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FAST - An Italian Proposal for a ITER-Satellite European Experiment

Project Coordinator: Flavio Crisanti
e-mail: flavio.crisanti@.enea.it
tel.: +39 06 9400 5347
fax.: +39 06 9400 5735

Introduction

FAST Load Assembly: simplified drawing

FAST proposal aims to be a Tokamak Satellite to the international ITER experiment,with the main target to help the complete exploitation of the ITER Program.
Consequently the FAST design has been conceived to investigate in an integrated plasma scenario, with dimensionless parameters as close as possible to ITER and without the use of tritium, all the main problems that ITER will have to face.
FAST is being designed and it has been proposed to be constructed and operated in the framework of a collaboration with other Associations. In particular, it will make use of the competences existing in ENEA, CNR Milan and Consorzio RFX and it will focus the italian activities in fusion after the completion of the FTU and RFX scientific program. The machine will be installed in one ENEA sites (possibly Frascati) with the suitable electrical power supplies capability.

FAST as a European ITER Satellite facility

Designed by the Italian Association on Fusion Research, FAST has been conceived as a European ITER satellite facility to support and assist ITER to:

study Plasma Operation (ELMs, Plasma wall interaction, Heating Coupling...);
study different solutions for the first wall and the divertor (from Tungsten to liquid Lithium) in view of DEMO;
study non-linear dynamics of burning plasma Physics without use of Tritium;
study Advanced Scenarios aiming to the exploitation of full non-inductive current driven experiments;
be an optimal test bed for the most advanced numerical codes used for physics and technology studies.

Reference scenario
parameters FAST reference scenario parameters

FAST will provide integrated and substantially higher capabilities compared to those available in existing and near future tokamaks, including the broader approach Japanese facility JT-60SA.
In fact, due to its versatility, FAST is a good candidate to comply fully with the EFDA programmatic missions 1 to 3 and to provide substantial contributions in programmatic missions 4-5 in support of ITER DEMO-relevant operation, that can be summarized as follows:

Mission 1 - manage burning plasmas
Mission 2- provide reliable tokamak operation
Mission 3- provide first wall material and techniques relevant to ITER/DEMO plasmas
Mission 4- manage steady state scenarios
Mission 5- predicting fusion performance

In other words,
“The preparation of plasma scenarios applicable on ITER ultimately requires an integration of a set of conditions that must be as close as possible to those expected on ITER, in terms of physics parameters (Larmor radius, collisionality, normalised pressure, edge pedestal temperature and density, etc.) as well as in technical terms (wall materials and temperature, divertor, heating and current drive systems, control systems etc.)” [answer by EFDA leader to FFRP].
Thus an EU satellite device like FAST seems to be the ideal way to meet the research needs for a rapid and efficient realization of fusion energy.