News & events
Taking MAST apart - piece by piece | 06/11/2013
The first phase of the MAST Upgrade project has been continuing with the removal of MAST's centre column.
The delicate operation to slide the component out was part of the process of gradually disassembling MAST so it can be lifted into the upgrade work area.
Weighing 2.7 tonnes, the copper centre column runs down the middle of the MAST chamber. It receives power supplies for the machine, as well as forming part of the magnetic coil system that traps plasma within the tokamak, and induces a current to heat the plasma up. The view from the top of MAST (below right) shows the gap left by the four metre long tube.
The column is being replaced with a tougher version which can take the increased power and heat loads of the enhanced MAST device. But the old one will be kept in storage just in case a spare is needed.
"Removal of the centre column using a 15-tonne capacity crane represents the completion of a significant amount of work over a three-week period," said CCFE's Martin Harte.
