Canadian Nuclear Society

Transcription

1 CNS Fusion Science and Technology Division (CNS-FSTD) Summary and Highlights for Activities in the Period of 2012 July to 2013 June Report to CNS Council Annual General Meeting Blair P. Bromley, Chair of FSTD June 09, 2012 The reader is encouraged to go to the archives of the CNS Council on the CNS website (login and password required) to see the monthly update reports on the CNS-FSTD. The CNS-FSTD is a new division, created in The goal of the CNS-FSTD is to help facilitate and attract more interest, participation, cooperation and collaboration in the Canadian community of educators, researchers, entrepreneurs, enthusiasts, public sector, private sector, government and industry in the field of fusion energy science and technology, in research and development, exploitation, and commercialization. The following sections give a few highlights of some of the activities that occurred in the period of July, 2012 to June, Where appropriate, some of the short-term and long-term goals and planned activities have been also identified.

2 1. Highlights of Activities June 2012 to June, June, 2012 to July, 2012 The main event was the CNS Annual Conference in Saskatoon on June 10 to June 13, o An audio-visual presentation providing an update on the CNS-FSTD was given at the CNS AGM on Sunday afternoon. o There were two technical sessions in Fusion Science and Technology, with 10 papers, 8 presentations, and 2 no-shows o The first session on Monday afternoon (June 11) was well attended, with close to 50 people at one point. The second session on Tuesday morning (June 12) was poorly attended, with at most 12 people. o There was a video presentation of a virtual tour of the University of Saskatchewan STOR-M tokamak facility presented on Tuesday morning between 10 am and 12 pm, but this was poorly attended as well. There were competing events going on. o A townhall meeting on fusion was held on Tuesday afternoon, in the Blair Nelson Room. This was an informal meeting, and the participants were mainly the CNS-FSTD technical session presenters, and some other individuals. There were useful discussions about potential opportunities for cooperation between fusion research groups within Canada, and with Korea. Korea is looking for equipment to be donated or loaned to support its KSTAR tokamak experimental facility, and is also looking for visiting researchers. Interacted with some representatives from the ANS-FED at the ANS Annual Meeting in Chicago on June 24 to June 28, They would like to have more interaction and cooperation with Canadian fusion researchers. They pointed out that it can be challenging to get participation in the ANS by fusion researchers in the U.S. because of competing events sponsored by the IEEE, the APS, and other organizations. Fusion science and technology involves researchers in other disciplines (physics, electrical engineering), and they are somewhat reluctant to spend the time and effort to publish due to the perceived lower value of ANS conference proceedings. This might be alleviated if such meetings were to permit submission of larger papers (~10 pages) with a more extensive peer-review process. This should not be an issue for the CNS annual conference. Attended the PBNC-19 (Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference, Vancouver, 2014 August) planning meeting in at the ANS Annual Conference on Monday, June 25, 2012, representing the CNS- FSTD. Participating in this planning/organizational meeting at the suggestion of CNS Past President Frank Doyle.

3 Figure 1: Main Participants in Fusion Townhall Meeting at CNS Annual Conference on June 12, 2012 in Saskatoon 1.2 July, 2012 to August, 2012 Forwarded a number of fusion-related messages and notices to CNS-FSTD members, including, for example: o The June 2012 newsletter of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) Fusion Energy Division (FED) has been archived on this website: Responding to requests from students for advice/information on fusion.

