Diapositiva 1

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RFX-mod in the European fusion programme
priorities for 2009 and medium-term plans
Piero Martin M.E. Puiatti on behalf of the
RFX-mod team Consorzio RFX- Associazione
Euratom-ENEA sulla fusione, Padova,
Italy RFX-mod 2009 programme seminar, Padova,
January 20-22, 2009
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Welcome to a live facility!

• 2008 rich of excellent results, which
• met the goals of the program,
• dramatically advanced our knowledge of RFP,
• gave a brighter and clearer vision on its future,
  
• and are having a significant impact on the
  broader fusion community.
• We can build on that !

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Info on the workshop

• Margherita Basso, Federica Bonomo, Elisa Carlini
  and Alessandro Fassina
• workshop organizers
• Enrico Scek Osman and Paolo Barbato
• Computer videoconference support
• Agenda is tight please be on time with your
  talks, so we can have enough time for discussion
• Informal meeting, feel free to ask whatever you
  want (more or less)
• Group picture this morning _at_coffee break (next to
  RFX, follow the crowd)
• Lunch at the RFX cantine (guests ask for ticket
  to Margherita)
• Dinner tonight (we leave from here)

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RFX timeline

• 1991 - 1999 RFX operation
• 2000 - 2004 Shut-down and upgrade
• 2005 - now RFX-mod

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The fusion-oriented RFX mission

• understanding the RFP physics and optimizing
  confinement to assess the configuration reactors
  potentials
• Providing state-of-the-art facilities for
  developing active control of MHD stability in
  fusion devices and in ITER in particular
• contributing to the understanding of fusion
  science, in particular
• to test tokamak physics at the extreme of low
  field
• to improve predictive capabilities for the
  numerical tokamak
• to study analogies and synergies with the
  stellarator

2008 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Geneva - P.
Martin
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Accomplishing the goal, supporting the missions

• Since its restart at the end of 2004, RFX-mod has
  continuously progressed towards its goals, in
  particular in
• Performance extension and understanding of RFP
  physics,
• reliability of plasma operation,
• ability of addressing key topics in MHD stability
  feedback control and
• integration with the international fusion
  programme
• ability of building an efficient and agreed
  programme
• Guidelines for the RFX-mod programme are the
  seven missions identified in the EFDA
  work-programme and endorsed by the EU commission
  facility review panel

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A positive 2008 !

• A new regime (Single Helical Axis), discovered at
  Igt1 MA, provides a substantial improvement in
  confinement and robust core electron transport
  barriers.

• Active MHD mode control has contributed to the
  improvement of RFX performance and to the tokamak
  effort
• Induced rotation of RWMs
• Benchmark of ITER codes
• Advanced control modelling, in particular for
  multimode cases

• Broad and supportive recognition of RFX-mod
  science and technology, both at European and
  international level
• Increasing collaborations with tokamak and
  stellarator communities (both ways)
• Excellent visibility at international conferences
  (EPS, APS, IAEA)
• Increasing confidence in RFX-mod as a key player
  in the EU fusion program
• Increasing effort on education (with very
  positive response!)

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RFX-mod new physics at 1.5 MA
upgraded MHD active control 2008
with MHD active control 2006
no MHD active contro 2004l

• (s)

A new regime is discovered, where the plasma
spontaneously self-organizes in a single-axis
helical state, with strongly improved core
confinement.
2008 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Geneva - P.
Martin
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A new boundary condition

• RD Needs and Required Facilities for the
  Development of Fusion as an Energy Source
• Report of the Fusion Facilities Review Panel
• October 2008

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The time-line of the facility review

• It is conceivable and reasonable that within 5
  years we are in a position of making a statement
  on the RFP confinement at high current and on its
  perspectives, i.e. to complete the mission of
  the present device.
• This is accompanied with the complementary effort
  in MST (current drive, advanced regimes,
  diagnostics.), and with the programs of T2R and
  RELAX
• The time frame of the facility review report
  gives time to design a strategy based on the
  results of the present RFX-mod

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From the facility review report

• These ITER and DEMO priorities must be
  complemented by
• Pursuing innovation for
• Improving theoretical understanding based on
  first-principles
• Developing novel solutions in physics and
  technology and unifying experimental and
  theoretical knowledge from different confinement
  schemes
• Extending fusion physics and technology, and the
  relevant data bases.
• New ideas from science driven RD, access to
  professional and academic excellence in the
  fusion disciplines and adjacent fields and
  intensive links to universities will be vital for
  optimal progress in the long-term development of
  fusion energy.
• Maintaining and renewing the staffing basis of
  the Programme
• The training of young scientists and engineers is
  a particularly important task for the long-term
  future of the programme.

