Another Milestone to Artificial Sun: China's EAST makes world's first minute-scale H-mode discharges

[GS Zhou]

In a recent experiment done in October 2016, China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) achieves Minute-scale H-mode discharges (>60s). This new world record breaks the previous record on H-mode discharges (32s), which was also achieved by China's EAST device in 2012.

中国新一代“人造太阳”实验装置再获重大突破

文章来源：新华网 蔡敏 发布时间：2016-11-03 【字号： 小 中 大 】
　　记者11月2日从中科院合肥物质科学研究院获悉，该院等离子体所承担的国家大科学工程“人造太阳”实验装置EAST近日在第11轮物理实验中再获重大突破，获得超过60秒的稳态高约束模等离子体放电。EAST因此成为世界首个实现稳态高约束模运行持续时间达到分钟量级的托卡马克核聚变实验装置。

在纯射频波加热、钨偏滤器等条件下，实现稳态高约束模等离子体放电，是ITER的基本运行模式之一。

　　2012年EAST物理实验曾创造32秒高约束模世界纪录。为进一步发展稳态高约束模，近年来，EAST相继完成了辅助加热、钨偏滤器、等离子体物理诊断等系统的升级改造，克服了加热与电流驱动、分布参数测量等关键技术难题，深入研究和基本解决了射频波耦合、高约束等离子体稳定性控制、低动量条件下加热和电流驱动下输运等一系列物理问题，为实现长脉冲稳态高约束模等离子体奠定了坚实的基础。

　　EAST团队本轮实验获得的超过60秒的稳态高约束模等离子体放电，不仅在等离子体参数、约束性能和维持时间长度上全面、大幅度超过2012年结果，而且实现了完全的非感应电流驱动(即稳态)。

　　美、法等国在20世纪80年代中期发起ITER计划，旨在建立世界上第一个受控热核聚变实验反应堆，为人类输送巨大的清洁能量。这一过程与太阳产生能量的过程类似，因此受控热核聚变实验装置也被俗称为“人造太阳”。中国是这一计划的参与国之一。

　　EAST是由中国科学家独立设计建造的世界首个全超导核聚变实验装置，于2007年通过国家验收。它在近年来取得了一系列处于国际领先地位的实验成果，其科学目标是为ITER计划和中国未来独立设计建设运行核聚变堆奠定坚实的科学和技术基础。

　　据了解，ITER将采用射频波主导的低动量注入运行模式以及主动水冷的钨偏滤器结构。EAST是目前世界上唯一具备这两大特色的且具有长脉冲运行能力的全超导托卡马克，其稳态运行模式将为ITER和未来核聚变反应堆提供重要参考。

 

[艹艹艹]

 

[GS Zhou]

Picture of the EAST device

East in operation (Temperature > 50,000,000K)

 

[TaiShang]

China delivers parts for ‘artificial sun’ reactor

(Global Times) 08:05, June 11, 2018

Experimental reactor could be first stride toward endless energy: expert

China has delivered core components to the "artificial sun" reactor project, a move that contributes to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and mankind's sustainable development, according to experts.

China National Nuclear Corporation has delivered the magnet support components to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project on Saturday in Zunyi, Southwest China's Guizhou Province, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday.

The components will then be transferred to the experimental reactor facility in France, becoming the first batch of fundamental parts to be installed, according to the report.

The magnet support components are among the most important fundamental parts of the ITER. They will support the 10,000-ton magnet - the core device of the reactor - under extreme working condition, Luo Delong, director of the China International Nuclear Fusion Energy Program Execution Center, was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

"The delivery marks China's contribution to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and mankind's sustainable development," said Liu Yong, the president of China National Nuclear Corporation's Southwestern Institute of Physics, adding that the research has provided technological know-how and personnel reserve for China's own thermonuclear fusion reactor development, Xinhua reported.

The ITER project is a global collaboration of 35 countries including China, Russia and the US.

The experimental thermonuclear fusion reactor, also dubbed as the "artificial sun" since it would give off energy by a similar principle as the sun, aims to use fusion power as a sustainable energy source, according to the official website of ITER.

"The Hydrogen bomb is based on thermonuclear fusion, but it releases huge amounts of uncontrollable energy. Today's nuclear plants are based on nuclear fission," Zhou Dadi, deputy director of the China Energy Research Society with the National Development and Reform Commission, told the Global Times on Sunday, noting that no thermonuclear fusion has been harnessed by mankind before.

The challenge of controlling a fusion reaction comes from how to deal with the extreme heat as intense as the sun, Han Xiaoping, chief analyst at energy industry website china5e.com, told the Global Times on Sunday, adding that the components, together with other parts, aim to achieve that.

Thermonuclear fusion technology can potentially provide infinite energy with zero pollution, said Han, noting that a fusion reactor would not release harmful radiation, while fission reactors nowadays face the risk of contamination.

China has invested 4 billion yuan ($625 million) in the ITER project in the past 10 years, reported Xinhua in January.

China has had controllable fusion in mind for decades as it may one day solve the problem of energy sustainability for all mankind, asserted Han.

The reactor is planned to be powered on for the first time in December 2025.

