News Update. September From the Project Manager...

Transcription

1 From the Project Manager... News Update September 2010 Welcome to the first U.S. ITER newsletter. We have prepared this publication as part of our effort to better inform members of the U.S. Fusion Community and our other partners and stakeholders of the progress of the U.S. ITER effort. Our inaugural issue includes information on the Extraordinary ITER Council meeting and the Lehman Review, as well as updates on specific project areas and procurements. It has been an eventful summer for the U.S. Contributions to ITER team, from the extremely significant approval of a project baseline by the ITER Council, to the appointment of Osamu Motojima as new ITER Director- General, to the beginning of site work on the Tokamak pit and Poloidal Field Coils Assembly Building at Cadarache, to the successful Lehman Review. Looking northeast over the ITER construction site. We are cognizant of existing challenges in cost and schedule and will work diligently to meet our project goals and support the mission. Future challenges facing the U.S. ITER project include completion of the U.S. design and moving into the procurement phase while maintaining the schedule and minimizing costs. We hope you will find this newsletter useful. If you have questions or suggestions for future topics, please contact U.S. ITER Communications Manager Bonnie Hébert, hebertb@ornl.gov. Ned Sauthoff Project Manager, U.S. ITER Project Operations and Safety on the ITER Platform are being carefully coordinated by the Engage Consortium and the French company APAVE. Bulldozers and scrapers are busy leveling the 14,000 square-meter area that will host the huge PF Coils Assembly Building. A power shovel removes the first of some 230,000 cubic meters from the Tokamak Pit.

2 ITER Council Approves Project Baseline, Appoints New Director- General Convening in late July for an extraordinary meeting, the ITER Council the governing body of the ITER Organization (IO) unanimously approved the project baseline as presented by the IO. The baseline includes the Overall Project Schedule; the Overall Project Cost, which is now capped; and the Project Specifications, which were approved previously. A primary milestone in the early-finish Project Schedule is to achieve First Plasma in November The start of Deuterium-Tritium Operation is planned for March The ITER Council, however, encouraged the IO to explore ways to optimize the schedule in order to begin Deuterium-Tritium operation in 2026, if possible. Delegations from all the ITER parties the U.S., China, the European Union (EU), India, Japan, South Korea, and Russia commended the IO and Director-General Kaname Ikeda for the exceptional efforts made to prepare and propose the full package of documents. Also in July, the European Commission adopted a proposal for funding the EU portion of ITER costs, proposing the redeployment of 100 million in 2012 and 360 million in 2013 from the 7th Framework Programme for Research. It also proposed an initial transfer of unused funds of 400 million from other EU budgets to ITER. In conclusions announced July 12, the European Council underlined its strong commitment to the successful completion of ITER and endorsed the project s estimated financing needs. While mandating the European Commission to adopt the ITER baseline including an EU contribution of 6.6 billion from the Council also called for strong cost containment measures to deliver the necessary contribution within this budget. The European Parliament will need to agree on the proposal. The ITER Council also approved the appointment of Professor Osamu Motojima as new Director- General of the IO. (He succeeds Mr. Ikeda, who had earlier expressed his wish to resign as soon as the ITER baseline received Council approval.) Professor Motojima previously was Director General of Japan s National Institute for Fusion Science. He has an outstanding management history, with successful construction of the Large Helical Device project under his leadership. Osamu Motojima His first ITER activities will include the IO organization refinement in order for the project to effectively transition to the construction phase. Another area of emphasis will be cost-reduction/containment activities while maintaining the project schedule to ensure that the ITER cost cap can be achieved. For more information on July s ITER Council meeting, please go to and click on Extraordinary ITER Council. The extraordinary meeting of the ITER Council attracted intense media coverage. Kaname Ikeda looks on as Council Chair Evgueny Velikhov presents professor Osamu Motojima with his ITER contract.