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From the facility review report

• While recommending for the core projects a clear
  top-down RD planning, the Panel is aware that
  the overall research field is still too wide to
  rely exclusively on such an approach.
• As a complementary part of the programme, there
  must be an effort of sufficient weight to explore
  more tentative perspectives for innovations and
  improvements in areas where RD options are still
  too open for exclusively pursuing target-oriented
  top-down approaches.
• Unifying the knowledge from the experimental and
  theoretical work on different confinement schemes
  (in particular the Tokamak and the Stellarator,
  but also others such as the Spherical Tokamak and
  the RFP) will be an interesting area for the
  exploration of possible innovative concept
  improvements.

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An integrated facilities road-map

• The Reversed Field Pinch RFX is contributing
  with results in otherwise inaccessible parameter
  ranges and there is, for the next years, scope
  and interest for these studies.
• Research on RFX is contributing to the
  understanding of a range of physics features in
  toroidal plasmas.
• Mission 2, Reliable Tokamak Operation On RFX
  specific studies for the active MHD and plasma
  wall control can be undertaken.
• Mission 4, Physics and technology of long pulse
  and steady state RFX can offer a contribution
  to the physics and control of resistive wall
  modes and to feedback systems
• Mission 5, Predicting Fusion performance An
  intensive activity in theoretical work and
  numerical modelling must interact with
  comprehensive experimental studies in a wide
  parameter range in order to validate the
  capability of codes to predict fusion.
  Capabilities exist experimentally in particular
  by the step-ladder facilities COMPASS - ASDEX-UG
  (and DIII-D, Alcator C-Mod) JET (and JT-60U) and
  by devices which can access different shapes and
  features, in particular MAST, TCV, the circular
  Tokamaks TORE SUPRA, FTU, TEXTOR and the Reversed
  Field Pinches RFX (and EXTRAP) as well as the
  Stellarator TJ-II.

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Challenges and options

• Unless something dramatically changes, it is
  likely that a healthy fusion programme needs a
  portfolio of devices and concepts, and a strong
  science effort (see report).
• The case for RFP as a fusion device to support
  the international program in the ITER era is
  still well open, and we need to work strongly to
  defend it
• Completing the mission does not mean that, while
  we are doing it, we do not think to an extended
  and more ambitious one, of course always taking
  into account scientific results

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A strong momentum with interesting times
VERY POSITIVE SCIENTIFIC OUTCOME FROM RFX
ENTHUSIASTIC PARTICIPATION IN THE SCIENTIFIC
(both physics AND engineering) PROGRAMME
CHALLENGES and OPPORTUNITIES
THE INTERNATIONAL FUSION PROGRAMME IS UNDERGOING
A VERY PROFOUND AND DYNAMIC CHANGE
WELL DEFINED OBJECTIVES FOR RFX IN THE ITER
ERA Explore confinement, MHD control, fusion
physics, contribute to fusion performance
prediction, education, maintenance of a strong
and motivated experimental team for future
projects
A vision for a strong sci tech program is
required
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Project work, innovation and scientific
excellence fostered in the report

• The broader scientific and technological RD for
  ITER and DEMO in the associated laboratories
  including the joint exploitation of JET is
  undertaken under EFDA by pan-European (and
  international) task forces and topical groups.
• () Also on ASDEX-Upgrade, RFX and other
  facilities the programmes for forthcoming periods
  of exploitation are set up, by international
  calls for proposals with the criterion of
  optimally serving the established RD objectives.
  Subsequently they are executed by corresponding
  international task forces.

