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Nuclear fusion reactor engineering
01PUDXY, 01PUDND
A.A. 2025/26
Course Language
Inglese
Degree programme(s)
Master of science-level of the Bologna process in Ingegneria Energetica E Nucleare - Torino
Course structure
| Teaching | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lezioni | 65 |
| Esercitazioni in aula | 15 |
Lecturers
| Teacher | Status | SSD | h.Les | h.Ex | h.Lab | h.Tut | Years teaching |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zanino Roberto | Professore Ordinario | IIND-07/D | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Co-lectures
Context
| SSD | CFU | Activities | Area context | ING-IND/19 | 8 | B - Caratterizzanti | Ingegneria energetica e nucleare |
|---|
2025/26
Nuclear fusion has the potential of becoming a practically inexhaustible and almost clean energy source. The world’s efforts, in which Italy and Europe play a major role, focus on the confinement of a burning D-T plasma in devices based on superconducting magnets: the multi-billion ITER project, under construction at Cadarache in France, a few hundred kilometres from Torino, is scheduled to start operating in the late 20’s, while the EU is strongly pursuing the next step, i.e. a DEMO program, aiming at providing the first kWh from fusion.
This course gives an introduction to both the physics and the engineering of a nuclear fusion reactor of tokamak type. Some emphasis is put on the modelling aspects, at both the component and system level.
The course, mandatory for nuclear engineering students, could also be of interest for students who simply desire to get a somewhat more precise idea of the enormous potential of the fusion energy source.
Nuclear fusion has the potential of becoming a practically inexhaustible and almost clean energy source. Most of the world’s efforts, in which Italy and Europe play a major role, focus on the confinement of a burning D-T plasma in superconducting tokamaks like, e.g.: the multi-billion ITER project, under construction at Cadarache in France, a few hundred kilometres from Torino; the EU DEMO, aiming at providing kWh from fusion; the Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) facility under construction at ENEA Frascati. Besides these efforts based on public funding, several private initiatives have also been blossoming in nuclear fusion during the last few years, confirm the extreme dynamics of the field.
This course introduces the key engineering challenges of a nuclear fusion reactor of tokamak type, with a strong emphasis on the modelling of its main components and systems. The course also includes an introduction to the PROCESS system code, which is the worldwide reference tool for the self-consistent evaluation of the parameters of a fusion power plant that the students can then apply to develop simple parametric studies starting from a reference fusion power plant.
A few lectures on different specialized topics will be dedicated to seminars held by renowned international experts in the field.
Visits to experimental facilities and factories are also foreseen.
The course, mandatory for nuclear engineering students, could also be of interest for students who simply desire to learn about the enormous potential of the fusion energy source.
The student should acquire a basic knowledge of the physics of magnetically confined plasmas in a tokamak-type fusion reactor, from an engineering point of view, as well as of the structure and functions of the main reactor components and of their integration in a consistent design.
The student should also acquire a critical perception of the main open issues and related perspectives of research and development in the field of fusion technology.
The students will acquire a basic knowledge of the structure and functions of the main reactor components, with special emphasis on the divertor, the blanket and the superconducting magnets, and of their integration in a consistent tokamak design.
The students will also acquire a critical perception of the main open issues and related perspectives of research and development in the field of fusion technology.
The students will finally get familiar with the PROCESS code, performing parametric studies on the most relevant engineering parameters of a fusion power plant and assessing the impact of engineering constraints on the design and performance of the machine.
The essential pre-requisite of the course is a good knowledge of the topics presented in the first two years of any Engineering BSc program.
An introduction to nuclear engineering (like that provided, e.g., in the course “Fondamenti di ingegneria nucleare”) could be helpful, but is not mandatory.
The only strict pre-requisite is to have a good knowledge of the topics typically presented in the first two years of any Engineering BSc program.
A useful background to this course is provided by the course Nuclear Fusion Reactor Physics 01PUCXY (or any other introductory plasma/fusion physics course).
Finally, an introduction to nuclear engineering (like that provided, e.g., in the course “Elementi di ingegneria nucleare” 01TWUXX) could be helpful, but is not mandatory.
