A Roadmap to the realization of fusion energy

Francesco RomanelliEuropean Fusion Development AgreementEFDA Leader and JET Leader17 May 2013

Acknoledgments: P. Barabaschi,D. Borba, G. Federici, L. Horton, R. Neu, D. Stork, H. Zohm

Download at www.efda.org

Energy challenge for Europe

SustainabilitySecurity of supplyEconomic competitiveness

Fusion Energy

Unlimited and diffuse energy sourceNo greenhouse gasesIntrinsically safeEnvironmentally responsible

How to make fusion?

Reacting nuclei are charged they repel each other

Heat nuclei up to 200Million oC

Matter is in the plasma state

DT

nHe

The Joint European Torus (JET)

Fusion power has been produced on JET

Fusion power has been produced on JETFusion power has been produced on JET

25MW of auxiliary power to heat the plasma

The present roadmap•Pragmatic approach to fusion energy.•Focus the effort of European laboratories around 8 Missions•Ensure innovation through early industrial involvement •Exploit the opportunities arising from international collaborations

The challenge of confining a hot plasma is achieved!

What do we need to make a power plant?

European Commission proposal for Horizon 2020 states the need of an ambitious yet realistic roadmap to fusion electricity by 2050. Require DEMO construction in ~ 2030

Mission 1: Plasma regimes for a reactorDemonstrate a net energy gain

•Energy losses increase at most as the radius R of the device

•Fusion power increases as the volume (≈R3)

MAKE LARGER DEVICES

25 MW25 MW 16 MW16 MW

50 MW50 MW 500 MW500 MW

Mission 1: Plasma regimes for a reactor

Control plasma instabilities

Mission 1: Plasma regimes for a reactor

Control plasma instabilities

TCVLausanne

Mission 1: Plasma regimes for a reactorCompatibility between plasma and wall

materials

ITER

ASDEX U

JET

Tungsten foreseen for a reactor to minimize erosion

2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

1. Plasma operation

1. Heat exhaust

2. Materials

1. Tritium breeding

1. Safety

2. DEMO

3. Low cost

1. Stellarator

The Roadmap in a nutshell

Steady state

Inductive

European Medium Size Tokamaks+ International Collaborators

JET

JT60-SA

DEMO decision

Mission 2: Heat and particle exhaustBaseline strategy

W macrobrush:15 MW/m2 x 1000 cyclesCFC monoblock20 MW/m2 x 2000 cycles

Up to 30MW/m2 in ITER(60MW/m2 in a reactor ~ heat flux on the surface of the Sun!)

Divertor detachment

Mission 2: Heat and particle exhaustAlternative strategies

• Proof-of-principle on medium size experiments

• Assess reactor-relevance in parallel

Liquid-metals

Baseline strategy

Advanced configuration and materialsEuropean Medium Size Tokamaks +linear plasma + Divertor Tokamak Test Facility + International Collaborators Tokamaks

The Roadmap in a nutshell

Steady state

Inductive

European Medium Size Tokamaks+ International Collaborators

JET

JT60-SA

DEMO decision

1. Plasma operation

1. Heat exhaust

2. Materials

1. Tritium breeding

1. Safety

2. DEMO

3. Low cost

1. Stellarator

2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

Mission 3: Develop neutron resistant materials

Reduction of structural propertiesActivation

Not a problem for ITER but must be solved for a reactor!

2 displacements per atom (dpa) in ITER 150 dpa in a fusion plant

S. Dudarev

D. Stork et al. Material Assessment Report

Mission 3: Develop neutron resistant materials

Existing candidate:Low activation EUROFERSelected range of temperature (300/550oC)Tested in fission reactors up to 60 dpa

Advanced materials under examinationODS steels (650oC)High-Temperature Ferritic-Martensitic steels

Activation falls 10000 times after 100 yearsNo need for permanent waste repository

Mission 3: Develop neutron resistant materials

QUALIFICATION OF MATERIALSREQUIRES A DEDICATED 14MeV NEUTRON SOURCEPRODUCING THE RELEVANT NEUTRON SPECTRUM

LMH

Accelerator(125 mA x 2)

Test Cell

Beam shape:200 x 50 mm2 High (>20 dpa/y, 0.5 L)

Medium (>1 dpa/y, 6 L)Low (<1 dpa/y, > 8 L)

100 keV 5 MeV 9 14.5 26 40 MeV

HEBTSource

140 mA D+

LEBTRFQ

MEBT

RF Power System

Half Wave ResonatorSuperconducting Linac

Lithium Target25± 1 mm thick, 15 m/s

100x30 mm2

125mA x 1

Still to be optimised: 15 dpa – 20cm3

>2 dpa – 0.5LIFMIFEarly Neutron Source

Onset of 14MeV effects

Calibration of 14Mev effects

Full database for the full exposure

DEMO Phase1 20dpa (Fe)250-350oC 20cc

20dpa (Fe)250-550oC 70cc

20dpa (Fe)250-550oC 300cc

DEMO Phase2 50dpa (Fe)250-350oC 20cc

50dpa (Fe)250-550oC 70cc

50dpa (Fe)250-550oC 300cc

Reactor 100dpa (Fe)250-1200oC 70cc

100dpa (Fe)250-1200oC 300cc

Baseline strategy

Advanced configuration and materialsEuropean Medium Size Tokamaks +linear plasma + Divertor Tokamak Test Facility + International Collaborators Tokamaks

