JET-P(91)07

D-3He Fusion in the JET Tokamak Recent Experimental Results

A new series of D-3He fusion yield experiments has been performed in JET using ICRF heating to generate a high energy 3He tail reacting with a background Deuterium plasma. Using the recently installed antennas with Beryllium screens, RF power reaching 15MW could be coupled to the plasma at the fundamental cyclotron resonance of 3He near the magnetic axis. Best results were obtained with 3.5MA discharges in the double null configuration with high recycling on outboard limiters in order to stay in L mode and to control the plasma density and purity. A record fusion power level of PFus = 140 kW was obtained, corresponding to a reaction rate of 4.6 1016 reactions/s. The amplification factor Q = PFus/PICRH reached a maximum of 1.25 % at PICRH = 10MW. The previous best results were PFus = 100kW and Q = 1%. Time resolved measurements show a correlation between fusion power and energy stored in the fast 3He ions in agreement with calculations based on classical slowing down of the 3He ions driven by ICRH to an average energy in the MeV range. Preprint of Paper to be submitted for publication in a Special Issue of Fusion Technology on D-3He Fusion
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JETP91007 1.91 Mb