- Nuclear fusion in a nutshell
- The European roadmap on fusion electricity
- The course roadmap
- The key parameters and constraints for a 1 GWe fusion reactor of tokamak type:
- tau_E~ 1 s plasma confinement:
* motion of a single charged particle in the electromagnetic field
* definition of a plasma: Debye length, plasma frequency, quasi-neutrality
* MHD equilibrium and stability
* collisions in a plasma
* particle and energy transport
* performance of present tokamaks vs future reactors
# the superconducting magnet system and its cryogenics.
- T ~ 10-20 keV plasma heating:
* Ohmic; need for auxiliary heating (NNBI, RF); alpha.
- n ~ 1020-1021 m-3 plasma fueling:
# the fuel cycle the blanket (part 1) neutronics, choice of breeder/multiplier ITER TBM vs EU DEMO BB
# vacuum technology.
- limitations on heat flux q (MW/m2), and core plasma contamination (Z_eff) plasma-wall interactions:
* Debye sheath and Bohm criterion; impurities; Scrape-Off Layer, 2-point model
# limiter, first wall, divertor; engineering of power exhaust.
- Practical experience of small tokamak plasma operation (GOLEM)
- Power extraction and conversion the blanket (part 2) choice of coolant; storage; BoP
- Wrap-up
# ubiquitous/enabling technologies
- materials ( DONES/IFMIF)
- safety.
# ITER and satellites schedule; the current status of the EU DEMO design.
LECTURES
The structure, performance and safety of present and forthcoming (under construction) tokamaks vs. future nuclear fusion reactors. The European roadmap on fusion electricity. The landscape of private fusion initiatives around the world. The course roadmap.
The three fundamental challenges of fusion engineering:
A. Managing the power and particle exhaust from the plasma, while controlling impurities at the same time
o Power balance and plasma-surface interactions in tokamaks
o The Scrape-Off Layer
o Limiter, First Wall (FW), Divertor
o Sputtering and the Lawson criterion with impurities
o Heat transfer enhancement in high heat flux tokamak components
o The divertor problem in DEMO perspective
o The Liquid Metal Divertor (LMD)
Additional topic #1: Auxiliary heating of the plasma with particular reference to Neutral Beam Injection and ICRH.
B. Extracting the power deposited in the blanket by the neutrons, while breeding the tritium fuel
o The blanket and its main functions
o Load conditions on FW/blanket
o Tritium consumption and production (needs)
o Choice of breeder/multiplier, coolant, structural material, and assessment of their compatibility
o EU-DEMO Breeding Blanket (BB) designs: HCPB, WCLL
o The ITER TBM program vs. the EU-DEMO BB
o BB Maintenance and Balance of Plant (BoP)
o Advanced BB concepts
Additional topic #2: The Fusion Fuel Cycle: Vacuum Pumping, Tritium extraction, Matter Injection
C. Confining a 10^8 K plasma using powerful superconducting (SC) magnets, while keeping them at 4.5 K
o Introduction: The tokamak magnet system; Magnet electro-mechanics; Why SC magnets?; Superconductivity fundamentals; SC magnets; Cooling SC magnets. Cryogenics and thermophysical properties of materials at cryogenic conditions vs. RT; Current-sharing temperature, stability, quench
o Low-Tc vs. high-Tc superconductors
o Winding a SC magnet: strands, cable-in-conduit conductors
o Modeling SC magnets: The 4C code.
Additional topic #3: Alternatives to tokamaks: Stellarators; inertial confinement; ….
LABORATORY
0. Introduction to the PROCESS code; plasma physics recall.
1. Divertor, Heating & Current Drive and Breeding Blanket modelling in PROCESS
2. Superconducting magnet modelling in PROCESS
3. EU DEMO reactor model in PROCESS
• Presentation of the model
• Parametric scan on selected variables
Physics
The course will consist of theoretical lectures and of the practical solution of simple numerical problems.
The students will also have the opportunity to perform an experimental session on a small tokamak.
Engineering
The course will consist of theoretical lectures and of the demonstration of dedicated software on a few specific topics (superconducting magnets, breeding blanket and power exhaust) to the students, who will also have the opportunity to use it.
