UK and World
Magnetic Fusion Research
Martin O’Brien
Head of Theory & Modelling Dept
Culham Centre for Fusion Energy
CCFE is the fusion research arm of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
Fusion Energy

Nuclear Fusion powers the stars.

On earth, we need to heat gas to ~ 150M ºC – plasma
Use powerful magnetic fields in a ‘Tokamak’ to keep plasma away from
wall. Alternative laser approach also pursued in UK and elsewhere


Advantages of fusion – inexhaustible fuels; no greenhouse gases

But it’s difficult!
23rd September 2010
Schematic of Fusion Power Station
4He
D
The easiest fusion reaction
is between deuterium and
tritium

T
6Li
or 7Li
n (14 MeV)
The plasma will be
surrounded by a ‘Fusion
breeding blanket’, using
Lithium to breed Tritium from
the fast neutrons from the
fusion reactions.

Raw Fuels are therefore
Lithium and deuterium and
are plentiful.

Fast neutrons heat the blanket  raise steam and produce electricity.
23rd September 2010
Culham Centre for Fusion Energy
EURATOM / UKAEA Fusion Association
MAST
JET Toru
Diagram
We operate JET for collective European experiments
UK magnetic fusion programme (with many
universities):
Tokamak expts – MAST + JET
Theory & Modelling (plasmas, materials)
Materials & Technology R&D (increasing)
JET
JET – Joint European Torus
We operate for ~ 100
visiting European scientists
at any one time
~ £50M pa, mainly
EURATOM funded but with
UK host contribution
Main research is on fusion
plasma physics and wall
materials
Only machine that can use tritium. Other nuclear
capabilities like remote handling. 16MW of fusion
power
Big benefit to UK – not only local economy but UK’s large fusion
expertise established largely at European expense  UK well placed
to play leading role in ITER ……
ITER – being built in France
50MW in, 500MW of fusion
power for >400s
Will test key technologies –
blanket, power exhaust (“divertor”),
superconducting coils …
Starts in 2020. Cost ~ £10B
International politics + hightech project  compromise
 complex, expensive
project, with procurement
teams all round the world
French will benefit disproportionately – as we have with JET
After ITER …. DEMOnstration power plants
Remote
Handling
System
Cryostat
Poloidal Field Coil
Toroidal Field Coil
Breeding Blanket
Power Conversion
System
Heating and
Current Drive
System
D+T
T
Supply Electric Power
to the Grid
D + T + ashes
Pumping
T
Isotope
Separation
He
He
Li
D
• Many complex technologies, most tested by ITER
• IP already big issue with ITER – parties will go it alone for DEMO
• Europe embarking on conceptual design – operational ~ 2040?
http://www.efda.org/2013/01/bringing-fusion-electricity-to-the-grid/
Will first DEMO be in Korea (“K-DEMO”) or China?
Status of Research
Plasma – well developed, but for economic fusion power
needs to be more efficient, avoid dangerous instabilities
and reduce exhaust power
Materials – promising candidates, but very challenging
task to develop neutron-resistant structural and high heat
flux materials that last for years. Need test facilities
Technologies – Various status. Reliability & maintenance
requirements will be key, determining fusion economics
Materials & Technologies – many overlaps between laser
and magnetic approaches to fusion
Fusion-Fission Research Overlaps
S.J. Zinkle , OECD NEA Workshop on
Structural Materials for Innovative Nuclear
Energy Systems, Karlsruhe, 2007
Materials – steels need to withstand hostile neutrons for many years
otherwise component replacement too frequent for economic system
Neutronics, nuclear data
Some of the technologies - tritium, Remote Handling/Maintenance
New Materials Research Facility
… being built at Culham for universities, industry and fusion
Micromechanics and
microscopy of neutronirradiated samples – until now,
universities have only been
able to look at samples
damaged by ion-beams
Part of new initiative called
NNUF (National Nuclear
Users Facility) – companion
facilities at NNL and Dalton
Cumbria
Universities
37MBq
(e.g. Oxford)
CCFE
~10 microns long, much less
than width of a human hair
35TBq
(Co60)
NNL