- An international consortium is working together to deliver a high-performance diagnostic system essential for ITER’s mission—the high-resolution neutron spectrometer.
On 5-6 December 2024, the consortium developing ITER’s high-resolution neutron spectrometer (HRNS) met at Uppsala University in Sweden to review the project’s progress. The HRNS, a state-of-the-art neutron diagnostic, is being developed through a collaborative effort between the ITER Organization, Uppsala University and Fagerström (Sweden), the Institute of Nuclear Physics (IFJ PAN, Poland), and the National Research Council of Italy (CNR).
The project is co-funded by the ITER Organization, the Swedish Energy Agency, the Polish Ministry of Education and Science under the International Co-financed Projects program, and the Italian National Research Council. This partnership reflects the international collaboration at the heart of ITER, bringing together expertise and resources from across the globe to advance fusion diagnostic technologies.
More details can be found on the ITER Organization web site:
https://www.iter.org/node/20687/helping-develop-state-art-neutron-diagnostic
- 10 years of research on Plasma Focus device at the Prof. Jan Czubek Laboratory of Neutron Sources at the Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN in Kraków
In 2014 a Plasma Focus PF-24 device was installed at the Prof. Jan Czubek Laboratory of Neutron Sources at the Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN in Kraków. Plasma-Focus belongs to the class of research devices in which plasma (e.g. deuterium plasma) is formed as a result of an electric discharge. The magnetic field of the plasma’s own current of several dozen kiloamps leads to plasma compression, which causes a nuclear reaction between deuterium nuclei, and thus neutron emission. Plasma Focus is a convenient laboratory device that allows to study physical phenomena occurring in high-temperature plasma produced from light monoatomic gases or doped with other components.
The first series of discharges were carried out in the PF-24 device in 2014 to determine the optimal pressure of deuterium as the working gas. Over the following ten years until 2024, over 3,000 discharges were performed and analyzed, where, among others, the basic current parameters and parameters of the plasma generated in the PF-24 chamber were determined for deuterium and mixtures of deuterium and noble gases (Ne, Ar, Kr). Engineering, master’s, and doctoral theses were completed and experiments were carried out as part of the Polonium, NAWA, and Preludium research grants. Research programs are being conducted in collaboration with national, european (including the Czech Republic and Estonia), and worldwide centers (including Syria, Malaysia, and Singapore). Currently, the main research task in the Laboratory is the OPUS research project entitled: ‘Experimental research on the proton-boron (p+B) synthesis reaction in the Plasma-Focus system’, which will be realized in the period 2024-2027.
We want to thank everyone who contributed to creating the Plasma Focus Laboratory at the IFJ PAN in Kraków.
- 27-29.11.2024
On November 27 – 29, 2024, the 18th Technical Meeting of the EUROfusion WPENS project took place in CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain). Employees of NZ61 Department – Dr. hab. Wojciech Królas, Prof. IFJ, Dr. hab. Eng. Urszula Wiącek, Prof. IFJ and Dr. Grzegorz Tracz – took part in it, presenting progress in their tasks:
Welcome & Project Status – 27.11.2024
Wojciech Królas – General Project Management Overview
Neutronic Session – 28.11.2024
Grzegorz Tracz – Consolidation of shielding approaches for the complementary experimental room during operation
Test System Session – 28.11.2024
Urszula Wiącek – Status of STUMM including experimental activity at IFJ
- 22-27.09.2024
From 22nd-27th September, the employees of our department – Urszula Wiącek, Marek Scholz, Anna Wójcik-Gargula and Jan Dankowski – took part in the Symposium on Fusion Technology 2024 (SOFT 2024), organised by Dublin City University and the National Centre for Plasma Science and Technology in Dublin, Ireland.
SOFT is one of the most important conferences related to nuclear fusion, bringing together scientists, engineers, industry representatives and exhibitors from all over the world and focusing on the latest experiments and achievements in the field of fusion.
During the conference, our employees presented the following posters:
– “STUMM – monitoring module for DONES neutron source – technical challenges” (U. Wiącek)
– “Neutron spectrometer based on a Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detector for fusion reactors” (M. Scholz)
– “Evidence of silver impurities in irradiated Cu-based alloys and implications for the long-lived radioactive waste from ITER” (A. Wójcik-Gargula)
– “Advancements in Plasma Diagnostics: The Role of High Resolution Neutron Spectrometer in the ITER Project” (J. Dankowski )
- 16-20.06.2024
Scientists from the NZ61 department of IFJ PAN attended the “Symposium on Plasma Physics and Technology 2024” in Prague
“Symposium on Plasma Physics and Technology 2024”
- 03-07.06.2024
The Kudowa Summer School, organized biennially by the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion, is a prestigious gathering for enthusiasts entering the realms of fusion and plasma physics research, covering various topics:
– Basic plasma and fusion energy
– Tokamaks and stellarators
– Plasma focus and Z-pinches
– Plasma diagnostics and technology
– Space plasma and electric propulsion
– Laser plasma
The 17th Edition took place in Kudowa-Zdrój from June 3rd to 7th, 2024. Two scientists from the NZ61 department of IFJ PAN gave an invited lecture at this occasion:
– Dr. hab Agnieszka Kulińska, “Plasma focus Device and Fusion”
– Dr. Axel Jardin, “X-ray tomography for impurity transport studies in tokamak plasmas”
More details in: https://kudowaschool.ipplm.pl/
- 21-26.04.2024.
Andalusian sunshine, charming Granada….
Yes, this is the second edition of the DONES Xcitech school, organized by the University of Granada and the IFMIF-DONES consortium!
The school’s topics included the ins and outs of building a neutron source for IFMIF-DONES materials research and the development of the concept of the first fusion-based power plant.
It took place from 21-26.04.2024 and two of our youngest employees, Rojin Mehrara, M.Sc. and Dariusz Morawski, B.Eng., took part in it.
We believe that this intensive time spent in an international group of students and experts in fields at the intersection of plasma physics, engineering and business will result in long-term friendships and collaborations.
https://www.xcitech-school.org/
