Ruben Otin
Computational physicist at UK Atomic Energy Authority
I develop numerical methods and open-source software for computational electromagnetics and plasma physics, and apply them to the design and operation of fusion reactors. My main tool is ERMES, a finite element code for Maxwell’s equations. It has been used to model radiofrequency heating, plasma control and electromagnetic loads for JET, MAST Upgrade, ITER and STEP, and continues to be developed for the next generation of fusion reactors.
UK Atomic Energy Authority
Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
What I work on
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RF waves in fusion plasmas
Fusion plasmas are heated and probed with radio waves and microwaves launched from antennas. Full-wave simulations show how these waves couple into the plasma, convert from one mode to another and interact with the vessel walls. Recent work validates ERMES against the A2 ion cyclotron antennas of JET and the electron Bernstein wave system of MAST Upgrade.
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Electromagnetic loads and plasma control
A disrupting plasma induces large currents, and therefore forces, in the structures around it. I develop methods to compute these loads, to reconstruct them from measurements for ITER, and to model plasma control for machines such as STEP.
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Finite element methods
Underneath all of this are finite element formulations designed to give well-conditioned matrices: from the regularized Maxwell equations with nodal elements of my Ph.D. to the stabilized edge element and local L2 projection formulations of ERMES 20.0, solved in parallel with PETSc.
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Electrical protection and failure analysis
Electric risk assessments for MAST Upgrade and JET, root-cause analyses of failed coils and magnetic sensors, and models of quench-induced arcs in the superconducting magnets of ITER.
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Beyond fusion
As an external consultant I keep working on electromagnetic compatibility, cable shielding and human exposure to electromagnetic fields, with partners such as NAFEMS, Armasuisse, OQC, CIMNE and A*STAR.
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Career
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2014 to present
UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA)
Fusion engineering projects for JET, ITER, DEMO, MAST Upgrade and STEP.
- Software tools for plasma control modelling and analysis
- New methods for computing electromagnetic loads
- Inverse reconstruction algorithms for ITER monitoring systems
- Electric risk assessment and protection modelling for MAST Upgrade and JET
- Failure analyses and new design proposals for JET
- Superconducting magnet quench and induced arcs for ITER
- A finite element tool for wave, plasma and wall interactions
- JET experimental campaigns as Plasma Duty Officer (real-time control networks), High-Frequency Pellet Injector operator and ICRH antenna pilot
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2002 to 2014
International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE)
European and national projects on novel finite element formulations and software, bioelectromagnetics, electromagnetic compatibility, cable design and optimisation, electromagnetic forming, and antenna and microwave engineering.
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Before 2002
Software developer, private sector
Education
Ph.D. in Physics
Polytechnic University of Catalonia
M.Sc. in Physics
University of Zaragoza
Profiles and contact
For collaborations or questions about ERMES, email ruben.otin.bcn@gmail.com.
