A programmatic framework for the Tokamak Physics Experiment (TPX)

Significant advances have been made in the confinement of reactor-grade plasmas, so that we are now preparing for experiments at the power breakeven level in the JET and TFTR experiments. In ITER we will extend the performance of tokamaks into the burning plasma regime, develop the technology of fusion reactors, and produce over a gigawatt of fusion power. Besides taking these crucial steps toward the technical feasibility of fusion, we must also take steps to ensure its economic acceptability. The broad requirements for economically attractive tokamak reactors based on physics advancements have been set forth in a number of studies. An advanced physics data base is emerging from a physics program of concept improvement using existing tokamaks around the world. This concept improvements program is emerging as the primary focus of the U.S. domestic tokamak program, and a key element of that program is the proposed Tokamak Physics Experiment (TPX). With TPX we can develop the scientific data base for compact, continuously-operating fusion reactors, using advanced steady-state control techniques to improve plasma performance. We can develop operating techniques needed to ensure the success of ITER and provide first-time experience with several key fusion reactor technologies. This paper explains the relationships of TPX to the current U.S. fusion physics program, to the ITER program, and to the development of an attractive tokamak demonstration plant for this next stage in the fusion program.Abbreviations used TFTR Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor - JET Joint European Torus - ARIES Advanced Reactor Innovations Evaluation Study - SSTR Steady State Tokamak Reactor - PBXM Princeton Beta Experiment-Modified - DIII-D Doublet III—Dee - JT60-U Japanese Tokamak 60-Upgrade     

Magnetic fusion commercial power plants

Toroidal magnetic systems offer the best opportunity to make a commercial fusion power plant. They have, between them, all the features needed; however, no one system yet meets the ideal requirements. The tokamak is the most advanced system, and the proposed International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and Tokamak Physics Experiment (TPX) will build upon the existing program to prepare for an advanced tokamak demonstration plant. Complementary toroidal systems such as the spherical torus, stellarator, reversed-field pinch, field-reversed configuration, and spheromak offer, between them, potential advantages in each area and should be studied in a balanced fusion development program.     

Two Strategic Decisions Facing Fusion

Two strategic decisions facing the U.S. fusion program are described. The first decision deals with the role and rationale of the tokamak within the U. S. fusion program, and it underlies the debate over our continuing role in the evolving ITER collaboration (mid-1998). The second decision concerns how to include Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) as a viable part of the national effort to harness fusion energy.     

ITER氚增殖实验包层设计研究进展

国际热核实验反应堆(ITER)为人类开发聚变能提供重要的物理和工程技术实验平台,ITER氚增殖实验包层模块(TBM)技术是必须掌握的关键技术.参与ITER计划的成员国根据本国商用演示堆包层发展策略,分别提出了各自的实验包层概念,以便在ITER运行期间进行实验.本文对ITER-TBM目前已经开展和正在进行的主要设计研究工作进展进行总结,介绍了各方提出的设计方案、支撑设计的相关技术研究进展,以及合作实验窗口的分配现状.     

Georgia Tech Studies of Sub-Critical Advanced Burner Reactors with a D-T Fusion Tokamak Neutron Source for the Transmutation of Spent Nuclear Fuel

The possibility that a tokamak D-T fusion neutron source, based on ITER physics and technology, could be used to drive sub-critical, fast-spectrum nuclear reactors fueled with the transuranics (TRU) in spent nuclear fuel discharged from conventional nuclear reactors has been investigated at Georgia Tech in a series of studies which are summarized in this paper. It is found that sub-critical operation of such fast transmutation reactors is advantageous in allowing longer fuel residence time, hence greater TRU burnup between fuel reprocessing stages, and in allowing higher TRU loading without compromising safety, relative to what could be achieved in a similar critical transmutation reactor. The required plasma and fusion technology operating parameter range of the fusion neutron source is generally within the anticipated operational range of ITER. The implications of these results for fusion development policy, if they hold up under more extensive and detailed analysis, is that a D-T fusion tokamak neutron source for a sub-critical transmutation reactor, built on the basis of the ITER operating experience, could possibly be a logical next step after ITER on the path to fusion electrical power reactors. At the same time, such an application would allow fusion to contribute to meeting the nation’s energy needs at an earlier stage by helping to close the fission reactor nuclear fuel cycle.     

