Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
🇨🇳 Hefei, CN · Active
Also known as ASIPP
The Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP) is a state research institute in Hefei, established in September 1978, and China's main laboratory for magnetic confinement fusion. It built a series of tokamaks, including HT-7, China's first superconducting tokamak, and the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), which made its first plasma in 2006 and uses superconducting coils for all its main magnetic fields. In January 2025 EAST was reported to have sustained a plasma for 1,066 seconds. ASIPP says it carries 73% of China's in-kind ITER procurement work, including superconducting conductors, current leads, power supplies and diagnostics. EAST results on this site are listed under ASIPP as operator.
- Sector
- Fusion
- Technology
- Tokamak
- Role
- Research institute, Operator
It is the operator of record for Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (operating) and BEST (under construction). Measured results for Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak are listed below.
Terms
- Tokamak
- Doughnut-shaped magnetic confinement using a strong toroidal field plus a current driven through the plasma itself. The most-studied configuration, and the one ITER uses. Its main open problem is heat exhaust at the divertor, where the plasma edge concentrates power onto a small area, together with the risk of disruptions: sudden, uncontrolled losses of the plasma current.
Results
Plasma duration (sustained)
claimed2025-01-20
Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak
China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak smashes fusion confinement record
Fusion triple product (nTτE)
claimed2015shot 56933
Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak
Continuing progress toward fusion energy breakeven and gain as measured against the Lawson criteria
Ion temperature (peak)
claimed2015shot 56933
Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak
Continuing progress toward fusion energy breakeven and gain as measured against the Lawson criteria
Plasma density
claimed2015shot 56933
Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak
Continuing progress toward fusion energy breakeven and gain as measured against the Lawson criteria
Energy confinement time (τE)
claimed2015shot 56933
Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak
Continuing progress toward fusion energy breakeven and gain as measured against the Lawson criteria
Plasma duration (sustained)
superseded2023
Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak
Chinese "Artificial Sun" Sets New Record in Milestone Step Toward Fusion Power Generation
Design values
| Device | Parameter | Value | Unit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak | Major radius | 1.7 | m | design valueclaimed |
| Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak | Minor radius | 0.4 | m | design valueclaimed |
| Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak | On-axis magnetic field | 3.5 | T | design valueclaimed |
| Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak | Plasma current | 1 | MA | design valueclaimed |
| Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak | Plasma duration (nominal) | 1,000 | s | design valueclaimed |
Devices
Related companies
- Commonwealth Fusion Systems
- Maritime Fusion
- Energy Singularity
- Firefly Fusion
- General Atomics
- ITER Organization
- Korea Institute of Fusion Energy
- Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics
- MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center
- National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- Pranos Fusion
- UK Atomic Energy Authority