EAST
The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (short: EAST, internal project name: HT- 7U ) is an experimental superconducting tokamak nuclear fusion reactor of the type in Hefei, China. The project is led by the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The reactor is a further development of China's first, along with Russia at the beginning of the 1990 -built, reactor HT -7 - also a superconducting tokamak.
The construction of the reactor was started in 1998 and completed in March 2006. The construction cost estimate according to official records, the relatively moderate amount of 300 million yuan ( 30 million euros ). Due to the limited budget, the heating power of the reactor in the first stage is only seven megawatts. An expansion to 22 MW is planned. With a plasma ring diameter of 2.5 m at a diameter of 80 cm, the size of the reactor approximately to that of the German ASDEX upgrade reactor is similar.
The main advantage over conventional tokamak reactors with normal conducting copper coils located in tending toward zero energy consumption of the coils. It is hoped, therefore, to the magnetic field required by it generated, and containing more than 100 million Kelvin hot fusion reaction maintained much longer. While pulse lengths of up to 20 seconds can be reached about the European fusion experiment JET, are planned with EAST discharge pulses 60-1000 seconds.
Beginning of August 2006 began with the cooling of the niobium -titanium coils on superconducting temperature. On 27 September 2006, the first plasma was ignited for a duration of 1.2 seconds.
Since China is a member of the international ITER project, it is hoped that a new impetus EAST to its further development.