This month, we have witnessed the successful lifting and lowering into the machine well of the first sub-section of the ITER plasma chamber. The weight of the component is the impressive 1,380 tonnes leaving the crane operators a clearance of merely 20 cm over the concrete wall. To translate these dimensions into plain language, it is enough to imagine the hight of a six storey building and the weight of four fully loaded Boeing 747s.

The sub-section composes one-ninth of the toroidal plasma chamber. It was extremely important to prepare to this operation and the ITER team has been very active in this process in the ITER Assembly Hall, April – December 2021.The rigging elements were tested singly and in tandem to permit the assembly teams to make sure that the sequence and coordination is right.

Among the successful milestone actors one should mention the Korean Domestic Agency, Japanese Domestic Agency, European Domestic Agency as well as partners from India and Russia. At the same time, on the ground it was the ITER Organization construction team and the contractor MOMENTUM who took care of the success of the operation.

The lifting operation with suspending the component only 50 centimetres above the supports will be enthusiastically celebrated as it makes the First Plasma appear on the horizon clearer and clearer.

For more information on the ITER Project, visit: www.iter.org

For more information on machine assembly (including photos), visit: www.iter.org/construction/TokamakAssembly

Photo: On 11 May 2022, the ITER Organization team achieves a major assembly milestone: lifting the first sub-section of the ITER plasma chamber out of tooling and lowering it into the machine well. Credit © ITER Organization, http://www.iter.org

Obtaining a burning plasma is a critical step towards self-sustaining fusion energy. A burning plasma is one in which the fusion reactions themselves are the primary source of heating in the plasma, which is necessary to sustain and propagate the burn, enabling high energy gain. After decades of fusion research, here we achieve a burning-plasma state in the laboratory. These experiments were conducted at the US National Ignition Facility (NIF), a laser facility delivering up to 1.9 megajoules of energy in pulses with peak powers up to 500 terawatts. We use the lasers to generate X-rays in a radiation cavity to indirectly drive a fuel-containing capsule via the X-ray ablation pressure, which results in the implosion process compressing and heating the fuel via mechanical work. The burning-plasma state was created using a strategy to increase the spatial scale of the capsule through two different implosion concepts developed at the NIF.

The experiments show fusion self-heating in excess of the mechanical work injected into the implosions, satisfying several burning-plasma metrics. These groundbreaking results provide an opportunity to study α-particle-dominated plasmas and burning-plasma physics in the laboratory.

For more info see Zylstra et al., Nature 601 (27 January 2022), 542.

Source: www.nature.com

Iconic fusion energy machine JET – which reaches controlled temperatures 10 times hotter than the core of the sun – completed its 100,000th live pulse last night.

Weighing 2,800 tonnes, the same as three blue whales, the Joint European Torus (JET) is the largest and most powerful operating tokamak machine in the world, with its original design standing the true test of time. First put into action in the 1980s, it is operated by the UK Atomic Energy Authority at Culham Science Centre, Oxford.

The milestone experiment – known as a pulse – was this week completed by the EUROfusion consortium, a team of 4,800 experts from across the continent dedicated to realising sustainable fusion energy. The historic moment was filmed from inside the JET control room and is now available to watch below.

JET’s 100,000th pulse video

Fusion, the process that powers the sun and stars, promises a near-limitless green electricity source for the long term. Pound for pound, it releases nearly four million times more energy than burning coal, oil or gas, and has the potential to deliver safe and sustainable low carbon energy over the coming decades.

Professor Ian Chapman, CEO of UKAEA, said: “JET is one of the most important machines in the history of fusion energy research. We’re extremely proud to have been operating it here in Oxford on behalf of the EUROfusion consortium over the past four decades. Its longevity and successes have allowed us to break down many barriers on our mission to turn this ultimate science experiment into sustainable commercial power.

“It is clear significant changes are needed to address the effects of climate change, and fusion energy has huge potential. JET has inspired and driven physicists and engineers across the world to build invaluable knowledge and develop ground-breaking new technology through a staggering 100,000 live pulses. It is truly one of a kind, the best there has been, and will be remembered long into the future.”

The history of JET:

• 1975: Proposals for the JET machine were completed
• 1977: Culham in Oxfordshire was chosen as the host site for JET
• 1983: Doughnut-shaped tokamak turned on and JET achieved its first plasma before official opening by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
• 1991: Performed the world’s first deuterium-tritium experiment – the fuel mix that will be used in the first commercial fusion power plants
• 1997: A world record 22.5 megajoules of fusion energy and 16 megawatts of fusion power achieved in the first dedicated deuterium-tritium run of experiments, proving large amounts of power can be produced from fusion
• 2011: JET installs a new inner wall made of beryllium and tungsten metals, the same materials to be used in its international successor, ITER
• 2021: Completes a second full-power run of experiments using deuterium and tritium
• 2022: 100,000th pulse completed, with new scientific results to be released in February

Prof Chapman added: “Reaching this milestone is testament to the ingenuity of the original design team and the operations teams who have upgraded and enhanced the machine so many times to ensure it continues to be the world’s foremost device – even after four decades of operation.”

