SLPX-Superconducting long-pulse tokamak experiment

The principal objectives of the SLPX (Superconducting Long-Pulse Experiment) are: (1) to demonstrate quasi-steady operation of 3 to 5 MA hydrogen and deuterium tokamak plasmas at high temperature and high thermal wall loading, and (2) to develop reliable operation of prototypical tokamak reactor magnetics systems featuring a toroidal assembly of high-field niobium-tin coils, and a system of pulsed niobium-titanium superconducting poloidal-field coils. This paper describes the status of the engineering design features of the SLPX, with emphasis on the magnetics systems. The toroidal-field coils have an aperture of 3.1 m × 4.8 m, and can operate with a maximum field at the conductor of 12 T. The superconducting poloidal field magnetics system consists of a pulsed NbTi central solenoid, and a set of d.c. NbTi equilibrium-field coils. The entire machine is enclosed in an outer vacuum container equipped with re-entrant ports that provide ambient access to the room-temperature plasma vessel.