ITPA: 2013 experiments for ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ are decided
17 Dec 2012
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Michiya Shimada, Chief Scientific Officer, Divertor and Plasma Wall Interactions
Discussing the implementation of ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ physics R&D: ITPA Coordinating Committee Chair Yutaka Kamada (front row, 2nd from left); IEA IA CTP Chair Steve Eckstrand (front row, 2nd from the right); ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Director-General Motojima (front row, 3rd from left); David Campbell, Director of Plasma Operation Directorate (front row, 1st from the right) and colleagues.
Last week, a key meeting for the implementation of ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ physics R&D took place in the new Council Chamber. The Joint Meeting of the International Tokamak Physics Activity () Coordinating Committee and the International Energy Agency Implementing Agreement (IEA IA) on (CTP) is an annual gathering of senior representatives of the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Member fusion communities, the ITPA Topical Group leadership and program leaders from the major fusion facilities.
The 56 participants that had travelled from the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Members joined 12 from the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Organization for the meeting. In his opening remarks, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Director-General Osamu Motojima welcomed the participants, outlined the key priorities of the in relation to ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ construction, and underlined the major physics R&D needs. David Campbell, director of the Plasma Operation Directorate, gave an overview on the issues of physics R&D that are critical to the design and development of the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Research Plan.
Among these priorities are: the understanding and control of Edge Localized Modes (ELMs); disruptions and runaway electrons (and their mitigation); H-mode accessibility; use of all-metal plasma-facing components; the behaviour of tungsten impurities; tritium retention; dust; and power scrape-off layer (SOL) thickness.
The chairs of the seven ITPA Topical Groups reviewed the progress made in 2012 and proposed an experiment plan for 2013, focusing on the urgent issues for ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. The Chair of Divertor and SOL Physics Topical Group, Emmanuelle Tsitrone, coordinated a special discussion session on the plan for joint research focusing on the comparison of divertors with carbon and tungsten plasma-facing components.
On the basis of high-priority research topics for ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ and the experimental capabilities of current fusion facilities, the facility program leaders decided on the priorities for each proposed experiment within their experimental programs for 2013. David Campbell commented, "I would like to thank ITPA for the continuing support of ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ R&D activities. We regard ITPA as a very important component of the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Project and a critical part of our physics R&D program, providing a great deal of input to the physics design basis for the completion of the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ design—a high-priority activity at the moment."