# Presentation: 598931

## Controlled Fusion and EnergyYesterday, Today, Tomorrow 

**e-mail: velikhov@kiae.su**

-  E. Velikhov, FEC-21, Chengdu, October 16,  2006

***Evgeny Velikhov***

## Fusion before ITER.

- ITER
- DEMO
- Energy Demands and Fusion Opportunities

##                            HISTORY

-                            HISTORY

- 1928      july 29    G.Gamov       theory
- 1932      Sovjet Goverment official N.Bucharin offer to Gamov full electrical  power of Moscow region to make fusion experiment. Gamov decline.
- 1929       I.Tamm publish a “Theoretical Fondations of Electricity” with first theory of magnetic toroidal surfases
- 1950      I.Tamm,A.Saharov   MTR
- 1956      I.Kurchatov  Harwell lecture

## -

**1970-s**

- Novosibirsk conference. Tokamak-3 (USSR) opens tokamak era. Plasma temperature **T** ~ 1 keV and confinement time ~ 0,02 s reached

**-**

**T**okamak becomes the main device in magnetic fusion research

**1968**

- ATOMIC ENERGY REVIEW **14 **4 (1976)
- Special Item
**The Current State and Prospects for the Development of Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion**
- E.P. Velikhov, Kurchatov Institute, USSR
- E.E. Kintner, DOE, USA

**Important milestones**
- The production and understanding of reactor-level hydrogen plasmas in 1979-1980
- The production of substantial quantities of fusion thermal energy by 1982
- devices capable of reaching these objectives: TFTR (USA), T-10M (USSR), JET (EU) and JT-60 (Japan)

- Next generation of experimental devices for magnetic confinement of plasmas will permit studies of reactor-relevant plasmas and development of systems needed for power reactors

- Demonstration of practical fusion power can be attained by the end of the century

## In energy development fusion will take its place with breeder reactors and solar electric.The potential advantages of fusion reactors are great : 

- 1.An effectively infinite supply of fuel at very low cost is available;
- 2.Fuel for fusion reactors is available from oceans to all countries and therefore cannot be intercepted by other nations;

- 3.Fusion reactors will be inherently safe with no possibility of nuclear runaway;
- 4.There are no chemical combustion products;
- 5.Fusion reactors pose no afterheat problem in the case of an accidental loss of coolant;
- 6.Because fusion reactors will not require weapons-grade nuclear materials, there will be no possibility of theft for purposes of blackmail or sabotage;
- 7.The safety of fusion reactors means that plants could be sited near electrical power load centers - perchaps in cities;
-  -

- 8.In priciple, fusion plants will produce a lower amount of radioactive byproducts with significantly shorter half-lives than do fission reactors;
- 9.When used in combination with fission reactors (probably in the first stage of nuclear power development)one fusion reactor breeding fissile material from depleted or natural uranium or thorium can fuel about ten LWRs or HTGRs;(Poul Rebu,2006)
- 10.In the case of economic or engineering difficulties with fuel element reprocessing, the hybrid fusion power reactor can burn

- up the depleted or natural uranium with an energy output of the order of 150-200 GW*d/t, one order of magnitude better than that of power reactors;
- 11.The fusion reactor as a high energy neutron source is a unique means for production and transmutation of elements;
- 12.The long neutron free path in materials permits the nuclear reaction zone to be separated from the energy release area.That, in principle, opens the way for high temperature heat and synthetic fuel production.

- Plan - “ITER”(PEPR/ITR in US @T-20 in USSR) in 1985
- DEMO in 2000
- Reality - ITER : 1986 - start, 2017 - finish;
- DEMO   in 2030?

## Fusion before ITER

- ITER
- DEMO
- Energy Demands and Fusion Opportunities

## ITER Project Timescale

- Soviet Union proposes to build a next generation tokamak experimental device on a collaborative basis

- The ITER Conceptual Design Activities began among the four ITER Parties – EC, Japan, USA and Russia

- The Parties agreed jointly (and on the basis of equality) to produce a detailed, complete and fully integrated engineering design of ITER

**1985**

**1988**

**1992**

**ITER Project Timescale**

## ITER Project Timescale

**ITER Project Timescale**

- Offers for ITER sites at Vandellos (Spain), Cadarache (France) and at Rokkasho-mura (Japan)

**2002**

## ITER Project Timescale

**ITER Project Timescale**

**2005**

- Broader approach
- Site selection (Cadarache, France)
- India joins ITER

**2003**

- The Transitional Arrangements for ITER started
- United States rejoins ITER
- People’s Republic of China joins ITER
- The Republic of Korea joins ITER
- Canada withdrew from ITER project

**2006**

- Director General and Principal Deputy Director General Nominees. Initialing in May (Brussels) the Agreement on the Establishment of the ITER International Energy Organization for the Joint Implementation of the ITER Project