"It is important to develop thermonuclear fusion technology, but it is still too soon to expect it to be put into commercial use," Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

http://en.people.cn/n3/2018/0611/c90000-9469742.html

 

[cirr]

Breakingnews: China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) has for the first time produced hydrogen plasma at 100 million degrees Celsius

中国“人造太阳”首次实现1亿度运行

2018-11-12 13:16:49字号：A- A A+来源：央视新闻客户端

据央视新闻客户端11月12日报道，中科院等离子体所今天发布消息，我国大科学装置“人造太阳”日前取得重大突破，实现加热功率超过10兆瓦，等离子体储能增加到300千焦，等离子体中心电子温度首次达到1亿度，获得的多项实验参数接近未来聚变堆稳态运行模式所需要的物理条件，朝着未来聚变堆实验运行迈出了关键一步，也为人类开发利用核聚变清洁能源奠定了重要的技术基础。

图/“人造太阳”大科学装置 本文配图均来自央视新闻客户端

图/“人造太阳”大科学装置

东方超环（EAST）是等离子体所自主设计、研制并拥有完全知识产权的磁约束核聚变实验装置，是世界上第一个非圆截面全超导托卡马克，也是我国第四代核聚变实验装置，它的科学目标是让海水中大量存在的氘和氚在高温条件下，像太阳一样发生核聚变，为人类提供源源不断的清洁能源，所以也被称为“人造太阳”。该大科学装置瞄准未来聚变能商用目标的关键科学问题，近年来在高性能、稳态、长脉冲等离子体研究方面取得了多项原创性成果。

图/“人造太阳”大科学装置

图/2018年度EAST实现的1亿度等离子体放电

2018年度EAST物理实验持续经历4个多月，物理实验面向未来聚变堆先进稳态运行模式的发展和长脉冲运行下的关键科学技术问题，重点开展了高功率加热下堆芯物理机制研究的系列实验。通过优化稳态射频波等多种加热技术在高参数条件下的耦合与电流驱动、等离子体先进控制等，结合理论与数值模拟，实现加热功率超过10兆瓦，等离子体储能增加到300千焦；在电子回旋与低杂波协同加热下，等离子体中心电子温度达到1亿度，并有效拓展了适应于聚变堆高性能等离子体稳态高约束模式的运行区间，实现了高约束、高密度、高比压的完全非感应先进稳态运行模式，获得的归一化参数接近未来聚变堆稳态运行模式所需要的物理条件。EAST取得的这些实验成果为未来国际热核聚变实验堆运行和正在进行的中国聚变工程实验堆CFETR工程和物理设计提供了重要的实验依据与科学支持。（央视记者 帅俊全）

 

[TaiShang]

Breakingnews: China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) has for the first time produced hydrogen plasma at 100 million degrees Celsius

中国“人造太阳”首次实现1亿度运行

2018-11-12 13:16:49字号：A- A A+来源：央视新闻客户端

据央视新闻客户端11月12日报道，中科院等离子体所今天发布消息，我国大科学装置“人造太阳”日前取得重大突破，实现加热功率超过10兆瓦，等离子体储能增加到300千焦，等离子体中心电子温度首次达到1亿度，获得的多项实验参数接近未来聚变堆稳态运行模式所需要的物理条件，朝着未来聚变堆实验运行迈出了关键一步，也为人类开发利用核聚变清洁能源奠定了重要的技术基础。

图/“人造太阳”大科学装置 本文配图均来自央视新闻客户端

图/“人造太阳”大科学装置

东方超环（EAST）是等离子体所自主设计、研制并拥有完全知识产权的磁约束核聚变实验装置，是世界上第一个非圆截面全超导托卡马克，也是我国第四代核聚变实验装置，它的科学目标是让海水中大量存在的氘和氚在高温条件下，像太阳一样发生核聚变，为人类提供源源不断的清洁能源，所以也被称为“人造太阳”。该大科学装置瞄准未来聚变能商用目标的关键科学问题，近年来在高性能、稳态、长脉冲等离子体研究方面取得了多项原创性成果。

图/“人造太阳”大科学装置

图/2018年度EAST实现的1亿度等离子体放电

2018年度EAST物理实验持续经历4个多月，物理实验面向未来聚变堆先进稳态运行模式的发展和长脉冲运行下的关键科学技术问题，重点开展了高功率加热下堆芯物理机制研究的系列实验。通过优化稳态射频波等多种加热技术在高参数条件下的耦合与电流驱动、等离子体先进控制等，结合理论与数值模拟，实现加热功率超过10兆瓦，等离子体储能增加到300千焦；在电子回旋与低杂波协同加热下，等离子体中心电子温度达到1亿度，并有效拓展了适应于聚变堆高性能等离子体稳态高约束模式的运行区间，实现了高约束、高密度、高比压的完全非感应先进稳态运行模式，获得的归一化参数接近未来聚变堆稳态运行模式所需要的物理条件。EAST取得的这些实验成果为未来国际热核聚变实验堆运行和正在进行的中国聚变工程实验堆CFETR工程和物理设计提供了重要的实验依据与科学支持。（央视记者 帅俊全）

A significant step for the development of nuclear fusion clean energy for humankind.

Great going, Mainland!

 

[oprih]

Great achievement by our Chinese brothers! But be careful, the american thiefs might try to steal info and tech about this.

 

[name]

Great achievement by our Chinese brothers! But be careful, the american thiefs might try to steal info and tech about this.

Thieves, US and Vietnam.