SCIENCE

TORRANCE, CA -- Intelligent Optical Systems Inc. (IOS), a privately held R&D company specializing in the design and development of proprietary optical communications, monitoring and signal processing technologies, today announced that it has received a $700,000 contract from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to continue its development of advanced neural network-based technology for the real-time control of plasma in fusion reactors. Reuben Sandler, president and chief executive officer of IOS, said: "It is increasingly clear that the development of a safe, limitless energy source that is environmentally and economically attractive is critical to human progress and the survival of future generations. "The fusion of the nuclei of hydrogen offers a potentially limitless source of terrestrial energy. However, harnessing this power has proven to be highly challenging. "One of the most promising approaches is based on the magnetic confinement of high-temperature plasma in a tokamak, where hydrogen plasmas are confined by strong magnetic fields. Accurate control of the position and shape of the plasma boundary requires real-time feedback control of magnetic fields on the time scale of a few tens of microseconds." IOS collaborated with San Diego-based General Atomics Inc. in the first phase of the project to acquire and analyze measurement data on various plasma equilibrium modes. The company developed a Matlab-based toolbox consisting of linear and neural network approximators capable of learning and predicting with a high degree of accuracy the behavior of plasma parameters and began developing a control algorithm capable of using the model of the plasma obtained by the neural network approximator. "In the second phase, we will work with General Atomics to develop a neural network-based algorithm that will be integrated into the Simulink-based control software currently used by General Atomics for real-time control of a tokamak. We will verify the algorithm by comparing the predicted outputs to the outputs of a well-established computer model of tokamak operation and to the actual measurements from the data acquisition equipment," Sandler explained. In addition to its application in fusion power plants, IOS plasma control technology can be readily adapted to other existing and future large magnetic fusion devices. It also can be applied to other industries where varying plant dynamics affect the performance of machines or the efficiency of production plants. Potential applications include optimizing the thrust and fuel consumption of jet engines, improving the efficiency of microturbines, increasing the output of nuclear fission reactors, and monitoring older automobile engines for performance and impending engine failures. "This project is an excellent example of our strategy to commercialize IOS' portfolio of intellectual property through partnerships, joint ventures and other affiliations. The proprietary optical communications, monitoring and signal processing technologies developed over the past decade also have exciting applications in medical diagnostics, fiber-optic communications, aerospace and other industries with enormous growth potential," Sandler said. For additional information visit www.intopsys.com