Progetti di ricerca

EUROfusion’s updated Fusion Research Roadmap aims to acquire the necessary knowledge to start constructing a demonstration fusion power plant (DEMO) five years after ITER is in full-power operation. DEMO will deliver fusion electricity to the grid early in the second half of… Leggi tutto the century. The Roadmap has been articulated in eight different Missions. The present proposal has the goal of implementing the activities described in the Roadmap during Horizon Europe through a joint programme of the members of the EUROfusion Consortium, with the following high-level objectives: 1. Construct and commission ITER; 2. Secure the success of future ITER operation via preparation and experiments on present devices; 3. Develop the conceptual design of a DEMO fusion power plant; 4. Finalise the design and construct a fusion spectrum neutron source (IFMIF-DONES); 5. Advance the stellarator as an alternative approach to fusion power plants; 6. Prepare the ITER and DEMO generations of scientists, engineers and operators; 7. Promote innovation and European industry competitiveness in fusion technology and beyond. The ITER success remains an important overarching objective of the programme and much attention is devoted to ensure that ITER operation is properly prepared, and that a new generation of scientists and engineers is thoroughly educated and trained for its exploitation. DEMO is the only step between ITER and a commercial fusion power plant. To achieve the goal of fusion electricity demonstration in the early 2050-ies, the DEMO Conceptual Design has to be completed by 2030 at the latest, to allow the start of the Engineering Design Activities. DEMO cannot be defined and designed by research laboratories alone, but requires the full involvement of industry in all technological and systems aspects of the design. Therefore, specific provisions for the involvement of industry in the Consortium activities are envisaged.

The European Spallation Source being constructed in Lund, Sweden will provide the user community with a neutron source of unprecedented brightness. By 2025, a suite of 15 instruments will be served by a high-brightness moderator system placed above the spallation target. The… Leggi tutto ESS infrastructure, consisting of the proton linac, the target station, and the instrument halls, allows for implementation of a second source below the spallation target. We propose to develop a second neutron source with a high-intensity moderator able to (1) deliver a larger total cold neutron flux, (2) provide high intensities at longer wavelengths in the spectral regions of Cold (4-10 Å), Very Cold (10-40 Å), and Ultra Cold (several 100 Å) neutrons, as opposed to Thermal and Cold neutrons delivered by the top moderator. Offering both unprecedented brilliance, flux, and spectral range in a single facility, this upgrade will make ESS the most versatile neutron source in the world and will further strengthen the leadership of Europe in neutron science. The new source will boost several areas of condensed matter research such as imaging and spin-echo, and will provide outstanding opportunities in fundamental physics investigations of the laws of nature at a precision unattainable anywhere else. At the heart of the proposed system is a volumetric liquid deuterium moderator. Based on proven technology, its performance will be optimized in a detailed engineering study. This moderator will be complemented by secondary sources to provide intense beams of Very- and Ultra-Cold Neutrons. To perform the required development of advanced moderator and reflector materials, and find the best solutions for their implementation at ESS, the HighNESS consortium pursues an integrated approach, combining complementary expertise of its partners in simulations, neutronic design and engineering, material characterization using neutron scattering techniques, and the targeted scientific applications of slow neutrons