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Title: Editorial, Workshop on New Directions for Advanced Computer Simulations and Experiments in Fusion-Related Plasma-Surface Interactions

Conference ·
OSTI ID:944955

Because plasma-boundary physics encompasses some of the most important unresolved issues for both the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project and future fusion power reactors, there is a strong interest in the fusion community for better understanding and characterization of plasma-wall interactions. Chemical and physical sputtering cause the erosion of the limiters/divertor plates and vacuum vessel walls (made of C, Be and W, for example) and degrade fusion performance by diluting the fusion fuel and excessively cooling the core, while carbon redeposition could produce long-term in-vessel tritium retention, degrading the superior thermo-mechanical properties of the carbon materials. Mixed plasma-facing materials are proposed, requiring optimization for different power and particle flux characteristics. Knowledge of material properties as well as characteristics of the plasma-material interaction are prerequisites for such optimizations. Computational power will soon reach hundreds of teraflops, so that theoretical and plasma science expertise can be matched with new experimental capabilities in order to mount a strong response to these challenges. To begin to address such questions, a Workshop on New Directions for Advanced Computer Simulations and Experiments in Fusion-Related Plasma-Surface Interactions for Fusion (PSIF) was held at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 21 to 23 March, 2005. The purpose of the workshop was to bring together researchers in fusion related plasma-wall interactions in order to address these topics and to identify the most needed and promising directions for study, to exchange opinions on the present depth of knowledge of surface properties for the main fusion-related materials, e.g., C, Be and W, especially for sputtering, reflection, and deuterium (tritium) retention properties. The goal was to suggest the most important next steps needed for such basic computational and experimental work to be facilitated by researchers in fusion, material, and physical sciences. Representatives from many fusion research laboratories attended, and 25 talks were given, the majority of them making up the content of these Workshop proceedings. The presentations of all talks and further information on the Workshop are available at http://www-cfadc.phy.ornl.gov/psif/home.html. The workshop talks dealt with identification of needs from the perspective of integrated fusion simulation and ITER design, recent developments and perspectives on computation of plasma-facing surface properties using the current and expected new generation of computation capability, and with the status of dedicated laboratory experiments which characterize the underlying processes of PSIF. The Workshop summary and conclusions are being published in Nuclear Fusion 45 (2005).

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
944955
Resource Relation:
Conference: Workshop on New Directions for Advanced Computer Simulations and Experiments in Fusion-Related Plasma-Surface Interactions, Oak Ridge, TN, USA, 20050321, 20050323
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English