The RFX project: A design review

RFX is a large Reversed Field Pinch (RFP) Experiment presently under construction. Compared with the existing machines, it represents a major step for the development of this alternative approach within the framework of the magnetic confinement fusion experiments. It is designed to achieve plasma currents up to 2 MA, with flat top lasting 250 ms. Major and minor radii of the vacuum vessel are 2 m and 0.5 m respectively. Compared with Tokamaks a RFP configuration requires much more accurate field distribution, leading, in the RFX design, to a large number of toroidal field and field shaping coils and tight current control in the individual windings. In the paper the overall experimental system is presented in its present arrangement, which has been developed from the reference design proposal, as a result of a design review and in the light of the experience gained with present generation large machines