Implementing Agreement: Implementing Agreement for
Co-operation on Tokamak Programmes
Year: 2015
Chair: Richard Pitts (richard.pitts@iter.org)
ExCo Secretary: Duarte Borba (duarte.borba@euro-fusion.org)
Highlights
of experiments or analysis during the year
|
FUSION SCIENCE |
|
Physics |
|
Briefly mention here the gaps or barriers the IA is seeking to address
relating to physics. If none, enter ‘N/A’. The main physics
gaps for achieving fusion energy relate to the sustainment of high gain
burning plasmas, including plasma control, long duration and heat
exhaust. ITER is the keystone in
addressing these issues, as it strives to integrate foundational burning
plasma science with the science and technology of long pulse and sustained
operation. |
|
Include here highlights (the most important or significant results)
from among all the experiments and/or analysis for this area carried out
during the year. The European fusion
programme focuses on the support of ITER
construction and optimization of ITER operation, risk mitigation for ITER by performing
supporting research in the existing devices, including JET, ASDEX-Upgrade,
TCV which restarted operation in 2016, MAST-Upgrade that will start operation
on 2016, and participation in the JT60 Super Advanced (JT60-SA) tokamak,
currently under construction in Japan, following the European fusion roadmap.
The European tokamak programme is now integrated to
address these objectives and the JET and Medium Size Tokamak Task Force Leaders
have drafted a common experimental programme to
implement on each device following a joint general planning meeting early
2015 in Lausanne, Switzerland. A proposal for the longer term use of JET as
risk mitigation for ITER and to train the ITER generation of operators and
scientists in a fully international environment has been developed. Apart
from being the closest operating tokamak in size to ITER, the specific
contributions of JET include its tritium, beryllium, and full remote handling
capabilities. This should be integrated into a broader use of contemporary
fusion devices as risk mitigation for the ITER research plan and to reduce
the duration of the ITER non-active phase. Strong efforts have been devoted
to the preparation of the operation of JET with tritium, which will mark the
first time tritium has been used in JET since the last trace tritium campaign
in 2003 and the first time a 50:50 DT fuel mix has been attempted since the
successful 1997 experiment. The aim is high fusion performance with the ITER-like
wall in JET, with a target of sustaining a stored energy of 12 MJ for 5
seconds using up to 40 MW of auxiliary heating power. Simulations using
various modeling tools, including the CRONOS-TGLF and JETTO-BgB packages show that more than 10 MW of fusion power
can be sustained in hybrid scenarios in JET DT plasmas. The construction
of JT-60SA is proceeding steadily and is on schedule for first plasma in early
2019. There has been no schedule slippage since the previous CTP-IA report. The
procurement of the major components and plant are now well underway. The
assembly of JT-60SA started in January 2013 with the installation of the
cryostat base. In February 2014, the three lower superconducting equilibrium
field coils have been placed on the cryostat base. Then, above them, all joint
welding of the Vacuum Vessel sectors to form a 340° torus was completed on
August 2015. As for the Toroidal Field coils, 9 coils have been wound in
Italy (ENEA) and 7 coils in France (CEA). The cold test facility at CEA Saclay completed commissioning and the first toroidal field
coil arrived in December 2015. In parallel with construction, the JT60-SA Research
Plan has been intensively discussed involving the EU and JA research communities.
The Research Plan document was updated to version 3.2 in February 2015 with
365 co-authors. In India, the SST-1
Tokamak is now operational with the integration of various heating systems
and first wall components and will soon contribute to international databases
on tokamaks. An upgrade to the ADITYA tokamak is in progress and it is expected
to be operational in early 2016, with the main aim of exploring divertor
physics. The operation of the SINP Tokamak focused on the study of MHD phenomena,
low q discharges and biasing experiments for improved confinement. In the last two
years, EAST has upgraded its capabilities, with the main aim being long pulse
(steady state), high performance operation. With the existing heating and
Current Drive (H&CD) systems, a 28 sec H-mode with confinement quality at
the level required for ITER has been demonstrated in 2015. For the 2016
campaigns, the H&CD systems have been upgraded in 2015 to 30 MW of
nominal power, including Lower Hybrid Current Drive (LHCD) with 4 MW at 2.45 GHz and 6 MW at 4.6 GHz for edge current drive
and profile control; Ion Cyclotron Resonant Heating (ICRH) at 12 MW in the
frequency range 25-75 MHz for ion and electron heating and central current drive; 8 MW co- and counter
current Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) at 80 kV for high beta operation and low
torque input with balanced beams; and 4 MW of Electron Cyclotron Resonant
Heating (ECRH) at 120 Ghz for dominant electron
heating and current profile control. Each individual system has sufficient
power to access H-mode plasmas. A remarkable,
ITER-like, full tungsten, actively cooled divertor was installed in the upper
divertor area of EAST in 2014.