The Roadmap in a nutshell

Steady state

Inductive

European Medium Size Tokamaks+ International Collaborators

JET

JT60-SA

DEMO decision

1. Plasma operation

1. Heat exhaust

2. Materials

1. Tritium breeding

1. Safety

2. DEMO

3. Low cost

1. Stellarator

2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

Mission 4: Ensure tritium self-sufficiency

A 1.5GWe reactor uses ~0.5kg Tritium/day

Breedersolidliquid

Coolantwaterheliumself-cooled

MultiplierBePb

Efficient T extractionEfficient electricity generation (balance of plant)

Baseline strategy

Advanced configuration and materialsEuropean Medium Size Tokamaks +linear plasma + Divertor Tokamak Test Facility + International Collaborators Tokamaks

ITER Test blanket programme

Parallel Blanket Concepts

CFETR (CN) FNSF (US)

The Roadmap in a nutshell

Steady state

Inductive

European Medium Size Tokamaks+ International Collaborators

JET

JT60-SA

DEMO decision

1. Plasma operation

1. Heat exhaust

2. Materials

1. Tritium breeding

1. Safety

2. DEMO

3. Low cost

1. Stellarator

2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

Mission 5: Implementation of inherent fusion safety features in DEMO design

Temperature evolution in the most loaded FW regionwithout any active coolingFermi pile Fusion reactor

D

10m

Mission 6: DEMO design

Magnets

Vacuum Vessel

Remote Handling

Heating Systems

Tritium Cycle

Balance ofPlant

ITER

Challenge 5: Deal with complexity

Mission 7: Low cost of electricity

ITER is a moderate extrapolation from JET (x2)

The Power Plant (1.5GWe) expected to be a moderate extrapolation from ITER (x1-1.5) depending on the assumptions on physics and technology solutions (A=conservative; D=advanced)EFDA Power Plant Conceptual Study

Cost of electricity from fusionexpected to be competitive with other sources(IEA Levelised Cost Approach)

Fusion

UK electricity costs(Royal Academy of Engineering)

D

10m

ITER

6m3m1.5mTCV

Baseline strategy

Advanced configuration and materialsEuropean Medium Size Tokamaks +linear plasma + Divertor Tokamak Test Facility + International Collaborators Tokamaks

ITER Test blanket programme

Parallel Blanket Concepts

CFETR (CN) FNSF (US)

The Roadmap in a nutshell

Low capital cost and long term technologies

CDA +EDA Construction Operation

Fusion electricity

Steady state

Inductive

European Medium Size Tokamaks+ International Collaborators

JET

JT60-SA

DEMO decision

Primary safety boundary the vacuum vessel (ITER approach)

Tritium management: define appropriate detritiation techniques and disposal routes

Reduced activation features expected to be incorporated already for the first set of DEMO components.

Primary safety boundary the vacuum vessel (ITER approach)

Tritium management: define appropriate detritiation techniques and disposal routes

Reduced activation features expected to be incorporated already for the first set of DEMO components.

1. Plasma operation

1. Heat exhaust

2. Materials

1. Tritium breeding

1. Safety

2. DEMO

3. Low cost

1. Stellarator

2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

Baseline strategy

Advanced configuration and materialsEuropean Medium Size Tokamaks +linear plasma + Divertor Tokamak Test Facility + International Collaborators Tokamaks

ITER Test blanket programme

Parallel Blanket Concepts

CFETR (CN) FNSF (US)

The Roadmap in a nutshell

Low capital cost and long term technologies

CDA +EDA Construction Operation

Fusion electricity

Steady state

Inductive

European Medium Size Tokamaks+ International Collaborators

JET

JT60-SA

DEMO decisionTargeted R&D on- Magnets (low-T supercond)- Heating systems- Remote Handling- Vacuum and pumping- Balance of Plant

Targeted R&D on- Magnets (low-T supercond)- Heating systems- Remote Handling- Vacuum and pumping- Balance of Plant

1. Plasma operation

1. Heat exhaust

2. Materials

1. Tritium breeding

1. Safety

2. DEMO

3. Low cost

1. Stellarator

2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

Baseline strategy

Advanced configuration and materialsEuropean Medium Size Tokamaks +linear plasma + Divertor Tokamak Test Facility + International Collaborators Tokamaks

ITER Test blanket programme

Parallel Blanket Concepts

CFETR (CN) FNSF (US)

The Roadmap in a nutshell

Low capital cost and long term technologies

CDA +EDA Construction Operation

Fusion electricity

Steady state

Inductive

European Medium Size Tokamaks+ International Collaborators

JET

JT60-SA

DEMO decisionEnsure low capital cost of DEMO!

Targeted R&D on- High-T supercond- Advanced cooling

Ensure low capital cost of DEMO!

Targeted R&D on- High-T supercond- Advanced cooling

1. Plasma operation

1. Heat exhaust

2. Materials

1. Tritium breeding

1. Safety

2. DEMO

3. Low cost

1. Stellarator

2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

Baseline strategy

Advanced configuration and materialsEuropean Medium Size Tokamaks +linear plasma + Divertor Tokamak Test Facility + International Collaborators Tokamaks

Stellarator optimization

Burning PlasmaStellarator

ITER Test blanket programme

Parallel Blanket Concepts

CFETR (CN) FNSF (US)

The Roadmap in a nutshell

Low capital cost and long term technologies

CDA +EDA Construction Operation

Fusion electricity

Steady state

Inductive

European Medium Size Tokamaks+ International Collaborators

JET

JT60-SA

DEMO decision

1. Plasma operation

1. Heat exhaust

2. Materials

1. Tritium breeding

1. Safety

2. DEMO

3. Low cost

1. Stellarator

2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

Conclusions

• The roadmap will be a living document, reviewed regularly in response to the physics, technology and budgetary developments.