Experience of the Associations in the Topic of Research and Background Information

Quality and key competencies of the association:

A major player in research, development and innovation, the CEA intervenes in three main fields: Energy, Information and Health Technologies and Defence. Through the diversity of its programs, it pursues two major objectives: to become the leading European technological research body, and to guarantee the continuation of the nuclear deterrence. Its advantage to achieve this is a crossed engineers culture favouring synergies between fundamental research technological innovation; exceptional installations (research reactor, super-computer, large physics instruments, power lasers, etc); finally, real involvement in the industrial and economic fabric. The CEA benefits from a strong regional presence and solid partnerships with other research bodies, local institutions and universities. In order to encourage the transfer of knowledge, it attaches particular importance to education and information to the public.

Among a large variety of programs, thermonuclear fusion, which could in the future provide a virtually infinite source of energy, is also at the heart of its research. The CEA Association, located in Cadarache, is thus heavily involved in the international project on the experimental ITER reactor. Cadarache is also the location of several experimental nuclear reactors and laboratories, which represents one of the world’s greatest expertises in nuclear engineering. The staff of the CEA Association is about 350 persons working for Tore-Supra as well as around other large projects (ITER, W7-X, JET) in the frame of an international collaborative research. The Tore-Supra machine started operation in 1988 and is still pioneering the long duration plasma discharges, with a world record excess of 6 minutes.

The Association is actively participating in the next step preparation with an ongoing effort covering a broad spectrum of competencies: superconducting magnet development, plasma-facing components, heating system development, engineering and design of diagnostics, current drive and current profile optimisation, Tokamak system operation and control.

Key competencies relevant for this training

• Overview on all ITER in-vessel components
  

• Engineering aspects of Tokamak operation

• Quality control systems

• CAD – CATIA V5, Tore supra Design Office (8 designers, 6 engineers + subcontracting)

• Experience with thermal, mechanical, thermo-mechanical and thermohydraulic aspects of the finite element simulation 

(ANSYS, CAST-3M codes).

• Quality Management systems and Project Management System

• Remote Handling expertise and manufacturing follow-up

Scientific staff involved in this training program:

L. Doceul, D. Keller, J.M. Verger, S. Larroque, L. Jourd’Heuil, B. Soler, F. Faïsse

List of major infrastructures:

• Tokamak TORE SUPRA

• Virtual Reality Room of the CEA Fusion Institute

Quality and key competences of the association:

The Association IPP.CR represents the fusion oriented research in the Czech Republic. The largest part of the Association is the Institute of Plasma Physics AS CR, v.v.i. (IPP Prague), which includes as its key device the COMPASS tokamak, recently installed and put in operation. Similarly to ASDEX and JET, the COMPASS tokamak has an ITER-like plasma shape and with the installed NBI heating system it will be able to access the plasma parameters relevant in many aspects to ITER.

Main parameters of the COMPASS tokamak in IPP:

The COMPASS tokamak in Prague is powered by new, solid-state based power supplies; it has a newly installed NBI heating system. Most of the diagnostic systems were recently built as well which makes the device an important fusion research centre in the area of central and eastern Europe, which attracts collaborators from many EURATOM laboratories (especially Associations HAS, Hungary; INRNE, Bulgaria; IPPLM, Poland; MedC, Romania; IST, Portugal; CEA, France).

Key competences relevant for this training:

• Flexible experimental device

• Hands-on experience experiment

• Physics and engineering aspects of tokamak operation

• Power engineering experience

• Strong plasma physics background

• Strong links with the Universities

• Quality control systems

Scientific staff involved in this training program:

M. Hron, J. Mlynar, J. Stockel, D. Sestak, J. Horacek, V. Weinzettl

List of major infrastructures:

• COMPASS tokamak

Quality and key competencies of the association:

The coordination of the WP5 for the GOT4TSI will be performed with a joined effort of the ENEA Frascati Labs and of the University of Naples Federico II (member of the CREATE group). ENEA Frascati Labs and CREATE have a long history of past experiences on joined collaborations, not only in common works, but also in training young students at any level (Graduate, Doctoral, post Doctoral).

Between the Labs and the University there is a complete synergy and complementariness, with the University being more devoted to the Theoretical aspects and the Labs to the Experimental phase.

In particular, on the Remote Handling aspects ENEA has much experience which has led to the development (in Frascati) of facilities for the remote handling of the FTU Limiter and (in Brasimone) the DTP1 divertor Mock-up. Eventually, this facility has been upgraded in Finland with the present DTP2 tests, with which a collaboration is going on. Obviously this collaboration includes, as well, the Naples University with several Professors. Within the shortly described framework, a coordinated Tutoring will be performed. The trainee will follow very advanced course in the Naples University in order to apply the most recent theoretical development on Virtual Reality tools, Virtual Prototyping and Virtual maintenance. Frascati Labs will coordinate all the aspects, addressing all the activities towards the up to date necessities coming out from the Euratom work plan, having in mind mainly the ITER and DEMO aspects.

