An industry and public research organization joint effort for ITER construction: evaluating the impact

Participation in Big Science projects, such as ITER, and the exchange of technology and knowledge with science-based partners are fruitful environments for industry. By integrating the use of quantitative and qualitative data and methods of analyses applied to a sample of Italian industries, the present work illustrates how participation in ITER, through the European Agency Fusion for Energy, allows firms to increase their financial performance, enhance their brand image, extend the network of collaborations, improve internal processes, acquire new standards and have a new vision of the company. Moreover, ITER allows for employing new people and investing in the local and regional territories. The study leads to new implications for managers and researchers in terms of new tools to be used to manage the involvement in Big Science projects and policy makers in terms of incentives to be provided, particularly for SMEs, in order to enhance knowledge dissemination and avoid business discontinuities

Successfully managing SMEs collaborations with public research institutes: the case of ITER fusion projects

This work investigates the obstacles that arise in the collaboration between Public Research Institutes (PRIs) and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), when they are involved in Big Science projects. PRIs are valuable scientific partners for industry and even more for SMEs. However, sometimes the collaboration with PRI is not as profitable as expected and the existing literature often focuses on university as scientific partners, without studing the peculiarities of PRIs. Specifically, the setting of our study is the collaboration between the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) and three SMEs, all involved in the ITER project (i.e., the main Big Science project in the field of nuclear fusion reaction). Thanks to an explorative multiple case study, our work enriches the evidence about the technology transfer practices by considering the entire process of collaboration (i.e., pre-transfer, development, post-transfer) and it suggests that the obstacles and the consequent solutions should be analysed according to the different phases of the process itself. Moreover, from a practical point of view, we illustrate how to shape some managerial levers in order to overcome the obstacles in the different phases of the collaboration process, for example adopting tools or practices such as roadmaps or exchange of personnel

APPLICATION OF THE JSIR2S CODE PACKAGE FOR SHUTDOWN DOSE RATE CALCULATIONS ON JET

In this paper we present a computational exercise for shut-down dose rate calculations for the JET tokamak using the in-house developed JSIR2S code package as part of its validation. The computation is performed in two parts: neutron transport and transport of secondary gamma radiation. In order to calculate neutron activation reaction rates with sufficiently low variance, hybrid variance reduction techniques using the ADVANTG code have been utilized. Probability based sampling of secondary source particles was performed. Calculated gamma dose rates after shut down are compared with dose rate measurements performed on site using ionization chambers. The C/E agreement for 1st octant is between 0.8 to 1 while statistically meaningfull results for the 2nd octant are yet to be obtained

APPLICATION OF THE JSIR2S CODE PACKAGE FOR SHUTDOWN DOSE RATE CALCULATIONS ON JET

In this paper we present a computational exercise for shut-down dose rate calculations for the JET tokamak using the in-house developed JSIR2S code package as part of its validation. The computation is performed in two parts: neutron transport and transport of secondary gamma radiation. In order to calculate neutron activation reaction rates with sufficiently low variance, hybrid variance reduction techniques using the ADVANTG code have been utilized. Probability based sampling of secondary source particles was performed. Calculated gamma dose rates after shut down are compared with dose rate measurements performed on site using ionization chambers. The C/E agreement for 1st octant is between 0.8 to 1 while statistically meaningfull results for the 2nd octant are yet to be obtained

VALIDATION OF SERPENT FOR FUSION NEUTRONICS ANALYSIS AT JET

Fusion neutronics analysis before and after experiments at JET is traditionally performed using Monte Carlo particle transport code Monte Carlo N-Particle. For redundancy and diversity reasons there is a need of an additional Monte Carlo code, such as Serpent 2, capable of fusion neutronics analysis. In order to validate the Serpent code for fusion applications a detailed model of JET was used. Neutron fluxes and reaction rates were calculated and compared for positions outside the tokamak vacuum vessel, in the vacuum vessel above the plasma and next to a limiter inside the vacuum vessel. For all detector positions with DD and DT neutron sources the difference between neutron fluxes calculated with both Monte Carlo codes were within 2σ statistical uncertainty and for most positions (more than 90 % of all studied positions) even within 1σ uncertainty. Fusion neutronics analysis in the JET tokamak with Serpent took on average 10 % longer but this can be improved by changing the threshold value for determination of the transport method used. With the work presented in this paper the Serpent Monte Carlo code was validated to be a viable alternative to MCNP for fusion neutronics analysis for the JET tokamak

VALIDATION OF SERPENT FOR FUSION NEUTRONICS ANALYSIS AT JET

Fusion neutronics analysis before and after experiments at JET is traditionally performed using Monte Carlo particle transport code Monte Carlo N-Particle. For redundancy and diversity reasons there is a need of an additional Monte Carlo code, such as Serpent 2, capable of fusion neutronics analysis. In order to validate the Serpent code for fusion applications a detailed model of JET was used. Neutron fluxes and reaction rates were calculated and compared for positions outside the tokamak vacuum vessel, in the vacuum vessel above the plasma and next to a limiter inside the vacuum vessel. For all detector positions with DD and DT neutron sources the difference between neutron fluxes calculated with both Monte Carlo codes were within 2σ statistical uncertainty and for most positions (more than 90 % of all studied positions) even within 1σ uncertainty. Fusion neutronics analysis in the JET tokamak with Serpent took on average 10 % longer but this can be improved by changing the threshold value for determination of the transport method used. With the work presented in this paper the Serpent Monte Carlo code was validated to be a viable alternative to MCNP for fusion neutronics analysis for the JET tokamak

Neutron streaming studies along JET shielding penetrations

Neutronic benchmark experiments are carried out at JET aiming to assess the neutronic codes and data used in ITER analysis. Among other activities, experiments are performed in order to validate neutron streaming simulations along long penetrations in the JET shielding configuration. In this work, neutron streaming calculations along the JET personnel entrance maze are presented. Simulations were performed using the MCNP code for Deuterium-Deuterium and Deuterium- Tritium plasma sources. The results of the simulations were compared against experimental data obtained using thermoluminescence detectors and activation foils