R&D Needs and Required Facilities for the Development of Fusion As
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R&D Needs and Required Facilities for the Development of Fusion as an Energy Source Report of the Fusion Facilities Review Panel October 2008 LEGAL NOTICE Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might be made of the following information. The views expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission. A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet. It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu). Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2008 ISBN 978-92-79-10057-4 DOI 10.2777/22014 © European Communities, 2008 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Printed in Belgium PRINTED ON WHITE CHLORINE-FREE PAPER Foreword In December 2007 the European Commission established an independent Panel for a review of the R&D visions and the required facilitiesi of the European fusion programme. This review which is stipulated by the EURATOM FP7 Specific Programme on Fusion Researchii has the “motivations to support the rapid and efficient development of fusion as an energy source and to maintain in the programme the facilities needed to fulfil its medium and long term objectives”. A vision of the R&D required to make fusion energy production ready for commercial exploitation shall be developed and all significant facilities, existing or under construction including proposed or considered upgrades, shall be reviewed. The required facilities should be incorporated in a road map; and prioritised according to the corresponding benefits, costs and risks. Non priority facilities should be identified. The full terms of reference to the panel are given in Annex I. Following its constitution in December 2007 the Panel, composed of five European members with a professional background outside fusion and four international members with experience in fusion R&Diii, took up its work in a first meeting on February 26/27, 2008. The Panel was provided with input papers established by EFDAiv and the Associated Fusion Laboratories and received during its meetings and visits in-depth presentations by representatives of the Commission, EFDA, Fusion for Energy (F4E), ITER and the Associated Laboratories of the Programme. Furthermore, coordinated by EFDA, comprehensive written information was provided in response to specific questions raised by the Panel. The Panel met for four plenary meetings in Brussels, held several video conferencesv, and delegations visited most of the major laboratories for which the input documents refer to substantial intended investments in facilitiesvi. The Panel concluded its work in October 2008 unanimously endorsing the present report. When conducting its work, the Panel took account of the particular situation of fusion research as a long-term endeavour of great promise and substantial challenges. The assessment is based on the programme’s objective to achieve the ultimate goal of enabling the entry of fusion into the commercial regime in a fast track approach with the creation of prototype reactors in approximately 30 or 35 years. Specifically, the periods until completion of ITER construction and the first phase of ITER operation are in the forefront of deliberations and developments which can maximise the success of ITER. When assessing research needs and necessary facilities, the Panel had to acknowledge the multidisciplinary nature of R&D tasks and the resulting complexity of the programme. Furthermore, account had to be taken of the specific organisational structure in fusion R&D where the overall programme management at European level is ensured through committees, the Commission services as well as F4E (for dedicated ITER, Broader Approach and DEMO work) and EFDA, (for R&D on JET and coordinated research by European task forces and joint topical teams which rely on the strength and resource basis of the national associated laboratories). The Panel was deeply impressed by the progress achieved in fusion R&D, the scientific- technical quality of the work being undertaken, the sharing of tasks among the partners and the commitment of all parties in the Programme towards achieving the goal of useful fusion power. During the course of its work the Panel has been made informally aware of near-term funding constraints which possibly might have an impact on the EURATOM fusion programme or parts of it. The Panel was of the opinion that any consequences from this information on its work do not alter the analysis and the conclusions contained in its report if a rapid and efficient development of fusion as an energy source, as stipulated in the Terms of Reference, 3 shall continue to be the programmatic objective of Europe’s effort in fusion research. Should it not be possible in the foreseeable future to pursue this objective then some of the conclusions would have to be re-examined. The Panel wishes to thank the European Commission, EFDA, the Associations, Fusion for Energy and ITER for their constructive support, the quality of the input provided and their readiness in responding to the questions which were raised by the Panel. Brussels, October 8, 2008 Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Hartkopf Chairman of the Panel --------------------------- i For the purpose of this review, “facility” is taken to mean any device or installation, including high performance computers, built and operated for the purpose of fusion R&D, and funded through the fusion programme. ii “At an early stage of the Framework programme, a review will be carried out of the facilities in the programme, examining the possibility of phasing out existing facilities, and considering the need for new devices in parallel to ITER exploitation. The review will be used a basis for the possible support of new or upgraded devices in order to ensure that the programme will maintain an adequate set of fusion facilities for the relevant R&D.” iii The Panel membership is listed in Annex III. ivEFDA: European Fusion Development Agreement. Fusion for Energy (F4E): Joint Undertaking, European domestic agency for ITER. An explanation of acronyms is provided in Annex V v Meetings of the Panel in Brussels took place on February 26/27, May 27/28, July16/17 and September 23/24, 2008. Additionally four video conferences were arranged with international members during visits to facilities and meetings. vi Visits by delegations of the Panel were undertaken to FZK (Karlsruhe, DE, December 2007), JET / MAST (EFDA, UKAEA, Culham Laboratory, UK, April 2008), ASDEX-UG (IPP Garching, DE, May 2008), Wendelstein 7-X (IPP Greifswald, DE, June 2008), TORE SUPRA (CEA Cadarache, FR, June 2008), FTU (ENEA Frascati, IT, July 2008) 4 Executive Summary Security of energy supply and mitigation of Global Warming require vigorous efforts with a strong boost to energy research. Fusion energy using the ubiquitously available deuterium and lithium fuel could make a major contribution to future environmentally friendly and safe electricity generation without long-term storage of radioactive waste. The long-term goal of European fusion research is the joint creation of prototype reactors for power stations1. The Panel acknowledges the remarkable progress in fusion R&D already achieved. Still, pivotal developments have to be achieved on the path towards reliable and efficient fusion electricity production at high availability. The Panel is impressed by the quality of the research community and the coherence of the programme, and supports its thrust for a rapid and efficient development towards the ultimate objective. The launch of the ITER project in an international partnership is the most recent major advance, one which introduces a step change in the European programme requiring reorientation and concentration on core activities with an increasing emphasis on fusion technology. The European fusion laboratories will play the essential role for the necessary R&D, for fusion engineering, and for providing skilled staff and a pool of expertise. Interaction with industry, based on the large-scale industrial contributions to ITER construction, should be developed in the longer term towards industrial leadership. I. An integrated vision on the required R&D The Panel strongly supports the determination of EFDA, F4E and the fusion laboratories in pursuing a streamlined, vigorous fusion energy oriented programme and addressing consistently the complex range of interconnected R&D objectives in fusion physics, technology and engineering. This necessary core programme can be structured in seven interrelated missions along the path from ITER towards DEMO and a commercial fusion power plant2. For this core programme the Panel, with a particular view to optimise the progress on ITER and accelerate the development of fusion, provides the following recommendations. During the period of ITER construction the key strategic R&D emphasis should be on A1) Supporting ITER construction and preparation for operation specifically by • Accomplishing outstanding R&D issues and exploiting recent R&D progress for the design and construction of ITER systems and components; • Resolving ITER physics issues which might limit the performance, constrain the accessible parameter space and/or impact on the operational reliability; 1 For details see Annex I. 2 First it is necessary to achieve (1) burning plasmas in ITER which must then be shown (2) to allow reliable operation; the future devices must be equipped with suitable (3) first wall materials and should operate in (4) long pulses and (ultimately in) steady-state. Furthermore, it is simultaneously necessary to (5) predict fusion performance for ITER and the further development steps towards a commercial plant and to develop and qualify (6) materials and components suitable for the ultimate full-power nuclear operation. Progress on ITER and by accompanying R&D should be brought together in a (7) DEMO integrated design oriented towards high availability and efficient electricity production.