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
F Sartori (Author)
(2008)
Synchronous ELM pacing at JET using the Vertical Stabilisation controller
Marot L
(2008)
Characterization of sub-stoichiometric rhodium oxide deposited by magnetron sputtering
in Surface Science
Rattá GA
(2008)
Feature extraction for improved disruption prediction analysis at JET.
in The Review of scientific instruments
Chapman I
(2008)
Sawtooth control using off-axis NBI
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
S C Cowley (Co-Author)
(2008)
Model collision operators for numerical gyrokinetics
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
J W Connor (Author)
(2008)
Edge Localised Modes (ELMs): Experiments and Theory
Molchanov P
(2008)
Comparison of measured and simulated parallel flows at the edge plasma of MAST
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
R O Dendy (Co-Author)
(2008)
Statistical properties of edge plasma turbulence in the Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak and the Large Helical Device
W Arter (Author)
(2008)
Role of symmetry in magnetically confined plasmas
Bekris N
(2008)
Ex-situ tritium removal from JET tiles using RF inductive heating
in Fusion Engineering and Design
V Parail (Co-Author)
(2008)
Progress on integrated modelling of ELMy H-mode at JET with COCONUT
Iraji D
(2008)
Fast visible imaging of turbulent plasma in TORPEX.
in The Review of scientific instruments
Angelone M
(2008)
Development of single crystal diamond neutron detectors and test at JET tokamak
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Valovic M
(2008)
Particle confinement of pellet-fuelled H-mode plasmas in the Mega Ampere Spherical Tokamak
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Zakharov L
(2008)
The theory of variances in equilibrium reconstruction
in Physics of Plasmas
Ambrosino G
(2008)
Plasma Strike-Point Sweeping on JET Tokamak With the eXtreme Shape Controller
in IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science
Fitzgerald S
(2008)
Dislocation pile-ups in Fe at high temperature
in Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Li-Puma A
(2008)
The MK III actively cooled duct liner for the JET neutral beam line: Thermo-mechanical performance and lifetime estimation
in Fusion Engineering and Design
V Kiptily (Co-Author)
(2008)
Mechanical design of the upgraded JET gamma-ray cameras
in Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials
Roach C
(2008)
The 2008 Public Release of the International Multi-tokamak Confinement Profile Database
in Nuclear Fusion
Murari A
(2008)
Measuring the radiation field and radiation hard detectors at JET: Recent developments
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Ward D
(2008)
Economically competitive fusion
in Materials Today
Hellesen C
(2008)
Validating TRANSP simulations using neutron emission spectroscopy with dual sight lines.
in The Review of scientific instruments
Rapp J
(2008)
Septum assessment of the JET gas box divertor
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
S E Sharapov (Author)
(2008)
Simulations to elucidate suprathermal deuterium ion tail observed in He3 minority ICRF heated JET plasmas
Shibaev S
(2008)
Software for fast cameras and image handling on MAST
in Fusion Engineering and Design
De Bock MF
(2008)
Ab initio modeling of the motional Stark effect on MAST.
in The Review of scientific instruments
L Appel (Co-Author)
(2008)
Modelling observations of mode polarisation from MAST
Martin J
(2008)
Modelling dust transport in tokamaks
in EPL (Europhysics Letters)
S E Sharapov (Co-Author)
(2008)
Modelling of beam-driven high frequency Alfvén eigenmodes in MAST
Sartori F
(2008)
The JET PCU project: An international plasma control project
in Fusion Engineering and Design
Yousef T
(2008)
Numerical experiments on dynamo action in sheared and rotating turbulence
in Astronomische Nachrichten
Kovari M
(2008)
Thermographic measurement of the emittance plot of a single positive ion beamlet.
in The Review of scientific instruments
Giroud C
(2008)
Impact of calibration technique on measurement accuracy for the JET core charge-exchange system.
in The Review of scientific instruments
Meyer H
(2008)
The structure, evolution and role of the radial edge electric field in H-mode and L-mode on MAST
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Beurskens M
(2008)
Pedestal and ELM response to impurity seeding in JET advanced scenario plasmas
in Nuclear Fusion
Brutti S
(2008)
Lattice stability of intermediate phases of the Sr-Si system
in Journal of Alloys and Compounds
Douglas J
(2008)
Effects of flow shear and Alfvén waves on two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic turbulence
in Physics of Plasmas
Moreau D
(2008)
A two-time-scale dynamic-model approach for magnetic and kinetic profile control in advanced tokamak scenarios on JET
in Nuclear Fusion
Murari A
(2008)
Innovative diagnostics for ITER physics addressed in JET
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
J W Connor (Co-Author)
(2008)
The interaction between tearing modes and transport in plasmas
Ford O
(2008)
Forward modeling of JET polarimetry diagnostic.
in The Review of scientific instruments
Perez Von Thun C
(2008)
Identifying the MHD signature and power deposition characteristics associated with type-II ELMs in ASDEX Upgrade
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
McDonald D
(2008)
JET confinement studies and their scaling to high ß N , ITER scenarios
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Giacomelli L
(2008)
Neutron emission spectroscopy results for internal transport barrier and mode conversion ion cyclotron resonance heating experiments at JET.
in The Review of scientific instruments
Poli F
(2008)
Study of the spectral properties of ELM precursors by means of wavelets
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
C G Gimblett (Co-Author)
(2008)
Amplitude bifurcation in the peeling-relaxation ELM model
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
K G McClements (Co-Author)
(2008)
Alfvén eigenmodes in magnetic X-point configurations with strong longitudinal fields
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 |