Operations on the new divertor in 2015 were, however, limited due to
hardware issues, mostly linked to water leaks. The divertor was removed and repaired in
2015 and has been reinstalled for the 2016 scientific campaigns. There has also been a significant effort devoted
to new and upgraded diagnostics for key plasma profiles covering both core
and edge, giving a total of 76 diagnostic systems. The newly equipped
ITER-like Resonant Magnetic Perturbation (RMP) coils on EAST are now one of
the most flexible coil sets on any tokamak and consist of 16 coils allowing n
= 1-3 perturbations for rotating modes and n = 1-4 for static modes. They
will be heavily solicited in the 2016 campaigns in particular for Edge
Localized Mode (ELM) control studies, one of ITER’s major priorities. In fact, in addition to the use of RMPs,
alternative methods are being developed on EAST for ELM heat load control: ELM
triggering by innovative Li-granule injection with an efficiency of around
100% and ELM suppression by intermittent small scale turbulence induced by Supersonic
Molecular Beam Injection (SMBI). Operation on the HL-2A
tokamak focused on advanced tokamak physics and a newly upgraded Passive
Active Multi-Junction (PAM) LHCD antenna. New RMP coils and an ECR antenna
for tearing mode control have also been installed. A number of new
diagnostics have been added and many more upgraded. Quasi-Coherent Modes
between ELMs, the role of a kink-like mode in the L-H transition and the
observation of ion-fishbones have been studied. In South Korea, advances
toward steady state operation on KSTAR led in 2015 to the sustainment of fully
non-inductive discharges for 12 seconds, with plasma current of Ip = 0.4 MA, the pulse length being limited
only by excessive heat-load on plasma-facing components (PFC). The
development of longer pulse H-mode discharges yielded a 55 second pulse at Ip = 0.6 MA. The H-L back transition was due
to the 50 s limit of the 170 Ghz Electron Cyclotron
Current Drive (ECCD) system and the main issues to be resolved are the slow
vertical drift and the degradation of confinement. Efforts to extend the operational
capability at high plasma current in H-mode yielded a ~6 s flattop duration
at Ip = 1.0 MA and ITER elongation. A
stable narrow window has been identified for RMP ELM suppression in both n=1
and n=2 configurations using midplane RMP coils. During
n=1 RMP ELM suppression, a saturated mode structure is observed with electron
cyclotron imaging on both the low and high field sides. Preliminary Helicon Current
Drive coupling experiments at 0.5 GHz have yielded promising results in KSTAR
with the installation of a mockup antenna for coupling tests. The first spherical
torus (ST) experiments were carried out in Korea with the Versatile
Experiment Spherical Torus (VEST) facility, aiming at basic research on a
compact, high-beta ST with elongated chamber in partial solenoid
configuration and the study of innovative start-up, non-inductive H&CD,
high beta and innovative divertor concepts. In the US, at
PPPL, the NSTX Upgrade Project was successfully completed in 2015, including
a new centre-stack and a new 2nd Neutral Beam
Injector (NBI) capable of 5 MW for 5 seconds. The first test plasma was achieved
in August 2015 and research operations began in December 2015. Exploiting the
tight links between the DIII-D and EAST tokamak teams, vertical control experiments
were carried out via Remote Operation of the EAST 3rd Shift with display
hardware and software to provide control room experience, including remote real-time
audio/video, streaming of data during shots, display of real-time boundary
signal traces. A dedicated network and cyberspace for between-shot transfer
of data to GA provides an EAST data repository for all US collaborators. By 2017,
experiments during EAST 3rd shifts will enable US scientists to execute a full
EAST campaign each time EAST runs. In DIII-D, ELMs were
suppressed by n=3 RMPs in a fully non-Inductive
hybrid plasma, leading to a high performance hybrid core with an ELM
suppressed edge. The best results were achieved with odd parity n=3 RMP for
best coupling to q95 = 7 and ELM suppression was shown to be
insensitive to small q95 variations, since suppression was
maintained for 5.9 < q95< 7.0. C-Mod had a highly productive
2015 campaign with the ELM free I-mode regime extended to high magnetic field
(8T), demonstrating that higher field opens the operating window. Together
with experiments at ASDEX-Upgrade and DIII-D, this helps to delineate the
operational I-mode space. At the
ITER Organization, site construction continues with completion of the
Cryostat Assembly Building, significant advance of the Tokamak Complex and
Assembly Building and preparatory works underway for the RF heating Building
and Control Building. Positioning of the four US-procured 400 kV transformers
is complete – the first ITER plant components to be installed on site. In
December, the Indian manufactured, 6, 60 degrees segments of the cryostat
base were successfully delivered to the ITER site and will now be assembled
in the new cryostat building. The ITER
physics programme, which is carried out in close collaboration with the ITPA
(including the ITPA-IEA joint experimental programme) and the major
international fusion facilities is continuing to support the completion of