4 1.3 August, 2012 to September, 2012 Forwarded a number of fusion-related messages and notices to CNS-FSTD members, including, for example: o Message on status of ITER provided by John Roberts (thanks John). ITER Signs Fusion Cooperation Agreement With China Responding to requests from students for advice/information on fusion. 1.4 September, 2012 to October, 2012 Forwarded news story to CNS-FSTD members: o World's largest nuclear fusion reactor to be built with enterprise engineering technology from Intergraph(R) PR Newswire (U.S.) 3 October : October, 2012 to December, 2012 Fusion-related news stories forwarded to CNS-FSTD membership. First notice sent out to CNS-FSTD membership encouraging submission of papers for 2013 CNS Annual Conference. Attended ANS 2012 Winter Meeting in San Diego o Talked with Susana Reyes, LLNL, Nuclear Engineer on the LIFE Project o Reyes20@llnl.gov o Susana is the incoming Chair of the Fusion Energy Division of the ANS, and is interested in seeing more cooperation between the ANS and the CNS on the topic of fusion science and technology. ANS is looking for organizational co-sponsors for some of the fusionrelated conferences. o In communication, Susana wrote: Other than the 2014 ANS TOFE, there are a few upcoming fusion conferences that ANS is sponsoring (part of my role in San Diego was to go to the program committee meetings to provide the paperwork and ask for approval etc). In particular there are two in 2013 (ICENES and IFSA) that requested ANS sponsorship of class IV (lowest involvement, it means just letting them use the logo). Not sure if the CNS would have any interest in doing something like that but if so I can let you know when some other fusion conference comes to us

5 looking for sponsorship. Also, even though is far away, I need to start thinking about ANS-TOFE o Attended at technical session where the topic of Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR) were discussed. Papers included the following: Discussion of Low-Energy Nuclear Reactions Papers/Panel The Big Picture of Low-Energy Nuclear Reaction Research Steven B. Krivit (New Energy Times) Electroweak Neutron Production via e _ p r n _ n and Capture During Lightning Discharges Lewis G. Larsen (Lattice Energy LLC) Slow Neutron Generation by Plasma Excitation in Electrolytic Cell Domenico Cirillo (Cirillo_lab) Transmutation Reactions Induced by Deuterium Permeation Through Nano-Structured Pd Multilayer Thin Film Yasuhiro Iwamura, Takehiko Itoh (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd), Y. Terada (Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute), T. Ishikawa (Coherent X-ray Optics Laboratory, SPring-80RIKEN). 422 Panel Discussion Communicated with Satyen Baindur requesting status report on progress of preparing draft CNS position paper on fusion. Little or no progress has been made so far. Is CNS willing to co-sponsor some upcoming fusion-related conferences? These include: o (International Conference on Emerging Nuclear Energy Systems) o (Inertial Fusion Sciences and Applications) 1.6 December, 2012 to January, 2013 Fusion-related news stories forwarded to CNS-FSTD membership, such as: o The December 2012 newsletter of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) Fusion Energy Division (FED) has been archived on this website: Second notice sent out to CNS-FSTD membership encouraging submission of papers for 2013 CNS Annual Conference. Informal discussions with CNS Conference/Program Chair to establish appropriate criteria for accepting papers for review.

6 1.7 January, 2013 to February, 2013 Fusion-related news stories forwarded to CNS-FSTD membership. Sent communication to PBNC 2014 TPC members (Laurence Leung) requesting special technical sessions / technical tracks be created for: o Emerging / Disruptive Technologies that could Impact Use of Nuclear Energy. o Fusion Science and Technology o Accelerator Driven Systems and Hybrid Fusion-Fission Reactors o Getting these dedicated sessions is important, given that the regular annual CNS conference will not be held, in favor of incorporating it into the PBNC meeting. Sent out multiple communications to CNS-FSTD membership and other researchers in both Canadian and international community encouraging submission of papers for 2013 CNS Annual Conference, in the area of Fusion Science and Technology. o Poking, prodding, coaxing and cajoling individuals to submit fusion-related papers. o Making use of contact information obtained from various other conferences (ANS, TOFE, CNS, PHYSOR, etc.). Interactions with CNS 2013 Organizing Committee / TPC to address various issues o Defining minimal guidelines and standards about what may or may not be acceptable as a paper. There are some papers of questionable value but a more a reflection of the authors attempting to submit them. o Responding to requests from potential participants who are seeking some financial support (registration waiver, paid travel costs, etc) o Making updates to the CNS Conference website, which is important because not everyone who may attend the conference is a member of the CNS. Issue came up from one researcher who communicated their reluctance to participate in the CNS conference, preferring to focus their time and attention on international fusion conferences. o The message seemed to reflect an underlying problem that the CNS faces, trying to convince researchers and others in Canada of why it is important to participate in a diversified, domestic conference. o Upon reflection, and consultation with others, I prepared the following response: Dear Dr. XYZ, Many thanks for your reply!

