GIF: Fusion Research Group
Theoretical Experimental Fusion Platform
Fusion Science & Technology Applied on Several Fields
Engineering on reaction chambers design / Interaction Radiation - Matter
Participants:
Fusion Research Group
The similar Tokamaks designs as Tokamak "T", wich is a Low Aspect Ratio configuration or "TEA - T" as a Spherical Torus, directly involves the mechanical design and the development of a vacuum chamber in which the plasma can be confined, certain engineering aspects must be considered within the reaction chambers of fusion reactors such as:
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Safety: for the personnel
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Good heat transfer efficiency
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Excellent mechanical resistance qualities
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Easy maintenance
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Structural support design for external systems and appropriate ensemble operations in a confinement device
The chamber of the Tokamak "T", is a good symbiosis example of applied physics knowledge and powerful engineering simulations and 3D - CAD tools.
Engineering mechanical design: Economical Sustentation Projects
Participants:
Fusion Research Group
GIF has under development several engineering projects where mechanical design has a fundamental role.
3D - CAD tools, engineering simulations and physics models let exploit and generate an excellent innovation area as those presented in our economical sustentation projects: the Security & Exploration Platform - 1 Experimental, our motor rocket design or several fundamental systems needed to operate a fusion plant as our gyrotron design.
GIF has appropriate infrastructure and excellent experience on this field.
High Temperature Superconductivity Research: Design of confinement magnetic systems
Participants:
Fusion Research Group - Federal Electricity Commission.
Tokamak "T" configuration has been conceived on this first stage, to consider the design of a D - shaped copper coil, developing a toroidal test bench & adjustable case design in which the Fusion Research Group, could generate expertise operating high current values and development of power electronics in current discharge, protection, ground, control, cooling systems, also the design of capacitor banks, with this aim we can carrier studies on structures, joints and supports, which will serve (each and every one of these systems) to develop the Tokamak "T". Our adjustable toroidal case design could bring us the possibility to work with conventional materials and subsequently the migration of those based on attractive superconductivity high temperature materials.
Several magnetic & electrical areas can receive benefits for this advanced field, including the design of the central solenoid, poloidal & toroidal field systems, the confinement time and modes, also the improvement on plasma stability.
Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD)
Participants:
Fusion Research Group
Improving stability: GIF propose to work on MHD instabilities and its relation with high (β) performance, identifying into the plasma physics field, these next research areas:
Ideal Kink modes / Ballooning; Tearing modes (including Neoclassical); Resistive wall modes. Working on the stability boundaries: Disruptions
Opportunities: Innovation on magnetic configuration, extending stability.
Working on Instabilities: Pressure and current profiles; Active feedback control; Rotational stabilization (natural rotation in ST)
Our group wish to develop research on active control in MHD modes: stabilization by RF current drive and stabilization by external coils.
And work on Disruption mitigation: neutral point operation, solid or gas injection, GIF has a patent pending on this area.
GIF recognize the opportunity to develop analytic theory and large scale codes establishing the symbiosis theory/experiment.
Transport of particles and radiation
Participants:
Fusion Research Group
Our group also recognize the opportunity to develop an attractive predictive capability for transport including density limits, respect:
Particle and impurity transport; electron thermal transport; neo-classical transport.
And the need to control turbulence and transport with: density, temperature, current and flow profiles, consistent with the MHD stability, improving performance (β, τ, etc.) and profiles for bootstrap current - steady state (current drive requirements), formation and dynamic control (bifurcations/transport barriers)
Opportunities: the re-inforcement of knowledge on the next fields: Flow control, RF drive; current drive, density control/fueling, power deposition.
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Also GIF propose work on profile diagnostics: studying and understanding the relation of high β, the confinement improvement, and generate a steady state operation. Establishing aspects of theoretical modeling in control design
Diagnostic techniques
Participants:
Fusion Research Group
In order to satisfy a good starting physics on magnetic confinement devices basic diagnostic techniques it becomes fundamentals, those necessaries to diagnostic confined plasmas are:
Passive diagnostics: Magnetics; Hα monitors; Electron Cyclotron Emission; Soft X-rays; Multifilter electron temperature diagnostic; Bolometry; Spectroscopy; Charge exchange spectroscopy; Compact Neutral Particle Analyzer; Fast ion loss probe; Fast camera
Active diagnostics: Interferometry; Reflectometry; Heavy Ion Beam Probe; Langmuir Probes; Thomson Scattering; Diagnostic neutral beam; Helium Beam; Lithium Beam
Nuclear Physics & Engineering
Participants:
Fusion Research Group
Our Fusion Research Group (GIF) consider necessary settle a strong base to expand the nuclear frontier physics and engineering in a confined magnetic plasma and its devices, working on:
Energetic Particles
Transport
Stability
Plasma Control
Boundary Physics
An entirely magnetic confinement device is an ensemble of physics and engineering areas, almost the totality of the scientific fields are involved on a Fusion device, for this reason our group consider to establish a symbiosis between theory and experiment.
Physics and Engineering at Accelerators and Particle Beams / Fueling
Participants:
Fusion Research Group
This research line conceive the development of an electron-cyclotron radiofrequency heating system (ECRH) to pre-ionize, pre-heat, and eliminate the formation of magnetic islands. Within the auxiliary heating systems of a confined plasma, our ECRH system has an important development and has allowed the starting projection on two necessary systems: ion-cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) and neutral beam injection (NBI).
GIF also has developed an injector pellet system to refueling the confined plasma into the reactor chamber.
Cryogenics
Participants:
Fusion Research Group
Mostly importan systems inherent of an advanced Tokamak, needs cooling to generate a long pulse discharge. This area is one of the most important due all the cryogenic design involves: the external vacuum chamber through the coils case designs of the tokamak device, also is needed to the same accelerators systems. GIF recognize the importance of high temperature superconductors on MCF devices:
Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide
Bismuth strontium calcium copper oxide
and the cryogenics is necessary to operate with high temperature superconductors in MCF.
Control and power engineering
Participants:
Fusion Research Group
GIF recognize the importance of plasma control to obtain a steady state device, we propose to work:
A good plasma control to achieve/maintain an excellent configuration, where power and all particle interactions (active systems) will be coupled with this high performance plasma and prevent unstable configurations
We need experimental operation knowledge, to handle:
Generation on current drive for startup and sustainment to generate a good MHD mode control for steady-state, high β scenarios and external coils
On this research line, GIF has two important electrical projects performing electrical studies in low, medium and high voltage, with main objective to establish conditions in the Electric Power System (EPS):
These two economical sustentation projects are:
1.- Electrical Modernization of the Central University Campus
2.- Electrical Automatization of the Medical Area