the ITER design, primarily by addressing a small number of key remaining
design issues, but is focussing increasingly on preparing the physics basis
for the exploitation phase of the ITER device. Principal physics R&D
activities related to design completion include: experiments on the
development of the ITER disruption and runaway electron mitigation capability
by massive material injection, together with the associated methodology for
disruption detection; studies to finalize the physics requirements for the
ITER ELM control system based on magnetic perturbations (by in-vessel coils)
and ELM pacing (by pellet injection); experimental analysis of divertor heat
loads impacting on the need for detailed shaping the ITER tungsten divertor monoblocks; and studies of plasma-wall interactions
providing input to the analysis of dust production and of fuel retention and
removal in ITER; also in the plasma-wall interactions area, the experience
gained in recent years from experiments in many tokamaks has been assembled
into an updated Heat Load Specification which encompasses the physics basis
supporting the design of ITER’s plasma facing components. The preparations
for the ITER experimental campaigns are expanding, with an increasing
emphasis on the validation of many aspects of plasma scenarios in existing
facilities. In this respect an improved understanding of the conditions for
access to and exit from the H-mode and the dynamics of the transition are of
particular importance. Emphasis has been given to improving the
characterization of H-mode behaviour in helium plasmas, as it is expected
that helium operation will provide the only route to the study of H-mode
behaviour during the non-active phase. The detailed evolution of plasma
density profiles and of tungsten impurities has also been shown in
simulations to have a significant impact on the controlled transition to the
H-mode in ITER and these aspects have been the subject of experimental and
modelling studies to develop an improved quantitative understanding.
Significant progress has been made in the preliminary design phase of the
plasma control system and this activity is on schedule for the Preliminary
Design Review in late 2016. There have also been significant advances in the
2-D simulation capability for divertor plasmas in ITER with the transition to
the SOLPS-ITER code, and a substantial activity has been launched to expand
the application of this code in the international fusion community and to
validate its predictions against experiments. The project’s capability for
3-D analysis of MHD stability has also been enhanced by continued development
of the JOREK code, and this has found applications both in the stability of
the H-mode pedestal (including ELMs) and in disruption simulations.
Collaborations with the fusion community in the area of energetic particles
are continuing and an up to date analysis of energetic particle instabilities
in the ITER baseline scenarios is underway. Finally, the Integrated Modelling
Analysis Suite is now being tested in the fusion community, and development
will continue to expand the plasma simulation capabilities available via this
major new tool within the project and within the ITER Members’ fusion
programmes. |
|
Materials |
|
Briefly mention here the gaps or barriers the IA is seeking to address
materials. If none, enter ‘N/A’. The main gaps for achieving fusion energy include the development of
materials and components resistant to high heat fluxes and neutron fluence. |
|
Include here highlights (the most important or significant results)
from among all the experiments and/or analysis for this area carried out
during the year. As the first step
of the validation test of the International Fusion Materials Irradiation
Facility Prototype Accelerator (IFMIF/EVEDA), the injector and its peripheral
systems have been introduced and installed.
The beam commissioning was started in November 2014. The RFQ was
manufactured by INFN @Legnaro Italy,
it was tested in October 2014 and will be delivered to the IFERC site, in Japan.
The SRF Linac is under licensing process in line
with the Japanese High Pressure Gas Safety Law. As soon as a special approval
for the cryo cavity is granted, its manufacture
will start. The Linear IFMIF Prototype Accelerator installation work had started
in December 2013 by experts of CEA, Project team and JAEA. From March 2014,
assembly of parts and installation had been carried out and finally carried
out the first proton (H+) beam extraction successfully. On 4th of November
2015, the first proton beam extraction was successfully made. For the Lithium
Test loop development, the validation of long term stability of Li flow was
achieved with the continuous operation for 25 days in September 2014. To
confirm the flow (surface) stability, a new measurement method using a laser
was developed, which enables 3D measurements. Using this new technique,
periodic measurements were made and it was proven that the stability achieved
can satisfy its requirement (wave height±1 mm or less). The Neutron Irradiation
Material Test facility (KOMAC) have been developed in Korea, that would feature
a 100 MeV linac aiming at achieving a neutron spectrum
similar to fusion by Pulse-type Proton beam on Be-target with a total yield (>1dpa/y).
