Fusion Programme - ENEA - Fusione

MiscellaneousAt present the effect can be observed, and with reasonable reproducibility, but the life time, the amplitudeof the signal and the start-up of the effect are not under control. These aspects will be the target of theresearch, based on an enhanced level of comprehension, in the future.14.3 Superconducting GeneratorOne of ENEA’s main missions is to stimulate the use of renewable energy sources and to support initiativesto increase energy efficiency. The Superconducting Section is designing a prototype of a completelysuperconducting electric generator which, unlike those in actual use, would have a large efficiency also atpower levels lower than the nominal.Superconducting materials are very promising for the realisation of rotating electric machines, which aremore compact, with less weight and encumbrance, and more efficient in a larger operating range than thetraditional machines. They also promise better transitory and dynamic behaviour, hence contributing to animprovement in the quality and reliability of electric systems.The ENEA project will stimulate collaboration between corporations, research institutes, and industry inorder to study and develop a new configuration of an axial flux synchronous electric machine: three-phase,brushless and entirely superconductive. MgB 2 windings, mounted on one or more stator disks, and oneor more permanent magnets rotors fabricated with MgB 2 massive rings would be considered. Thecryogenic system would consist of a cryocooler, as MgB 2 is a high-temperature (30-40 K) superconductingmaterial and can be used in a large temperature range with a simple refrigerating system.14.4 Cryogenic Test of CERN HTS Current Leads for the FAIR Systemat GSIThe ENEA cryogenic test campaign on the high-temperature superconducting (HTS) current leadsproduced by the BINP laboratory, Russian Federation (6 kA) and by CECOM, Italy (13 kA) to operate in theLarge Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN ended at the beginning of 2007.ENEA’s dedicated measurement facility, which provides high-precision signal acquisition in LHC-relevantoperating conditions, has been chosen by the team at Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung (GSI)Darmstadt to host the explorative cryogenic test of the LHC leads in order to investigate their performanceunder the cryogenic boundary conditions given in the Facility for Antiproton Ion Research (FAIR) at GSI.This activity started at the end of 2007.2007 Progress ReportThe test setup is the same as that used for the test of the LHC leads, except for a change in the coolingconditions. Unlike in LHC, there is no helium gas at 20 K available in the cryogenic system of FAIR. Thecooling of the resistive part of the lead is thus obtained by a gas flow at 50 K, resulting in a slightly highertemperature of the top part of the HTS. The mass flow of cooling gas is controlled to maintain thetemperature at the warm end of the HTS at about 60 K. The leads have to tested at different currentratings, corresponding to different coolingflow rates.[14.11] S. Tosti et al., Membrane reactors for producing hydrogen viaethanol steam reforming, ENEA Internal Report FUS TN BB-R023(2007)[14.12] S. Tosti et al., Low temperature ethanol steam reforming in a Pd-Agmembrane reactor - Part 1: Ru–based catalyst, to appear in J.Membrane Sci.[14.13] S. Tosti et al., Low-temperature ethanol steam reforming in a Pd–188