About 50/80 hours will consist of theoretical lectures on the above-mentioned topics. The rest of the hours will be devoted to a course on the PROCESS code and to the optimization of a fusion power plant focusing on the engineering challenges A-C above.
Physics
Reference textbooks
• J.P. Freidberg, Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy, Cambridge University Press, 2007
• Peter C. Stangeby, The Plasma Boundary of Magnetic Fusion Devices, Institute of Physics Publishing, 2000
Auxiliary books
• C. Wendell Horton, Jr. and S. Benkadda, ITER Physics, World Scientific, 2015.
Engineering
A few good references are available, see e.g.
• Thomas J. Dolan (Editor), “Magnetic Fusion Technology (Lecture Notes in Energy)”, Springer; 2013 edition (February 10, 2014), ISBN 978-1447155553
• Weston M. Stacey, “Fusion: An Introduction to the Physics and Technology of Magnetic Confinement Fusion” 2nd Edition, Wiley-VCH (March 22, 2010), ISBN 978-3527409679.
However, no single textbook really covers the scope of topics to the needed depth for this course. We shall therefore often rely on presentations from summer schools (e.g. the KIT International School on Fusion Technologies http://summerschool.fusion.kit.edu/ ) and on presentations given at international conferences, as well as on papers published on international journals like Fusion Engineering and Design, Fusion Science and Technology, etc.
No single textbook really covers the above-mentioned topics to the needed depth for this course. The instructors will therefore provide additional material in the form of slides used in class, as well as rely on presentations from summer schools and international conferences, as well as on papers published on international journals like Fusion Engineering and Design, Fusion Science and Technology, etc.
On-line PROCESS User Manual (https://ukaea.github.io/PROCESS/).
Dispense;
Lecture notes;
Modalità di esame: Prova scritta (in aula); Prova orale obbligatoria; Elaborato scritto prodotto in gruppo;
Exam: Written test; Compulsory oral exam; Group essay;
...
The exams for the two parts are separate. The final score will be the average of the two.
Physics
The final exam is in two parts, the first (mandatory) is written, the second is an oral discussion.
The written test, of duration about 1.5 h, involves a number of numerical problems and theoretical questions. It aims at verifying that the student can (i) complete successfully some simple calculations, and (ii) can critically discuss the simplest phenomena occurring in a fusion reactor. The students will be allowed to use a pocket computer, but no another material will be allowed, except what provided by the instructor. The maximum score which can be obtained from the written test is 27/30.
Students who obtained a score equal or higher than 26/30 in the written test may ask to also have an oral discussion, during which the level of comprehension of the physical processes discussed during the main lectures will be verified in depth.
Engineering
For all students, an oral exam about the different topics treated in the course, will lead to a maximum mark of 24/30.
For those students who aim at a maximum mark above 24/30, the oral will be followed by a presentation (in ppt form), of the estimated duration of ~ 10 minutes, on the results of a small project, based on the application of the software presented in class, in either of the following three fields at the students’ choice: 1) superconducting magnets; 2) breeding blanket; 3) power exhaust. The presentation will be valued up to an additional 6 points and will be considered for a possible final mark of 30 cum laude.
Gli studenti e le studentesse con disabilità o con Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA), oltre alla segnalazione tramite procedura informatizzata, sono invitati a comunicare anche direttamente al/la docente titolare dell'insegnamento, con un preavviso non inferiore ad una settimana dall'avvio della sessione d'esame, gli strumenti compensativi concordati con l'Unità Special Needs, al fine di permettere al/la docente la declinazione più idonea in riferimento alla specifica tipologia di esame.
Exam: Written test; Compulsory oral exam; Group essay;
1) Preparation (by self-organized groups of 2 students) of a brief report on an application of the PROCESS code, to be submitted at least 3 days before the written exam
2) A written test, consisting of 2 open questions on the course topics
3a) If (1/3 * report + 2/3 * written test) < 27/30 --> final mark = (1/3 * report + 2/3 * written test) ( i.e., there will be NO oral exam)
3b) If (1/3 * report + 2/3 * written test) ≥ 27/30, an oral exam will follow --> final mark = max {(25% * report + 50% * written test + 25%*oral exam), 26/30}
In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.