|
|
Technologies |
|
Briefly mention here the gaps or barriers the IA is seeking to address
materials. If none, enter ‘N/A’. The main gaps for developing fusion energy include the required
technologies for achieving Tritium self-sufficiency with efficient breeding
and extraction techniques. |
|
Include here highlights (the most important or significant results)
from among all the experiments and/or analysis for this area carried out
during the year. In order to
ensure minimal delay in developing DEMO, a conceptual design System
Engineering Approach have been adopted in Europe in order to address
universal technical challenges with the gaps beyond ITER, which include safety,
Tritium-breeding, power exhaust, remote handling, component lifetime and
plant availability. In China, the development of a roadmap for fusion energy
foresees the construction of the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor
(CFETR), a superconducting-tokamak and aiming achieving a steady state
burning plasma operation, with efficient breeding blanket and advanced
tritium technology to achieve the Tritium self-sustainment. The Indian fusion
programme roadmap foresees also the possibility of
constructing a Fusion Experiment SST-2 aiming at a fusion power of 100 MW,
together with the development of Liquid Lithium Cool Blanket concept with Pb-Li breeder, breeder coolant and multiplier, helium
first wall coolant, EUROFER like structure material and aluminum oxide
insulator. In Korea, the major facilities for K-DEMO development include the
Plasma Material Interaction facility at Chonbuk
University, a 2.4 MW High-Temperature plasma torch and a neutron irradiation
material test Facility. Blanket, first wall, divertor and material tests were
performed at KAERI (Korea), together with the collaborative development for the
ITER Test Blanket Module as a breeding blanket for a Fusion Reactor. |
|
Modelling/analytics |
|
Briefly mention here the gaps or barriers the IA is seeking to address
modelling or analytics. If none, enter ‘N/A’. The main gaps for achieving fusion energy include understanding and
developing modeling capabilities of the fundamentals of plasma transport, macro-stability,
wave-particle physics and plasma-wall interaction. |
|
Include here highlights (the most important or significant results)
from among all the experiments and/or analysis for this area carried out
during the year. A great deal of
modelling is carried out for ITER amongst the IA partners, far too numerous
to mention here. Only a few examples
have been selected. Simulations have
been carried out to investigate the dependence and sensitivity of fusion
power production in ITER H-mode discharges on electron density, argon
impurity concentration, choice of radio frequency
heating, pedestal temperature and degree of plasma rotation. The fusion power
is found to increase with an increase in the electron density. A decrease in
fusion power and an increase in radiated power occur if the central argon
impurity density is increased from 0.14% to 0.30% of the central electron
density. The increase in argon density results in a predicted 100 MW decrease
in fusion power and a 10 MW increase in radiated power at time t=1000 s [T. Rafiq, et al, 2015]. Simulations of
plasma burn-through predict that at least 4 MW of Electron Cyclotron heating (EC) assist would be required in
ITER. They also show that the proposed ramp-up and ramp-down schemes
developed since 2007 are compatible with the present ITER design for the
poloidal field coils. Code benchmark studies using hybrid and steady state
scenario parameters have proved to be a very challenging and lengthy task of
testing suites of codes consisting of tens of sophisticated modules.
Nevertheless the general basis of the modelling appears sound with
substantial consistency among codes developed by different groups. For a
hybrid scenario at 12 MA the code simulations give a range for Q = 6.5–8.3 using 30 MW neutral beam injection and 20 MW ICRH [Sips et al 2015]. |
Outcomes
during the year
|
Workshops |
|
List here the workshops organised during the
year under the auspices of the IA. - 2nd IEA Theory and Simulation of Disruptions Workshop, Princeton
Plasma Physics Laboratory Princeton, New Jersey July 13-15, 2015
http://tsdw.pppl.gov/ |
|
Annex/task meetings |
|
List here the annex or task meetings held during the year organised by the IA. This Implementing Agreement has no annexes or associated Tasks. |
|
Publications / Scientific journal articles |
|
List here the publications drafted and/or finalized and made public
during the year resulting from the collaboration in the IA. Again it should be noted that there are a vast number of publications
which result from activities within the IA each year. A short selection is
provided here. Progress in preparing scenarios for operation of the International
Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor A. C. C. Sips, et al, Phys. Plasmas 22,
021804 (2015) ; A fresh look at electron cyclotron current drive power requirements
for stabilization of tearing modes in ITER, R. J. La Haye et al AIP Conf. Proc. 1689, 030018 (2015); Status of research toward the ITER disruption mitigation system E. M.
Hollmann, et al Phys. Plasmas 22, 021802 (2015); Fusion power production in International Thermonuclear Experimental
Reactor baseline H-mode scenarios, T. Rafiq, et al,
Phys. Plasmas 22, 042511 (2015); Tungsten impurity transport experiments in Alcator
C-Mod to address high priority research and development for ITER, A. Loarte, et
al, Phys. Plasmas 22, 056117 (2015); Novel aspects of plasma control in ITER, D. Humphreys, et al Phys.
Plasmas 22, 021806 (2015); The ITPA disruption database N.W. Eidietis,
et al 2015 Nucl. Fusion 55 063030; Assessment of operational space for long-pulse scenarios in ITER A. Polevoi et al, Nucl. Fusion 55,
063019 (2015); Impact of W on scenario simulations for ITER; G.M.D. Hogeweij, et al 2015 Nucl.
