1. PPPL Stellarator Program Overview Hutch Neilson NCSX Project Manager NCSX Program Advisory Committee Meeting #6 Princeton, NJ December 9, 2002

2. 2 Outline Overviews of: Developments since PAC-5 (brief!) Preparations for next major NCSX reviews. –What is a PDR? –Tasks in progress and planned. –Issues for PAC consideration Status of PAC-5 and CDR issues. Stellarator program for next 5 years. NCSX Project led by: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory

3. 3 The NCSX Team UCSD, Columbia U., LLNL, ORNL, PPPL in collaboration with Auburn, NYU, SNL-A, Texas-Austin, Wisconsin Australia, Austria, Germany, Japan, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine

4. 4 Since PAC-5, the Stellarator Program Passed Key Milestones And Moved Into Its Next Phase NCSX had a successful Conceptual Design Review. Now: developing conceptual design improvements and detailed subsystem requirements in preparation for FY-04 fabrication start. Preparing for next milestone: Preliminary Design Review in June. PAC advice is requested. Theory focus on stellarator design concepts and tools was critical in developing the NCSX conceptual design. Now: planning a broader set of PPPL stellarator activities for the next 5 years: theory, collaboration, reactor studies, NCSX research preparations, QPS project collaboration. Community and DOE interest in 3D physics is high! PAC advice is requested on the broader stellarator activities at PPPL, especially theory and international collaboration.

5. 5 NCSX Reviews and Decisions Have Been Positive Conceptual Design Review (May, 2002) Project found to have a sound basis in all areas and found ready for CD-1. NEPA Process (Environmental Assessment) Approved with Finding of No Significant Impact (“FONSI”). Acquisition Execution Plan Approved by Under Secretary of Energy. Critical Decision - 1 (CD-1), Approval to Start Prelim. Design Approved by Anne Davies. Establishes preliminary cost and schedule baseline range. All DOE pre-requisites for project start are satisfied.

6. 6 NCSX Status Under the Continuing Resolution (CR) DOE requested $12M for FY-03 (increase of $8M over FY-02) to start NCSX project. Budget appropriation has not been passed by Congress, but the CR enables NCSX to continue preparations for project start. We are addressing design issues and initiating R&D activities in industry as well as in-house. CR has been extended to at least Jan. 11. We don’t know how long it will last. Project is expected to start soon after CR ends. For planning purposes, we assume a March 1 start.

7. 7 Next Major NCSX Reviews: PDR and EIR What is the purpose of these reviews? What is being done to prepare for them?

8. 8 Modular Coils and Vacuum Vessel Are the Critical Components Vacuum Vessel (shown with insulation) Modular Coil (Winding Form + Winding) They comprise the critical path and need to be defined early in the schedule. They require manufacturing R&D to develop processes, reduce risks. 3 different shapes

9. 9 The PDR Will Focus on the Modular Coils (MC) and Vacuum Vessel (VV) Main PDR purpose: establish a sound basis for proceeding with the development of fabrication specs and drawings for these components. Design maturity: demonstrate that all MC and VV requirements are met within established envelopes and boundary conditions. Implies: –Requirements must be finalized. –Interfaces with other subsystems must be established. Cost and schedule: update estimates to complete the MC & VV. Implies: –Manufacturing and assembly plans must be developed with industry input as the basis. –Contingencies must be adequate, based on risk assessments, mitigation plans. Additional PDR purpose: review cost and schedule updates for all other systems as input to the subsequent EIR. The EIR will determine readiness for CD-2, “Establish Performance Baseline”.

10. 10 NCSX External Independent Review Main purpose: establish the performance baseline. Performed by an outside consulting firm, reporting to DOE’s CFO. Expected review issues: Confidence in the estimates (sound technical basis, adequate contingency). Risk assessment and mitigation plans. Adequacy of management systems, including resource-loaded schedule. Desired outcome: finding that the project is ready for CD-2, “Establish Performance Baseline”.