3 View from DOE Thoughts from Federal Project Director Bill Cahill Evaluations such as the Lehman Review recently conducted at the U.S. ITER Project Office (USIPO) are a part of the fundamental project management culture in the Department of Energy s Office of Science. They generally include peer reviews by external subject-matter technical experts, as well as professionals from management, procurement, and other appropriate areas. They are peer-focused and collegial not audits. Review outcomes are routinely communicated to the Director of the Office of Science and other top managers. The July visit was led by Daniel Lehman, Director of DOE s Office of Project Assessment. He has been involved for the past decade with this type of review and evaluation procedure, which has consistently had a profound impact on DOE s large science projects being delivered on time and on budget. The Lehman Review concept has also been promoted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as a best practice for all U.S. Federal Government agencies. We are in the process of addressing the recommendations made by the committee and appreciate their input. While it was generally recognized that progress is being made towards design completion and near-term procurement planning, clearly we have many challenges to overcome. Our near-term emphasis is on ensuring our preparedness to transition from design to fabrication over the FY12 and FY13 horizon and to integrate critical input from industry as early as possible in our planning efforts. We remain on schedule to complete Preliminary design packages for the majority of our technical subsystems in support of our planned request for CD-2 (U.S. baseline) by mid-fy Lehman Review team members and observers included: Front row (left to right), Kin Chao, DOE Office of Science; observer Bill Cahill, U.S. ITER Federal Project Director; observers John Glowienka and Ed Synakowski of the DOE Office of Science; Dan Lehman; Ron Lutha, DOE Chicago Office; Jennifer Fortner, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); second row, Dan Green, Fermi National Acceleratory Laboratory (FNAL); observer Michele Branton, DOE Oak Ridge; Bob Kephart, FNAL; Paul Brindza, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility; Joe Ingraffia, ANL; Don Montierth, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); Jim Strachan, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory; third row, Bruce Strauss, DOE Office of Science; Joe Tuozzolo, Brookhaven National Laboratory; John Haines, ORNL; Craig Deibele, ORNL; Jim Yeck, University of Wisconsin; Mark Reichanadter, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory; and John Bernadin, Los Alamos National Security.

4 U.S. Project Highlights The U.S. ITER team is responsible for fabricating nine ITER hardware components. Through June 2010, research and development for the U.S. project systems is approximately 1/3 complete, and a focus on prototyping and design is now under way. Design of U.S. hardware is being advanced by both project staff and industrial participation, with ongoing Value Engineering. Approximately 75% of U.S. hardware (by estimated cost) is beyond the Conceptual Design phase. Long-lead procurements continue to ensure timely hardware deliveries. The charts below show anticipated U.S. ITER activity in the areas of R&D, design, and fabrication. As can be seen, the project will transition from R&D/design to industrial fabrication in FY13. Here are recent highlights from specific areas: Tokamak Cooling Water Systems Successfully completed first U.S. Conceptual Design with overall design review conducted by a team of external international reviewers. Simplified Vacuum Vessel Primary Heat Transfer System, drain tanks, other value engineering, with ~$50M savings and system safety improvements. Awarded Basic Ordering Agreement for design and fabrication coordination to AREVA Federal Services. Preliminary design activities are under way.

5 Developing Conceptual Designs for ITER disruption mitigation systems. One concept includes multiple single-shot injectors, aimed at a target, that shatter large pellets near edge of plasma. (Results in rapid injection of large number of pellet fragments to preemptively terminate discharge and mitigate impact of a disruption.) Central Solenoid Assembly Received approval for Systems Requirement Document as well as Conceptual Design from the ITER Organization (IO). Transferred design responsibility from the IO to the U.S. ITER team. Placed numerous key contracts to support magnet design and R&D. Held successful pre-solicitation vendor fair. (See article on Procurement Activities for more information.) Vacuum Pumping and Fueling Systems Received approvals for Requirements Document and Handbook for Vacuum Pumping System. Continuing work on Conceptual Designs for Roughing Pump System, Standard Vacuum System, and Pellet Injector (PI). Expanding Pellet Injector scope to include mitigation of disruption and edge-localized modules. Diagnostics Completed design of generic upper diagnostic port plug structure. Moved ahead with concepts for modular packaging of diagnostics in equatorial diagnostic port plugs. Assisting ITER Organization in preparing for Conceptual Designs of U.S. diagnostics. Tokamak Exhaust Processing (TEP) System Completed Conceptual Design input and Conceptual Design Review. Completed development of TEP conceptual layout and 3-D models. Incorporated pressure controls/protection to mitigate risks. Procured two high-pressure tritium compatible diaphragm pumps for ITER PI prototype tests. (They will be used to compress PI propellant gas and fuel gas.)