Fusion 55 063031 |
Current annexes, tasks or
other activities during the year
|
Ref. and Name |
Objectives |
Participants |
Milestones during the year |
|
This Implementing Agreement has no annexes or associated Tasks. |
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Co-operation with other fusion
collaborative groups
|
Workshops |
|
Include here information relative to co-operation (experiments,
research, publications or activities) with other international collaborations
relating to fusion (e.g. IAs, ITER, ITPA, IFMIF, IAEA, IFMIF or others). Coordination with
the ITPA involves mainly the planning and implementation of joint experiments
on multiple devices with prescribed parameter ranges and conditions in order
to investigate specific high-priority physics issues for the ITER project and
DEMO concepts that would benefit from comparative studies. Since these can
only be carried out internationally, the CTP-IA has provided valuable
opportunities for its Contracting Parties. These activities have been
coordinated during the following workshops and meetings: - 6th International Tokamak Physics Activities (ITPA) Joint
Experiments Workshop (JEX), 8-10 December 2015, ITER Council Room, ITER
Headquarters 72/5010 - 18th Meeting of the ITPA Coordinating Committee, CTP-ITPA JEX
Planning Meeting, 8-10 December 2015, ITER Council Room, ITER Headquarters
72/5010 |
Participation
|
New Contracting Parties |
|
Include here decisions or actions concerning possible new participants
(e.g. ExCo vote, formal letters, signature). Participation of ITER China Domestic Agency (CNDA) as a Contracting
Party in the CTP IA became effective as of 16 January 2013. Participation of ITER as a Contracting Party in the CTP IA became
effective as of 20 October 2012. Participation of the Institute for Plasma Research, India, in this
Agreement became effective as of 11 April 2011. Participation of the Government of Korea as a Contracting Party in
this Agreement became effective as of 5 February 2010 Russia was invited to become
a member of CTP-IA according to the decision made at the CTP-IA CC meeting in
2010. This invitation was not taken up.
Russia was invited a second time in 2015 but no response to the formal
letter from the CTP-IA Chair was received. |
|
Current Contracting Parties |
|
Include here ExCo decisions or actions
concerning existing participants (e.g. no longer participates, seeking
alternates). - European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom),
European Union - Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Japan - United States Department Of Energy (USDOE), United States - The Korean Ministry of Education, Science And Technology (MEST),
Korea. - The Institute For Plasma Research (IPR), India. - ITER International Organization - ITER China Domestic Agency (CNDA) |
|
Current ExCo participants |
|
CHAIR Name: Richard Pitts, Organisation: ITER-IO, Country: ITER-IO, Email: Richard
.Pitts@iter.org, Name: Remmelt Haange,
Organisation:
ITER-IO, Country: ITER-IO, Email: rem.haange@iter.org, Name: Alexander Alekseev, Organisation: ITER-IO, Country: ITER-IO, Email:
alexander.alekseev@iter.org, Name: David Campbell, Organisation: ITER-IO, Country: ITER-IO, Email:
david.campbell@iter.org, Name: Guenter Janeschitz, Organisation: ITER-IO, Country: ITER-IO, Email:
guenter.janeschitz@iter.org, Name: Mario Merola, Organisation: ITER-IO, Country: ITER-IO, Email:
mario.merola@iter.org, Name: Tony Donné, Organisation: EUROfusion,
Country: EU, Email: Tony.Donne@euro-fusion.org, Name: Lars-Göran Eriksson, Organisation:
European Commission, Country: EU,Email:
lars-goran.eriksson@ec.europa.eu, Name: Duarte Borba, Organisation:
EUROfusion, Country: EU, Email: Duarte.Borba@euro-fusion.org, Name: Hartmut Zohm, Organisation: IPP,
Country: EU, Email: hartmut.zohm@ipp.mpg.de, Name: Xavier Litaudon, Organisation:
EUROfusion, Country: EU, Email: Xavier.Litaudon@euro-fusion.org, Name: Predhiman Krishan, Organisation:
IPR, Country: India, Email:
kaw@ipr.res.in, Name: R. Jha, Organisation:
IPR, Country: India, Email:
rjha@ipr.res.in, Name: Takaaki Fujita, Organisation:
JAEA, Country: Japan, Email: fujita.takaaki@jaea.go.jp, Name: Yutaka Kamada, Organisation:
JAEA, Country: Japan, Email: kamada.yutaka@jaea.go.jp, Name: Shunsuke Ide, Organisation:
JAEA, Country: Japan, Email: Shunsuke.Ide@jaea.go.jp, Name: Yoshihiko Koid, Organisation:
JAEA, Country: Japan, Email: koide.yoshihiko@jaea.go.jp, Name: Kouji Shinohara, Organisation:
JAEA, Country: Japan, Email: shinohara.koji@jaea.go.jp, Name: Naoyuki Oyama,
Organisation: JAEA, Country: Japan, Email:
oyama.naoyuki@jaea.go.jp, Name: Jong-Gu Kwak,
Organisation: NFRI, Country: Korea, Email:
