Status report on Tore Supra

The parameters of Tore Supra R = 2.36 m; a = 0.80 m; I/sub rho/ = 1.7 MA; B/sub T/ = 4.5 T; should permit plasma confinement performance similar to those of other large Tokamaks. On the other hand, the original contribution of Tore Supra is related to its possibility to study very long, even continuous, plasma discharges where the current is not driven by induction. This objective leads to the need of appropriate means: continuous magnetic field from superconducting magnet, control systems for particles and energy fluxes at the plasma boundary - ie continuous pellet injectors and plasma heating systems and actively cooled pump limiters - current drive through lower hybrid frequency waves. The machine is now being assembled, and some subsystems like the cryogenic generator being in the commissioning phase. Start of operation is planned for December 1987. Collaboration from other laboratories, mainly in the U.S., will provide some specific and valuable components. Simultaneously, developments made in the laboratory, as well as in industry, for the different plasma heating systems (neutral injection, ion cyclotron and lower hybrid frequencies waves) show results which give confidence in the originally envisaged solutions