Tore Supra

Tore Supra
Christopher Roux, EUROfusion · CC BY 4.0 · source
Name	Tore Supra
Country	France
Type	Tokamak
Affiliation	CEA, Grenoble
Construction	1974–1987
Operation	1988–present
Major upgrades	CIEL, WEST
Status	Upgraded into successor projects

Tore Supra

Introduction

Tore Supra was a superconducting tokamak built and operated in France by the CEA at the Grenoble site. Conceived during the Cold War era of fusion development alongside devices such as JET, TFTR, ASDEX, Tore Supra pioneered long-duration plasma confinement using superconducting magnet technology and extensive plasma-facing component engineering. The project linked European efforts including Euratom collaborations and informed subsequent installations like ITER and WEST.

Design and Technical Specifications

Tore Supra featured a toroidal vacuum vessel and a set of niobium-titanium superconducting magnet coils enabling steady-state operation similar to later designs such as ITER and JT-60. The machine incorporated a major radius and minor radius chosen to balance stability studies performed at Culham and PPPL. Its radio-frequency heating suite included ion cyclotron resonance heating and lower hybrid current drive systems, technologies also used on JET and DIII-D. The divertor and first-wall used carbon-based plasma-facing materials and actively cooled components inspired by engineering studies from ITER Organization and designs assessed at ORNL. Diagnostics on Tore Supra—such as Thomson scattering, bolometry, reflectometry, and magnetic probes—were developed in collaboration with CEA, CNRS, and European laboratories, mirroring setups on ASDEX Upgrade and MAST.

Operational History and Major Experiments

Commissioned in the late 1980s, Tore Supra ran campaigns that paralleled contemporary experiments at JET, TFTR, and DIII-D. Early operations validated long-pulse scenarios investigated alongside theoretical models from groups at MPIPP and Ecole Polytechnique. Major experiments explored steady-state current drive using lower hybrid waves and steady power exhaust using actively cooled divertor technology, with results communicated at conferences hosted by IAEA and the European Physical Society. Collaborative experimental programs included European Framework initiatives and bilateral exchanges with DOE laboratories. Tore Supra campaigns contributed datasets to benchmarking efforts used by simulation codes developed at CEA, LLNL, and Princeton.

Achievements and Contributions to Fusion Research

Tore Supra achieved record long-duration plasma discharges enabled by its superconducting coils and actively cooled plasma-facing components, informing steady-state operation concepts central to ITER and future reactors like DEMO. The device demonstrated effective use of lower hybrid current drive for non-inductive operation, influencing operational scenarios studied at JT-60SA and KSTAR. Its engineering solutions for heat removal and fatigue resistance impacted material selection and cooling strategies adopted by ASDEX Upgrade and the WEST project. Data from Tore Supra validated transport models and turbulence theory advanced by researchers at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, MPIPP, and ENS, and supported stability analyses used in design work at ITER Organization and national laboratories including ORNL.

Upgrades and Successor Projects

Tore Supra was upgraded and partially transformed into successor platforms to address divertor and tungsten-wall issues, integrating lessons from facilities such as JET's ITER-like wall campaign and ASDEX Upgrade's tungsten programme. The refurbishment led to the WEST project, which incorporated a fully metallic divertor and components compatible with ITER materials testing, in partnership with CEA and European laboratories. Research continuity extended to collaborative projects under Euratom and informed the development of DEMO conceptual designs and engineering studies at ITER Organization and national fusion programs including France's long-term planning. The technological legacy of Tore Supra persists in superconducting magnet practice, steady-state RF systems, and divertor engineering adopted by major fusion institutions worldwide.

Category:Tokamaks Category:CEA facilities Category:Fusion power research