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NIEUWS
New: Nuclear
Fusion at the TU/e
Recently a new group called “Science and Technology of
Nuclear Fusion” (FUSION) has started at the department
of Applied Physics under guidance of prof. dr. Niek Lopes
Cardozo. The group falls within the track “Plasma Physics and
Radiation Technology” and offers a wide selection of courses
on nuclear fusion.
Nuclear Fusion
Since you started reading this article,
I assume that you know that nuclear
fusion is the energy source of the
universe and that many consider it as
the ultimate energy source for mankind:
inexhaustible, clean and safe. But fusion
has a drawback: it is of surpassing
scientific and technological difficulty.
Which is why it always seems to be 30
years ahead of us. That may be true in
some sense, but it is also undeniable
that the progress in the development
of fusion is enormous and very fast.
"The TU/e wants to
become one of the
major nodes in the
network of fusion
education in Europe."
What's fast? Well, over the past four
decades, the figure of merit 'capital Q',
the ratio of induced fusion power over
the power needed to run the reactor, has
doubled every 1.8 years. That is faster
than Moore's law for the development
of computing power. And that is fast.
So, despite the difficulty, half the world
is teaming up in the realisation of a large
fusion reactor: ITER. This is the largest
international scientific collaboration ever,
involving Europe, Japan, China, Russia,
the USA, S-Korea and India. The construction
of ITER has started in Cadarache,
in the south of France. ITER will demonstrate
tenfold power multiplication at the
500 MW level, during 10-minute pulses.
The construction of ITER is giving an
enormous boost to international fusion
research. In Russia, in the USA, and
especially in Asia – everywhere the
effort in fusion research is picking up.
Europe is the leading partner in ITER and
wants to keep that lead. But for that,
we need to bring the smartest and most
ambitious students to fusion research.
And that is where the TU/e comes in.
The FUSION-group
We have recently started the group
‘Science and Technology of Nuclear
Fusion’, in the department of Applied
Physics. This group of course has a
frontline research programme – in close
collaboration with the Dutch national
laboratory for fusion research FOM-
Rijnhuizen as well as several other
groups at the TU/e. This programme
centers on controlling turbulence
in the so-called burning plasma.
Fascinating – because how do you control
something as subtle as turblence
in a plasma that has a temperture
of 200 million degree Celsius – and
is obviously very important for
reactors like ITER. But here I should like to
concentrate on the education programme.
The TU/e wants to become one of the
main nodes in the network of fusion
education in Europe, and in that way
become an attractor of students both
from the Netherlands and abroad. From
September 2009 we are offering a selection
of lecture courses and lab experiments
– a special educational Plasma Lab
is under construction - on fusion. These
will evolve into a fusion Master track in
2010, and then on to a full-fledged dedicated
Fusion Master in 2011. Because
fusion is such a wide, interdisciplinary
research field, ranging from theoretical
plasma physics to nuclear engineering
and control technology, a dedicated
curriculum is under development that is
tuned to preparing students for a career
in fusion. With ITER, fusion research can
offer a lifetime career. But at the same
time, this education – through its interdisciplinary
character - will provide an excellent
basis for work in many other fields.
"The construction
of ITER is giving an
enormous boost to the
international fusion
research."
Eindhoven is already coordinating the
recently started European Fusion Education
Network (FuseNet), in which 36
institutions – universities and research
laboratories from around Europe –
collaborate to develop a coherent and
attractive education programme for
students. Fusion research offers challenges
in many different fields and
doesn't know borders, so if a student is
looking for an external stay or a graduation
project, the possibilities are plentiful.
To support the master programme, an
outreach programme is under development
aimed at the region South-Netherlands.
FOM has recently launched a
so-called 'NLT-lesmodule' Fusion, to be
used in the top classes of secondary
schools. We will provide support to
teachers who select this lesson series,
and invite them to the TU/e for sessions
in the Plasma Lab. We'll also go out to
the schools and enthuse the students
with the Fusion Road Show – an interactive
science show with live experiments.
And for school classes that wish
to do hands-on experiments we will
arrange Plasma Lab sessions too.
All of this is very new and only in the
building state. But things are moving
Curriculum Vitae Niek Lopes Cardozo
fast and with the warm interest of the
students from various faculties and the
enthusiastic support from all sides, I am
sure we will get this up and running in
no time at all. If you want to know more,
check out our website, the people, the
research and of course the education
programme. And do not hesitate to drop
by. We live on the top floor of the G-wing
in the Applied Physics building and are
happy to chat about the wonders of
fusion research over a cup of good coffee.
—
Door: Niek Lopes Cardozo (Professor
at the FUSION group)
Prof.dr. Niek Lopes Cardozo was appointed as leader of the new Fusion group
in May 2009. Until then, he was director of the fusion physics department of
FOM-Rijnhuizen as well as part-time professor at the TU/e. His research interests
cover a broad range of topics, from advanced diagnostics to control of instabilities,
transport in turbulent plasmas and plasma surface interaction. He is recipient
of the NWO Pionier award and the Koninklijk/Shell-prize for energy and sustainable
development for his research as well as his outreach efforts. He chairs the
FuseNet project and represents the Netherlands in the top-level European fusion
committees. Besides his work in fusion research, he is chairman of the Foundation
for fundamental research on matter FOM and NWO 'gebiedsbestuur N'.
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