ITER Overview

W.Spears, ITER Garching JWS

ITER

Socio-Economics for the

European ITER Site Study (EISS)
5 February 2001

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 ITER Objectives

Programmatic
• Demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy for peaceful
purposes.

Technical
• Demonstrate extended burn of DT plasmas, with steady state as the ultimate goal.
• Integrate and test all essential fusion power reactor technologies and components.
• Demonstrate safety and environmental acceptability of fusion.

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 Burning Plasma

• For power amplification Q >5, α-articles become the dominant

source of plasma heating and determine plasma behaviour
– conditions cannot be reached by present machines or by upgrades, nor
satisfactorily simulated.
• New physics situations must be explored experimentally
– self-heating by isotropic high energy particles
– particle transport, MHD stability linked with α -particle dominance
– corroboration/calibration of dimensionless scaling relationships
• Technical demands from: size, heat removal and neutron flux
– non-linear process leading immediately to large power
– design impact of shielding
• Only tokamaks are ready for this step, but results are
transferable to any magnetic confinement scheme for fusion.
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 Technical Characteristics
Performance
• Q > 10 with inductive current drive (ignition not precluded).
• Q > 5 using non-inductive current drive.
• Typical fusion power level ~ 500 MW
Design
• Use existing technology and physics database to give confidence but be able to
access advanced operational modes.
• Operation equivalent to a few 10000 inductive pulses of 300-500 s.
• Average neutron flux ≥ 0.5 MW/m2
• Average end-of-life fluence ≥ 0.3 MWa/m2
Operation
• Address all aspects of plasma dominated by α−particle heating through burning
plasma experiments.
• Make low fluence functional tests of DEMO-relevant blanket modules early, and high
reliability tests later.
• Device operation ~20 years. Tritium supplied from external sources.
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 ITER Parameters

Total fusion power 500 MW (700MW)

Q = fusion power/auxiliary heating power ≥10 (inductive)
Average neutron wall loading 0.57 MW/m2 (0.8 MW/m2)
Plasma inductive burn time ≥ 300 s
Plasma major radius 6.2 m
Plasma minor radius 2.0 m
Plasma current (inductive, Ip) 15 MA (17.4 MA)
Vertical elongation @95% flux surface/separatrix 1.70/1.85
Triangularity @95% flux surface/separatrix 0.33/0.49
Safety factor @95% flux surface 3.0
Toroidal field @ 6.2 m radius 5.3 T
Plasma volume 837 m3
Plasma surface 678 m2
Installed auxiliary heating/current drive power 73 MW (100 MW)

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 Design - Main Features

Central Solenoid Blanket Module

Vacuum Vessel
Outer Intercoil
Structure

Cryostat
Toroidal Field Coil

Port Plug (IC Heating)

Poloidal Field Coil
Divertor

Machine Gravity Supports

Torus Cryopump

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 Design - Magnets and Structures (1)

Superconducting. 4 main subsystems:

• 18 toroidal field (TF) coils produce confining/stabilizing
toroidal field;
• 6 poloidal field (PF) coils position and shape plasma;
• a central solenoid (CS) coil induces current in the
plasma.
• correction coils (CC) correct error fields due to
manufacturing/assembly imperfections, and stabilize
the plasma against resistive wall modes.

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 Design - Magnets and Structures (2)

• TF coil case provides main structure

of the magnet system and the machine
core. PF coils and vacuum vessel are
linked to it. All interaction forces are
resisted internally in the system.
• TF coil inboard legs are wedged
together along their side walls and
linked at top and bottom by two strong
coaxial rings which provide toroidal
compression and resist the local de-
wedging of those legs under load.
• On the outboard leg, the out-of-plane
support is provided by intercoil
structures integrated with the TF coil
cases.
• The magnet system weighs ~ 8,700 t.

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 Design - Vessel, Blanket & Divertor (1)
The double-walled vacuum vessel is lined by modular
removable components, including blanket modules,
divertor cassettes, and diagnostics sensors, as well
as port plugs for limiters, heating antennae,
diagnostics and test blanket modules. All these
removable components are mechanically attached to
the VV. The total vessel/in-vessel mass is ~10,000 t.

These components absorb most of the radiated heat

from the plasma and protect the magnet coils from
excessive nuclear radiation. The shielding is steel
and water, the latter removing heat from absorbed
neutrons. A tight fitting configuration of the VV to the
plasma aids passive plasma vertical stability, and
ferromagnetic material “inserts” in the VV located in
the shadow of the TF coils reduce toroidal field ripple
and its associated particle losses.