A low wall-loading DEMO reactor design with high priority for early and reliable realization of a tokamak fusion reactor over the cost performance

Based on scientific databases adopted for designing ITER plasmas and on the advancement of fusion nuclear technology from the recent R&D program, a low wall-loading DEMO fusion reactor has been designed, where high priority has been given to the early and reliable realization of a tokamak fusion plasma over the cost performance. Since the major radius of this DEMO reactor is chosen to be 10 m, plasma ignition is achievable with a low fusion power of 0.8 GW and an operation period of 4–5 hours is available only with inductive current drive. The low ignition power makes it possible to adopt a first wall with an austenitic stainless steel, for which significant databases and operating experience exists, due to its use in the presence of neutron irradiation in fission reactors. In step with development of advanced materials, a step-wise increase of the fusion power seems to be feasible and realistic, because this DEMO reactor has the potential to produce a fusion power of 5 GW.     

JET and the Physics Basis of ITER

JET has made unique contributions to the physics basis of ITER by virtue of its ITER-like geometry,large plasma size and D-T capability.The paper discusses recent JET results and their implications for ITER in the areas of standard ELMy H-mode,D-T operation and advanced tokamak modes.In ELMy H-mode the separation of plasma energy into core and pedestal contributions shows that core confinement scales like gyroBohm transport.High triangularity has a beneficial effect on confinement and leads to an integrated plasma performance exceeding the ITER Q=10 reference case.A revised type I ELM scaling predicts acceptable ELM energy losses for ITER,while progress in physics understanding of NTMs shows how to control them in ITER.The D-T experiments of 1997 have validated ICRF scenarios for heating ITER/a reactor and identified ion minority schemes (e.g.(^3He)DT) with strong ion heating.They also show that the slowing down of alpha particles is classical so that the self-heating by fusion alphas should cause no unexpected problems.With the Pellet Enhanced Performance mode of 1988,JET has produced the first advanced tokamak mode,with peaked pressure profiles sustained by reversed magnetic shear and strongly reduced transport.More recently,LHCD has provided easy tuning of reversed shear and reliable access to ITBs.Improved physics understanding shows that rational q-surfaces play a key role in the formation and development of ITBs.The demonstration of real time feedback control of plasma current and pressure profiles opens the path towards fully controlled steady-state tokamak plasmas.     

Proposal of Integrated Test Facility for in-Vessel Thermofluid Safety of Fusion Reactors

A vacuum vessel (VV) of a tokamak fusion reactor like the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) consists the first confinement barrier that includes the largest amount of radioactive materials such as tritium and activation products. The ingress of coolant event (ICE) is a design basis event in the ITER where water is used as the coolant. The loss of vacuum event (LOVA) is also considered as an independent design basis event. Based on the results of ICE and LOVA preliminary experiments, an integrated in-vessel thermofluid test is being planned and conceptual design of the facility is in progress. The main objectives of the integrated test are to investigate the consequences of possible interaction of the ICE and the LOVA and to validate the analytical model of thermofluid events in the VV of the fusion reactor. This paper introduces a conceptual design of the integrated test facility and a testing plan.     