Tony Donné, Programme Manager (CEO) of EUROfusion, said: “This year JET has been operating for 39 years and during all this time it delivered significant results. JET has been upgraded several times and its capabilities have been continuously enhanced to keep up with the latest developments in the field.

“The recent deuterium-tritium campaign has resulted in highly interesting scientific data that will help to optimise the operation and research plan of the international ITER experiment. In close discussion with ITER we are preparing for further experiments to be carried out in the coming years.”

JET is the only tokamak in the world capable of running experiments using deuterium and tritium, the two isotopes of hydrogen. It has been key to the development of its successor ITER, one of the biggest collaborative science projects in history and supported by 35 nations.

The larger and more advanced French-based experiment, ITER, which is expected to come into operation in the mid-2020s, plans to operate under similar conditions and will continue working towards demonstrating the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy.

Source: www.gov.uk

Photo: Internal view of JET. Source: EUROfusion; CC BY 4.0 licence

15 December 2021 saw the EUROfusion consortium signing the Grant Agreement under Horizon Europe, the European Framework Programme from 2021 – 2027, in an aim to launch comprehensive R&D approach to developing fusion energy. In spring 2022, an in-person event will be held to present the goals and achievements of the programme.

Throughout the European Roadmap to Fusion Energy, 4800 researchers, staff and students from 30 member institutes and 152 associated entities from across Europe lay out the challenges to come in their efforts to produce clean base load energy from abundant fuels.

Tony Donné, EUROfusion Programme Manager, said:
"The European fusion community is one of the largest in this field and is well-positioned to deliver fusion breakthroughs - if we work together, we can make the future. Since EUROfusion was established in 2014, fusion R&D has become strongly coordinated. The European Roadmap to Fusion Energy is used to define the research priorities, and this has been fundamental to focus the resources on those challenges that are on the critical path towards a fusion power plant.”

For more information please visit: www.euro-fusion.org

Source: EUROfusion

The European research consortium EUROfusion presents a game-based exhibition blending art, science and technology to explore fusion energy and get visitors' input on how fusion could fit into society.

Fusion, Power to the People is a new traveling science exhibition that makes understanding fusion energy and how it might play a role in society exciting and accessible to all European citizens. The exhibition blends virtual and real worlds by combining tech, science and art into one cohesive experience.

Fusion, Power to the People will premiere at the historical Les Docks Village in the heart of La Joliette business district, in Marseille. The Exhibition will open on Friday October 8th in timing with the Fête de la science celebration in Marseille and will run until December 19, 2021. Admittance is free of charge, and it will be open daily from 10h to 19h.

Science for Citizens

Fusion, Power to the People was created by EUROfusion, the European consortium for the realisation of fusion energy. As one of the biggest research consortia in Horizon Europe, Europe's 9th framework programme, EUROfusion is committed to share its research with the wider public. Fusion energy research is about creating a new source of clean energy for society, which is why raising awareness and involving European citizens is vital.

“We made this exhibition to introduce fusion to the public. Together with our member CEA (the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), we are thrilled to premiere this exhibition here in Marseille,” says EUROfusion Outreach Officer Mohamed Belhorma who developed Fusion, Power to the People.

Fusion energy

Fusion, Power to the People looks to the past, present and future to help visitors understand what powers the Sun and stars, and show the efforts being made to harness that potential as a new source of clean, abundant and safe energy here on earth.

“Fusion energy is not familiar to most, but we believe it’s a vital topic for people to explore,” says Belhorma. “We created the exhibition to give a fun and engaging introduction to fusion energy. We want to show the public that fusion has the potential to be an important piece in solving the energy puzzle.”

Unlocking knowledge

The complex topic of fusion research is made accessible via the mobile app through which visitors interact with the exhibition. By navigating different spaces and unlocking crucial information through the app, visitors will explore and experience the exhibition as a series of unique activities and discoveries.

Visitors are enlisted into an adventure to recover knowledge artefacts via clues and challenges spread throughout the exhibition space. The story unfolds into three parts through which visitors discover the scientific principles behind fusion, experience fusion research for themselves, and explore different possible futures. The exhibition also contains fusion-inspired artwork to attract new audiences and share different viewpoints about fusion.

Open to all

"We want to show all sides of fusion", says Belhorma, "its promise but also the many challenges on the road to realise this technology, and questions like whether it will come in time. We are convinced that fusion has an important role to play in sustainable energy and we want to have a discussion with the public about what that role could be. "

After opening in Marseille, Fusion, Power to the People will travel across Europe to start a broad discussion about fusion as a clean and safe addition to existing sustainable energy.

Fusion, Power to the People adheres to COVID-19 regulations and presents an inviting space for all. Anyone aged 15 to 95 comfortable using a smartphone or tablet should find this active learning experience about the fascinating topic of fusion energy to their liking.

Source: Fusion Expo, EUROfusion
Fusion Expo Poster - Credit: EUROfusion consortium