Progress of fusion nuclear technologies in the broader approach framework

In the Broader Approach framework, the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility/Engineering Validation and Engineering Design Activities (IFMIF/EVEDA) project, the International Fusion Energy Research Center (IFERC) project, and the Satellite Tokamak project are implemented. In the IFMIF/EVEDA project, engineering design of IFMIF and engineering R&D include the construction and tests of an IFMIF prototype accelerator system up with a 9 MeV and ON deuteron beam, a liquid lithium test loop with free surface flow, and full scale irradiation test module including temperature control instrumentation. The commissioning of the EVEDA lithium test loop was completed in March 2011, and a lithium flow of similar to 5 m/s was obtained. As a part of the IFERC project, R&Ds on reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels as blanket structural material, SiCf/SiC composites as a flow channel insert material and/or alternative structural material, advanced tritium breeders and neutron multipliers, and tritium technology are carried out. At the beginning of 2011, the integrated DEMO design team was established among the IFERC project team and EU/JA home teams, where the design criteria, other design basis are discussed as an initial work. A high performance supercomputer with the peak performance of 1.3 Pflops is under installation at the Rokkasho BA site. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.