Plasma physics and control studies planned in JT-60SA for ITER and DEMO operations and risk mitigation

Lista completa de autores: Yoshida, M. ; Giruzzi, G.; Aiba, N.; Artaud, J. F.; Ayllon-Guerola, J.; Balbinot, L.; Beeke, O.; Belonohy, E.; Bettini, P.; Bin, W.; Bierwage, A.; Bolzonella, T.; Bonotto, M.; Boulbe, C.; Buermans, J.; Chernyshova, M.; Coda, S.; Coelho, R.; Davis, S.; Day, C.; De Tommasi, G.; Dibon, M.; Ejiri, A.; Falchetto, G.; Fassina, A.; Faugeras, B.; Figini, L.; Fukumoto, M.; Futatani, S.; Galazka, K.; García, J.; García-Muñoz, M.; Garzotti, L.; Giacomelli, L.; Giudicotti, L.; Hall, S.; Hayashi, N.; Hoa, C.; Honda, M.; Hoshino, K.; Iafrati, M.; Iantchenko, A.; Ide, S.; Iio, S.; Imazawa, R.; Inoue, S.; Isayama, A.; Joffrin, E.; Kamiya, K.; Ko, Y.; Kobayashi, M.; Kobayashi, T.; Kocsis, G.; Kovacsik, A.; Kurki-Suonio, T.; Lacroix, B.; Lang, P.; Lauber, P.; Louzguiti, A.; Luna, E. de la; Marchiori, G.; Mattei, M.; Matsuyama, A.; Mazzi, S.; Mele, A.; Michel, F.; Miyata, Y.; Morales, J.; Moreau, P.; Moro, A.; Nakano, T.; Nakata, M.; Narita, E.; Neu, R.; Nicollet, S.; Nocente, M.; Nowak, S.; Orsitto, F. P.; Ostuni, V.; Ohtani, Y.; Oyama, N.; Pasqualotto, R.; Pegourie, B.; Perelli, E.; Pigatto, L.; Piccinni, C.; Pironti, A.; Platania, P.; Ploeckl, B.; Ricci, D.; Roussel, P.; Rubino, G.; Sano, R.; Sarkimaki, K.; Shinohara, K.; Soare, S.; Sozzi, C.; Sumida, S.; Suzuki, T.; Suzuki, Y.; Szabolics, T.; Szepesi, T.; Takase, Y.; Takech, M.; Tamura, N.; Tanaka, K.; Tanaka, H.; Tardocchi, M.; Terakado, A.; Tojo, H.; Tokuzawa, T.; Torre, A.; Tsujii, N.; Tsutsui, H.; Ueda, Y.; Urano, H.; Valisa, M.; Vallar, M.; Vega, J.; Villone, F.; Wakatsuki, T.; Wauters, T.; Wischmeier, M.; Yamoto, S.; Zani, L.A large superconducting machine, JT-60SA has been constructed to provide major contributions to the ITER program and DEMO design. For the success of the ITER project and fusion reactor, understanding and development of plasma controllability in ITER and DEMO relevant higher beta regimes are essential. JT-60SA has focused the program on the plasma controllability for scenario development and risk mitigation in ITER as well as on investigating DEMO relevant regimes. This paper summarizes the high research priorities and strategy for the JT-60SA project. Recent works on simulation studies to prepare the plasma physics and control experiments are presented, such as plasma breakdown and equilibrium controls, hybrid and steady-state scenario development, and risk mitigation techniques. Contributions of JT-60SA to ITER and DEMO have been clarified through those studies.Comisión Europea - EURATOM 63305

Advances in the physics studies for the JT-60SA tokamak exploitation and research plan

JT-60SA, the largest tokamak that will operate before ITER, has been designed and built jointly by Japan and Europe, and is due to start operation in 2020. Its main missions are to support ITER exploitation and to contribute to the demonstration fusion reactor machine and scenario design. Peculiar properties of JT-60SA are its capability to produce long-pulse, high-β, and highly shaped plasmas. The preparation of the JT-60SA Research Plan, plasma scenarios, and exploitation are producing physics results that are not only relevant to future JT-60SA experiments, but often constitute original contributions to plasma physics and fusion research. Results of this kind are presented in this paper, in particular in the areas of fast ion physics, highbeta plasma properties and control, and non-linear edge localised mode stability studies.EURATOM 63305

A novel micronutrient blend mimics calorie restriction transcriptomics in multiple tissues of mice and increases lifespan and mobility in C. elegans.

