Storage and analysis techniques for fast 2D camera data on NSTX

摘要

Animations from fast 2D camera data are facilitating the investigation of spatially distributed phenomena in high-temperature plasmas. The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) now has six fast camera systems, and more are expected to be added. Image capture rates vary between 1000 and 500,000 frames per second. Archiving and retrieving this data is a challenge for data repositories and networks. For example, if all camera data had been archived during the 2004 run, the total amount of data from NSTX (300MB per pulse) would have doubled, and this year, one new camera alone can acquire 2GB per pulse. The paper will describe the storage strategies, and compare some data compression techniques used for NSTX. Tools which animate camera data, synchronized with displays from other plasma diagnostics and simulations, allow scientists to gain insights and observe correlations that would be difficult with conventional tools. A labor-saving technique is described for archiving fast camera images from a vendor's system into MDSplus and to AVI files. Examples of specific analysis and display techniques are presented. Future challenges are also discussed.