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Title: Proposals for an influential role of small tokamaks in mainstream fusion physics and technology research

Journal Article · · AIP Conference Proceedings
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2405918· OSTI ID:20898785
 [1];  [2];  [3]; ;  [4]
  1. Department of Applied Physics, Ghent University, Ghent (Belgium)
  2. INPE, Sao Jose dos Campos (Brazil)
  3. EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon (United Kingdom)
  4. IAEA, NAPC Physics Section, Vienna (Austria)

Small tokamaks may significantly contribute to the better understanding of phenomena in a wide range of fields such as plasma confinement and energy transport; plasma stability in different magnetic configurations; plasma turbulence and its impact on local and global plasma parameters; processes at the plasma edge and plasma-wall interaction; scenarios of additional heating and non-inductive current drive; new methods of plasma profile and parameter control; development of novel plasma diagnostics; benchmarking of new numerical codes and so on. Furthermore, due to the compactness, flexibility, low operation costs and high skill of their personnel small tokamaks are very convenient to develop and test new materials and technologies, which because of the risky nature cannot be done in large machines without preliminary studies. Small tokamaks are suitable and important for broad international cooperation, providing the necessary environment and manpower to conduct dedicated joint research programmes. In addition, the experimental work on small tokamaks is very appropriate for the education of students, scientific activities of post-graduate students and for the training of personnel for large tokamaks. All these tasks are well recognised and reflected in documents and understood by the large tokamak teams. Recent experimental results will be presented of contributions to mainstream fusion physics and technology research on small tokamaks involved in the IAEA Coordinated Research Project 'Joint Research using small tokamaks', started in 2004.

OSTI ID:
20898785
Journal Information:
AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 875, Issue 1; Conference: 16. IAEA technical meeting on research using small fusion devices; 11. Latin American workshop on plasma physics, Mexico City (Mexico), 30 Nov - 3 Dec 2005; 5-9 Dec 2005; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2405918; (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English