Progress on EAST Tokamak

Chinese scientists have begun a new round of tests of the EAST tokamak, based at the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province.

The reactor was first operated in September 2006. Since then scientists have made adjustments to improve results. "The new tests show the reactor is very reliable, and we can repeat the experiments," said Wu Songtao, deputy director of the institute. During the first round of experiments, the experiment created a plasma lasting nearly five seconds and generating an electrical current of 500 kA. Further tests will continue until February 10. The device is planned to eventually create a plasma lasting for 1,000 seconds, the longest uch a large scale fusion plasma has ever been maintained.

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