HFIPS is the main research center in China conducting work in fronts to explore nuclear fusion research both in high performance steady state plasma study and technology development. In the past several decades, HFIPS has constructed four generations of Tokamak facilities among which the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST) is the world’s first non-circular cross-section fully superconducting Tokamak, based on which HFIPS conducts physical experiments on high performance steady operation mode; acquires experience on physical design and operation mode for ITER and CFETR (the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor). Besides the fusion facility HFIPS operates, it also is an active part in ITER program developing key ITER-targeting technology. The work HFIPS has done for fusion facility construction and ITER participation makes it capable to do pre-research for CFETR.
HFIPS’s work in energy also covers the research on advanced nuclear energy and nuclear energy safety, like neutron physics and radiation safety for sustainability for nuclear energy.
Recently, basing on optical-feedback cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (OF-CEAS) technology, a research team led by Prof. ZHANG Weijun from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) successfully detected OH radicals at 2.8 μm wave length with a distributed feedback (DFB) diode laser.
With good properties, heavy/high-Z metal material has been considered as the first choice for plasma facing components in International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). However, at thermonuclear fusion relevant temperatures, the accumulation of heavy/high-Z particles (impurities) in the core region may significantly cool the plasmas, deteriorating the plasma performance and leading to H to L-mode back transition and even further to radiative collapse. Therefore, it is important to know more about the core heavy impurities transport so as to control their central accumulation for the stable operation of Tokamak fusion devices.
Neutron, as an electrically neutral particle, has a strong penetrability and always emits secondary gamma rays during the particle collision process. The scientific and efficient scheme of shielding neutron is to select high Z (atomic number), low Z materials, and neutron absorbing materials simultaneously for combined shielding. However, lead-containing materials are restricted in application with biological toxicity.