1R. Panek, O. Mikus R. Panek, O. Mikus

COMPASS – new fusion facility in a new EU country

Radomir Panek Institute of Plasma Physics ASCR, v.v.i

Za Slovankou 3, PragueCzech Republic

Oldrich MikusCKD Nove Energo

Klecakova 1947, PragueCzech Republic

2R. Panek, O. Mikus R. Panek, O. Mikus

Basic parameters

Major radius 0.56 m

Minor radius 0.2 m

Plasma current <350 kA

Magnetic field 0.8–2.1T

Triangularity ~ 0.5

Elongation ~ 1.6

Pulse length < 1 s

The COMPASS tokamak installed in IPP ASCR, Prague

3R. Panek, O. Mikus R. Panek, O. Mikus

• 1991 – 2001 – COMPASS-D in operation in UKAEA Culham Science Center, UK.

• Autumn 2004 - COMPASS-D officially offered by UKAEA and EURATOM to Institute of Plasma Physics Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (IPP ASCR).

• 2005 – preparatory work in IPP ASCR

• July 2006 – CCE-Fu EURATOM granted the Preferential support - Start of the Project

• July - December 2006 – tenders for the new building and power supplies

• 2007 - dismantling of COMPASS at Culham.

- construction of the new building, manufacturing of new power supplies, transport of COMPASS to IPP Prague

- December 2007 – installation of COMPASS into new tokamak hall

• 2008 – Commissioning of new power supplies, installation of basic diagnostics, control system

• December 9, 2008 – First plasma

• February 19, 2009 – official start of the tokamak operation

History of the COMPASS project

4R. Panek, O. Mikus R. Panek, O. Mikus

Main COMPASS features:

• ITER-like geometry with a single-null-divertor

• Tokamak with a clear H-mode in ohmic regime

• Neutral beam injection heating system – for ion heating (relevant plasma performance Neutral beam injection heating system – for ion heating (relevant plasma performance to big tokamaks and ITER)to big tokamaks and ITER)

• Unique set of saddle coils for the resonant magnetic perturbation.

• Advanced diagnostics focused on the edge plasma. Advanced diagnostics focused on the edge plasma.

Main features COMPASS in IPP Prague

Official start of COMPASS operation

5R. Panek, O. Mikus R. Panek, O. Mikus

Departure from Culham

COMPASS transport and new building

New tokamak building

Lift of COMPASS in UKAEA Culham

Model of the new COMPASS hall

6R. Panek, O. Mikus R. Panek, O. Mikus

• COMPASS-D input power at UKAEA ≈ 50-60 MW for 3 sec – taken from local grid

• Grid power available in IPP Prague ≈ 1 MW => need of a different power supply system and

energy accumulation => two fly-wheel generators + current control system (CKD group)

2007 – 2008 – tender, design, manufacturing, installation and commissioning of power

supplies

Power supplies for COMPASS

Fly-wheel generators produced by CKD Group and installed in IPP ASCR

7R. Panek, O. Mikus R. Panek, O. Mikus

Conclusion

• New fusion experiment built in new EU country to address some of key scientific problems of ITER and to perform relevant fusion research in the frame of EURATOM.

• The project followed very tight timetable agreed with EURATOM (transport, design and installations of many new system, etc).

• Strong collaboration with

– industry – building construction, cooling system, power supply system (CKD Group)

– many European fusion laboratories (Hungary, Portugal, Germany, Great Britain, France, etc).

• Education of new generation of European fusion scientists.

• Strong interest of European laboratories in COMPASS exploitation have been expressed.

• Next main steps :

– 2009 – Optimization of the plasma performance, installation of advanced diagnostics,

– 2010 – Installation of Neutral Beam Injection Heating system