UK Fusion Programme 2008-2010
Lead Research Organisation:
CCFE/UKAEA
Department Name: Culham Centre for Fusion Energy
Abstract
Fusion is the main energy source of the universe; it is the process that powers the sun and the stars. If it can be harnessed economically on earth, it has the potential to be an important component of the portfolio of measures needed to ensure a secure, environmentally responsible, supply of energy, at a time when fossil fuels will be becoming increasingly expensive. There is increasing realisation of this potential as reflected by the launch of the International Tokamak Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, being built in France, which will be the first fusion device to achieve energy gain and sustained burn.In a fusion reaction, large amounts of energy are released when the nuclei of two light atoms fuse together at extremely high temperatures to create a nucleus of a larger atom. In the most promising way to achieve these conditions on earth, strong magnetic fields in a tokamak configuration are used to control and confine the high temperature plasma.UKAEA's Culham Science Centre in Oxfordshire is one of the world's leading fusion research centres, and 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. International co-operation is strong with the focus on the International Tokamak Experimental Reactor (ITER). EURATOM part-funds all national programmes in Europe including the UK's.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, utilising parallel- and super-computing facilities, supports the experimental programmes and contributes to the research and development of fusion materials and to studies of conceptual fusion power stations. The UK leads the research and development of two ITER specialist (diagnostic and heating) systems, and participates in several others 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 technology are pursued strongly, where the research overlaps with fusion R&D, and increasingly there are fusion researchers in universities with whom UKAEA works.The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the European Commission fund, provide advice and monitor the UK fusion programme (some of the European funding / for work on ITER systems - is now channelled through the new Fusion for Energy Agency in Barcelona). The Fusion Advisory Board (FAB) advises EPSRC and UKAEA on the programme and on the longer-term strategy for fusion research at Culham; FAB receives reports from the MAST Programme Advisory Committee, a sub-group on ITER and industry, and an annual UK Fusion Materials Forum.
Organisations
Publications
Buttery R
(2008)
The influence of rotation on the ßN threshold for the 2/1 neoclassical tearing mode in DIII-D
in Physics of Plasmas
Wilson H
(2009)
The influence of magnetic islands on drift mode stability in magnetized plasma
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
S Lisgo (Author)
(2009)
The influence of filaments on scrape-off layer transport in MAST
Pitts R
(2009)
The impact of large ELMs on JET
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
Brezinsek S
(2009)
The impact of divertor detachment on carbon sources in JET L-mode discharges
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
Nguyen-Manh D
(2008)
The Fe-Cr system: atomistic modelling of thermodynamics and kinetics of phase transformations
in Comptes Rendus. Physique
Falchetto G
(2008)
The European turbulence code benchmarking effort: turbulence driven by thermal gradients in magnetically confined plasmas
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Dudarev S
(2009)
The EU programme for modelling radiation effects in fusion reactor materials: An overview of recent advances and future goals
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
Dewhurst J
(2009)
The effects of nonuniform magnetic field strength on density flux and test particle transport in drift wave turbulence
in Physics of Plasmas
Nicholls R
(2009)
The effect of structural changes on ELNES for C 60
in Chemical Physics Letters
Chapman I
(2010)
The effect of plasma profile variation on the stability of the n = 1 internal kink mode in rotating tokamak plasmas
in Nuclear Fusion
Flanagan JC
(2008)
The effect of periodicity on the defect modes of large mode area microstructured fibers.
in Optics express
Chapman I
(2009)
The effect of off-axis neutral beam injection on sawtooth stability in ASDEX Upgrade and Mega-Ampere Spherical Tokamak
in Physics of Plasmas
Borgioli G
(2008)
The Detection of Buried Pipes From Time-of-Flight Radar Data
in IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing
Ganuza D
(2009)
The design and manufacture of the enhanced radial field amplifier (ERFA) for the jet project
in Fusion Engineering and Design
Zucchetti M
(2017)
The Back-End of Fusion Materials Cycle: Recycling, Clearance and Disposal
in Fusion Science and Technology
Zucchetti M
(2017)
The Back End of the Fusion Materials Cycle
in Fusion Science and Technology
Forrest R
(2009)
The activation system EASY-2007
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
Roach C
(2008)
The 2008 Public Release of the International Multi-tokamak Confinement Profile Database
in Nuclear Fusion
Gatu Johnson M
(2008)
The 2.5-MeV neutron time-of-flight spectrometer TOFOR for experiments at JET
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Chugunov I
(2011)
Testing the neutron attenuator based on 6LiH for ?-ray diagnostics of plasmas in the JET tokamak
in Instruments and Experimental Techniques
Coad J
(2009)
Testing of tungsten coatings in JET for the ITER-like wall
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
Widdowson A
(2009)
Testing of beryllium marker coatings in PISCES-B for the JET ITER-like wall
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
M Romanelli (Co-Author)
(2009)
Test-particle simulations of impurity transport in tokamak plasmas
McKay R
(2008)
Test-particle simulations of collisional impurity transport in rotating spherical tokamak plasmas
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
K G McClements (Co-Author)
(2008)
Test-particle simulations of collisional impurity transport in rotating spherical tokamak plasmas
Rapp J
(2009)
Temperature effect on hydrocarbon deposition on molybdenum mirrors under ITER-relevant long-term plasma operation
in Physica Scripta
Tsui C
(2009)
Temperature dependence of D removal from JET codeposits by thermo-oxidation
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
Grünhagen S
(2017)
Techniques for Tritium Recovery from Carbon Flakes and Dust at the JET Active Gas Handling System
in Fusion Science and Technology
Webster A
(2009)
Techniques for studying the separatrix of tokamak plasmas
in Physics of Plasmas
D Keeling (Author)
(2008)
Tailoring the q-profile on MAST for scenario optimisation
Brombin M
(2009)
Systematic comparison between line integrated densities measured with interferometry and polarimetry at JET.