Key competencies relevant for this training

The topic of the training project deals with the use of virtual prototyping and simulation in maintenance and Remote Handling analyses of FAST components.

EURATOM/ENEA Association has a very long experience in the Divertor Remote Handling analyses due to the strong involvement in the designing and setting up of the first Divertor Test Platform (DTP) [1] and of the Divertor Refurbishment Platform (DRP) [2] in the ENEA Brasimone Research Centre. During 1997-2002 the DTP has been a very good experimental laboratory for refining and improving the ITER divertor maintenance scenario, including the development of RH techniques. In particular the DTP allowed to carry out a complete cassette handling test campaign according to a set of specifications, and consisted of a sequence of handling operations to remove/install the cassette from/to the original location inside the Vacuum Vessel. The data coming from these cassette handling tests were used for confirmation or improvement of the design of the various sub-systems, and were transferred to the ITER FEAT design [3]. As part of the ITER Large R&D project L7, together with the DTP, during 1997-2000, a full scale divertor refurbishment platform (DRP) was designed, fabricated, assembled and operated in the ENEA Brasimone Research Centre as well. The DRP had to simulate inspection and metrology of the cassette, assembling/disassembling and handling of the plasma facing components (PFC) and the cassette locking systems (CLS) by means of specific remote handling equipment (RHE) without direct human intervention.

Concerning the Virtual Reality technologies the CREATE consortium (www.create.unina.it), which is part of the EURATOM/ENEA Association, has a very well established experience in CAD modeling, virtual prototyping and Virtual Reality simulations on complex mechanical assemblies [4]. During the last 20 years the CREATE team has developed great expertise in the analysis, the design and the operation of tokamak systems, based on the strong interaction between Academy and European Research Centres. The team members were also National Coordinators of various research projects funded by the Italian Ministry of Research about plasma modeling for control, achieving good results in eddy current calculation, plasma modeling and control design on several experimental devices and specifically on ITER. The team has also cooperated with UKAEA on the JET Extreme Shape Controller (XSC) and the upgrade of the JET Control System with particular reference to the vertical stabilization. The team also gave a contribution to the design of ITER from the initial phases of the project, e.g., in "ITER Concept Definition". ITER-1, Oct. 1988, and in ITER DDR and ITER FDR, Final Design Report, 1998.

Various team members have been principal investigators of several EFDA contracts on 3D modeling of ITER conducting structures, as well as on the control and the stabilization of ITER plasmas.

CREATE has at its disposal the Virtual Reality Laboratory “VRoom” of the University of Naples Federico II. The lab is mainly devoted to: Virtual Design; Virtual Maintenance, Virtual Manufacturing, Assembly/Disassembly simulations, Virtual Ergonomics, Human Robot Interaction, Virtual Robotics. Active courses provided at undergraduate level are: Virtual Prototyping, Computer Aided Design, Mechanical Drawing, Virtual Ergonomics, Automotive Ergonomics. The VRoom co-operates with Italian big industries (Alenia Aeronautica, Piaggio Aero Industries, FIAT, Ansaldo Breda, Firema Trasporti), international Research Centres (VTT - Finland, Fraunhofer Institutes - Germany, Supmeca in Paris – France, University of Vigo and Escuela Politecnica de Madrid – Spain, Italian Center for Aerospace Researches (CIRA) and many Italian SMEs. The Lab is involved in the Editorial Board of the International Journal on Interactive Design and Manufacturing (IJIDeM) edited by Springer, and in the Scientific Committee of the International IDMME - Virtual Concept Conferences.

References:

[1] Damiani C. et al., RH Divertor maintenance—Divertor Test Platform, in: 20th SOFT, Marseille, 1998.

[2] Damiani C. et al., R.H. divertor maintenance – the divertor refurbishment platform, Fusion Engineering and Design, 51–52 (2000), 965–972.

[3] Damiani C. et al., New achievements of the Divertor Test Platform programme for the ITER divertor remote maintenance R&D, Fusion Engineering and Design, 58–59 (2001), 487–493.

[4] Di Gironimo G. et al. (2009). Designing in VR. International Journal on Interactive Design and Manufacturing. Volume 3, Number 2, pp. 51-53. ISSN: 1955-2513. Publisher Springer Paris.

Scientific staff involved in this training program:

Giuseppe Di Gironimo, Vincenzo Coccorese, Flavio Crisanti, Fabrizio Renno, Antonio Lanzotti

List of major infrastructures:

• Tokamak FTU in ENEA Frascati Labs

• Divertor Test Platform in ENEA Brasimone

• Virtual Reality Lab in University of Naples Federico II

• CAD lab in University of Naples Federico II.