jgkwak@nfri.re.kr, Name: Yeong-Kook Oh, Organisation:
NFRI, Country: Korea, Email: ykoh@nfri.re.kr, Name: Jin-Yong Kim, Organisation:
NFRI, Country: Korea, Email: jykim@nfri.re.kr, Name: Siwoo Yoon, Organisation:
NFRI, Country: Korea, Email: swyoon@nfri.re.kr, Name: Luo Delong, Organisation: ITER-China,
Country: China, Email: luodl@iterchina.cn, Name: He Kaihui, Organisation:
ITER-China, Country: China, Email: hekh@iterchina.cn, Name: John Mandrekas, Organisation: DOE,
Country: US, Email: John.Mandrekas@science.doe.gov, Name: Rich Hawryluk, Organisation: DOE,
Country: US, Email: rhawrylu@pppl.gov, Name: Charles Greenfield, Organisation: DOE,
Country: US, Email: greenfield@fusion.gat.com, Name: Dave Hill, Organisation: DOE, Country:
US, Email: hilldn@fusion.gat.com, Name: Earl Marmar, Organisation:
DOE, Country: US, Email: marmar@psfc.mit.edu, |
|
Current Annex or Task participants |
|
Insert here the names and contact details of participants in the Annex
or Task (and sub-task if/as necessary). This Implementing
Agreement has no annexes or associated Tasks. |
6th executive committee Meeting
of the
IEA Implementing
Agreement for
CO-OPERATION ON
TOKAMAK PROGRAMMES (IEA CTP-IA)
At Cadarache,
France, Thursday 10th December 2015
MINUTES
Participants: Richard Pits (ITER)-Chair,
Duarte Borba (EU-EUROfusion)-Secretary, Jong-Gu Kwak (KO-NFRI), Yeong-Kook Oh
(KO-NFRI), Rich Hawryluk (US-PPPL), John Mandrekas (US-DOE), David Hill
(US-GA), Shunsuke Ide (JP-JAEA), Abhijit Sen
(IN-IPR), Xavier Litaudon (EU-EUROfusion), Tony Donné (EU-EUROfusion),
Lars-Göran Eriksson (EU-European Commission), Hartmut Zohm (EU- IPP), Ge Zhuang
(CN-Huazhong Univ of Sci & Tech), Min Xu (CN-Southwestern Institute of
Physics),
Summary
The IEA CTP-IA Executive committee:
- unanimously confirmed Richard Pitts (ITER) as chair of the
IEA CTP-IA executive committee for 2016,
- adopted the
Personnel Assignment reports for Jan. 2015 – Dec. 2015,
- agreed to reformulate the Proposals for
Assignments and Remote Participation for Jan. 2016-Dec. 2016 to make them more
uniform and representative,
- agreed to the
proposal by the US to organise a follow up Workshop focussed on well diagnosed
experiments that can provide information to validate or disprove models for
disruptions,
- unanimously agreed to take the required steps to prepare the
agreement extension request, which expires 30 June 2017,
- took note of the
rebranding of the Implementing Agreements as IEA Technology Collaboration
Programmes (IEA TCPs), endorsed at the IEA Governing Board meeting at
Ministerial level held on 17-18 November 2015.
Welcome and Approval of the agenda and minutes of the
last meeting
The chair welcomed all participants in the meeting and
the executive committee agreed that the meeting secretary is Duarte Borba (EU).
The chair remarked that all members were present, including representatives
from China; Ge Zhuang (CN-Huazhong Univ of Sci & Tech), Min Xu
(CN-Southwestern Institute of Physics) and that John Mandrekas (US-DOE) replaces Steve Eckstrand (US-DOE). The proposed agenda was
briefly discussed and approved. The minutes of the previous meeting (5th
executive committee Meeting) were also approved.
Status of
Open Actions
The executive committee reviewed the status of the
open actions and the chair remarked that all actions from the previous meeting
have been completed. Namely, the chair prepared and submitted a contribution
related to the IEA CTP-IA for the publication on Implementing Agreements and
presented the Annual report at the FPCC meeting on 28th January 2015. The chair
also sent a letter to Dr. Borovkov
reissuing the invitation for Russia to join the IEA CTP-IA, but no reply was
received. This was the second letter issued by a chair of the IEA CTP-IA
Executive Committee and it was agreed that no follow up letter would be sent in
2016. However, it was remarked that the participation of Russia in this
agreement would be very much welcomed and that discussions with Russia would
continue regarding this matter. The chair also contacted the head of the
Chinese ITER Domestic Agency in order to clarify the participation of China in
the IEA CTP-IA, in particular the role of SWIP and ASIPP. In reply, the Chinese
ITER Domestic Agency have confirmed that they would
discussed this matter, but no representative of the Chinese ITER Domestic
Agency was present at the meeting and this matter is still to be clarified.
Action: The chair to contact the Chinese ITER
Domestic Agency for confirmation of their membership of the IEA CTP-IA
executive committee and to clarify the participation of China in the IEA
CTP-IA, in particular the role of SWIP and ASIPP.