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Guidelines for the 2009 programme

• Supported by the success of the first 2008
  attempt, also for 2009 the details of the
  experimental work-programme will be defined on
  the basis of a public call for proposals.
• This has been open to EU and international
  laboratories and universities, with the aim of
  opening even more the RFX-mod facility to the
  community use. The call for proposal has been
  launched in early December, together with the new
  Task Force Structure.
• 128 proposals
• 8 external institutions making proposals (3 EU, 2
  JP, 3 USA)

451 experimental days requested (vs. 120-130
good run days expected)
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2008 task force structure
SOME TIMES ORGANIZING THE EXPERIMENT WAS HARDER
THAT RUNNING IT.

• TWO TASK FORCE LEADERS FROM EXTERNAL LABS
• ENEA Frascati and University of Wisconsin, Madison

RFP performance high current operation and
advanced scenarios Carraro, Sarff
Databases and scaling laws Pasqualotto
MHD and active control of instabilities Buratti,
Zanca
Density control and plasma-wall
interaction Cavazzana, Dal Bello
VERY GOOD JOB, THANK YOU VERY MUCH !
Particle, momentum and energy transport Spolaore
Optimization of RFX-mod discharges RFP, tokamak
and non-standard plasmas Bolzonella, Zanotto
gt120 exp. proposals for 2008, also from external
laboratories
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2009 task force structure
RFP performance high current operation and
advanced scenarios
Particle, momentum and energy transport
Magnetic and fuelling optimization
MHD and active control of stability
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT TEAM
DATA VALIDATION AND SCALING TEAM
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2009 task force structure

• RFP performance high current operation and
  advanced scenarios
• Rita Lorenzini, Francesco Milani
• MHD and active control of instabilities
• Giuseppe Marchiori, David Terranova
• Particle, momentum and energy transport
• Gianluca Spizzo, Nicola Vianello
• Magnetic and fuelling optimization
• Roberto Cavazzana
• Program implementation support team
• Samuele Dal Bello, Loris Zanotto
• Data validation and scaling team
• Paolo Franz, Monica Spolaore
• MST ambassador
• Brett Chapman

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High current operation optimization towards 2 MA

• The 2007 and 2008 experience shows that a careful
  optimization of the scenario, including MHD
  active control, is an essential ingredient for
  the success of the high current operation.
• 2008 was mainly dedicated to exploration of 1.5
  MA, mainly driven by the new results and by the
  IAEA deadline
• During 2009 the work on the high current
  operation will proceed along two synergistic main
  projects
• optimization of the 1.5 MA scenario
• initial exploration of the current regime between
  1.5 and 2 MA, where the optimization and the
  scenarios developed for point 1) will be used.

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2 steps strategy

• This 2-steps strategy acknowledges that the route
  towards the nominal target current of RFX-mod, 2
  MA, has to be followed
• preserving machine safety,
• Improving the diagnostic portfolio (Ti, B over
  all)
• making each additional step ahead in current
  based on a well-optimized discharge, and
• allowing for an adequate amount of time for
  physics and technology exploration at
  intermediate current (e.g., the very successful
  RWM and turbulence experiments are normally
  conducted at lower currents).
• This guarantees that 2 MA will be reached in the
  safest and most performance-effective way.
• Within this framework, we expect that the
  achievement of a baseline 2 MA plasma, ready for
  full exploitation of confinement, will be an
  integrated goal of both the 2009 and 2010
  experimental campaigns.

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Density control

• Goal sustainment of the high-confinement helical
  configuration at high density.
• The strategy proposed to solve the problem
  consists in two steps, one short-term and one
  medium-term.
• The first one (short term), on a short term, is
  based on the use of pellets to fuel the plasma
  core and on a series of experiments for
  optimizing the pre-loading of the wall.
• A second project (medium term) concerns first
  wall lithization, to reduce recycling
• Initially Li pellets will be injected into the
  plasma, and subsequently a Liquid Lithium Limiter
  will be installed for a more uniform coverage.
  Collaboration in this field has been established
  with the ENEA laboratories in Frascati, as the
  technique has been already successfully applied
  to FTU (Mazzitelli, tomorrow).

