Report on ITPA-IEA CTP Meetings Dec 13-16, 2010; Cadarache, France Coordination and Implementation of Collaborations in International Tokamak Fusion R&D In Support of ITER U.S. BPO Web Seminar February 22, 2011 Dr. Erol Oktay Acting Director, ITER and International Division Fusion Energy Sciences Program (FES) Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy OFFICE OF SCIENCE
International Collaboration is essential to Resolve Complex Fusion issues Over 50 years of international fusion research led to ITER; a major and unique international collaboration with –Well-defined mission and goals –Challenging Integration of physics, technology, and engineering –Unique Organizational and Management Structure –Large resource requirements –35 year agreement for design, construction, operation, and decommissioning Management, Cost and Schedule Control, and Risk Management are of course critical for the success of the ITER project Technical success of ITER depends on –Identification of critical physics and technology issues for its design and operation –Support from ongoing research programs to resolve open issues –Development of ITER Research Plan for its operational phase –Flexibility to adopt new discoveries
Contribution of many key international organizations Many participants in the following key international fusion organizations contributed to the creation of highly a coordinated international fusion R&D community in support of ITER – IEA Fusion Power Coordinating Committee (FPCC) ( Vice-Chair) – Executive Committees for IEA Implementing Agreements on Co-operation on Tokamak Programs (CTP) Co-operation on Tokamak Programs (CTP) – Created by merger of Large Tokamaks and Poloidal Divertor Plasma Wall Interactions in TEXTOR Plasma Wall Interactions in TEXTOR – International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) – ( U.S. Contact Person) – ITER Science and Technology Advisory Committee (STAC) – ( U.S. Expert) – IAEA International Fusion Research Council (IFRC) – ( U.S. Delegate) – U.S. Bilateral Agreements with CN, EU, IN, JA, KO, RF – ( Coordinator) My role in these organizations was enhanced greatly by technical knowledge I gained from managing the DIII-D program and the US collaborations on international programs
Extensive International Coordination during the past decade ITPA established in 2001 among four parties (EU, JA, RF, US) under the IAEA-IFRC and IEA-FPCC auspices, and it evolved over the years –Publishing ‘Progress in ITER Physics Basis’ in (2007) –Bringing in CN, IN, and KO into ITPA membership as they joined ITER –Establishing a Program of Coordinated Joint-Experiments (JEX) –Inclusion of stellarator participation in ITPA With the signing of the ITER Agreement in 2006, the ITPA operation was transferred to ITER auspices in 2008 in order to link ITPA activities closely to resolution of ITER physics needs IEA FPCC streamlined its tokamak related activities by merging the IEA LT and IEA PD agreements into a single IEA Agreement for Co- operation in Tokamak programs (CTP) –ITPA Provides programmatic guidance for scientific exchanges –TEXTOR and Spherical Torus Agreements participate in the CTP for their ITPA activities while pursuing PWI and ST activities separately in their own agreements –CTP Provides a legal framework for scientific exchanges in tokamak research and for implementation of ‘Joint Experiments’ to resolve High Priority ITER Physics needs
ITER, ITPA, and IEA FPCC are working together to resolve key BP issues Each ITPA Topical Group has a Co-Chair from the ITER Organization, contributing to identification of ITER physics needs and developing proposals for joint experiments to resolve them The IEA Tokamak Agreements hold joint annual workshops on ‘Coordination of ITPA-IEA Joint Experiments’, including about participants representing –ITPA TG Chairs and IO Co-Chairs –ITPA Coordinating Committee members –IEA Executive Committee members of Tokamak agreements –Leaders of international Tokamak programs Tokamak Program Leaders and ITPA TG Chairs transform proposals into plans for joint experiments, implemented by the IEA tokamak agreements IEA CTP implements the joint experiments and other exchanges
The USBPO supports US activities in the international tokamak community The USBPO serves as a coordination and communication organization to support U.S. participation in ITER and international Burning Plasma activities –established in 2005 –US members of ITPA represent BPO –BPO assists in selection of US participants in ITPA and Topical Group meetings –Substantial support for US members of ITER STAC – technical briefings –Parallel TG structure between BPO and ITPA –Extensive BPO presentations in national and international meetings A recent US BPO Task Group on International Collaborations, chaired by Mike Z will issue its report soon –Identify opportunities for enhanced international collaborations