- Expected time for signature of the ITER Agreement – November 2006

## ITER management structure and Parties dynamics 

**1988 – 1999**_ _

**1999 – 2003 **

**2004 – 2006 **

## ITER Design and Technology Contributions

**CENTRAL SOLENOID MODEL COIL**

**REMOTE MAINTENANCE OF DIVERTOR CASSETTE**

- Attachment Tolerance ± 2 mm

**DIVERTOR CASSETTE**

- Heat Flux >15 MW/m2, CFC/W

- Height 4 m
- Width  3 m
- Bmax=7.8 T
- Imax = 80kA

- 4 t Blanket Sector
- Attachment Tolerance ± 0.25 mm

- Double-Wall, Tolerance ±5 mm

- HIP Joining Tech
- Size : 1.6 m x 0.93 m x 0.35 m

**REMOTE MAINTENANCE OF BLANKET**** **

**BLANKET MODULE**

**VACUUM VESSEL SECTOR**

**TOROIDAL FIELD MODEL COIL**

- Radius 3.5 m
- Height 2.8m
- Bmax=13 T
- W = 640 MJ
- 0.6 T/sec

## ITER Parameters 

## ITER Construction

**Notes:**
Dates may slip a few months. We try to keep first plasma in 2016.
Depends on political matters - signature and ratification of agreement, establishment of Domestic Agencies, ...
Success-oriented schedule - some risks of multiparty involvement in procurements, as well as some benefits - which dominates remains to be seen.
Critical items - buildings and assembly process, magnet and vacuum vessel manufacture, commissioning.

## ITER Project Needs GRID Technology and Remote Participation

##              The main reasons for the ITER project success

- The international collaboration
- Success of Large Tokamak and Stellarator Programmes (TFTR, JET, JT-60, DIII-D, TORE-SUPRA, T-15, W7-AS, LHD) in physics basis development
- Progress in tokamak technologies (Magnets, Heating&CD, MHD control...)
- Broader Approach
- Fast growth of the energy demands in the world

## Fusion before ITER

- ITER
- DEMO
- Energy Demands and Fusion Opportunities

## Comparison of ITER and DEMO design parameters

**Comparison of ITER and DEMO design parameters**

- ITER together with satellite experiments opens the DEMO phase

##  Physics issues and their resolution (adapted from L. Smith C.)

**Key: ****	****1 – Will help to resolve the issue **
**2 – May resolve the issue**
**3 – Should resolve the issue **
**4 – Confirmation of resolution needed**
**5 – Solution is desirable**
**6 – Solution is a requirement**
*** Risk would be reduced and options expanded by operating several alternative **
**   ****Demo plants in parallel **

## Divertor plates

**No ideal material**
- The need **to** **often replace the divertor** by remote handling.
- For a given material, the erosion is proportional to the energy flux. At the same stress and temperature variations, the divertor plate **lifetime** varies as the **square of the energy flux inverse, **as the material thickness increases.
- For long operation at high power, there is **no satisfactory solution for the divertor** even for ITER.
-  In my view, **the divertor is the most critical component** on the way **to the reactor**.
-  **Test beds** at high power, are needed, but **the real tests** has to take place **in  reactors**.

## Divertor plate erosion 

- The power density is **very high**.
-  On ITER, the total surface is less than 4 m2.
-  At Q = 10, 30 MW fall on the plates with 80% radiated, a **mean** **power density of 8 MW/m****2**, an upper limit for  copper or CFC’s.
-  It is difficult to avoid **surface melting and or evaporation in presence of ELM’s**.
- The** sputtering **induced by Hydrogen and impurities ions is also a basic problem.
**High Z** material like W are less sensitive to sputtering but **100** times **more dangerous** for the plasma
- The **eroded material** will **redeposit** with Tritium
-  Is a high density **radiative divertor** a solution with ELM’s?

## The X point limiter

- We may take advantage of the **H mode physics** by installing a limiter in the vicinity of the X point rather than a standard divertor.
- The advantages are in a given machine:
** ****Better plasma performances **
-  a larger plasma volume, a factor 1,3 in the case presented
-  an increase of the plasma current by 1,2
-  an increase of the plasma pressure by 1,1
-  a higher fusion power  by a factor 1,5
** ****Better technical solution**
-     a simpler technical solution with a larger wetted area
-     an easier possibility to sweep and move the contact area

## X point limiters

**X point limiters**
- H mode plasma have been possible on JET with the X point pushed into the wall.
-  such solutions would be beneficial for ITER and for a reactor

- A X point limiter on an ITER type plasma

## The Divertor physics

- Divertor is a possible solution for ITER
- Other approaches (lithium limiter, dust limiter) are to be tested