Selection of a toroidal fusion reactor concept for a magnetic fusion production reactor

The basic fusion driver requirements of a toroidal materials production reactor are considered. The tokamak, stellarator, bumpy torus, and reversed-field pinch are compared with regard to their demonstrated performance, probable near-term development, and potential advantages and disadvantages if used as reactors for materials production. Of the candidate fusion drivers, the tokamak is determined to be the most viable for a near-term production reactor. Four tokamak reactor concepts (TORFA/FED-R, AFTR/ZEPHYR, Riggatron, and Superconducting Coil) of approximately 500-MW fusion power are compared with regard to their demands on plasma performance, required fusion technology development, and blanket configuration characteristics. Because of its relatively moderate requirements on fusion plasma physics and technology development, as well as its superior configuration of production blankets, the TORFA/FED-R type of reactor operating with a fusion power gain of about 3 is found to be the most suitable tokamak candidate for implementation as a near-term production reactor.This paper represents work carried out from 1980 to 1982 and was in draft form in 1982. It was received for publication with only minor editing from its 1982 version (except for Tables II and III and Fig. 1), explaining the fact that some of the material is dated.     

Progress in CFETR Power Stations Concept Study

While EAST experiment was running in 2012, the project of the China fusion engineering test reactor (CFETR) concept design was started. This ITER-like tokamak system will be the second full superconducting tokamak in China based on EAST technology. In phase I, it has 50–200 MW heat output for demonstrating power generation. The fusion power stations contain complete structure of fusion power plant (FPP) which do not appear in the ITER and huge HV substation which receives power from the 500 kV transmission grid for powering its pulsed power electric network (PPEN) and steady-state electric power network. Furthermore, its structure of turbine generator of FPP is similar to that of a nuclear power station of the pressurized-water reactor. This paper describes the typical CFETR loads and put forward the requirements of short circuit capacity of HV grid. It analyzes different strategies of putting the generator power to the grid, i.e. on the 500 kV grid for future DEMO power structure or 66 kV medium-voltage local grid for self-use. In period between twice burning plasma, conceptual solutions are presented to maintain thermal circuit operation.     

Low Radioactivity Fusion Reactor Based on the Spherical Tokamak with a Strong Magnetic Field

The most important feature of the spherical tokamak is the possibility of high-β plasma confinement (β is the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic field pressure). So, spherical tokamak can be considered as a possible confinement system for D–³He fusion reactor. Present paper study the ability to develop powerful D–³He reactor based on a spherical tokamak (fusion power about 3 GW). The following parameters are considered as optimization criteria: (1) the ratio of confinement time to the value predicted by ITER98y2 scaling; (2) the neutron flux from the plasma.     

Recent progress on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor

The deuterium-tritium (D-T) experiments on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) have yielded unique information on the confinement, heating and alpha particle physics of reactor scale D-T plasmas as well as the first experience with tritium handling and D-T neutron activation in an experimental environment. The D-T plasmas produced and studied in TFTR have peak fusion power of 10.7 MW with central fusion power densities of 2.8 MWm^–3 which is similar to the 1.7 MWm^–3 fusion power densities projected for 1,500 MW operation of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Detailed alpha particle measurements have confirmed alpha confinement and heating of the D-T plasma by alpha particles as expected. Reversed shear, highl _i and internal barrier advanced tokamak operating modes have been produced in TFTR which have the potential to double the fusion power to 20 MW which would also allow the study of alpha particle effects under conditions very similar to those projected for ITER. TFTR is also investigating two new innovations, alpha channeling and controlled transport barriers, which have the potential to significantly improve the standard advanced tokamak.     

The JET programme in support of ITER

As part of its mission to prepare the operation of ITER, a major programme of enhancements has just been completed on the JET tokamak. These enhancements include a complete replacement of the plasma-facing components in JET, from carbon-based to the combination of beryllium and tungsten foreseen for ITER, an upgrade of the neutral beam heating available on JET from 20 MW/short pulse to 30 MW/long pulse operation, the installation of a high frequency pellet injection system for plasma fuelling and ELM control studies, an upgrade to the JET vertical stability system and a suite of new diagnostics.The future JET programme is foreseen to proceed progressively from a test of fuel retention in the standard regimes of ITER operation towards more aggressive, high performance experiments that will demonstrate the operating space limits with the new wall. Depending on the results of the earlier experiments, the exploitation of the enhancements is foreseen to be completed with a deuterium-tritium experiment. This would represent the most integrated test of ITER operational scenarios possible before ITER itself.JET is a cooperative programme funded and exploited in collaboration by all of the European fusion laboratories. As such, JET is a test bed for multi-national use of a single fusion facility, as is foreseen for ITER. Opportunities for broadening the participation in JET to other ITER Parties are presently being explored. If these opportunities can be implemented, JET would provide not only an integrated test of ITER regimes of operation but also a demonstration of how ITER will be operated, even to the extent of including significant numbers of the same team who will eventually operate ITER.     

