Aachen PK 2003 – scientific programme

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PV: Plenarvorträge

PV XIV

PV XIV: Plenary Talk

Friday, March 21, 2003, 09:45–10:30, FO1

Plasma-wall interaction - a key issue on the road to a stationary fusion reactor — •Volker Philipps — Institut für Plasmaphysik, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, EURATOM Association, Trilateral Euregio Cluster, D-52425 Jülich, Germany

The physical and technological basis in fusion research has come to a stage at which the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) can be build. Based on a solid database from present devices there is strong confidence that ITER will achieve a burning plasma allowing detailed studies of self-heated fusion plasmas. A certain number of questions remains, however, for which predictions and extrapolations to ITER are still difficult and the present database is not robust enough. Among those are questions related with long pulse steady state like operation: the control of material erosion and migration controlling the lifetime of the wall and the associated long-term tritium retention. Present devices with full carbon plasma facing components point to an unacceptable level of long term tritium retention. ITER is the key step to investigate these questions and demonstrate solutions which then give the basis for the first fusion power plant which would open a new safe and clean primary energy source.