7 I can certainly understand the motivation for participating in the international fusion conferences. International conferences are good and they serve an important purpose. In addition, it is also very important to complement them with participation in domestic (Canadian) conferences, including those that allow one to interface with those in other, related disciplines. We are trying to encourage participation in the CNS conference for the following reasons: 1. The CNS conference gives a domestic location (in Canada) where fusion researchers and those interested in fusion R&D (such as policy makers, representatives from industry and government, etc.) can meet together to discuss their progress and to learn from each other. This is more economical, particularly for students (graduate and undergraduate) and institutions that operate on very limited budgets. 2. Because the CNS conference is a domestic one, we have more control and influence over how the conference is organized and run to better suit the needs and interests of Canadian participants. 3. The CNS conference is an existing venue within Canada that provides an opportunity to build strategic relationships with potential supporters and partners in academia, public institutions, government, and private industry. The CNS conference is an opportunity for the Canadian "fusion community" and related technologies and disciplines to interact with eachother, face-to-face. 4. The federal government of Canada and provincial governments may look towards domestic societies and organizations, such as the Canadian Nuclear Society, for consultation and for potential policy advice concerning various areas of research and development, including fusion science and technology. Thus, if the Canadian fusion community, through the CNS, can develop and maintain a long-term track record in promoting knowledge, education and communication about fusion science and technology, then both Canadian governments and Canadian industry may be more interested and willing to support fusion science and technology development within Canada. 5. By participating in a Canadian conference, Canadian fusion researchers can demonstrate solidarity and unity for fusion science and technology (even if there may be differing individual opinions on the best line of research or technology development). This helps send a positive message to the public, to industry, and to both provincial and federal governments. 6. Canadian fusion researchers need to build and maintain an alliance. To borrow a phrase, "United we Stand, Divided we Fall". The CNS Conference

8 provides a venue to maintain that alliance. 7. There is an perception that fusion R&D needs to become more mainstream, in that it needs to become actively engaged with those working with industry and utilities. There are those who work in the fields of thermal-hydraulics, chemistry, radiation shielding, materials science, reactor physics, power engineering, and mainly other disciplines in the nuclear power sector within Canada who could potentially offer technical assistance and support to those working in the areas of fusion. 8. If fusion R&D is to grow in Canada, it needs support from government, private industry, and the private investors. If fusion is to move beyond an R&D program, it needs to be perceived as being an important and integral part of the power sector. By having fusion R&D work published on a continuing basis at a domestic Canadian conference, one can better communicate with public and private sectors, and one can build a stronger case to convince both the public and private sector to support initiatives to expand fusion R&D in Canada, and to move it into the stage of prototype and demonstration devices. 9. Networking with fusion specialists in the international community is important, but it is also important to network with fusion specialists and non-specialists in the domestic community. The latter are very important because it is domestic governments and private industry that will provide the investment to help exploit fusion science and technology. 10. The Canadian Nuclear Society (CNS) has many members who publish in the top journals in their field, and attend international topical meetings, but they also publish and meet at the CNS annual conference for the purposes of crossfertilization, networking, brainstorming to address common themes, building mutual support, maintaining strength in numbers, etc.. To build a stronger profile for fusion with both the Canadian public and Canadian policy makers, it is important to participate in a Canadian-based venue. Thus, we would really like to see you participate in the CNS conference, to show everyone what you are doing in the field of fusion science and technology, and related fields. This could be mutually beneficial. Kind Regards, Blair Bromley Chair, CNS-FSTD o Suggestion for CNS Council / Webmaster: A variant of the above letter, with the list of reasons why one should participate in the CNS Conference, may be good to upload to the CNS website for future reference. This applies not only to fusion science and technology, but other disciplines as well.