## European Fast Track Approach is  the Basis for Fusion Development

**European Fast Track Approach is  the Basis for Fusion Development**

**Additional efforts&activity: **
**faster DEMO, FPP, Hybrid reactor, Divertor alternatives**

## ITER Accompanying Programme (adapted from D. Campbell)

- ITER

**The transition to superconducting tokamaks happens to date.**
**Russia plans to restart **
**T-15 with divertor/limiter **

## Slide 30

## Swelling of different austenitic steels under irradiation

**Swelling of different austenitic steels under irradiation**

**Swelling (**Δ**V/V), %**

**Displacement damage dose, dpa**

- Irradiation temperature of 450-550°C

- Cr16-Ni15-Mo3-Nb
-                   +ε20%
- Cr16-Ni15-Mo3-Nb-B
-                   +ε20%

## Swelling of ferritic-martensitic (low activation) 

**Swelling of ferritic-martensitic (low activation) **
**steels under irradiation**

**Swelling (**Δ**V/V), %**

**Displacement damage dose, dpa**

- Irradiation temperature of 380-420°C

- Cr13-Mo2-Nb-V-B

## Relative dimensional changes of GR-280 graphite irradiated in test reactors at different temperatures. Perpendicular orientation.

**Relative dimensional changes of GR-280 graphite irradiated in test reactors ****at different temperatures. Perpendicular orientation.**

## Thermal conductivity of C-C composites UAM-92-5D under irradiation

**Thermal conductivity of C-C composites UAM-92-5D under irradiation**

## Materials for Fusion

**-IFMIF**
**    ****-Fast neutron reactors material database**
**    ****-Modeling the spectrum effects**
**Is this triad sufficient for choice??**
**   ****-May be, with reasonable risks**
**Is the Component Test Facility possible before DEMO? **
**   ****-Open question! May be not.**

## Basic physics challenges

**Burning plasma transport and stability**
**First wall and divertor physics**
**Stability control at high fusion power**
**Steady state regimes**
**Boundary plasma arrangement**

## Technology challenges

**Simplicity**
**Neutron compatibility**
**Reliability/Availability**
**Integration**
**Steady State Operation**
**Low cost**
**Industrial manufacturing**
**Divertor alternatives (lithium limiter/jets???)**
**?????**

## DEMO era

**DEMO and Material development should be international**
**	****	****	****	****WHY??**
**Fusion community needs integration of resources at this stage **
**Both will be faster, this means cheaper.**
**IAEA supervising the  fusion development will be natural.**

## Fusion before ITER

- ITER
- DEMO
- Energy Demands and Fusion Opportunities

## Energy pressure

- Globalization is the dominating characteristic of our time, leads to intensive spread of the modern technologies around the world with accompanying it energy needs

- Energy problem – one of the key problems of the mankind

- We face limitation of resources and energy resources in the first place

## Energy Problem

**Energy Problem**

**A quarter of the Earth population does not still ****use electricity!!!**

- 2

## Energy market highlights

**Energy market highlights**

**Energy is a product for everyone living on the Earth**
**6 billion customers!**

**International Energy Agency evaluates investments in Energy brunch as **
**16 trillion dollars within next 30 yeas.**
**Russian investments    ~trillion dollars**

**The Energy Sector is global and requires huge efforts!**

- 2

## Energy pressure

**Energy pressure**

- Distribution of people by their per capita energy consumption

**15000 Mtoe**

## The relation specific energy consumption in two groups of people with (large -qL) and (small -qS) calculated by two techniques.

**а-average speed of rapprochement,  в-slow speed of rapprochement**
**с- fast speed of rapprochement**

## The forecast of manufacture of power resources also three variants of growth of needs

**The forecast of manufacture of power resources also three variants of growth of needs**

## Energy production under forecast ИЕА - also that it means variants of rapprochement.

## -

**Energy pressure**

**-**

- The energy consumption is leveling with time

**-**

- Leveling of the energy consumption doesn’t necessarily mean the leveling of welfare – it rather indicates the growing capabilities of the developing countries to consume more energy (i.e. a technological leveling)

**-**

- Present economic mechanisms promote active transfer of capital to the developing countries, the only alternative of assuring the welfare of the developed countries would be a new technological breakthrough, capable to provide their relative energy independence

## Conclusion

**-Success of ITER is the result of worldwide integration in magnetic fusion physics and technology. I believe that this approach under IAEA auspices will allow to have fusion reactors in the next future.**
**-The physics, technology and political problems on this way are complex but solvable.**
**- ITER history gives the way for DEMO and for starting the Fusion Power Plant**
**-Fusion has good perspectives to become one of primary energy sources in this century. We should move faster and work harder**
**to make controlled fusion practical!**

## Slide 52