Fusion Power Associates 2 Professional Drive, Suite 249 Gaithersburg, MD 20879 phone: (301) 258-0545 fax: (301) 975-9869 e-mail: FusionPwrAssoc@aol.com web: http://fusionpower.org

The facility's construction and commissioning were completed in summer 2018 and the facility started operation in August 2018. The first series of experiments were very successful, and the results provide confirmation of a recent UCLA discovery based on advanced 3-D MHD modeling that multiple-effects such as heating and temperature gradients in addition to gravity and magnetic field result in instabilities and flow reversal in all types of liquid metal blankets. This contrasts with the assumption made by fusion researchers over the past 30 years that the flow is stable and laminar based on separate effect modeling and experiments. The new results on MaPLE-U indicate the need for an intensive program of experiments and modelling to provide an understanding and a new database with which liquid metal blankets can be prudently designed and operated.

This research is a key part of the planned US/UCLA-EUROfusion collaboration, and is important for all liquid metal blankets, such as Dual Coolant Lead Lithium (DCLL), Water Cooled Lead Lithium (WCLL) and Helium Cooled Lead Lithium (HCLL), presently selected by world fusion programs for future implementation in ITER, FNSF and DEMO, and eventually for fusion power plants.

The research and design team led by Prof. Mohamed Abdou (UCLA) and Dr. Gianfranco Federici (EUROfusion) includes world-class experts in the areas of fusion nuclear science, liquid metal MHD, heat & mass transfer and material science. Among them are senior researchers from UCLA: Dr. Sergey Smolentsev, Dr. Cyril Courtessole, Dr. Neil B. Morley and Dr. Alice Ying; and from the EU: Dr. Marco Utili (ENEA, Italy), Dr. Leo Buehler, Dr. Chiara Mistrangelo (KIT, Germany), Dr. David Rapisarda, Dr. Maria Gonzalez (CIEMAT, Spain) and Dr. Fabio Cismondi (EUROfusion). Significant contributions were also made by Ph.D. students and post-doctoral researchers: Alessandro Venturini, Yi Yan, Gautam Pulugundla, Carlota Soto, Belit Garcinuño, Tyler Rhodes, Fernando Urgorri and Alessandro Tassone; and by engineers and technicians: Tom Sketchley, Massimo Valdiserri and Andrea Malavasi. Several companies from the USA and Europe contributed to the facility design, safety analysis and construction: Shore Western USA (Lift/tilt system for the magnet), SAAS Germany (EM pump), ENGLEKIRK USA (Seismic/safety analysis) and SIMICH USA (Installation of the base platform).

For more information contact:
Mohamed Abdou abdou@ucla.edu
or Gianfranco Federici Gianfranco.Federici@f4e.europa.eu