UK Fusion Programme
Lead Research Organisation:
CCFE/UKAEA
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.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Christopher Llewellyn-Smith (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Sharapov S
(2006)
Alfvén cascades in JET discharges with NBI-heating
in Nuclear Fusion
Frigione D
(2007)
Pellet injection and high density ITB formation in JET advanced tokamak plasmas
in Nuclear Fusion
Maddison G
(2009)
Dimensionless pedestal identity plasmas on Alcator C-Mod and JET
in Nuclear Fusion
Testa D
(2006)
The role of the radial electric field for the transition to high confinement regimes
in Nuclear Fusion
Crowley B
(2006)
Measurement of the electron energy distribution function by a Langmuir probe in an ITER-like hydrogen negative ion source
in Nuclear Fusion
Cesario R
(2006)
Spectral broadening of lower hybrid waves produced by parametric instability in current drive experiments of tokamak plasmas
in Nuclear 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
Stammers K
(2006)
The calibration of the MAST neutron yield monitors
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
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
Zhou Z
(2006)
Simulations of weak-beam diffraction contrast images of dislocation loops by the many-beam Howie-Basinski equations
in Philosophical Magazine
Kirk M
(2006)
Diffuse elastic scattering of electrons by individual nanometer-sized dislocation loops
in Philosophical Magazine
Hirai T
(2007)
Characterization and heat flux testing of beryllium coatings on Inconel for JET ITER-like wall project
in Physica Scripta
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
Loarte A
(2007)
Transient heat loads in current fusion experiments, extrapolation to ITER and consequences for its operation
in Physica Scripta
Neu R
(2007)
Investigation of tungsten coatings on graphite and CFC
in Physica Scripta
Lavrentiev M
(2007)
Monte Carlo study of thermodynamic properties and clustering in the bcc Fe-Cr system
in Physical Review B
Mrovec M
(2007)
Bond-order potential for simulations of extended defects in tungsten
in Physical Review B
Kirk A
(2006)
Evolution of filament structures during edge-localized modes in the MAST Tokamak.
in Physical review letters
Boswell C
(2006)
Observation and explanation of the JET chirping mode
in Physics Letters A
Newton S
(2007)
Collisional bulk ion transport and poloidal rotation driven by neutral beam injection
in Physics of Plasmas
McClements K
(2006)
Collective electric field effects on the confinement of fast ions in tokamaks
in Physics of Plasmas
Smith H
(2006)
Runaway electrons and the evolution of the plasma current in tokamak disruptions
in Physics of Plasmas
Liu Y
(2006)
Modeling of resistive wall mode and its control in experiments and ITER
in Physics of Plasmas
Thyagaraja A
(2006)
Toroidal and poloidal flows in single-fluid and two-fluid tokamak equilibria
in Physics of Plasmas
Gates D
(2006)
Effect of plasma shaping on performance in the National Spherical Torus Experiment
in Physics of Plasmas
Merrifield J
(2007)
Intermittency, dissipation, and scaling in two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic turbulence
in Physics of Plasmas
Reimerdes H
(2006)
Cross-machine comparison of resonant field amplification and resistive wall mode stabilization by plasma rotation
in Physics of Plasmas
Garcia O
(2006)
Radial interchange motions of plasma filaments
in Physics of Plasmas
Helander P
(2006)
Tokamak current driven by poloidally asymmetric fueling
in Physics of Plasmas
Fülöp T
(2006)
Destabilization of magnetosonic-whistler waves by a relativistic runaway beam
in Physics of Plasmas
Kramer G
(2006)
Interpretation of core localized Alfvén eigenmodes in DIII-D and Joint European Torus reversed magnetic shear plasmas
in Physics of Plasmas
Sandquist P
(2006)
Relativistic electron distribution function of a plasma in a near-critical electric field
in Physics of Plasmas
Chapman I
(2006)
Modeling the effect of toroidal plasma rotation on drift-magnetohydrodynamic modes in tokamaks
in Physics of Plasmas
Saarelma S
(2007)
MHD stability analysis of ELMs in MAST
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Marinoni A
(2006)
Analysis and modelling of power modulation experiments in JET plasmas with internal transport barriers
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
McDonald D
(2006)
The impact of statistical models on scalings derived from multi-machine H-mode threshold experiments
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Santala M
(2006)
Proton-triton nuclear reaction in ICRF heated plasmas in JET
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
De Vries P
(2006)
Plasma rotation and momentum transport studies at JET
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Dnestrovskij Y
(2007)
Analysis of pressure profiles and transport simulations of MAST discharges
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Kaye S
(2006)
The role of aspect ratio and beta in H-mode confinement scalings
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
James M
(2006)
Tearing mode stability in a sheared slab model of the tokamak plasma
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Connor J
(2006)
Stability of the trapped electron mode in steep density and temperature gradients
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Kirk A
(2007)
Evolution of the pedestal on MAST and the implications for ELM power loadings
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Ahn J
(2006)
L-mode SOL width scaling in the MAST spherical tokamak
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Kiptily V
(2006)
Gamma ray diagnostics of high temperature magnetically confined fusion plasmas
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Gimblett C
(2006)
The role of edge current-driven modes in ELM activity
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Buratti P
(2006)
Study of slow n = 1, m = 1 reconnection in JET discharges with low central magnetic shear
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Dieckmann M
(2006)
Phase speed of electrostatic waves: the critical parameter for efficient electron surfing acceleration
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion