Researchers and engineers at the Wigner Research Center for Physics are the first Europeans who deliver an intelligent camera system to the Japanese superconducting tokamak. The development that began two years ago has now reached the point that only the final tests are left before the diagnostic will be shipped.
It’s not the first time
It’s not the first time Wigner researchers build a video diagnostic system for fusion experiments. At the end of 2015, the world’s largest stellarator-type fusion experiment began, for which the Hungarian researchers and engineers developed and intelligent surveillance system consisting 10 cameras. A few month later, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also saw the first hydrogen plasma (about at 40 minutes in the video) through the Hungarian cameras. More about the development can be found here.
The last tests
Before the camera system is being packed at Wigner and can be started off on it’s great journey, it has to be subjected to a final test series with the help of experts from Japan. Kensaku Kamiya and Homma Hiroto came to make sure everything meets the requirements. Among other things, the experts carries out vacuum, mechanical and electrical tests together with colleagues from Wigner. The tests will be done in about one week.
Heading to Japan
After all the checks will be done, disassemble and packing will come.
After a very thorough packing - to avoid getting damaged on more than 9000 km journey - the diagnostic will travel to Japan for about two weeks, where Tamás Szepesi, project manager, physicist, Ákos Kovácsik, mechanical engineer and Tamás Szabolics, software engineer, will wait for it. The Hungarian team will unpack and rebuild the camera system in Naka, at the fusion research institute home to the JT-60SA tokamak. After the successful assembly, the system will be installed to the tokamak, which will start operation in September 2020. For the more than 1 year to come, the Wigner team will travel to Japan several times to make tests together with other systems as well to make sure that everything will go smoothly on the first plasma discharge.