Feasibility study of a magnetic fusion production reactor

A magnetic fusion reactor can produce 10.8 kg of tritium at a fusion power of only 400 MW —an order of magnitude lower power than that of a fission production reactor. Alternatively, the same fusion reactor can produce 995 kg of plutonium. Either a tokamak or a tandem mirror production plant can be used for this purpose; the cost is estimated at about $1.4 billion (1982 dollars) in either case. (The direct costs are estimated at $1.1 billion.) The production cost is calculated to be $22,000/g for tritium and $260/g for plutonium of quite high purity (1%²⁴⁰Pu). Because of the lack of demonstrated technology, such a plant could not be constructed today without significant risk. However, good progress is being made in fusion technology and, although success in magnetic fusion science and engineering is hard to predict with assurance, it seems possible that the physics basis and much of the needed technology could be demonstrated in facilities now under construction. Most of the remaining technology could be demonstrated in the early 1990s in a fusion test reactor of a few tens of megawatts. If the Magnetic Fusion Energy Program constructs a fusion test reactor of approximately 400 MW of fusion power as a next step in fusion power development, such a facility could be used later as a production reactor in a spinoff application. A construction decision in the late 1980s could result in an operating production reactor in the late 1990s. A magnetic fusion production reactor (MFPR) has four potential advantages over a fission production reactor: (1) no fissile material input is needed; (2) no fissioning exists in the tritium mode and very low fissioning exists in the plutonium mode thus avoiding the meltdown hazard; (3) the cost will probably be lower because of the smaller thermal power required; (4) and no reprocessing plant is needed in the tritium mode. The MFPR also has two disadvantages: (1) it will be more costly to operate because it consumes rather than sells electricity, and (2) there is a risk of not meeting the design goals.This paper represents work carried out from 1980 to 1982 and was in draft form in 1982. It was received for publication with only minor editing of its 1982 version, explaining the fact that some of the material is dated.     

The ITER divertor pumping system,design evolution,simplification and performance

The ITER tokamak will be fuelled at a time averaged rate of up to 200 Pam³ s^?1 requiring neutralised gas in the divertor to be pumped to balance the fuelling and remove the fusion helium and other impurities in the exhaust. This is achieved on ITER using large bespoke cryo-sorption pumps. In this paper design evolution of the ITER divertor pumping system is outlined from the 1998 configuration to the current design. Details of the new, 6 direct pump, system design which will be used in the build of ITER are given. The operating modes of the new system configuration for different plasma scenarios are described and the performance of the new system is analysed and compared with previous baselines.     

CFETR第一壁及赤道面外包层中子辐照损伤初步分析

中国聚变工程实验堆(Chinese Fusion Engineering Testing Reactor,CFETR)的包层和偏滤器第一壁面向堆芯等离子体,第一壁辐照损伤分析对于托克马克安全运行至关重要。赤道面外包层较其它包层距离堆芯等离子体中心更近,其结构材料承受中子辐照大。因此,进行中子辐照损伤评估十分必要。基于此目的,采用计算机辅助设计(Computer Aided Design,CAD)模型和蒙特卡罗中子学建模转换接口Mc CAD完成中子学建模,并用蒙特卡罗方法的粒子输运程序计算第一壁和氦冷固态外包层结构材料辐照损伤。此外,对比了铍和钨作为面向等离子体材料两种情况下第一壁的受损情况。计算结果表明,氦冷固态包层模型下结构材料可以满足CFETR一期的运行要求。     

