The TFTR D-T experience

In November 1993, trace experiments consisting of less than 1% tritium in deuterium mixture were performed to initially qualify the TFTR tritium systems, tokamak, neutral beams and diagnostic systems with tritium. These successful preliminary experiments were soon followed, in December 1993, with nominally 50:50 mixtures of deuterium and tritium which quickly resulted in the production of more than six megawatts of fusion power. These experiments and those conducted since that time have demonstrated improved plasma confinement properties (including advanced tokamak “reversed-shear” profiles), ICRF heating of D-T plasmas, indications of alpha heating, reactor level fusion power densities and the attainment of more than ten megawatts of fusion power and 6.5 megajoules of fusion energy. In support of these accomplishments, the TFTR equipment has met or exceeded the original design criteria. The toroidal magnetic field has been operated up to six Tesla (on-axis) and the neutral beams up to 40 megawatts with deuterium and tritium fueling. Since November 1993, there have been more than 12000 plasma shots including more than 500 deuterium-tritium pulses producing a total of more than 3×10²⁰ D-T neutrons and alpha particles and one gigajoule of fusion energy. Over 600 kCi of tritium have been processed through the TFTR facility. Maintenance and repair activities have become routine in this nuclear facility. More than 500 calibrations, repairs and installations requiring work on tritium contaminated systems have been performed