15 June 2006

ITER “the way” in Latin will be the biggest global research project after the international space station. The ITER -  imagined in Gadarache site, in France.

Fusion – an attractive option for sustainable energy future
Finland is strong committed to the common goal

In 24 May 2006 the seven international parties came to an agreement that gives the go-ahead for practical work on the project to develop and implement the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in Gadarache, France. The goal is to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy and show that fusion is a true energy option in the future. Finland is committed to this common goal through EU Fusion Program. The estimated costs of the ITER project are EUR 10 billion.

The ITER consortium consists of the EU, China, India, Japan, South Korea, the Russian Federation and the USA – representing more than half of the world's population. By working together world may stand a much better chance of tackling the challenges of tomorrow.

The initialling of the agreement opens the way to the authorisation of its conclusion and signature by the governments concerned. This is expected to take place before the end of 2006.

Construction of the experimental facility could start in 2008 and last for about eight years. However, procurements of long lead-time can start late in 2007.

It will produce energy on a power station scale and it will contain all power-plant relevant fusion technology. ITER is designed to produce thermal fusion power of 500 megawatts with a power amplification of 10.

If all goes well with the ITER, the next step towards a commercial power plant is demonstration power plants may be in operation around 2040. This may be a turning point towards an economical, safe, clean and endless energy resource for base load electricity production.

It has been estimated that 10-20% of the world's energy could come from fusion by the end of the Century.

The Cadarache site is also expected to boost Europe's role in developing new technologies and is likely to create about 10,000 jobs.

Europe leads in fusion research

The goal of the EU Fusion Program is to develop fusion into a sustainable and economically competitive energy source for future generations.  Focused on reactors, the program has guided the experimental efforts and technology work and taken Europe to the cutting edge of worldwide fusion research.

JET Joint European Torus in Great Britain is the most efficient fusion facility in the world and closest to ITER in size and geometry. JET is also a unique facility for testing important fusion technology. In the JET, doughnut shape plasma is confined by a strong magnetic field. The plasma temperature exceeds 100 million degrees centigrade.

The JET holds the world record in fusion power with a 16 megawatts pulse lasting some seconds.  In ITER the fusion burn takes place much longer and the ultimate goal is steady-state operation. In the light of the most recent research results even ignition is possible. In that case the fusion burn becomes self-sustaining and auxiliary heating is no longer necessary.

A considerable part of European fusion research is also performed in test facilities at national laboratories. The development of fusion technology and experimental work on JET are conducted under the European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA).

Finnish R&D integrated into the EU program

Tekes - the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation has since the beginning of 1990s systematically promoted Finnish fusion knowledge and technology through three technology programs. The latest Fusion program, running since 2003 and coordinated by VTT, will be completed at the end of this year.

"All the national fusion technology programs including the ongoing Fusion have been fully integrated into the European Fusion Program which is co-ordinated by European Union,” says M.Sc. (Eng) Juha Linden, Senior Technology Adviser at Tekes.

In addition, the EFDA (European Fusion Development Agreement) technology unit in Germany employs Finnish experts. Fortum Corporation is a member of the EFET consortium (European Fusion Engineering and Technology), and Luvata (formerly Outokumpu) company is represented on the industry committee of the EU Fusion Program. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Helsinki University of Technology participate actively in the EFDA JET work program.

Finns stem power from co-operation

According to Dr. Seppo Karttunen, Manager of the Tekes Fusion Technology Program at VTT, within the Fusion programs Finnish industry has participated actively in development projects in conjunction with the research institutes. Collaboration provides a good basis for Finnish industry to compete for R&D projects and procurements to the construction of the ITER fusion facility.

“In fusion technology work the aim is to develop knowledge in technologies which can be applied in broader markets outside,” Dr. Seppo Karttunen stresses. "ITER construction is, perhaps, the most challenging technology project of mankind and real technology and innovation driver," he adds.

Besides participation in the leading European fusion experiments,  focus has been in:
*Plasma-wall interactions and coating technology
*In-vessel materials, joining & welding techniques and manufacturing multi-metal components
*Development of maintenance systems and hosting of the ITER divertor test platform
*Development of superconducting wires for ITER
*Safety and socio-economic studies

Material solutions for ITER   

Finnish materials research and development concentrates on manufacturing methods for multimetal components as well as characterization of joints and materials of inner structures. The components undergo demanding thermal stress and irradiation tests.  Industry partners in the development of manufacturing methods are Metso Powdermet Oy and Hollming Works Oy.

Luvata is developing niobium-titanium and niobium-tin superconducting wires for ITER magnets. Tampere University of Technology is performing the electromagnetic characterization of the wires.

As a leading superconductor manufacturer, Luvata is one potential contractor for supplying superconducting wires for ITER. It participates in development and has manufactured samples of niobium-tin wire designed for ITER.

Plasma-wall interaction studies and development of coatings for high heat flux components are key topics. The tungsten coated test tiles are installed in the JET divertor region. (VTT, University of Helsinki and Diarc Technology Oy)

Welding methods such as laser and electron beam welding needed in the construction phase of ITER are also being developed within the FUSION program. Industry partners in the development of manufacturing methods are Metso Powdermet Oy and Hollming Works Oy.

Test platform for remote handling

Remote Operation Virtual Reality Centre (ROViR) has been  established as a joint venture between VTT Industrial Systems and TUT IHA (Tampere University of Technology, Institute of Hydraulics and Automation), both located on the same technology campus.

The divertor test platform at ROViR belongs to European Fusion Program and develops extremely demanding remote operated service systems for ITER fusion reactor. By testing the operation of the maintenance systems with virtual models, the design can be improved prior to the prototype phase.

At first, the equipment for the changing the reactor bottom elements i.e. divertor cassettes are tested in the facility.

Virtual modelling is used to optimize the maintenance operations, which are tested experimentally using the facility.

“Our plan is to develop ROViR it into a leading European centre in the field of advanced robotics, remote handling and mobile robotics systems. We aim to develop into an organization employing some 100 researchers of which at least 30 per cent should originate outside Finland,” says Dr. Arto Timperi, Director of ROViR.

The regular maintenance of the ITER fusion reactor is one of the key elements in ensuring trouble-free and successful operation of the reactor and in ensuring the fast recovery from the possible error condition.

The reactor elements to be changed during the maintenance are heavy and the space around them is limited. Water hydraulic provides compact power transmission for this kind of operations. Water needs to be used for cleanliness instead of the oil.

Fusion in a nutshell

Fusion of light nuclei is the energy source of the sun and stars.

Primary fuels are deuterium (heavy hydrogen) and lithium which is converted to tritium (super heavy hydrogen). Deuterium resources are practically unlimited in seawater, and lithium is abundant in the Earth’s crust.

When heated over 100 million degrees centigrade the fusion reaction of deuterium and tritium produces a helium nucleus and a neutron  and releases a huge amount of energy.

Injection of high-power energetic particle beams or radio-frequency waves is used for heating the fuel to very high temperatures. In these conditions the fuel gas is fully ionized, i.e. in the plasma state. The hot plasma is confined and thermally isolated from the walls by strong magnetic fields.

The fusion reactions produce energy corresponding to nearly 100,000 kWh per gram of fuel. One kilogram of fusion fuel would produce the same amount of energy as 10,000,000 kg of fossil fuel. A 1000 MW fusion power plant will use about 750 g of deuterium-tritium fuel per day.

The burn product of daily operation will be about 600 g of valuable helium which is harmless and not a greenhouse gas or radioactive. Radioactive waste is related to activated in-vessel structural materials. The goal is to develop structrural materials which can be recycled after 100 years.