Implementation of the SPIDER central interlock

The
SPIDER
central
interlock
is
a
centralized
electronic
system
to
coordinate
the
protection
functions
within
the
SPIDER
experiment
(Source
for
the
Production
of
Ions
of
Deuterium
Extracted
from
an
RF
plasma),
i.e.
the
full-size
ion
source
prototype
of
the
ITER
Neutral
Beam
Injector.
Due
to
the
system
time
requirements,
the
SPIDER
central
interlock
has
been
implemented
by
using
PLCs
for
the
slow
functions
(100
ms
reaction
time
from
fault
detection
to
protection
command
emission)
and
National
Instruments
CompactRIO
for
the
fast
functions
(10

s
from
fault
detection
to
command
emission).
The
paper
describes
in
detail
the
system
hardware
and
software
implementation.
The
results
of
the
first
tests
and
commissioning
are
reported
with
particular
focus
on
the
implementation,
execution,
and
performance
of
the
interlock
fast
functions.