Speaker
Description
RFX-mod2 is an evolution of the Reversed Field eXperiment (RFX), succeeding the RFX-mod configuration. Unlike the original RFX, which was a thick-shell device, RFX-mod and RFX-mod2 feature a thin copper shell and a network of 48 × 4 independently fed saddle coils.
The plasma-shell distance and the high resistivity of the Inconel vacuum vessel were identified as limiting factors for RFX-mod. Consequently, in RFX-mod2, the vacuum vessel has been removed and the other vessel components have been modified, thanks to EU Regional Development Funds (ROP-ERDF), to ensure vacuum tightness while reducing the shell-to-plasma radius ratio b/a from 1.11 to 1.04.
Supported by NEFERTARI funding, RFX-mod2 is equipped with improved core and edge diagnostic systems aimed at exploring new regimes (such as the fast-rotating Tearing Modes observed only at very low current in RFX-mod) and investigating remaining open issues in RFP research.
Furthermore, the flexibility of its control systems, magnets, power supplies, and new diagnostics will allow RFX-mod2 to characterize various magnetic configurations, including Ohmic tokamaks with very-low-q (q(a)<2), shaped configurations, ultra-low-q (q(a)<<1) regimes. This will facilitate the study of fundamental physics phenomena (e.g., the effects of 3D fields on MHD dynamics, edge turbulence, and transport barrier physics) and the exploration of demanding scenarios such as disruptions, runaway electrons, and sideway forces.