11. 11 Preparing for the PDR: Tasks in Progress Since the CDR, design changes have been made to: Improve physics performance (increase plasma-PFC spacing, reduce structure time constants). Reduce risk (simpler modular coil cooling scheme). Improve schedule (modular coil winding form fab. sequence 111, 222, 333). Resolve technical issues (assembly interference). These are being incorporated into an updated conceptual design model of NCSX, to be available about the end of January. (Zarnstorff, Reiersen) Manufacturing R&D programs are being implemented: MC winding forms and VV (industry): RFP’s have been issued. Plenty of interest, capable suppliers. Award in January & February. MC windings (PPPL): Two-year winding and VPI development program planned; initial tests getting started. Initial R&D results will be available to support PDR. (Reiersen)

12. 12 Preparing for the PDR: Planned Tasks Based on the updated conceptual design model, we will… Complete the preliminary design of the VV and MC. Demonstrate that… –Required performance is provided. –All feasibility issues are resolved. –Interfaces with other systems (e.g., diagnostics) are finalized –A sound basis exists for initiating final design. Develop manufacturing, assembly, and test plans. Update cost and schedule estimates. Document design and estimates for review. Details will be presented by Zarnstorff, Reiersen, and Johnson.

13. 13 Issues for PAC-6 Consideration The PAC is requested to advise on any aspect of the project’s PDR preparations. Specific issues where PAC feedback would be especially valuable: Are the right priorities being set among the physics requirements (e.g., island reduction, ripple, fast ion loss, time constants) that drive the coil and vacuum vessel design and allocation of space? Are the right diagnostic choices and access priorities being set for purposes of developing the vacuum vessel port configuration? Zarnstorff and Johnson will provide details.

14. 14 Status of PAC-5 Issues The PAC-5 report greatly improved the project’s CDR preparations and contributed to the successful review. Thanks! PAC-5 issues to be addressed further at this meeting: Design tradeoffs and priorities. Emphasis on divertors and boundary physics. Diagnostic requirements derived from experimental objectives. Logic connecting mission  objectives  exp’tal plan  measurement needs  diagnostics  ports. Zarnstorff and Johnson will provide details; PAC-6 comments welcome.

15. 15 Status of CDR Recommendations The CDR panel report had about 29 recommendations. Highlights: Expedite the R&D and accelerate winding form and vacuum vessel delivery to allow more time downstream for in-house winding and assembly operations. Do more physics analyses (start-up, impact of coil imperfections, magnetics code development, more PIES cases). Test critical legacy equipment early enough to react gracefully if there’s a problem. Develop by CD-2: integrated system test plan, preliminary estimate of annual operating budgets. All have been incorporated into our work plans and are being addressed.

16. 16 NCSX Fabrication Schedule Constrained By DOE Funding Guidance First Plasma in June, 2007, TEC=$73.5M, assuming Oct., 2002 start.

17. 17 NCSX Research Preparations Will Proceed in Parallel with the Fabrication Project Scope: prepare analytical and hardware tools needed after first plasma and initial flux-surface mapping. (Follows NSTX approach.) Maintain physics connections, collaborations with other stellarator programs. Plan research program in more detail and start building team as operation nears. Initiate hardware upgrades so they will be available when needed. –Diagnostics for Ohmic phase, 1st NBI phase –Plasma-facing components –350 C bake –Internal trim coils –External trim coil power supplies.

18. 18 Completes project by June, 2007, ready to proceed with research program. NCSX Program Funding Plan FY03-07 (DOE Acquisition Execution Plan)

19. 19 An ARIES-CS Study is Getting Started FY-03 tasks: modify design codes, explore configuration space for optimized compact stellarator reactors. ARIES team is looking at stellarator blanket and magnet issues.

20. 20 PPPL Stellarator Program Through FY-07 NCSX Project (in partnership with ORNL) NCSX fabrication project. (MZ, WR, DJ) Research preparation: tools needed for NCSX program. (MZ, DJ) QPS Project Support ORNL, taking advantage of PPPL capabilities and NCSX experience. (QPS PAC meeting). Theory and Collaborations Advance stellarator physics, develop staff capabilities. (AR, MZ) Prepare and validate tools for compact stellarator experiments. (AR) ARIES-CS Preliminary assessment of an optimized CS reactor design.

21. 21 Summary / Preview The NCSX conceptual design provides a sound foundation for the project. Important design improvements have been made since the CDR, but fundamentally the design is unchanged. Preparation plans for the PDR are in place, involving design, analysis, R&D, and cost-schedule estimating activities. PAC advice is requested. A broader stellarator program is planned for the next five years while NCSX is under construction. The goals are scientific excellence and good coordination. PAC advice is requested.