9 Continuing informal discussions with CNS Conference/Program Chair to establish appropriate criteria for accepting papers for review. 1.8 February, 2013 to April, 2013 Fusion-related news stories forwarded to CNS-FSTD membership. Such as: o o Bulbs.html Sent out reminders to CNS-FSTD membership and other researchers in both Canadian and international community encouraging submission of papers for 2013 CNS Annual Conference, in the area of Fusion Science and Technology. o Looks like there should be enough papers to fill 1 technical session (4 to 6 papers). In addition, please try to avoid scheduling parallel technical sessions that may be of common interest. Don t schedule physics and fusion sessions at the same time, if possible. This was a bit of a problem on the Tuesday morning sessions at the CNS 2012 meeting in Saskatoon. o Discussion with Adriaan/Dorin about feasibility of including an informal panel discussion on the topic of fusion science and technology at the CNS Conference. Uncertain right now, but possibility would be to hold it on Tuesday morning, or afternoon during conference. Likely we will postpone this activity to a future conference, and focus on the CNS-FSTD technical session. 1.9 April, 2013 to May, 2013 In communication with authors/speakers for FSTD technical session at CNS 2013 Conference. o Provided review comments on papers and updates on conference activities. o Looks like there will be 5 to 6 papers in the FSTD technical session. o It is highly desirable to get the FSTD session set for Monday afternoon, and to avoid scheduling technical sessions of topics of similar interest at the same time. Many thanks to Dorin Nichita and Adriaan Buijs for their guidance and assistance. Other observations/comments o We may need to consider a holding stand-alone Canadian fusion workshop, held at a different time and location from that of the CNS Conference. It is difficult to get

10 Canadian fusion researchers to participate in domestic conferences, given that there is a greater interest in international conferences dedicated to fusion. It has been very difficult to get fusion researchers from a number of institutions in Canada to participate this year. In addition, travel budgets for everyone are quite limited, and this forces various groups to be much more selective in their choices. In communication with Professor Hossam Gaber (at UOIT) to set up a fusion workshop at UOIT: o Event tentatively planned for Friday, August 30, 2013 on UOIT campus, as an event embedded within the IEEE-Smart Energy Grid Engineering (SEGE 13) conference. o Initially contacted by Prof. Gaber to participate in a fusion panel discussion within SEGE 13, but after discussion, we came to realize this would be an opportunity to do a larger-scale event, with speakers invited from across Canada and from the international community. It may be easier to attract speakers and participants to this event than to the CNS conference. This will be a joint IEEE/CNS event. o Registration fees for the workshop, Canadian Workshop on Fusion Energy Science and Technology (CWFEST-2013), will be $50, with discounts for CNS and IEEE members, students, and SEGE 13 registrants. Expect to send out invitations to various groups to participate as spectators within the next few weeks. Registration will be limited to 60 to 100 people, due to space and seating limits. o Workshop is still in the planning stages, but we hope to recruit 7 to 10 speakers, with morning and afternoon panel discussions following the presentations. Invitations have been sent out to prospective speakers. So far, we have gotten 3 positive responses. o For more information, visit: Also see: o Soon, we hope to have information on CWFEST-2013 posted on the CNS website, and we will need to work through the CNS website committee chair to do this May 2013 to June, 2013 Sending final instructions and reminders to authors/presenters for FSTD technical session at CNS Began update of CNS-FSTD website, with many thanks to volunteer efforts by Terry J. Price (UOIT), who has agreed to be the CNS-FSTD webmaster. Many thanks to Ben Rouben and Elmir Lekovic for their assistance and guidance. Continuing with recruiting speakers for CWFEST o As of June 5, 2013, there are 8 confirmed speakers, and 2 additional possibilities.

