The experimental campaign that began in mid-January 2025 was completed at the end of April, with a remarkable scientific and technical record.
The experimental campaign, which began in mid-January 2025, was completed at the end of April, with remarkable scientific and technical results. Among the outstanding results, a plasma was confined for 22 minutes, setting a new duration record in WEST and Tore Supra for an injected energy of 2.6 GJ… a record that was widely covered by the media!
The campaign also saw the commissioning of the first gyrotron developed by Thales for plasma heating, and the continuation of studies into the control of disruptions and decoupled electrons, the management of extreme fluxes, and the behaviour of components exposed to surface powers of the order of 10 MW/m².
Numerous international collaborators took part in the WEST experiments, notably via EUROfusion, but our colleagues from the United States and China (ASIPP) were also very active.
This campaign was made possible thanks to the involvement of all the teams working on the operation of the WEST tokamak and its many associated systems: cryogenics, electrical engineering, diagnostics, heating, hydraulics, command and control, instrumentation, modelling, etc.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this campaign.
