Java Tool Framework for Automation of Hardware Commissioning and Maintenance Procedures

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a 192-beam laser system designed to study high energy density physics. Each beam line contains a variety of line replaceable units (LRUs) that contain optics, stepping motors, sensors and other devices to control and diagnose the laser. During commissioning and subsequent maintenance of the laser, LRUs undergo a qualification process using the Integrated Computer Control System (ICCS) to verify and calibrate the equipment. The commissioning processes are both repetitive and tedious when we use remote manual computer controls, making them ideal candidates for software automation. Maintenance and Commissioning Tool (MCT) software was developed to improve the efficiency of the qualification process. The tools are implemented in Java, leveraging ICCS services and CORBA to communicate with the control devices. The framework provides easy-to-use mechanisms for handling configuration data, task execution, task progress reporting, and generation of commissioning test reports. The tool framework design and application examples will be discussed

A Multitechnique Study of C2H4Adsorption on Fe3O4(001)

The adsorption/desorption of ethene (C2H4), also commonly known as ethylene, on Fe3O4(001) was studied under ultrahigh vacuum conditions using temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory (DFT)-based computations. To interpret the TPD data, we have employed a new analysis method based on equilibrium thermodynamics. C2H4adsorbs intact at all coverages and interacts most strongly with surface defects such as antiphase domain boundaries and Fe adatoms. On the regular surface, C2H4binds atop surface Fe sites up to a coverage of 2 molecules per (√2 × √2)R45° unit cell, with every second Fe occupied. A desorption energy of 0.36 eV is determined by analysis of the TPD spectra at this coverage, which is approximately 0.1-0.2 eV lower than the value calculated by DFT + U with van der Waals corrections. Additional molecules are accommodated in between the Fe rows. These are stabilized by attractive interactions with the molecules adsorbed at Fe sites. The total capacity of the surface for C2H4adsorption is found to be close to 4 molecules per (√2 × √2)R45° unit cell

Software Engineering Processes Used to Develop the NIF Integrated Computer Control System

We have developed a new target platform to study Laser Plasma Interaction in ignition-relevant condition at the Omega laser facility (LLE/Rochester)[1]. By shooting an interaction beam along the axis of a gas-filled hohlraum heated by up to 17 kJ of heater beam energy, we were able to create a millimeter-scale underdense uniform plasma at electron temperatures above 3 keV. Extensive Thomson scattering measurements allowed us to benchmark our hydrodynamic simulations performed with HYDRA [1]. As a result of this effort, we can use with much confidence these simulations as input parameters for our LPI simulation code pF3d [2]. In this paper, we show that by using accurate hydrodynamic profiles and full three-dimensional simulations including a realistic modeling of the laser intensity pattern generated by various smoothing options, fluid LPI theory reproduces the SBS thresholds and absolute reflectivity values and the absence of measurable SRS. This good agreement was made possible by the recent increase in computing power routinely available for such simulations

Status of the National Ignition Facility and Control System

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a stadium-sized facility under construction that will contain a 192-beam, 1.8-Megajoule, 500-Terawatt, ultraviolet laser system together with a 10-meter diameter target chamber with room for multiple experimental diagnostics. NIF will be the world's largest and most energetic laser experimental system, providing a scientific center to study inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and matter at extreme energy densities and pressures. NIF's laser beams are designed to compress fusion targets to conditions required for thermonuclear burn, liberating more energy than required to initiate the fusion reactions. NIF is comprised of 24 independent bundles of 8 beams each using laser hardware that is modularized into line replaceable units such as optical assemblies, amplifiers, and multi-function sensor packages containing thousands of adjusting motors and diagnostic points. NIF is operated by the Integrated Computer Control System (ICCS) in an architecture partitioned by bundle and distributed among over 750 front-end processors and supervisory servers. Bundle control system partitions are replicated and commissioned by configuring the control database for each new bundle. NIF's automated control subsystems are built from a common object-oriented software framework based on CORBA distribution that deploys the software across the computer network and achieves interoperation between different languages and target architectures. ICCS software is approximately 80% complete with 1.1 million source lines of code delivered to the facility. NIF has successfully activated, commissioned and utilized the first four laser beams to conduct nearly 400 shots in 2003 and 2004, resulting in high quality data that could not be obtained on any other laser system. This presentation discusses NIF's early light commissioning, the status of the control system implementation and plans to complete installation of the remaining laser bundles on the path to fusion ignition

CORBA-Based Distributed Software Framework for the NIF Integrated Computer Control System

The National Ignition Facility (NIF), currently under construction at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is a stadium-sized facility containing a 192-beam, 1.8 Megajoule, 500-Terawatt, ultra-violet laser system together with a 10-meter diameter target chamber with room for nearly 100 experimental diagnostics. The NIF is operated by the Integrated Computer Control System (ICCS) which is a scalable, framework-based control system distributed over 800 computers throughout the NIF. The framework provides templates and services at multiple levels of abstraction for the construction of software applications that communicate via CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture). Object-oriented software design patterns are implemented as templates and extended by application software. Developers extend the framework base classes to model the numerous physical control points and implement specializations of common application behaviors. An estimated 140 thousand software objects, each individually addressable through CORBA, will be active at full scale. Many of these objects have persistent configuration information stored in a database. The configuration data is used to initialize the objects at system start-up. Centralized server programs that implement events, alerts, reservations, data archival, name service, data access, and process management provide common system wide services. At the highest level, a model-driven, distributed shot automation system provides a flexible and scalable framework for automatic sequencing of work-flow for control and monitoring of NIF shots. The shot model, in conjunction with data defining the parameters and goals of an experiment, describes the steps to be performed by each subsystem in order to prepare for and fire a NIF shot. Status and usage of this distributed framework are described

User Interface Framework for the National Ignition Facility (NIF)

A user interface (UI) framework supports the development of user interfaces to operate the National Ignition Facility (NIF) using the Integrated Computer Control System (ICCS). [1] This framework simplifies UI development and ensures consistency for NIF operators. A comprehensive, layered collection of UIs in ICCS provides interaction with system-level processes, shot automation, and subsystem-specific devices. All user interfaces are written in Java, employing CORBA to interact with other ICCS components. ICCS developers use these frameworks to compose two major types of user interfaces: broadviews and control panels. Broadviews provide a visual representation of the NIF beamlines through interactive schematic drawings. Control panels provide status and control at a device level. The UI framework includes a suite of display components to standardize user interaction through data entry behaviors, common connection and threading mechanisms, and a common appearance. With these components, ICCS developers can more efficiently address usability issues in the facility when needed. The ICCS UI framework helps developers create consistent and easy-to-understand user interfaces for NIF operators