We previously described a novel micronutrient blend that behaves like a putative calorie restriction mimetic. The aim of this paper was to analyze the beneficial effects of our micronutrient blend in mice and C. elegans, and compare them with calorie restriction. Methods: Whole transcriptomic analysis was performed in the brain cortex, skeletal muscle and heart in three groups of mice: old controls (30 months), old + calorie restriction and old + novel micronutrient blend. Longevity and vitality were tested in C. elegans. Results: The micronutrient blend elicited transcriptomic changes in a manner similar to those in the calorie-restricted group and different from those in the control group. Subgroup analysis revealed that nuclear hormone receptor, proteasome complex and angiotensinogen genes, all of which are known to be directly related to aging, were the most affected. Furthermore, a functional analysis in C. elegans was used. We found that feeding C. elegans the micronutrient blend increased longevity as well as vitality. Conclusions: We describe a micronutrient supplement that causes similar changes (transcriptomic and promoting longevity and vitality) as a calorie restriction in mice and C. elegans, respectively, but further studies are required to confirm these effects in human

Plasma physics and control studies planned in JT-60SA for ITER and DEMO operations and risk mitigation

| openaire: EC/H2020/633053/EU//EUROfusionA large superconducting machine, JT-60SA has been constructed to provide major contributions to the ITER program and DEMO design. For the success of the ITER project and fusion reactor, understanding and development of plasma controllability in ITER and DEMO relevant higher beta regimes are essential. JT-60SA has focused the program on the plasma controllability for scenario development and risk mitigation in ITER as well as on investigating DEMO relevant regimes. This paper summarizes the high research priorities and strategy for the JT-60SA project. Recent works on simulation studies to prepare the plasma physics and control experiments are presented, such as plasma breakdown and equilibrium controls, hybrid and steady-state scenario development, and risk mitigation techniques. Contributions of JT-60SA to ITER and DEMO have been clarified through those studies.Peer reviewe

Can environment or allergy explain international variation in prevalence of wheeze in childhood?

Asthma prevalence in children varies substantially around the world, but the contribution of known risk factors to this international variation is uncertain. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase Two studied 8–12 year old children in 30 centres worldwide with parent-completed symptom and risk factor questionnaires and aeroallergen skin prick testing. We used multilevel logistic regression modelling to investigate the effect of adjustment for individual and ecological risk factors on the between-centre variation in prevalence of recent wheeze. Adjustment for single individual-level risk factors changed the centre-level variation from a reduction of up to 8.4% (and 8.5% for atopy) to an increase of up to 6.8%. Modelling the 11 most influential environmental factors among all children simultaneously, the centre-level variation changed little overall (2.4% increase). Modelling only factors that decreased the variance, the 6 most influential factors (synthetic and feather quilt, mother’s smoking, heating stoves, dampness and foam pillows) in combination resulted in a 21% reduction in variance. Ecological (centre-level) risk factors generally explained higher proportions of the variation than did individual risk factors. Single environmental factors and aeroallergen sensitisation measured at the individual (child) level did not explain much of the between-centre variation in wheeze prevalence

Physics research on the TCV tokamak facility: from conventional to alternative scenarios and beyond

The research program of the TCV tokamak ranges from conventional to advanced-tokamak scenarios and alternative divertor configurations, to exploratory plasmas driven by theoretical insight, exploiting the device’s unique shaping capabilities. Disruption avoidance by real-time locked mode prevention or unlocking with electron-cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) was thoroughly documented, using magnetic and radiation triggers. Runaway generation with high-Z noble-gas injection and runaway dissipation by subsequent Ne or Ar injection were studied for model validation. The new 1 MW neutral beam injector has expanded the parameter range, now encompassing ELMy H-modes in an ITER-like shape and nearly non-inductive H-mode discharges sustained by electron cyclotron and neutral beam current drive. In the H-mode, the pedestal pressure increases modestly with nitrogen seeding while fueling moves the density pedestal outwards, but the plasma stored energy is largely uncorrelated to either seeding or fueling. High fueling at high triangularity is key to accessing the attractive small edge-localized mode (type-II) regime. Turbulence is reduced in the core at negative triangularity, consistent with increased confinement and in accord with global gyrokinetic simulations. The geodesic acoustic mode, possibly coupled with avalanche events, has been linked with particle flow to the wall in diverted plasmas. Detachment, scrape-off layer transport, and turbulence were studied in L- and H-modes in both standard and alternative configurations (snowflake, super-X, and beyond). The detachment process is caused by power ‘starvation’ reducing the ionization source, with volume recombination playing only a minor role. Partial detachment in the H-mode is obtained with impurity seeding and has shown little dependence on flux expansion in standard single-null geometry. In the attached L-mode phase, increasing the outer connection length reduces the in–out heat-flow asymmetry. A doublet plasma, featuring an internal X-point, was achieved successfully, and a transport barrier was observed in the mantle just outside the internal separatrix. In the near future variable-configuration baffles and possibly divertor pumping will be introduced to investigate the effect of divertor closure on exhaust and performance, and 3.5 MW ECRH and 1 MW neutral beam injection heating will be added