Components & Hardware
Poloidal-Field Coil Set
Ring coils that shape the plasma and hold its position.
- Role
- Shape & position control
- Grade
- DERIVED
The poloidal-field coils are horizontal ring coils above, below and around the plasma that control its position, elongation and triangularity. They are the actuators the vertical- and shape-control systems drive in real time.
Common questions
What do the poloidal-field coils actually do?
They are the real-time actuators for plasma position and shape — elongation, triangularity and vertical stability — driven continuously by the control system. They shape the field; the plasma current makes most of the poloidal field itself.
Is this hardware novel?
No. Ring shaping coils are standard tokamak equipment; the engineering task is fitting and powering them around a compact spherical machine rather than inventing them.