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An international journal of news from the stellarator community
Editor: James A. Rome Issue 170 October 2020
E-Mail: James.Rome@stelnews.info Phone: +1 (865) 482-5643
On the Web at https://stelnews.info
Southwest Jiaotong University
hosts the world’s first quasiaxisymmetric
stellarator
experiment
As a follow-onto the article “NIFS-SWJTU Joint Project
(NSJP) for CFQS” by Prof. Shoichi Okamura in Issue 169
of Stellarator News, we present a discussion of the
research environment at the Southwest Jiaotong University
(SWJTU) and in Chengdu City in China (Fig. 1), and
note the vigorous support from our local and national governments
for the Chinese First Quasi-axisymmetric Stellarator
(CFQS) project and related research activities.
SWJTU was founded in 1896, one of the earliest universities
in the modern history of China. It is also the cradle of
higher education in civil engineering, traffic engineering,
and mining and metallurgical engineering in China. After
several historic moves, it is presently located in Chengdu,
the capital city of Sichuan province in China.
As it begins its second century of effort, SWJTU has made
great progress and taken a leading role in railway transport
techniques throughout the world. In 2017, SWJTU was
selected by the Chinese government to become a worldclass
university with world-class construction projects to
support this. In recent years, SWJTU has focused on promoting
the development of science, in addition to its historic
advances in technology. Meanwhile, the School of
Physical Science and Technology of SWJTU has become
an integrated teaching-research college. In accordance
with the national energy development strategy, SWJTU is
emphasizing the area of magnetic confinement fusion
research and the Institute of Fusion Science in the School
is actively working on theoretical simulations and experimental
studies over a wide range of fusion research subjects.
Fig. 1. A view of Chengdu City.
Fig. 2. The entrance to SWJTU.
In this issue . . .
Southwest Jiaotong University hosts the
world’s first quasi-axisymmetric stellarator
experiment
Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) is located in
Chengdu City, the capital of Sichuan province in
China. SWJTU is emphasizing the area of magnetic
confinement fusion research, and the Institute of
Fusion Science in the School is actively working on
theoretical simulations and experimental studies over
a wide range of fusion research subjects. SWJTU is
responsible for the construction of the Chinese First
Quasi-axisymmetric Stellarator and experimental facilities,
jointly designing the device and executing experiments
with the National Institute for Fusion Science
(NIFS) in Japan and other international researchers.
NIFS is leading the design work and associated
research programs, and contributing heating equipment
and diagnostics to the experiment. ................. 1
Stellarator News -2- October 2020
To further promote magnetic fusion research at SWJTU,
the university leadership decided to pursue stellarator
physics since this unique configuration is of significance
for fusion science even though at present, the major line of
fusion development in China is the tokamak configuration
only! Such a broader understanding is strongly supported
by top-level fusion scientists in China. At the beginning in
year 2015, for learning and gaining research experience in
stellarator devices, SWJTU made plans to acquire the
Compact Helical System (CHS) device from the National
Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) in Japan. Later on,
after further discussions with the NIFS staff, SWJTU
decided to team with NIFS to construct a new stellarator
with an advanced configuration design, the Chinese First
Quasi-axisymmetric Stellarator (CFQS). In July 2017,
SWJTU and NIFS signed a memorandum of understanding,
outlining the roles of both institutions. SWJTU is
responsible for the construction of the CFQS and experimental
facilities, jointly designing the device and executing
experiments with NIFS and other international
researchers. NIFS is leading the design work and associated
research programs, and contributing heating equipment
and diagnostics to the experiment.
At present, the physical design of CFQS has been finished.
A mock-up modular coil MC4, which has the most complicated
3D structure, has been successfully manufactured
(Fig. 3). The mock-up coil has been subjected to
many tests to assure that it meets all criteria. This mock-up
coil was fabricated by the Keye Electro Physical Equipment
Manufacturing Co., Ltd, in Hefei, China. Keye has
emerged from the machine shop in the Institute of Plasma
Physics Chinese Academy of Science (ASIPP), one of
leading fusion institutes in China, where the Chinese
superconducting tokamak EAST is in operation. Keye has
become one of the highest technology companies in
China, producing various types of components and facilities
for advanced physics research fields such as high
energy physics and fusion sciences. Keye’s engineers are
eager to tackle challenging problems led by the General
Manager, Ms. Xinlian Wu. For the next step, Keye will
start to manufacture all of 16 modular coils of the CFQS
device.
Also, the engineering design for the vacuum vessel and
support structures of the CFQS is progressing. In 2019, the
fusion laboratory in charge of the CFQS project has been
approved as one of the Key International Collaborative
Laboratories in Sichuan province. Meanwhile, SWJTU
has been nominated as a Chinese representative in the
framework of the IEA agreement of the Stellarator/Heliotron
Technology Collaboration Program (IEA SH-TCP).
In addition, the CFQS project has received vigorous
national and international support from many fusion institutions,
including ASIPP and the Southwestern Institute of
Physics located in Chengdu City in China, PPPL and the
University of Wisconsin in the US, IPP-Greifswald in Germany,
IAE, Kyoto University in Japan, etc. It is expected
that the operation of CFQS will be the first quasi-axisymmetric
stellarator experiment to operate in the world.
Chengdu is the capital city of China’s southwest Sichuan
province. The city is located in the west of Sichuan Basin
and in the center of Chengdu Plain. It is famed for being
the home of cute giant pandas. The city covers about a
total area of 14.3 thousand square kilometers with a population
of over 16 million. Because of the advantageous
Dujiangyan irrigation system constructed in 256 B.C.E., it
has rich natural resources and a mild climate, and hence, is
known as the Heavenly State (Tian Fu Zhi Guo in Chinese).
While the economy of Chengdu City is rapidly
growing, people in the city have strong interest in the
development of cultural and scientific activities. In recent
years, Chengdu has made plans to build a new academic
zone (park) to expedite development in science and technology.
The CFQS project of SWJTU has been selected as
one of main scientific programs there.
As a major transport hub in southwest China, Chengdu is
easily approached by both air and railway routes. The city
bus and metro continue to develop, providing residents
and visitors with transportation convenience. Domestic
and international fusion researchers are warmly welcomed
to visit Chengdu and also to participate in CFQS experiments
in the near future.
Prof. Dr. Yuhong Xu
Director, Institute of Fusion Science
School of Physical Science and Technology
Southwest Jiaotong University
No.111, North Section 1, Second Ring Road
Chengdu, 610031 China
E-mail: xuyuhong@swjtu.edu.cn
Fig. 3. A mock-up of the MC4 coil surrounded by the team
from Keye that manufactured it together with researchers
from SWJTU and NIFS.