Present status and future plans for Tore Supra

Abstract

Tore Supra is a limiter tokamak with circular plasma cross-section. The superconducting toroidal magnet is a unique feature which allows very long pulse discharges. Tore Supra has ion cyclotron resonance heating and an electron cyclotron system is being installed. Noninductive currents are driven by lower hybrid and by the bootstrap effect. Highlights of previous results include long pulses lasting up to 2 minutes with 280 MJ coupled into the plasma and fully non-inductive discharges lasting up to 75 seconds. Tore Supra is presently in the middle of a major shutdown for the installation of a new toroidal pumped limiter. This will be actively cooled with capability for steady state operation at total power levels around 20 MW. Future plans include upgrades to the ion cyclotron heating and lower hybrid current drive systems and a new pellet injector.