{"id":53611,"date":"2024-12-03T09:09:56","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T09:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=53611"},"modified":"2024-12-03T09:09:56","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T09:09:56","slug":"germany-boosts-investment-in-fusion-research-to-enhance-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/germany-boosts-investment-in-fusion-research-to-enhance-collaboration\/53611\/","title":{"rendered":"Germany boosts investment in fusion research to enhance collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"
Germany has been investing in fusion research for several decades, creating a programme that encompasses\u00a0 a variety of projects and topics. About a year and a half ago, the German government announced an increase in funding to further advance these efforts towards the construction of the first fusion reactor.<\/p>\n
The German fusion programme is carried out by three research organisations: the Max-Planck-Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP), with two locations: the main site in Garching and another in Greifswald, along the Baltic coast. At the Garching site, researchers operate the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak. The Greifswald facility is home to the globally renowned Wendelstein 7-X stellarator<\/a>, celebrated for being the most advanced and closest to a reactor among current technologies.<\/p>\n The Max-Planck-Institute for Plasma Physics is Germany\u2019s leading fusion research institution, representing approximately three-quarters of the nation\u2019s research efforts in this area. The IPP operates these devices and conducts essential plasma physics research to advance fusion technology. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology plays a significant role in this field. Finally, the J\u00fclich Research Centre (FZJ) houses the Institute of Fusion Research and Nuclear Waste Management, which consists of two primary institutes: one focused on fusion research (IFN-1) and the other on nuclear waste management (IFN-2).<\/p>\n FZJ, with its IFN-1<\/a>, specialises in the research areas of plasma-wall interactions and plasma-facing materials and components. This includes the diagnostics and modelling of the edge plasmas of tokamaks and stellarators, the physics of plasma-wall interactions, as well as development, characterisation and testing of materials and components for the plasma-facing units. As one of the few international research sites, FZJ includes nuclear aspects by operating a lab with hot cells in a radiation-controlled area.<\/p>\n Germany has launched a programme called Fusion 2040, stimulating collaborative efforts among fusion researchers and industry. The programme has been allocated a budget of \u20ac370m for the next four years. This funding is in addition to Germany\u2019s standard fusion budget and contributions to the European Union\u2019s ITER programme. Notably, this \u20ac370m constitutes supplementary funding for cooperative activities between research centers and the fusion industry. This strategy aims to realise a fusion reactor by transferring knowledge from research to industry.<\/p>\n The Fusion 2040 programme was established by interactions between the federal government and fusion research representatives and finally commenced its first project between FZJ and industry partners on November 1, 2024.<\/p>\n Our strategy is to utilise this funding to strengthen traditional research institutions such as J\u00fclich, Karlsruhe, Garching and Greifswald and promote collaborative efforts between fusion researchers and industry partners. This funding concept by federal ministries, known in German as \u2018Verbundprojekte, i.e. Collaborative Projects,\u2019 requires us to establish partnerships with industry stakeholders for any topics submitted within this programme.<\/p>\n The situation is quite flexible, allowing for a small part of the industry to link with a larger public sector or vice versa. There are various options available. The primary aim is to leverage the knowledge we have developed over decades in fusion, plasma-wall interactions, technology, and plasma physics, transferring that knowledge to industry to foster its growth. This concept of collaborative projects is not new; it typically requires funding from federal government sources in other technological areas as well, and it must be accomplished in collaboration with industry.<\/p>\n The J\u00fclich contribution to the German fusion programme via the Plasma Physics institute within the Institute of Fusion Energy and Nuclear Waste Management (IFN-1), is the smallest organisational partner within the German fusion programme. Our primary focus is on plasma interactions with and materials for the first wall and divertor. This topic is closely linked to understanding plasma physics at the edge of the fusion plasma, the physics of the plasma-material interactions, as well as surface and materials physics and chemistry. Therefore, this field is, by definition, genuinely multi-disciplinary. Our strength lies in our ability to study the behaviour of particles at the plasma edge, bridging the plasma-material interface, and extending a few centimetres into the materials.<\/p>\n There are many institutes worldwide specialising in materials and plasma physics; however, none combine these fields in the same way we do. Our team consists of engineers, material scientists, chemists, and physicists who collaborate to address the challenges related to optimising plasma-facing components and their interactions with fusion plasma. Ultimately, this interface determines the components\u2019 lifetime and, therefore, the economic viability of fusion as a new primary energy source.<\/p>\n The fusion process occurs primarily in the hot plasma core, while the edge plasma limiting that volume presents additional unique challenges. Transitioning from the hot core to the wall requires a high-density barrier to confine the plasma and maintain temperature; without it, surrounding structures risk damage. The principles governing edge plasma physics are distinct from those of the core.<\/p>\n The core plasma behaves mostly like a fluid, but at the edge, individual atomic collisions and neutral atom behaviour become significant. Our research is focused on the edge plasma in order to control the plasma-material interface. In fusion reactors, perfect confinement is unrealisable, as it would suffocate the plasma and halt fusion reactions that generate alpha particles and impurities from wall erosion. Therefore, it is vital to remove fusion byproducts, mainly helium, and impurities, through the edge plasma to sustain fusion reactions.<\/p>\n We are investigating edge plasma and developing models and codes, including EIRENE and ERO 2, which are widely used in the fusion community for edge plasma processes. Our work also explores interactions with the reactor wall, studying particles that escape the plasma toward the first wall or the divertor, where most power and particles are expelled.<\/p>\n These areas experience high power and particle loads. The German Helmholtz Fusion programme, focuses on four key areas: Stellarator, Tokamak (both led by IPP), Materials and Fusion Technology (led by KIT), and Plasma-Wall Interactions, which we lead at Forschungszentrum J\u00fclich (FZJ). Plasma-wall interactions are relevant to both stellarators and tokamaks, enabling us to apply our findings across different fusion confinement concepts.<\/p>\n Our research examines the interactions between plasma and wall materials, particularly those exposed to plasma. Effective materials must demonstrate low erosion rates, minimal retention of fuel (specifically deuterium and tritium), and efficient heat transfer to prevent overheating in the divertor.<\/p>\nInvestment in Germany\u2019s fusion landscape<\/h3>\n
The Institute of Fusion Research and Nuclear Waste Management<\/h3>\n
Researching edge plasma<\/h3>\n
\nIn fusion systems, we focus on a range of up to 20 megawatts per square meter, managing heat and particle load effectively.<\/p>\nDeveloping effective materials<\/h3>\n