JET D-T scenario with optimized non-thermal fusion

JET D-T scenario with optimized non-thermal fusion

JET D-T scenario with optimized non-thermal fusion 150 150 UKAEA Opendata

In JET deuterium-tritium (D-T) plasmas, the fusion power is produced through thermonuclear reactions and reactions between thermal ions and fast particles generated by neutral beam injection (NBI) heating or accelerated by electromagnetic wave heating in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF). To complement the experiments with 50/50 D/T mixtures maximizing thermonuclear reactivity, a scenario with dominant non-thermal reactivity has been developed and successfully demonstrated during the second JET deuterium-tritium campaign DTE2, as it was predicted to generate the highest fusion power in JET with a Be/W wall. It was performed in a 15/85 D/T mixture with pure D-NBI heating combined with ICRF heating at the fundamental deuterium resonance. In steady plasma conditions, a record 59 MJ of fusion energy has been achieved in a single pulse, of which 50.5 MJ were produced in a 5 second time window (Pfus=10.1 MW) with average Q=0.33, confirming predictive modelling in preparation of the experiment. The highest fusion power in these experiments, Pfus=12.5 MW with average Q=0.38, was achieved over a shorter 2 second time window, with the period of sustainment limited by high-Z impurity accumulation. This scenario provides unique data for the validation of physics-based models used to predict D-T fusion power.

Collection:
Journals
Journal:
Nuclear Fusion
Publisher:
IOP (Institute of Physics)