in The Review of scientific instruments
F Sartori (Author)
(2008)
Synchronous ELM pacing at JET using the Vertical Stabilisation controller
Arter W
(2009)
Symmetry constraints on the dynamics of magnetically confined plasma.
in Physical review letters
S Lisgo (Author)
(2009)
Super-X Advanced Divertor design for MAST upgrade
V Kiptily (Co-Author)
(2008)
Super-heated fluid detectors for neutron measurements at JET
in Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials
Poli F
(2008)
Study of the spectral properties of ELM precursors by means of wavelets
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
S E Sharapov (Co-Author)
(2008)
Study of the spectral characteristics and the nonlinear evolution of ELMs on JET using a wavelet analysis
Turnyanskiy M
(2009)
Study of the fast ion confinement and current profile control on MAST
in Nuclear Fusion
A Thyagaraja (Co-Author)
(2008)
Study of radial transport of tracers in CUTIE
Gilbert M
(2008)
Structure and metastability of mesoscopic vacancy and interstitial loop defects in iron and tungsten
in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter
Likonen J
(2008)
Structural investigation of re-deposited layers in JET
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
Hemsworth R
(2009)
Status of the ITER heating neutral beam system
in Nuclear Fusion
R O Dendy (Co-Author)
(2008)
Statistical properties of edge plasma turbulence in the Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak and the Large Helical Device
Dewhurst J
(2008)
Statistical properties of edge plasma turbulence in the Large Helical Device
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
De Vries P
(2009)
Statistical analysis of disruptions in JET
in Nuclear Fusion
P C De Vries (Author)
(2009)
Statistical analysis of disruptions in JET
| Description | Fusion research is focused on ITER (the international experiment being built in France) followed by a demonstration power station (DEMO). The Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) is a world-leading fusion research centre. Some highlights from the last two years are summarised below (many the result of collaborations with universities and overseas laboratories). Additional information is in Annual Reports (http://www.ccfe.ac.uk/annual_reports.aspx). Reacting plasmas: The UK programme, funded by EPSRC and EURATOM, is focused on the MAST experiment. Physics studies benefited from high power heating systems and improvements to diagnostics. A major upgrade to the system to measure temperature and density profiles (part funded by York University) was completed and provides unmatched spatial resolution. Important progress from both MAST, and the linked Theory and Modelling programme, has been made in several key areas directly relevant to optimising ITER performance:- energy confinement, enabling more reliable prediction of plasma performance in future devices; control of potentially damaging instabilities; improved understanding of performance limiting core and edge plasma instabilities; gas injection to mitigate the effects of rapid plasma terminations (disruptions), etc. CCFE has contributed to the European JET programme, with notable achievements including operation at high power and current, and substantial progress in scenarios that are suitable for steady state operation in ITER. The EPSRC grant pays the UK contribution to JET operation. Materials: Work included: development of techniques for modelling iron-chromium alloys in the high-temperature limit; modelling of steels and tungsten to compare with experimental data from Oxford University; Ion Beam Analysis measurements of erosion, deposition and hydrogen-isotope retention in tiles removed from the JET tokamak. ITER Systems: CCFE has secured lead roles in two major grants to develop ITER heating systems, and leads a consortium to bid for the LIDAR temperature and density measurement system. CCFE has smaller roles in several other areas. Optimised power plants: Work has concentrated on a detailed assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of pulsed and steady-state DEMOs. Several clear advantages in a steady-state device were identified, however the potential simplification in a pulsed device (greatly reduced need for current drive) is a significant counter-advantage. Conceptual design studies of a spherical tokamak Component Test Facility have continued. A big challenge for any fusion system is dealing with the large exhaust power from burning plasmas. One novel promising option, for both DEMO and CTF, which will be part of the MAST upgrade, is the "Super-X" expanded divertor. Major upgrade to MAST: the design has been developed. The purpose is to give higher performance, longer pulse plasmas allowing definitive tests of the physics of an ST-based CTF, and more exacting studies of ITER physics. In late 2009, RCUK reviewed UK fusion research and following this EPSRC approved funding for the upgrade. In addition CCFE has promoted industry involvement in fusion and significantly assisted UK companies in winning ITER business, increased university involvement (e.g. PhDs), and developed its skills-base for an increased emphasis on technology as recommended by the RCUK review. |
| Exploitation Route | In addition CCFE has promoted industry involvement in fusion and significantly assisted UK companies in winning ITER business, increased university involvement (e.g. PhDs), and developed its skills-base for an increased emphasis on technology as recommended by the RCUK review. |
| Sectors | Energy |
| URL | http://www.ccfe.ac.uk/annual_reports.aspx |
| Description | As well as its long term task, developing fusion power, CCFE has promoted industry involvement in fusion. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2008 |
| Sector | Energy |
| Impact Types | Economic |