CHAPTER A. INTRODUCTION

The Importance of Fusion Energy Research

Fusion is the physical process, by which two light nuclei (typically isotopes of hydrogen) fuse and produce one heavier nucleus and at the same time release part of the energy trapped in the mass of the initial nuclei. This is the dominant energy-producing process in nature, as it provides the power radiated by all stars (for example, our sun). The artificial reproduction on earth of this process represents an important long-term option to the ever-increasing energy demand, in view also of the advantages it is associated with.

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The most significant advantages of fusion are:

  • The raw material needed is practically inexhaustible and geographically wide-spread on earth. (Deuterium, the heavy isotope of hydrogen is available in all forms of water; Lithium, needed to generate tritium, the super-heavy isotope of hydrogen, constitutes a respectable percentage of the earth’s crust.)
  • The industrial waste (the “ash”) of a power station would be hydrogen and helium; they are ideal, not only because they are non-toxic, non-pollutant etc, but also because they have a significant commercial value.
  • No long-term radioactivity is foreseen and therefore the future generations will not be burdened with possibly undesired responsibilities: Tritium and neutrons, which are involved in the process, can be easily controlled and in addition their half-life is short, while the radioactivity imparted on the structural material can be also controlled.
  • The process is inherently stable and therefore it is impossible that it runs out of control. The only, so to say, disadvantage of controlled thermonuclear fusion is that it requires conditions not fully explored yet. This has required co-ordinated research and development in science and technology. The world leader is the European Fusion Programme, in which the fusion activities of the member states (and the Suisse Confederation) are co-ordinated through Contracts of Association with the European Commission and EFDA (the European Fusion Development Agreement), which has produced excellent results, including those from JET, the leading Tokamak device on earth. In 2009 ITER organization, which is a global undertaking with the European Union as the major partner, and the European domestic agency called Fusion for Energy (F4E), established in March 2007, have both grow to their full operative capacity. A number of important milestones have been set via industrial contracts to commence the construction of ITER at the Cadarache site. There is confidence, that the results from ITER will pave the way for the design and construction of DEMO, the demonstration reactor which will be the basis for the subsequent construction of commercial reactors. Furthermore, a major Super Computer Facility has been put in operation in Julich,

which is playing the role of the major numerical simulation machine for fusion related problems in EU.

Organisation of the Fusion Programme of the Hellenic Republic

The Association EURATOM-Hellenic Republic was formally instituted, when the Association Contract ERB 5005 CT 99 0100 between EURATOM and the Hellenic Republic was signed on 22 June 1999 and the Steering Committee and the Head of the Research Unit (Prof. J L. Vomvoridis) were appointed. In addition, an Administrative Committee has been established as the governing body for fusion activities in Greece and the responsibilities for administering the Contract of Association have been delegated to the Institute for Nuclear Technology and Radiation Protection of the National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” (Director: Dr. I. A. Papazoglou). Since June 2009 Prof. K. Hizanidis has been appointed as the Head of the Research Unit. Before 1999, fusion activities were co-ordinated by the Consultative Committee for Fusion Activities in Greece (CCFA-G) and being funded by EURATOM via cost-sharing contracts.

Fusion Research in Greece and International Collaborations

The work programme of the Association includes activities in Physics and Emerging Technologies. In addition, the Association undertakes Technology Tasks. These activities are conducted in collaboration with other partners to the EURATOM Fusion Programme.

In particular, the present scientific and technical Physics Programme is performed in the following laboratories (with mention of Principal Investigators):

  • National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Institute for Nuclear Technology and Radiation Protection, Athens (M. Tsalas),
  • National Technical University of Athens, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Athens (J. L. Vomvoridis and K. Hizanidis),
  • University of Athens, Faculty of Physics, Athens (I. Tigelis),
  • University of Ioannina, Department of Physics, Ioannina (G. Throumoulopoulos),
  • FORTH, Institute of Electronic Structure and Lasers, Heraklion (P. Lalousis),
  • University of Thessaly, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Volos (N. Vlachos, D. Valougeorgis, and N. Pelekasis),
  • University of Thessaloniki, Department of Physics, Thessaloniki (L. Vlahos),
  • Technical University of Crete, Science Department Chania (S. Moustaizis).

The Emerging Technologies and the Technology Programme are performed at:

  • National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Institute for Nuclear Technology and Radiation Protection, Athens (S. Messoloras, K. Mergia and I. Stamatelatos, G. Apostolopoulos, N. Moutis, F. Tzika, D. Kontogeorgakos, A. Savidou), Institute of Nuclear Physics (S. Harissopoulos, A. Lagoyannis), Institute of Material Science (E. Devlis, M. Gjoka, T. Speliotis).

In addition, a Trans-national Research Team, contributing to the Physics Programme, is at the:

  • University of Cyprus, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering,

Nicosia (S. Kassinos) Respective teams from the aforementioned laboratories are making use of the Super Computer Facility and JET and ASDEX-U data and diagnostics as well. A long time collaboration with CRPP-Lausanne, KIT-Karlsruhe, IPP-Garching, IPP-Julich and PSFC-MIT also exists along with the relatively recent one with researchers of respective Associations within EFDA at the University of Craiova-Romania and the University of Marseille-France. The research teams from NTUA and the University of Athens are also partially involved in consortia under F4E.

Outline of the 2009 Annual Report

The Physics, Emerging Technologies and Technology work of the period 01 January to 31 December 2009 has been performed according to the work programme approved by the Steering Committee. It is presented, along with a brief outline of the corresponding background and objectives, in Sections 1-3 (Physics) and 4 (Emerging Technologies) of Chapter B. For several of these activities, the work has reached a level of maturity, for which more extensive self-contained articles could be prepared on the work completed in year 2009. These articles, 46 in all, are attached as Annexes(*) to this Report, with appropriate reference made in the main body of the text.

Additional activities of the Association are presented in Chapter C. They refer to the “Eighth School on Fusion Physics and Technology”, which took place in Volos (6 to 11 April 2009), to other fusion-related educational activities, to the expenditure, personnel, co-operations and mobility missions of the Association in year 2009, as well as to the publications that have appeared (or have been accepted) in year 2009.

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