The Planning Meetings of ITPA-IEA Joint Experiments Held annually in the November-December time frame –to assist international tokamak programs in developing their experimental plans The previous meetings were held at: –1. Nov 2002, MIT, Cambridge, US –2. Nov 2003, Naka, Japan –3. Dec 2004, JET, Culham, UK –4. Nov 2005, GA, San Diego, US –5. Nov 2006, Naka, Japan –6. Nov 2007, JET, Culham, UK –7. Dec 2008, MIT, Cambridge, US –8. Dec 2009, NFIR, Daejon, KO With the initiation of the IEA CTP Agreement in June 2010, the 9 th meeting was held at Cadarache together with two other related consecutive meetings
9 th Planning Meeting of the IEA-ITPA Joint Experiments (JEX) The 9 th Planning meeting was held at Cadarache on Dec as one of the three related consecutive meetings: –13 th meeting of the ITPA Coordinating Committee – Dec 13 –9 th meeting of the IEA-ITPA Joint Experiments Planning – Dec 14 –1 st meeting of the IEA CTP Executive Committee – Dec 15, 16 Substantial overlap of participants in these meetings –An effective gathering of international tokamak leadership; minimize travel –Collective discussion of critical ITER physics issues and JEX proposals –Reports from ITPA TG Chairs on the results of their joint experiments –Reports on new tokamak upgrades, program plans, and schedules –Discussion of scientific exchanges and workshops under the IEA CTP Enhanced communication between ITER and tokamak leaders
Some highlights from the 13 th ITPA CC meeting Ron Stambaugh stepped down as the ITPA Chair for 7 years Yutaka Kamada (JA) was selected as the new Chair. The terms of the current TG chairs will end in November The Contact Persons began the process of selecting new TG Chairs and Community Vice-Chairs. The IO Vice-Chairs will remain the same The US BPO is tasked to recommend new US candidates Excellent technical Reports from TG Chairs The CC is supportive of inclusion of modeling coordination in the ITPA-IEA Joint Planning –DivSOL and TP TG reported on their progress they are making –The IOS TG is also carrying out benchmarking of models The ITER Organization has done a great service in hosting the ITPA Website;
Some highlights from the 1 st IEA CTP ExCo meeting Special session on ITER critical issues, and capabilities & plans of tokamak programs to address them Disruptions ELM mitigation Heating & Current Drive Systems mix C vs W Divert deployment in ITER, Also, a report from JET on their D-T plans Routine CTP work: –Myeun Kwon (KO) is the next Chair from 2/2011-1/2012 –Operating Agent is EU for the next five years –US Members are Oktay (FES), Hawryluk (PPPL), Taylor (D3D), –US Alternate Members : Marmar (C-MOD), Theory/Modeling, Technology Invitations have been sent to IN, CN, and RF for joining CTP –Major tokamaks in CN, EU, IN, JA, KO, RF, and US will participate in the CTP –NSTX and MAST participation in ITPA JEX program
Some highlights from the 9 th ITPA-IEA JEX Planning Meeting The following tokamak programs participated in the meeting –EU tokamaks & ST: JET, AUG, TEXTOR, Tore Supra, FTU, TVC, MAST –US Tokamaks & ST: DIII-D, C-MOD, NSTX –JA tokamaks: Past results from JT-60U –CN Tokamaks: EAST, HLT-7 –KO: KSTAR TG Chairs reported on the status of their ongoing joint experiments and proposed work for the coming year Special Reports from Transport Physics and DivSOL TGs on their trial coordination of modeling activities Statistics of joint experiments are shown on the next VG: –Continual completion and renewal of experiments –About joint experiments are in progress in international tokamaks
ITPA Handles Planning and Execution of Joint Experiments Among the ITPA Participants’ Tokamak Programs (From Ron Stambaugh’s report to the meeting) Next Joint Experiment Planning Meeting Provisionally December, 2011 in Cadarache or Aix
Summary Coordination & implementation of international collaboration has evolved substantially over the past decade Several international organizations work closely –ITER – identifies its key physics and technology issues –ITPA – studies physics issues and proposes joint experiments & Modeling –IEA CTP – implements joint experiments and other exchanges –IAEA IFRC holds the Fusion Energy Conferences and other technical meetings to disseminate information –SSO Task Group in FPCC is starting to look into physics-technology issues STAC – Evaluates ITER S&T issues and advises the ITER Council ITER interacts also with domestic programs directly to resolve its physics and technology issues
Some Outstanding issues in international collaborations Coordination of Modeling –An integral part of planning and analysis of joint experiments –Needs further development Need for coordination of engineering-physics issues –Design of plasma-materials interfaces such as RF antennae, pellets, disruption and ELM mitigation techniques –Plasma-wall interactions (new directions considered by the TEXTOR agreement) Steady state technology issues –Physics issues are covered well in ITPA –The IEA FPCC is establishing a cross-cutting Task Group on SSO Need to coordinate DEMO studies and technology –Several ITER Members have extensive planning beyond ITER –The EU-JA Broader Approach is a good example of collaboration Need for other ITER Members to join –US effort on Fusion Nuclear Science Pathways