UK Fusion Programme
Lead Research Organisation:
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
Department Name: Culham Centre for Fusion Energy
Abstract
Fusion is the energy-releasing process that powers the sun and other stars. If it can be harnessed economically on earth it would be an essentially limitless source of safe, environmentally responsible energy. Fusion energy is therefore strongly mission-orientated. The most promising method uses strong magnetic fields in a tokamak configuration to allow a high temperature deuterium-tritium plasma to be generated while minimising contact with the surrounding material surfaces.The UK contributes to fusion research in two ways: (i) through the UK's own programme focused on the spherical tokamak experiment MAST, and (ii) by contributing to the Joint European Torus (JET) programme. The MAST and JET facilities are situated at Culham Science Centre. International co-operation is strong with the focus on the International Tokamak Experimental Reactor (ITER), which will be the first fusion device to achieve energy gain and sustained burn.Experimental programmes on the MAST and JET tokamaks are performed to help resolve and refine understanding of key physics issues for ITER. In addition, experimental programmes on MAST focus on testing the potential of the spherical tokamak as a more compact option for future fusion devices. A strong theory and modelling group supports the experimental programmes and contributes to the research and development of fusion materials and to studies of conceptual fusion power stations. Expansion of the research and development of ITER specialist (i.e. diagnostic and heating) systems, focuses on securing major roles for the UK in the provision of two or three of these large complex projects.The results of the research are presented in reports and publications, and at conferences, expert groups and specialist committees. Collaborations with researchers in other areas of science and technologies are pursued strongly, where the research overlaps with fusion R&D.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Christopher Llewellyn-Smith (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
McClements K
(2006)
Collective electric field effects on the confinement of fast ions in tokamaks
in Physics of Plasmas
Guirlet R
(2006)
Parametric dependences of impurity transport in tokamaks
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Wilson H
(2006)
Magneto-hydrodynamic stability of the H-mode transport barrier as a model for edge localized modes: an overview
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Zhou Z
(2006)
Simulations of weak-beam diffraction contrast images of dislocation loops by the many-beam Howie-Basinski equations
in Philosophical Magazine
Cesario R
(2006)
Spectral broadening of lower hybrid waves produced by parametric instability in current drive experiments of tokamak plasmas
in Nuclear Fusion
McCLEMENTS K
(2006)
The coupling of shear and fast Alfvén waves at a magnetic X-point
in Journal of Plasma Physics
Galloway R
(2006)
Cross-Field Diffusion of Electrons in Tangled Magnetic Fields and Implications for Coronal Fine Structure
in The Astrophysical Journal
Allan N
(2006)
Beyond the point defect limit: Simulation methods for solid solutions and highly disordered systems
in Computational Materials Science
Jenkins M
(2006)
Electron microscope weak-beam imaging of stacking fault tetrahedra: observations and simulations
in Journal of Materials Science
Gatu Johnson M
(2006)
The TOFOR neutron spectrometer and its first use at JET
in Review of Scientific Instruments
Salmi A
(2006)
JET experiments to assess the clamping of the fast ion energy distribution during ICRF heating due to finite Larmor radius effects
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Storrs J
(2006)
Real-time optical plasma edge detection and position control on MAST
in Fusion Engineering and Design
Von Hellermann M
(2006)
Status of the DNB based ITER CXRS and BES diagnostic
in Review of Scientific Instruments
Thyagaraja A
(2006)
Toroidal and poloidal flows in single-fluid and two-fluid tokamak equilibria
in Physics of Plasmas
Ingesson L
(2006)
Progress on common aspects of the EU-supplied ITER diagnostics and prediction of diagnostic performance
in Review of Scientific Instruments
Jennison M
(2006)
Development review of transient recorders with onboard isolation on JET
in Fusion Engineering and Design
NGUYENMANH D
(2007)
Environmental dependence of bonding: A challenge for modelling of intermetallics and fusion materials
in Progress in Materials Science
Kirk A
(2007)
Evolution of the pedestal on MAST and the implications for ELM power loadings
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Lavrentiev M
(2007)
Monte Carlo study of thermodynamic properties and clustering in the bcc Fe-Cr system
in Physical Review B
Duffy D
(2007)
Including the effects of electronic stopping and electron-ion interactions in radiation damage simulations
in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter
Maier H
(2007)
Tungsten and beryllium armour development for the JET ITER-like wall project
in Nuclear Fusion
Newton S
(2007)
Collisional bulk ion transport and poloidal rotation driven by neutral beam injection
in Physics of Plasmas
AOKI M
(2007)
Atom-based bond-order potentials for modelling mechanical properties of metals
in Progress in Materials Science
Hirai T
(2007)
Characterization and heat flux testing of beryllium coatings on Inconel for JET ITER-like wall project
in Physica Scripta
Saarelma S
(2007)
MHD stability analysis of ELMs in MAST
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
McKay R
(2007)
Fast Alfven Wave Heating and Acceleration of Ions in a Nonuniform Magnetoplasma
in The Astrophysical Journal
Forrest R
(2007)
Statistical analysis of cross sections-A new tool for data validation
in Fusion Engineering and Design
Mrovec M
(2007)
Bond-order potential for simulations of extended defects in tungsten
in Physical Review B
Frigione D
(2007)
Pellet injection and high density ITB formation in JET advanced tokamak plasmas
in Nuclear Fusion
Pitts R
(2007)
ELM transport in the JET scrape-off layer
in Nuclear Fusion
CAWKWELL M
(2007)
Atomistic study of athermal cross-slip and its impact on the mechanical properties of iridium
in Acta Materialia
Valovic M
(2007)
On the correlation between density profile and particle flux in H-mode tokamak plasmas and the implication for ITER
in Nuclear Fusion
Merrifield J
(2007)
Intermittency, dissipation, and scaling in two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic turbulence
in Physics of Plasmas
Lungu C
(2007)
Beryllium coatings on metals for marker tiles at JET: development of process and characterization of layers
in Physica Scripta
Matthews G
(2007)
Overview of the ITER-like wall project
in Physica Scripta
Cohen R
(2007)
Current and potential distribution in a divertor with toroidally-asymmetric biasing of the divertor plate
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Neu R
(2007)
Investigation of tungsten coatings on graphite and CFC
in Physica Scripta
Dudarev S
(2007)
Driven mobility of self-interstitial defects under electron irradiation
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms
DERLET P
(2007)
Million-atom molecular dynamics simulations of magnetic iron
in Progress in Materials Science
McDonald D
(2007)
Recent progress on the development and analysis of the ITPA global H-mode confinement database
in Nuclear Fusion
Dnestrovskij Y
(2007)
Analysis of pressure profiles and transport simulations of MAST discharges
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Loarte A
(2007)
Transient heat loads in current fusion experiments, extrapolation to ITER and consequences for its operation
in Physica Scripta
Lönnroth J
(2007)
Effects of ripple-induced ion thermal transport on H-mode plasma performance
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Meyer H
(2008)
Active control of the H-mode transition on MAST
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Strachan J
(2008)
Modelling of carbon migration during JET 13 C injection experiments
in Nuclear Fusion
De Vries P
(2008)
Effect of toroidal field ripple on plasma rotation in JET
in Nuclear Fusion
Llewellyn Smith C
(2009)
The path to fusion power
in The European Physical Journal Special Topics
Meyer H
(2009)
Overview of physics results from MAST
in Nuclear Fusion
Maddison G
(2009)
Dimensionless pedestal identity plasmas on Alcator C-Mod and JET
in Nuclear Fusion