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 Design - Vessel, Blanket & Divertor (2)

The primary functions of the

vacuum vessel (VV) are to provide
a high quality vacuum for the
plasma, as well as the first
confinement barrier to radioactive
materials and a second barrier
(after the cryostat) for the
separation of air from potential
sources of in-vessel hydrogen
generation.
The decay heat of all the in-vessel
components can be removed by
the water in the VV primary heat
transfer system (PHTS) system,
even in conditions when the other
PHTSs are not functioning.
There are 9 x 40° vessel sectors.

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 Design - Vessel, Blanket & Divertor (3)

The ~ 420 blanket modules consist

of a detachable faceted first wall
(FW) built with Be armour and a
water-cooled copper heat sink
attached to a SS shielding block.
This minimises radioactive waste
and simplifies manufacture. The
blanket cooling channels are
mounted on the vessel.
The initial blanket acts solely as a
neutron shield, and tritium
breeding experiments are confined
to the test blanket modules which
can be inserted and withdrawn at
radial equatorial ports.

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 Design - Vessel, Blanket & Divertor (4)

The divertor is made up of 54 cassettes.

The target and divertor floor form a V
which traps neutral particles protecting
the target plates, without adversely
affecting helium removal. The large
opening between the inner and outer
divertor balances heat loads in the
inboard and outboard channels.

The design uses C at the vertical target

strike points. W is the backup, and both
materials have their advantages and
disadvantages. C is best able to
withstand large power density pulses
(ELMs, disruptions), but gives rise to
tritiated dust and T codeposited with C
which has to be periodically removed.
The best judgement of the relative merits
can be made at the time of procurement.
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 Design - In-vessel Remote Handling (1)

Systems near the plasma

will become radioactive and
will require remote
maintenance, with special
remote handling equipment.
In-vessel transporters are
used to remove and reinstall
blanket modules.

Unshielded casks, which dock to the access ports of the vacuum vessel, house such
equipment and transport radioactive items from the tokamak to the hot-cell where
refurbishment or waste disposal can be carried out. Docking is tight, to avoid spread of
contamination. Hands-on assisted maintenance is used wherever justifiable, following
ALARA principles.
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 Design - In-vessel Remote Handling (2)

Multifunction
manipulators are used
for divertor cassette
removal and to handle
vacuum vessel port
plugs. A toroidal
mover slides the
divertor cassettes
along rails into their
final position.
Comprehensive R&D has successfully
demonstrated that key maintenance
operations can be achieved using common
remote handling technology.
Crucial issues such as vacuum vessel remote
cutting and re-welding, viewing, materials and
components radiation hardness have been
addressed and demonstrated.
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 Plant Control
Supervisory Control System

Operation Contorl System

Discharge Control System

Data Management
Remote System
Experiment
System
Supervisory
Synchronization System

Interlock System

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 Design - Tokamak Building

• Provides a biological
shield around
cryostat to minimise
activation and permit
human access.
• Additional
confinement barrier.
• Allows (with HVAC)
contamination spread
to be controlled.
• Provides shielding
during remote
handling cask
transport.
• Can be seismically
isolated.

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 ITER Site Layout

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 Safety and Environmental
Characteristics
• ITER will be a precedent for future fusion licensing
• Work towards internationally accepted basic
principles and safety criteria for fusion energy
• Interact with regulatory experts to ensure ITER
options can be licensed in any Party

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 Safety and Environmental Approach

• Maximise use of inherent fusion safety characteristics.

– intrinsic passive shutdown and fail safe termination of plasma
– low decay heat density - no meltdown even with loss of all cooling systems
• Apply well-established safety approaches.
– establish and comply with rigorous general safety and environmental design
criteria based on established limits — ALARA principle, ICRP, IAEA
– robust structure, maximising safety contributions from systems needed for
operation
– defence in depth (prevention, protection, mitigation), passive heat removal
system
• Ultimate safety margin to tolerate 100% release of “at risk”
inventories and still meet non-evacuation criteria.

