Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

EAST Tokamak vacuum vessel 2015

The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) is a nuclear fusion research device located in Hefei, Anhui, China. It is operated by the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP). EAST is designed to explore the feasibility of using superconducting magnets to sustain a tokamak configuration for extended periods, which is essential for the development of practical fusion power plants.

Design and Objectives

EAST is a tokamak, a type of device that uses a combination of magnetic fields to confine a hot plasma in the shape of a torus. The primary objective of EAST is to demonstrate the long-term operation of a tokamak with superconducting poloidal and toroidal field coils. This is a critical step towards the realization of ITER and future fusion reactors.

The major radius of EAST is 1.85 meters, and the minor radius is 0.45 meters. The device is capable of generating a magnetic field of up to 3.5 teslas and a plasma current of up to 1 megaampere. The heating power available for the plasma is 20 megawatts, which is provided by a combination of neutral beam injection, radio frequency heating, and electron cyclotron resonance heating.

Achievements

Since its first plasma in 2006, EAST has achieved several significant milestones in fusion research. These include:

• Sustaining a plasma for over 100 seconds in 2017, a record for superconducting tokamaks.
• Achieving a plasma temperature of over 100 million degrees Celsius in 2018.
• Demonstrating advanced plasma control techniques and divertor configurations.

Future Plans

EAST continues to play a crucial role in the global fusion research community. Future plans for EAST include:

• Further increasing the duration of plasma discharges.
• Enhancing plasma performance and stability.
• Contributing to the development of ITER and other next-generation fusion devices.

See Also

• Tokamak
• ITER
• Nuclear fusion
• Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Fusion power
• Superconducting magnet

Related Pages

• Tokamak
• ITER
• Nuclear fusion
• Fusion power
• Superconducting magnet