Current Activities in the Interactive Joint Research at Tohoku University - Advanced Evaluation of Radiation Effects on Fusion Materials -

Abstract

International Research Center for Nuclear Materials Science of the Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University (hereafter the “Center”) was founded in 1969 and has been playing a vital role as the joint-use research center in Japan to assess the dynamic and static effects of neutron irradiation on the physical and mechanical properties of a variety of structural and functional materials through the use of nuclear reactors in Japan and overseas. The Center is now also open to researchers overseas. As a new initiative, the Center started an interactive joint research scheme on nuclear fusion reactor engineering with the NIFS in fiscal 2010. The interactive joint research aims at pioneering inter-disciplinary fields that connect neutron reactor engineering with other nuclear fusion sciences, and at conducting activities primarily on the key research subjects through inter-research-center collaboration. For this, a TDS (Thermal Desorption Spectrometer) with an ion gun (IG-TDS) has been installed in the radiation controlled area at the Center. Development of a compact divertor plasma simulator (C-DPS) system that will be integrated with the IG-TDS apparatus is in progress. It is prospected that the Center could play a leading role in international collaborative studies of neutron irradiation effects on plasma material interaction, along with other major research institutes over the world.