Status of the Pellet Launching System for JT-60SA and its importance for EU-DEMO

• Manufacturing of pellet launching system for JT-60SA in full swing. • System components to be assembled and commissioned at IPP testbed in garching. • The relevance of this system to the development of the pellet system for EU-DEMO has been worked out. The JT-60SA research plan calls for a powerful Pellet Launching System capable of simultaneous plasma core fuelling and edge-localised mode (ELM) pacing control. Such experiments require a system delivering the pellets – mm size bodies of solid hydrogen - precisely and reliably. As part of the Broader Approach, a centrifuge based conceptual design has been developed and is the basis for the current design and manufacturing activities. PELIN is in charge of the design and supply of two pellet sources. Both have the task to deliver pellets with an appropriate size to the stop cylinder in the right time window for a period of 100 s. The centrifuge design is based on a high-speed rotary feedthrough which allows a standard industrial motor to be installed in the atmosphere (outside the vacuum). The design must allow the installation of up to three pellet sources, SENER will deliver the centrifuge including the ex-vessel guiding tubes and the diagnostics. Following the example design, IPP was commissioned to provide a laboratory setup in which the sub-systems could be assembled into a functional system. The MasterPLC, which controls all subcomponents, is also being developed here. Finally, the system must also be certified for operation with hydrogen. All of the sub-components are first-of-its-kind. Apart from its suitability for operation with tritium, this system can be regarded as prototype for EU-DEMO. This paper will present the finalised design and report on progress to date.