Pulsator

The Pulsator tokamak was operated at IPP in Garching from 1973 to 1979.

Pulsator, IPP’s first tokamak, went into operation in 1973. The plasma of this small device was heated with just current; its ring shape was bounded with a metal limiter.

 

 
Pulsator saw the discovery of high-density operation with tokamaks. This raised the plasma density to sevenfold of that hitherto possible; at the same time thermal insulation and hence the energy content of the plasma were enhanced, this putting the plasma a step closer to ignition conditions.

 

 

Technical data
Major plasma radius	0.7 metres
Minor plasma radius	0.12 metres
Magnetic field	2.7 tesla
Plasma current	0.125 megaamperes
Puls lenth	0.12 seconds
Plasma heating	0.13 megawatts
Plasma volume	0.2 cubic metres