2024 Faculty Courses School of Environment and Society Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering Graduate major in Nuclear Engineering
Nuclear Fusion Reactor Engineering
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Nuclear Engineering
- Instructor(s)
- Hiroaki Tsutsui / Katsumi Yoshida / Masatoshi Kondo
- Class Format
- Lecture (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 5-6 Tue / 5-6 Fri
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- NCL.A402
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2024
- Offered quarter
- 2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 14, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
We elucidate the present status and prospects of fusion reactors which are considered to be ultimate energy source. Issues and engineering approaches to plasma confinement schemes for fusion reaction control, first walls, blanket, materials, and engineering concerning fusion reactor design are lectured.
Course description and aims
To understand the engineering issues to realize fusion reactors by obtaining knowledge about nuclear fusion reactions, plasmas, cooling, fusion materials, etc.
Keywords
nuclear fusion, plasma, magnetic confinement, tokamak, helical devices, blanket, neutron irradiation, cooling, fusion materials, super conducting magnet, plasma heating, plasma diagnostics
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Lectured are given by three professors.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Fusion reactions | Students shall understand and explain nuclear fusion reactions. |
| Class 2 | Fundamental prpperties of plasmas | Students shall understand and explain fundamental characteristics of plasma. |
| Class 3 | MHD equations | Students shall understand and explain MHD equations. |
| Class 4 | MHD equilibrium | Students shall understand and explain MHD equilibria. |
| Class 5 | MHD instabilities (1) | Students shall understand and explain MHD instabilities. |
| Class 6 | MHD instabilities (2) | Students shall understand and explain MHD instabilities. |
| Class 7 | Tritium fuel cycle in fusion reactors | Students can explain tritium fuel cycle in fusion reactors |
| Class 8 | Tritium behaviors in various materials of fusion reactors | Students can explain tritium behaviors in various materials of fusion reactors. |
| Class 9 | Safety issues on fusion reactors | Students can explain liquid metal MHD in fusion blanket. |
| Class 10 | Current status and issues of fusion materials under severe condition (1) | Students can explain current status and issues of fusion materials under severe conditions. |
| Class 11 | Current status and issues of fusion materials under severe condition (2) | Students can explain current status and issues of fusion materials under severe conditions. |
| Class 12 | Tokamak devices, plasma heating and current drive, plasma diagnostics and superconducting magnets | Students can explain roles of plasma heating and current drive, plasma diagnostics and superconducting magnets in fusion devices. |
| Class 13 | Inertial confinement | Students shall understand and explain inertial confinement. fusion. |
| Class 14 | Experimental fusion reactor ITER, and design of fusion reactors and Tokamak prototype fusion reactors | Students can understand and explain design of fusion reactors, and can explain an experimental fusion reactor, ITER, and tokamak prototype fusion reactors. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Nothing in particular, but some handouts and/or slides are uploaded to T2SCHOLA.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Wston M. Stacey,""Fusion"", Wiley Interscience
K. Miyamoto, "Fundamentals of Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion", NIFS-PROC-48, 2000
Evaluation methods and criteria
Reports the themes of which are given during lectures.
Related courses
- NCL.N401 ： Basic Nuclear Physics
- NCL.N403 ： Nuclear Materials and Structures
Prerequisites
None required.