Chairman's term of office
It was pointed out that the policy on the chair of the
Executive Committee is to rotate the chair among the parties. Following the
discussion that took place at the 5th Executive Committee meeting,
where it was proposed that ITER will take the chair for the following two
years, it was confirmed that Richard Pitts (ITER) will continue as the chair
for one additional year (2016). There was also a brief discussion on the
succession after the ITER term of two years. The list of past chairs was
presented at the meeting for information (Annex 1). It was noted that the most
recent members China and India have not had yet the opportunity to take the
chair and therefore that it would be appropriate if one of these parties would
agree to take the chair next time around. After that, among the other members,
the EU has not chaired the Executive Committee since 2009 (Annex 2). Therefore,
the EU would be the next party to take the chair after India and China.
Decision: The IEA CTP-IA executive
committee unanimously confirmed Richard Pitts (ITER) as chair of the IEA CTP-IA
executive committee for 2016.
Discussion on annual report
It was stressed
that as in the recent past, the chair will ask the members of the committee for
input in preparing the CTP-IA annual report. The Executive Committee took note
of the new report template proposed by the IEA and discussed using it for this report.
The new template is organised as a two-page annual updates, with the topics:
Highlights of experiments or analysis during the year; outcomes during the
year; current annexes, tasks or other activities during the year; co-operation
with other fusion collaborative groups and participation.
Action: The
chair to prepare and present the annual report at the FPCC meeting (28-29 Jan 2016)
Action: The
Members of the executive committee to provide input for preparing the annual
report, including key highlights.
Executive
Committee Membership
Regarding the Executive Committee membership, the proposal to formalise
the replacement of Francesco Romanelli (EU) with Tony Donné (EU) and also
possibly the addition of Xavier Litaudon (EU) as alternate was not yet been
completed due to the reorganisation of the participation of the European
Commission in the IEA agreements. Regarding the US membership, it was pointed
out that an e-mail with the new proposal for the membership was sent by James
Van Dam on 23 October 2015. This proposal is attached in Annex 3. As it was pointed out by Carrie Pottinger (IEA) at the 5th executive committee
meeting, all nominations must be
addressed in a letter to the IEA Executive Director.
Reports on the
Completed Workshops and Personnel Assignments for Jan. 2015– Dec.2015 and
Proposals for Personnel Assignments and Remote Participation for Jan. 2016 –
Dec. 2016
J. Mandrekas (US) reported on the workshop organized
in Princeton under the auspices of the IEA CTP-IA. He remarked that the
workshop was very successful and it was proposed to carry out a follow up
workshop on the same topic in 2016. The information regarding the outcome of
the workshop is accessible on the website (http://tsdw.pppl.gov/).
Decision: The
IEA CTP-IA executive committee unanimously agreed to the proposal tabled by the US to
organize a follow up Workshop focused on well-diagnosed experiments that can
provide information to validate or disprove models for disruptions.
The EU assignments were presented by Duarte Borba
(EU). It was remarked that only the assignments marked specifically to be
conducted under the CTP-IA have been listed and that there is a large list
including a number of scientific exchanges under bilateral agreements, and a
specific collaboration with China on both physics and technology areas. The US
assignments were presented by J. Mandrekas (US). It was noted that the
assignments marked as “delete” should not be included in the final report. It
was also noted that there was a significant increase in the proposed US
assignments, which is a very good sign. The KO assignments were presented by
Jong-Gu Kwak (KO). A typo was noted on the assignment of Sun-Hee Kim in that the ITER contact does not have a EURATOM
affiliation. The JP assignments were presented by Shunsuke
Ide (JP). It was noted that the visit of Urano to JET has been very productive
but the present assignment cannot be extended. However, new assignments of
Urano are foreseen in the near future. The ITER assignments were presented by
Richard Pitts (ITER). It was also noted
that there are a number of assignments from India, in particular to DIII-D in
the US.
Action: On India and China representatives to
prepare a list of scientific assignments for submission to the IEA CTP-IA Executive
committee.
It was suggested to distribute the proposed Personnel
Assignments ahead of the meeting to be reviewed and commented by the executive
committee members.
Action: The secretary to distribute the proposed
Personnel Assignments ahead of the meeting to be reviewed and commented by the
Executive Committee members.
After the review of the proposed Personnel Assignments
there was a discussion on how to make the proposals more uniform and
representative. It was clarified that the parties should list the outgoing
assignments. It was agreed that assignments regarding the participation in
review panels and related committees should not be listed, as well as assignments
to ITER to participate, for example in design review meetings or related to
specific ITER contracts. However, the lists should contain all scientific
assignments including scientific assignments to the ITER-IO. It was agreed to
list all scientific exchanges and include the exchanges carried out under
bilateral agreements for information, with a column indicating the
international cooperation agreement covering the scientific assignment. It was
agreed that the chair and secretary should prepare and circulate a note on the
agreed guidelines on how to prepare the list of assignments. The parties will
revise the staff assignment lists taking into account the agreed guidelines as
summarised in Annex 4.