The ITER Safety Approach for External Events

ITER will be the first large-scale tokamak to be designed as a nuclear facility to provide public protection from external hazards such as earthquakes. The design approach for such events has been developed consistent with ITER's moderate hazards and overall safety approach on a basis of the ITER site assumptions. Seismic design is described including selection of ground motions for design purposes, seismic safety requirements, and the seismic classification scheme. The results of preliminary seismic assessments are summarized including the potential for seismically induced plasma vertical displacement events (VDE). Finally, potential facility modifications available to deal with site-specific external hazards are suggested. At the Detailed Design Report stage of the Engineering Design Activity (EDA), it is concluded that ITER has been designed to deal with the site design assumptions for earthquakes and can be designed to safety cope with a range of site-specific external hazards with modest changes to the facility.     

Transmutation missions for fusion neutron sources

There are a number of potential neutron transmutation missions (destruction of long-lived radioisotopes in spent nuclear fuel, ‘disposal’ of surplus weapons-grade plutonium, ‘breeding’ of fissile nuclear fuel) that perhaps best can be performed in sub-critical nuclear reactors driven by a neutron source. The requirements on a tokamak fusion neutron source for such transmutation missions are significantly less demanding than for commercial electrical power production. A tokamak fusion neutron source based on the current physics and technology database (ITER design base) would meet the needs of the spent nuclear fuel transmutation mission; the technical issue would be achieving ≥50% availability, which would require advances in component reliability and in steady-state physics operation.     

Hybrid Fusion: The Only Viable Development Path for Tokamaks?

The world needs a great deal of carbon free energy, and soon, for civilization to continue. Fusion’s goal is to develop such a carbon free energy source. For the last 4 decades, tokamaks have been the best magnetic fusion has to offer. But what if its development stops short of commercial fusion? This paper introduces ‘conservative design principles’ for tokamaks. These are very simple, are reasonably based in theory, and have always constrained tokamak operation. Assuming they continue to do so, it is unlikely that tokamaks will ever make it as commercial reactors. This is independent of their confinement properties. However because of the large additional gain in hybrid fusion, tokamaks reactors look like they can make it as hybrid fuel producers, and provide large scale power by mid century or shortly thereafter.     

Activation characteristics of candidate structural materials for a near-term Indian fusion reactor and the impact of their impurities on design considerations

Activation analyses play a vital role in nuclear reactor design.Activation analyses,along with nuclear analyses,provide important information for nuclear safety and maintenance strategies.Activation analyses also help in the selection of materials for a nuclear reactor,by providing the radioactivity and dose rate levels after irradiation.This information is important to help define maintenance activity for different parts of the reactor,and to plan decommissioning and radioactive waste disposal strategies.The study of activation analyses of candidate structural materials for near-term fusion reactors or ITER is equally essential,due to the presence of a highenergy neutron environment which makes decisive demands on material selection.This study comprises two parts; in the first part the activation characteristics,in a fusion radiation environment,of several elements which are widely present in structural materials,are studied.It reveals that the presence of a few specific elements in a material can diminish its feasibility for use in the nuclear environment.The second part of the study concentrates on activation analyses of candidate structural materials for near-term fusion reactors and their comparison in fusion radiation conditions.The structural materials selected for this study,i.e.India-specific Reduced Activation Ferritic-Martensitic steel(IN-RAFMS),P91-grade steel,stainless steel 316 LN ITER-grade(SS-316 LN-IG),stainless steel 316 L and stainless steel 304,are candidates for use in ITER either in vessel components or test blanket systems.Tungsten is also included in this study because of its use for ITER plasma-facing components.The study is carried out using the reference parameters of the ITER fusion reactor.The activation characteristics of the materials are assessed considering the irradiation at an ITER equatorial port.The presence of elements like Nb,Mo,Co and Ta in a structural material enhance the activity level as well as the dose level,which has an impact on design considerations.IN-RAFMS was shown to be a more effective low-activation material than SS-316 LN-IG.