The cryogenic system that cools the superconducting magnets on the Japanese Tokamak JT-60SA reactor has a refrigeration capacity of about 9 kW equivalent at 4.5 K, and the reactor’s cyclical operation creates substantial variations in the heat loads the system must handle. From 2010 to 2016, when the CEA was designing the cryogenics for the JT-60SA, a team of researchers from Irig was working on how to smooth these loads. As commissioning draws near, they are taking their research into the field.
Assembly was completed in the spring, and qualification tests are underway. Next, the superconducting magnets will be cooled. Two researchers from Irig in Grenoble will be on hand (either physically or remotely) during this phase. If all goes well, the reactor will start up in the spring of 2021. The ITER reactor project has already benefited from some of these advances.