RFX Machine and Power Supply Improvements for RFP Advanced Studies

Experimental results and theoretical studies call for Reversed Field Experiment (RFX) machine and power supply improvements to allow studies that go beyond those of a conventional Reversed Field Pinch (RFP) with passively stabilized turbulent MHD dynamo. The RFX experiment, in operation at Padua (Italy) since 1992, is the most important RFP machine in the world. The RFP magnetic configuration is actively studied in Europe, USA and Japan for its perspectives in reach the fusion conditions at low magnetic field and for the particular scientific interest of plasmas in this configuration. The new paths on the MHD mode studies and control, opened by recent results in RFX and other RFP machines, are introduced. Then the goals and the design lines of the technical modifications of RFX, mainly addressed to actively interact with the MHD modes through the control of the plasma magnetic boundary are reported. The main modifications introduced are related with the improvement the first wall, the addition of 192 saddle coils around the shell and to increase the operational flexibility of the toroidal field circuit power supply.