6 Toroidal Field Conductor Awarded contracts totaling >$33M for TF Conductor strand to Luvata Waterbury and Oxford Superconducting Technology. Awarded numerous contracts for longlead materials. Electron Cyclotron Heating Systems Completed Conceptual Design of transmission line and transferred design responsibilities from the IO to the U.S. ITER team. Ordered and approved design of gyrotron from Communications & Power Industries, Inc. for use in development and qualification of waveguide components. Steady State Electric Network (SSEN) Systems Chaired Conceptual Design Review of overall ITER electrical power system held in Cadarache in March. Blanket Shielding and Port Limiter Systems Completed Blanket System Conceptual Design Review. Reconfigured Blanket System First Walls to address increased heat load requirements now ranging from 0.5 to 5 MW/m2. Eliminated two midplane Port Limiters from project scope as result of new blanket configuration approved in April. Consolidated Blanket Integrated Product Team; redistributed blanket design and fabrication activities among ITER Partners. U.S. now engaged only in design of blanket components. Ion Cyclotron Heating Systems Completed Conceptual Design of transmission line and matching system and transferred design responsibility from the IO to the U.S. ITER team. Commissioned longpulse, full-power test stand to qualify transmission line components. Issued contract to URS Energy & Construction for cost estimate revision based on Conceptual Design.

7 Procurement Activities The U.S. ITER team has been engaging industry, labs, and educational institutions across the United States in the areas of R&D, engineering, supplies and services, and long-lead materials. More than 200 companies and universities in 35 states and the District of Columbia have been working directly with the project. Since conception and initial start-up, U.S. ITER Procurement has awarded more than $90M to U.S. industries and universities. In April, U.S. ITER hosted representatives of more than 35 different companies from 15 states, Germany, Italy, and Japan for the Central Solenoid Pre-Solicitation Meeting. Shown during the Central Solenoid Pre-Solicitation Vendor Meeting are, from left, Robert Stock, Alexander & Associates; Wayne Reiersen, U.S. ITER Magnet Systems Team Leader; John Ray, Alexander & Associates; and Brad Nelson, U.S. ITER Chief Engineer.

8 Upcoming Meetings and Conferences September 27 October 1, Symposium on Fusion Technology (SOFT), Porto, Portugal September 28 & 29, ITER Organization Domestic Agencies Coordination Meeting (IODA), during SOFT October 10 16, 23rd International Atomic Energy Agency Fusion Energy Conference, Daejon, Korea October 12 13, Control, Data Access, and Communication/Instrumentation & Control (CODAC/I&C) Workshop, Oak Ridge October 14, IODA Coordination Meeting October 14 15, Tokamak Cooling Water Systems/I&C Workshop, Oak Ridge October 25 30, ITER Science and Technology Advisory Committee/Management Advisory Committee/Council Preparatory Working Group (CPWG), Cadarache October 30 or 31, IODA Coordination Meeting November 8 12, 52nd Annual American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics, Chicago November 16, CPWG, Cadarache November 17 18, ITER Council-7, Cadarache November 19, IODA Coordination Meeting November 23 25, Monaco ITER International Fusion Energy Days November 26, IODA Procurement Workshop December 16, IODA Coordination Meeting To Learn More... For additional information about the ITER project, please go to or This newsletter is published for stakeholders of U.S. ITER, a United States Department of Energy Office of Science project consisting of hardware, R&D, design, and procurement; assignment of personnel to the ITER site; and funding for the U.S. share of common expenses. The U.S. ITER Project Office is hosted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory with partner labs Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Savannah River National Laboratory.