THE GLOBAL FAST PROTECTION SYSTEM OF RFX

RFX is equipped with an original fast protection central system named SGPR, particularly designed to perform the fast protection of the device during the pulse phase. It is interfaced with all sub-systems in which dangerous faults for the machine integrity can arise and develop very quickly, namely within 2 ms. SGPR is a logic machine, including a central processing unit operating in HHL and all interconnecting lines implemented with plastic optic fibres. All internal and external lines are completely duplicated for redundancy. Protection functions are organized in four hierarchical levels. The central unit receives logic protection requests from all interfaced units, processes and coordinates such requests, also performing time conditioning, and produces protection commands for all protective devices. A number of features has been implemented to improve machine flexibility and reliability, in particular self-diagnostics functions.