Long term operation of the radiation-hard Hall probes system and the path toward a high performance hybrid magnetic field sensor

Abstract The paper reports a systematic assessment of the radiation-hard Hall probes (RHP) magnetic diagnostic system of the JET tokamak, which is based on InSb semiconductor thin films, and describes the path that lead to the proposal of an innovative magnetic probe concept. A relevant account of RHP operation during the recent deuterium–tritium experimental campaign is also provided, showing correct operation under ITER-like intense neutron flux. The period considered for the systematic assessment of the RHP system ranges from October 2009 to March 2021, during which the machine produced more than 19 000 pulses. The RHP system consists of six three-dimensional Hall probes, which have built-in recalibration capability, thanks to the presence of microsolenoids that produce a local known field during a tailored automatic pre-pulse calibration sequence, that can also be initiated manually. During pulses, the microsolenoids can also be used as inductive sensors as their signals are recorded as well. Moreover, the system provides temperature measurements at the location of the probes, which are continuously recorded too. The assessment demonstrates accurate long-term operation of the RHP system. All the diagnostic channels reliably provide pre-pulse calibration data and pulse signals and the original sensitivities of the Hall sensors are preserved. Integration considerations and a data fusion analysis lead to the proposal of a high performance, compact, broadband, hybrid field probe, consisting of the combination of an inductive coil and a Hall sensor, to be manufactured by means of the coil technology developed for ITER or an alternative concept with improved radiation-hardness. The hybrid probe is expected to deliver the advantages of both inductive and Hall sensing technologies, essentially in the same package size of a single ITER magnetic discrete probe. In particular, it would solve the problem of the drift of the integrator for long lasting burning plasma discharges. The signals produced by the coil and the Hall sensor, processed by means of a Luenberger–Kalman observer, provide a magnetic field measurement which is non-drifting and low-noise. For these reasons, the hybrid probe has been proposed as the potential primary magnetic diagnostic sensor for future burning plasma experiments and demonstration fusion power plants.