A joint team comprising Vacree Technologies Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), and the Institute of Plasma Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has successfully developed a new system for fueling the tokamak device.
The system, China's first continuously steady-state operating continuous cryogenic pellet injection system, has passed factory testing and acceptance, making China the third country to master this technology.
Cryogenic pellet injection is a fueling technique that employs low-temperature technology to condense hydrogen isotopic gases into solid ice pellets, which are then accelerated and injected into the plasma. The method offers deep particle injection and high fueling efficiency and has been widely used in major international tokamak devices.
After almost a year of dedicated research, the team overcame challenges related to pellet formation, cutting and acceleration, thereby mastering the core technologies required for pellet injection. The system’s performance now meets international standards for similar products.
Next, the system will be installed on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, China’s “artificial sun”，to support high-density and high-confinement plasma experiments. In parallel, the research team will continue to advance pellet injection technology to address key fueling challenges in future fusion reactors, contributing to the progress of fusion energy development.
(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)
