coils are presented as the actua- tors most appropriate for advanced plasma control, and the design activities on the DTT and DEMO in-vessel coils are described. In particular, the tender for the DTT in-vessel coil power supplies has been published at the end of 2023 by ENEA, based on the results shown in this work. An important achievement of this doctoral course in the field of magnetic control of next generation devices is the preliminary definition of a Plasma Control Sys- tem (PCS) for the DTT device, inspired by the ITER PCSSP (Plasma Control System Simulation Platform). The second part is dedicated to the magnetic scenario modeling and optimization activities for next generation tokamaks. The necessity of a simplified methodol- ogy for the generation of the plasma scenario equilibria resulted in the realisation of MATLAB tool with a user-friendly interface for scenario design and optimiza- tion. Such tool, based on the coupling of fixed and free-boundary equilibrium codes, is able to generate a fully optimized magnetic plasma scenario, starting from the evolution of the plasma boundary and the profiles provided by heat and particle transport codes, like ASTRA and METIS. The interface has been extensively used for the design of the 2024 DEMO baseline scenario and the VNS design and validation activities.