The new neutral beam source continues to operate reliably, reaching power levels in excess of 2MW. Combined operation of the SW-NBI and S-PINI sources has delivered 3.5- 4MW. A wide range of experiments is currently being carried out, exploiting the increased heating power, in the areas of energy confinement studies, neutral beam current drive studies, pellet injection, edge physics studies, ELM (Edge Localised Mode) effluxes and ELM control. Transport studies are exploiting the different characteristics of the two NBI sources, which operate at very different energy (and hence momentum input).
First results have also been obtained from an electron Bernstein wave (EBW) radiometer equipped with a fast spinning mirror. Francesco Volpe of General Atomics, USA, who designed the spinning mirror when he was a member of the MAST team, visited Culham to work on these experiments with Vladimir Shevchenko. Also visiting is Alexander Saveliev, of the Ioffe Institute, St Petersburg, Russia, who is working with Vladimir Shevchenko on EBW theory.
Other MAST news
Anthony Field visited Budapest in April to discuss further collaborative development of a BES (Beam Emission Spectroscopy) fluctuation diagnostic for MAST with representatives of the Hungarian Fusion Association.
A ‘kick-off’ meeting with collaborators from York University was held in March to discuss the Thomson scattering development project being undertaken with the aid of financial support from York.
Following the recent introduction of new MAST management structures the first meeting of the MAST Steering Committee has been held and a MAST Programme Advisory Committee (PAC), comprising of UK and international fusion experts, has been set up. |
