IFMIF, the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility, is presently in its engineering validation and engineering design activities (EVEDA) phase under the Broader Approach Agreement.
The engineering design activity (EDA) phase was successfully accomplished within the allocated time.
The engineering validation activity (EVA) phase has focused on validating the Accelerator Facility (AF), the Target Facility and the Test Facility (TF) by constructing prototypes. The ELTL at JAEA, Oarai successfully demonstrated the long-term stability of a Li flow under the IFMIF’s nominal operational conditions keeping the specified free-surface fluctuations below ±1 mm in a continuous manner for 25 d. A full-scale prototype of the high flux test module (HFTM) was successfully tested in the HELOKA loop (KIT, Karlsruhe), where it was demonstrated that the irradiation temperature can be set individually and kept uniform. LIPAc, designed and constructed in European labs under the coordination of F4E, presently under installation and commissioning in the Rokkasho Fusion Institute, aims at validating the concept of IFMIF accelerators with a D+ beam of 125 mA continuous wave (CW) and 9 MeV. The commissioning phases of the H+/D+ beams at 100 keV are progressing and should be concluded in 2017; in turn, the commissioning of the 5 MeV beam is due to start during 2017. The D+ beam through the superconducting cavities is expected to be achieved within the Broader Approach Agreement time frame with the superconducting cryomodule being assembled in Rokkasho.
The realisation of a fusion-relevant neutron source is a necessary step for the successful development of fusion. The ongoing success of the IFMIF/EVEDA involves ruling out concerns about potential technical showstoppers which were raised in the past. Thus, a situation has emerged where soon steps towards constructing a Li(d,xn) fusion-relevant neutron source could be taken, which is also justified in the light of costs which are marginal to those of a fusion plant.
Abstract. The Engineering Validation and Engineering Design Activities (EVEDA) for the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF), an international collaboration under the Broader Approach Agreement between Japan Government and EURATOM, aims at allowing a rapid construction phase of IFMIF in due time with an understanding of cost involved. The three main facilities of IFMIF: 1) the Accelerator facility, 2) the Target facility and 3) the Test facility are the subject of validation activities that include the construction of either full scale prototypes or smartly devised scaled down facilities that will allow a straightforward extrapolation to IFMIF needs. By July 2013, the engineering design activities of IFMIF matured with the delivery of an Intermediate IFMIF Engineering Design Report (IIEDR) supported by experimental results. The installation of a Linac of 1.125 MW (125 mA and 9 MeV) of deuterons started in March 2013 in Rokkasho (Japan). The world largest liquid Li test loop is running in Oarai (Japan) with an ambitious experimental programme for the years ahead. A full scale High Flux Test Module that will house ~1000 small specimens developed jointly in Europe and Japan for the Fusion programme has been constructed by KIT (Karlsruhe) together with its He gas cooling loop. A full scale Medium Flux Test Module to carry out on-line creep measurement has been constructed by CRPP (Villigen).
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