Application of ITER CODAC Core System for NSTX SPA-2 project

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) was upgraded in 2011 with a second switching power amplifier (SPA2) to power NSTX´s resistive wall mode (RWM) coils. Integration of the power supply´s local controls with the Central Instrumentation and Control System (CI&C) was accomplished, in part, through PLC-to-EPICS software that was included in the ITER project´s Control, Data Access, and Communication (CODAC) Core System. The Core System is a software suite for ITER plant system manufacturers to use as a template for development of their interface with CODAC. NSTX decided to use this software for the SPA2 project for a number of reasons, principally: 1) it was cost-effective for NSTX, 2) it provided an opportunity to collaborate with ITER and evaluate their Plant System Interface methodologies, documentation, and information technology and control system processes; on an operational machine. This paper will present an overview of the SPA2 CI&C interface and describe our experience using the ITER Core System software and applicable plant system integration processes.