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 Confinement Approach

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 Direct Capital Cost

Components /Syst ems Direct Cost % of

( kIUA* ) Tot al
Magnet Sys tems 7 62 28
Vessel, Blanket , Diver tor, Pumping & Fuelling 5 05 18
Cryos tat & Thermal Shield 1 05 4
Assembly 93 3
Auxiliaries 5 86 21
Buildings 3 80 14
Heating & Curren t Drive (73 MW) 2 06 7
Diagnost ics (st art -up set ) 1 18 4
Tot al Direct Capit al Costs 275 5 1 00

*1 kIUA = $ 1 9 8 91 M ≈ $20 0 01.3 92M ≈ 2 00 0 1.2 79M ≈ ¥ 2 0 0 01 48M

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 Lifetime Cost

kIUA*
Construction Costs
Direct capital 275 5
Management & Suppor t 477
R&D During Cons truction ~70

Operation Costs (average per year)

Permanent personnel 60
Energy ~30
Fuel ~8
Maintenance /improvement s ~90

Decommissioning 335

*1 kIUA = $ 19 8 91M ≈ $20 0 01.3 92M ≈ 1.2 79M ≈ ¥ 20 0 0148M

2 00 0

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 Assembly

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 Indicative Construction Schedule

Construction
REGULATORY APPROVAL Agreement SITE LICENSE CONSTRUCTION LICENSE

Months 0 12 24 36 48 60 72 84 96 108

EXCAVATE
CONSTRUCTION

Purchase order BUILD TOKAMAK BUILDING

HVAC ready
SITE FABRICATION BUILDING
OTHER BUILDINGS

PFC site
fabrication TOKAMAK ASSEMBLY
build.
Place first Complete Complete Blanket/
TF/VV in pit VV torus Divertor Installation

Install cryostat Place lower Install CS

bottom lid PFC

SYSTEM STARTUP & TESTING

STARTUP &
COMMISSIONING
INTEGRATED
COMMISSIONING
Complete leak Magnet
& pressure test excitation

1ST PLASMA

PROCUREMENT PROCUREMENT OF MAGNETS

PFC fab. start Last PFC complete

First purchase TFC fab. CS fab. Last TFC CS fab.

order start start complete complete
PROCUREMENT OF VV SECTORS, BLANKET & DIVERTOR

VV 1st Sector Last VV

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 Indicative Operation Schedule

Construction Phase 1st yr 2nd yr 3rd yr 4th yr 5th yr 6th yr 7th yr 8th yr 9th yr 10th yr
A further 10 year DT
Mile Stone
First Plasma Full Field, Current
& H/CD Power
Short DT
Burn
Q = 10,
500 MW
Q = 10,
500 MW,
Full Non-inductive
Current Drive
phase will improve
400 s
overall performance and
Installation &
Commissioning
Basic
Installation
For activation phase
test components. The
- Commissioning
- Achieve
good vacuum & For high duty operation programme should be
wall condition Upgrade
decided following a
H Plasma Phase D Phase First DT Plasma Phase
Operation review of the preceding
- Machine commissioning
with plasma
Low Duty DT
High Duty DT
results.
- Heating & CD Expt. - Commissioning
- Reference scenarios
with H
w/neutron
- Reference w/D
- Short DT burn - Development of full DT high Q - Improvement of inductive and
Whether to incorporate
Equivalent
Number of
- Developmentt of non-inductive
operation aimed Q = 5
non-inducvtive operation
- Demonstration of high duty
tritium breeding during
- Start blanket test operation
Burn Pulses
(500 MW x 440
- Blanket test this phase will be
s*) 1 750
0.006
1000 1500 2500 3000 3000
0.09
decided on the basis of
Fluence** MWa/m2 MWa/m2
the availability of tritium
Blanket Test System Checkout and Charactrerization Performance Test from external sources,
- Electro-magnetic test - Neutronics test
the results of breeder
- Short-time test of T breeding
- Hydraulic test
- Effect of ferritic steel etc.
- Validate breeding
performance
- Thormomecanics test
- Preliminary high grade heat
- On-line tritium recovery
- High grade heat generation
blanket testing, and
generation test, etc. - Possible electricity generation, etc.
experience with plasma
* The burn time of 440 s includes 400 s flat top and equivalent time which additional flux is counted during ramp-up and ramp-down.
** Average Fluence at First Wall (Neutron wall load is 0.56 MW/m2 in average and 0.77MW/m2 at outboard midplane.) and machine
performance.

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 Decommissioning

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 Immediate Timetable

7 June 2000
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
I II IV I I II IV I I II IV I I II IV I I II IV I I II IV I I II IV I

ODR FDR FR

EDA

Site offers

Post -EDA Co-ordinated Technical Activities Establishment of ITER Legal Entity

COEDA
Reviews Reviews
Ratification
Signing of COEDA Agreement

SWG-P2 EX Negotiations

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