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Key science topics (more in the TF sessions)

• Transport (helical)
• Equilibrium and stability (helical)
• Turbulence
• Current Drive
• Preparation for the power beam injector
  installation (on loan from AIST)
• Collaborations and synergies with other RFP,
  tokamaks and stellarator

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MHD active control, with significant external
collaborations

• A significant fraction of the experimental
  programme will be devoted to experiments on
  active feedback control of MHD stability. This
  program will build upon the fact that a thick
  shell is no longer necessary for the RFP.
• The experiments will aim at optimizing existing
  techniques and developing new ones for the
  control of
• resistive wall modes (RWM) and
• tearing modes.
• The RFX-mod coil system will also be used for
  projects at the forefront of MHD active stability
  worldwide programme and co-ordinated with the
  EFDA workprogramme (e.g. ITER code benchmarking,
  studies on mode non-rigidity and on the effect of
  partial coil coverage, mode locking and
  un-locking studies, study on non-resonant
  perturbations).
• Moreover, an intense activity on control
  engineering will be realized, to develop new
  control algorithms and tools, which will be
  tested in RFX-mod.

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6 sessions
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Some of us are facing big challenges

• We look forward of seeing you soon back !

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The end
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Developments on feedback control in low-rotation
plasmas

• The MHD feedback control system can be on purpose
  downgraded both in power and number of coils,
  to study tokamak-relevant problems
• The effect of reduced available power
• Effects of mode non-rigidity with a reduced set
  of coils
• Interaction between RWMs and Tearing Modes (TM)

2008 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Geneva - P.
Martin
32
Developments on feedback control in low-rotation
plasmas

• The MHD feedback control system can be on purpose
  downgraded both in power and number of coils,
  to study tokamak-relevant problems
• The effect of reduced available power
• Effects of mode non-rigidity with a reduced set
  of coils
• Interaction between RWMs and Tearing Modes (TM)

2008 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Geneva - P.
Martin
33
Interesting times

• RFX-mod is producing very good results, with
  reliable operation and strong integration of the
  various components of the team
• The case for fusion relevance is now fully open
• RFX team might be a world leader in MHD control
• We are giving key contributions in collaboration
  with tokamak
• We are publishing good papers
• There is interest and resonance in the
  international community
• This is true because we are a well-identified
  team based on RFX, even when we work outside.
• Synergy counts.
• There is an extra-value in being a team, for now
  AND for the future, for physicists and engineers

Like on a bike to avoiding falling down we need
to run together !
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• ? ? ? ? - Frascati (FTU)? ? ? ? - DIIID? ? ? ? -
  EXTRAP-T2R? ? ? ? - RELAX? ? ? ? - MST? ? ? ? -
  ASDEX? ? ? ? - PPPL

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Advanced RWM control and mode un-locking
Active rotation of non-resonant wall-locked RWM
is induced by applying complex gains (keeping the
mode at the desired constant amplitude)
RWM amplitude
RWM phase
Bolzonella, Igochine et al, PRL 08
2008 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Geneva - P.
Martin
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From the facility review report

• The dedicated ITER and DEMO oriented work should
  therefore be complemented by innovative RD aimed
  at opening new options and improving present
  modelling by improving the theoretical
  understanding based on first principles,
  developing novel solutions in physics and
  technology and extending fusion physics and
  technology knowledge and the relevant data bases.

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• The international fusion programme is undergoing
  a very profound and dynamic change, mainly driven
  by ITER.
• We have to play this game better we do it as
  best as we can.
• A success of RFX is a necessary condition for the
  survival and development of a plasma physics and
  engineering group in Padova with its own identity
  and the goal of becoming a main actor in the next
  generation of fusion devices (ITER, FAST, )

• A vision for a strong sci tech program required
• Exploitation of RFX-mod
• Innovation and creativity to enhance our
  contribution to tokamak main stream
• Focussing on leading topics, both for RFX and
  collaborations
• Building a Consensus implementing the decisions
• Start NOW to build the future