11 2. Ongoing Action Items: Continue to recruit volunteer members for CNS-FSTD Organizing Committee. o A new chair will be required for FSTD as soon as possible. o Need to organize a teleconference introductory meeting (delayed). Make contributions to CNS-FSTD sub-group set up on LinkedIn. Update CNS-FSTD website. Start planning for a Canadian fusion workshop in 2014/2015. o This may be done as an embedded event at a future Canadian conference, CNS Conference, or as a stand-alone event. o The preferred location for a stand-alone event will be in Ottawa, to encourage participation of key individuals involved with science, energy and technology policy in the Government of Canada and its associated departments and agencies. o The goal will be to attract speakers from Canada and abroad representing the mainstream and alternative concepts for fusion research and development. Start recruiting papers for a dedicated fusion technical session at PBNC 19 (Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference), to be held in Vancouver, BC, 2014 August. Explore long-term possibility of CNS co-organizing TOFE / SOFE in Canada. Maintain a dialogue with other societies in Canada: o IEEE-Canada o Plasmas Physics Division of Canadian Association of Physicists. o Need volunteers to serve as liaisons with CAP and IEEE. o Help in coordinating events to avoid overlap and duplication. Prepare a CNS position paper on fusion science and technology. o Need input from researchers across Canada to develop this. o Satyen Baindur [satyen@baindur.org] has agreed to start preparing a draft paper, which will serve as starting point for further editing. This initiative has been delayed. o May require another volunteer to help co-lead this effort.

12 3. CNS-FSTD Membership As of May 21, 2013, there are 143 members (55 students, 11 retirees, and 77 regular members), a slight increase of 3 from May 2012 (140 members). o Assistance by Ben Rouben is much appreciated. 4. CNS-FSTD Executive / Organizing Committee See table at the end, showing individuals who tentatively confirmed as members of the CNS- FSTD Executive/Organizing Committee. More positions can be created and adapted to the interests and priorities of volunteers. 5. CNS-FSTD Website Thanks to the volunteer efforts of Terry Price with assistance by Blair Bromley, and Elmir Lekovic, the CNS-FSTD website has been finally started. The website address: The website is gradually being populated with information. Feedback and suggestions for the website are welcome. 6. Feedback, Questions and Suggestions CNS Council members and other CNS members are encouraged to contact FSTD Chair Blair Bromley if they have any feedback, questions, or suggestions, or would like to become a volunteer to assist with FSTD. Volunteers who do even something small, for a couple of hours per year would helpful. Blair Bromley, bromleyb@aecl.ca; yelmorb7@nrtco.net, ext , or

13 CNS-FSTD Executive Committee Last Update: June 09, 2012 Position Key Activities Name Affiliation Chair Division organization Blair Bromley AECL-CRL and communications. Co-Chair Assistant to Chair Peter Schwanke Candu Energy (tentative) FSTD Webmaster Maintains CNS-FSTD Terry Price UOIT webpage. FSTD Membership Promotes membership. open Secretary Record meeting minutes open and actions. Tokamak Subject matter expert. Dr. Chijin Xiao University of SME Saskatchewan Department of Physics Inertial Confinement Subject matter expert. Professor Robert University of Alberta SME Fedosejevs Electrical Engineering Magnetized Target Subject matter expert. Michael Delage General Fusion Fusion SME (tentative) (Vancouver, BC) Alternative Concepts Subject matter expert. open SME Fusion Fuels Subject matter expert. open SME Director - ITER Liaison To be defined. Dr. Pitcher Spencer ITER Diagnostics Spencer.Pitcher@iter.org

14 Group Director India Liaison To be defined. Prof. M. S. Kalra Nuclear Engineering and Technology Programme Indian Institute of Technology Student Liaison To be defined. Sourena Golesorkhi UOIT Student Liaison To be defined Achint Rastogi UOIT Conference To be defined. David Malcolm Yellowknife, NWT Coordination Assistant Director Liaison SME Condensed Matter Physics Directors Liaisons at Various Canadian and International Universities, Laboratories, and Institutions Subject Matter Expert Condensed Matter Physics, Superconducting materials. Position Paper Coordinator To be defined. Dr. Satyen Baindur (confirmed) Open If you would like to volunteer to become part of the CNS-FSTD executive to serve in a role, please contact Blair Bromley (bromleyb@aecl.ca).