Lithium coating for H-mode and high performance plasmas on EAST in ASIPP

Recently, routine coatings of plasma facing materials with lithium were carried out on EAST using both upgraded evaporative ovens and real-time injection of lithium powder. Employing daily lithium coatings of 10-30 g, the H/(H + D) ratio has been decreased below 10% and both impurity levels and MHD activity have been suppressed. Using these coating technologies, plasma performance has been improved significantly. For example, a 10 s H-mode plasma was achieved at the beginning of the 2012 EAST campaign. Techniques for removing Li coatings from the vacuum vessel have been developed in EAST and rapid recovery of plasma performance following air vents has been documented.