Thermal analysis of the EAST tokamak

Abstract

Abstract The superconducting magnet of the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) will experience large steady-state and transient heat loads during operation, which is undoubtedly a major challenge for the cryogenic cooling system. The steady-state heat loads are mainly composed of the thermal conduction from the support structure and thermal radiation from the thermal shields. This paper mainly studies the steady-state heat loads of the superconducting magnet system of the EAST tokamak by establishing a dedicated finite element model. The model simulated the influence of thermal shield temperature, emissivity for thermal radiation analysis, and the thermal anchor on the heat transfer of gravity support structure for the heat conduction analysis. The paper presents the analytical results of radiation and conduction heat for the EAST tokamak system. The validation of simplified finite element models compared to the analytical counterparts indicated very small deviations, which demonstrated a high accuracy of the analysis method.