JET is the central experiment of the European fusion program, being the closest to ITER in terms of size, inner vessel wall materials (tungsten and beryllium) and capability to operate with tritium. The main objectives of the JET program in 2014 is to study the properties of its ITER-like wall and preparation for planned resumption of experiments with deuterium-tritium fuel. Emphasis will be on studying high confinement modes, developing operation scenarios for ITER, and developing methods to predict and mitigate instabilities that cause disruptions. A series of enhancements in diagnostics and other equipment will be implemented in preparation for the deuterium-tritium experiments.
A coordinated set of experiments is planned on three "Medium Size Tokamaks" or MSTs: ASDEX in Germany, MAST in the UK, and TCV in Switzerland, as part of the ITER Physics campaign. ASDEX began a six month campaign in February aimed at optimizing baseline and hybrid scenarios in the presence of metal walls, including the control of plasma instabilities and impurities as well as investigating detached divertor configurations. TCV is undergoing a major upgrade in 2014 to increase heating power and will study effects of changing magnetic configurations. MAST is also undergoing a major upgrade to investigate divertor issues including the so-called super-X divertor, a configuration that spreads the heat loads at the divertor area. Results from the MSTs are expected to be further tested on JET and that data incorporated into ITER planning.
The EUROfusion program is also preparing to carry out experiments on two other major facilities: the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator in Germany and the JT-60SA being built by Europe and Japan in Japan. W7-X will start operation in 2015 and JT-60SA will start in 2019.
A formal program is underway to address issues that need to be resolved before a fusion Demonstration Power Plant (DEMO) can be built. These include the design and selection of a tritium breeding blanket, choice of coolant, choice of divertor configuration, design of the chamber first wall, selection of pulse duration, design of maintenance equipment and system integration. Several teams, each led by a Project Leader, have been established to address these issues.
A Fusion Industry Innovation Forum (FIIF) was set up by the European Commission in 2010 (1) to support the European fusion community by providing input from an industrial point of view, (2) to foster technology transfer from the fusion effort to other industrial sectors, and (3) to provide the skills needed for the exploitation of a future commercial fusion power plant. A Management Board of 16 members meets twice a year with representatives of the fusion community and the European Commission. Three working groups have been set up, each focusing on one of the three missions of the forum. From the beginning, the FIIF was actively involved in the formulation of the European Fusion Roadmap.
In January 2014, Croatia became a full member of the European Fusion Programme. The Country joined the European Union in July 2013. They will be collaborating in areas such as materials sciences, plasma facing components, superconducting research, nuclear technology, and plasma diagnostics.
For further information on the European Programme, visit http://www.efda.org/newsletter/