Action: The secretary to distribute a note on the
agreed guidelines on how to prepare the list of assignments.
Action: The party representatives to revise the
staff assignment lists taking into account the agreed guidelines
Renewal of the Agreement
A discussion took place on the procedure for the Renewal
of the IEA CTP-IA Agreement. The Executive Committee took note that the
agreement will expire on 30 June 2017 and that the documents required to be
submitted for extension are currently being discussed by the CERT. The
documents under consideration are shorter and streamlined. They comprise:
• an end-of-term report
(maximum of 5 pages)
• a strategic work plan
• a qualitative and
quantitative questionnaire
A final decision on the documents required for the
extension of the agreements is expected in February 2016. If agreed, the new
requirements would apply to all extensions requested after 1 January 2017,
which is the case for the CTP. The Executive Committee discussed the extension
of the agreement and the required steps. There was a unanimous view that the
agreement should be extended, since it provides the required framework for
important collaborations that could not otherwise take place, such as the
participation of ITER-IO scientists in the JET programme. It was agreed to
organise the preparation of the required documents, once the procedure is
clarified from the IEA side. The representatives of the parties will take the
appropriate action to seek approval from their respective governmental
representatives.
Decision: The IEA CTP-IA Executive Committee
unanimously agreed to take the required steps to prepare the agreement
extension request, which expires 30 June 2017.
Action: representatives of the parties to take the
appropriate action to seek approval from their respective governmental
representatives regarding the request for extension of the agreement.
Outcome of the IEA
Governing Board meeting at Ministerial level held on 17-18 November 2015
The Energy Secretary of the United States, Hon. Ernest
Moniz, chaired the IEA Governing Board meeting at ministerial level held on
17-18 November 2015. The theme of the 2015 IEA ministerial level meeting was
“Innovation for a Clean, Secure Energy Future”, emphasising the importance of
heightened co-operation among IEA member countries and key emerging economies
as well as the business community. Ministers also endorsed the rebranding
of the Implementing Agreements as IEA Technology Collaboration Programmes
(IEA TCPs)
Decision: The IEA CTP-IA Executive Committee took
note of the rebranding of the Implementing Agreements as IEA Technology
Collaboration Programmes (IEA TCPs), endorsed at the IEA Governing Board
meeting at Ministerial level held on 17-18 November 2015.
Date of the next meeting
The 7th executive committee meeting is
foreseen for 8th December 2016, from 14:00 to 16:00, after the next
ITPA Coordinating Committee meeting. The date will be confirmed when the date
of the next ITPA Coordinating Committee meeting is fixed.
Annex 1 list of
past Chairs was presented at the meeting for information
2014 - Richard Pits (ITER)
2013 - Steve Eckstrand (US)
2012 - Steve Eckstrand (US)
2011 - Myeun Kwon
(KO)
2010 - M. Mori (JAEA)
2009 - F. Romanelli (EU)
2008 - E. Oktay (US)
2007 - M. Kikuchi (JA)
2006 - F. Romanelli (EU)
2005 - E. Oktay (US)
2004 - M. Kikuchi (JA)
2003 - J. Pamèla (EU)
2002 - E. Oktay (US)
2001 - H. Ninomiya (JA)
2000 - J. Pamèla (EU)
1999 - K. Young (US)
1998 - H. Ninomiya (JA)
1997 - A. Gibson (JET)
1996 - R. J. Hawryluk (TFTR)
1995 - H. Kishimoto (JT60)
1994 - A. Gibson (JET)
1993 - R. J. Hawryluk (TFTR)
1992 - S. Tamura (JT60)
1991 - A. Gibson (JET)
1990 - D. M. Meade (TFTR)
1989 - S. Tamura (JT60)
1988 - R. Bickerton (JET)
1987 - D. Grove (TFTR)
1986 - M. Yoshikawa (JT60)
Annex 2 Members
last time holding the Chair
CN: never
IN: never
EU: 2009
JA: 2010
KO: 2011
US: 2013
IO: 2015
Annex 3 New proposal for the US membership as sent by James Van Dam on
23 October 2015
• Replace Randy Wilson with Richard Hawryluk
• Replace Mickey Wade with Dave Hill
• Replace Punit Gohil with Charles Greenfield
Annex 4 Guidelines
for the preparation of the staff assignment lists for approval at the executive
committee meeting.
- The
parties should list the outgoing assignments.
- The
participation in review panels and related committees should not be listed, as
well as assignments to IO to participate in review meetings or meetings related
to specific IO contracts.
- Lists
should contain all scientific assignments, including scientific assignments to
the IO.
- Lists
should contain all scientific exchanges, including the exchanges carried out
under bilateral agreements for information, with a column indicating the
international cooperation agreement covering the scientific assignment.