Fusion is the energy-releasing process that powers the sun and other stars. If it can be harnessed economically on earth it would be an essentially limitless source of safe, environmentally responsible energy. Fusion energy is therefore strongly mission-orientated. The most promising method uses strong magnetic fields in a tokamak configuration to allow a high temperature deuterium-tritium plasma to be generated while minimising contact with the surrounding material surfaces.The UK contributes to fusion research in two ways: (i) through the UK's own programme focused on the spherical tokamak experiment MAST, and (ii) by contributing to the Joint European Torus (JET) programme. The MAST and JET facilities are situated at Culham Science Centre. International co-operation is strong with the focus on the International Tokamak Experimental Reactor (ITER), which will be the first fusion device to achieve energy gain and sustained burn.Experimental programmes on the MAST and JET tokamaks are performed to help resolve and refine understanding of key physics issues for ITER. In addition, experimental programmes on MAST focus on testing the potential of the spherical tokamak as a more compact option for future fusion devices. A strong theory and modelling group supports the experimental programmes and contributes to the research and development of fusion materials and to studies of conceptual fusion power stations. Expansion of the research and development of ITER specialist (i.e. diagnostic and heating) systems, focuses on securing major roles for the UK in the provision of two or three of these large complex projects.The results of the research are presented in reports and publications, and at conferences, expert groups and specialist committees. Collaborations with researchers in other areas of science and technologies are pursued strongly, where the research overlaps with fusion R&D.

The vision for this Programme is to deliver the step changes in Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) capability that are necessary to overcome crucial challenges facing the nuclear industry in the coming decades. The RAS challenges faced in the nuclear industry are extremely demanding and complex. Many nuclear installations, particularly the legacy facilities, present highly unstructured and uncertain environments. Additionally, these "high consequence" environments may contain radiological, chemical, thermal and other hazards. To minimise risks of contamination and radiological shine paths, many nuclear facilities have very small access ports (150 mm - 250 mm diameter), which prevent large robotic systems being deployed. Smaller robots have inherent limitations with power, sensing, communications and processing power, which remain unsolved. Thick concrete walls mean that communication bandwidths may be severely limited, necessitating increased levels of autonomy. Grasping and manipulation challenges, and the associated computer vision and perception challenges are profound; a huge variety of legacy waste materials must be sorted, segregated, and often also disrupted (cut or sheared). Some materials, such as plastic sheeting, contaminated suits/gloves/respirators, ropes, chains can be deformed and often present as chaotic self-occluding piles. Even known rigid objects (e.g. fuel rod casings) may present as partially visible or fragmented. Trivial tasks are complicated by the fact that the material properties of the waste, the dose rates and the layout of the facility within which the waste is stored may all be uncertain. It is therefore vital that any robotic solution be capable of robustly responding to uncertainties. The problems are compounded further by contamination risks, which typically mean that once deployed, human interaction with the robot will be limited at best, autonomy and fault tolerance are therefore important. The need for RAS in the nuclear industry is spread across the entire fuel cycle: reactor operations; new build reactors; decommissioning and waste storage and this Programme will address generic problems across all these areas. It is anticipated that the research will have a significant impact on many other areas of robotics: space, sub-sea, mining, bomb-disposal and health care, for example and cross sector initiatives will be pursued to ensure that there is a two-way transfer of knowledge and technology between these sectors, which have many challenges in common with the nuclear industry. The work will build on the robotics and nuclear engineering expertise available within the three academic organisations, who are each involved in cutting-edge, internationally leading research in relevant areas. This expertise will be complemented by the industrial and technology transfer experience and expertise of the National Nuclear Laboratory who have a proven track record of successfully delivering innovation in to the nuclear industry. The partners in the Programme will work jointly to develop new RAS related technologies (hardware and software), with delivery of nuclear focused demonstrators that will illustrate the successful outcomes of the Programme. Thus we will provide the nuclear supply chain and end-users with the confidence to apply RAS in the nuclear sector. To develop RAS technology that is suitable for the nuclear industry, it is essential that the partners work closely with the nuclear supply chain. To achieve this, the Programme will be based in west Cumbria, the centre of much of the UK's nuclear industry. Working with researchers at the home campuses of the academic institutions, the Programme will create a clear pipeline that propels early stage research from TRL 1 through to industrially relevant technology at TRL 3/4. Utilising the established mechanisms already available in west Cumbria, this technology can then be taken through to TRL 9 and commercial deployment.

There are many situations in both laboratory and astrophysical plasmas where violent eruptions can occur. Such dramatic events, with very short time-scales, cannot be explained solely in terms of linear theory. This research project will develop a theoretical understanding of the non-linear mechanisms responsible for such explosive growth. The focus will be on two types of instability that are relevant in laboratory tokamak plasmas, which are confined by magnetic fields to achieve the conditions necessary for fusion. These are called the edge-localised mode (ELM) and the neoclassical tearing mode (NTM). The ELM is a particularly violent event in a tokamak plasma which leads to a massive, sudden ejection of heat and particles from the plasma surface. We have developed a non-linear theory to explain this phenomenon, and in the process have identified a possible link between ELMs in tokamaks and solar eruptions. Our theory predicts that filaments of plasma erupt from the surface, and these have since been observed on many of the world's major fusion tokamak experiments. A first step of this research project will be to provide a computer code to solve the non-linear equation we have derived, which is interesting in itself as it contains a fractional derivative and a finite time singularity. The code will be used to make quantitative predictions that can be compared with experimental data. We still know little about how these filaments can release so much energy (around a megajoule) in such a short time (around 100 microseconds). A major part of the proposed work will be to explore the energy release mechanism, which will require new physics studies, possibly involving reconnection of the magnetic field lines. Understanding this is particularly important for the next step, multi-billion Euro, international tokamak called ITER, which will be constructed in France. There is a major concern that these ELM events could affect the performance of ITER, and could even cause serious damage to its structure. As well as benefits to the fusion community, we also expect the results to shed light on mechanisms for astrophysical eruptions.The tokamak plasma is generally stable to the NTM unless it gets a 'kick' from another instability. An NTM can then be excited. This kick could come from the ELM described above or, more usually, from another type of rapid instability in the plasma core called the 'sawtooth'. The NTM causes magnetic field lines to break and reconnect because of filamentary currents in the plasma, to create large coherent structures called magnetic islands . The modified magnetic topology is much less effective at confining heat and particles, which is a concern for ITER. We will adapt our theory for the ELM to explore whether or not it can explain the explosive nature of the sawtooth instability also. We will then study the implications of the model for triggering an NTM. There are two important questions for the NTM:(1) How big is the 'kick' that is provided by the ELM or sawtooth (the 'seed')?(2) How big does the kick have to be to trigger an NTM (the 'threshold')?We shall address the first through our improved understanding of ELMs and sawteeth. To answer the second question we will explore how the magnetic islands interact with fine-scale phenomena (such as the particle orbits or plasma turbulence) that influence the transport of pressure and momentum in the plasma. These transport processes influence the filamentary currents that give rise to the NTM. In fact, we believe that under certain conditions they may heal small magnetic islands, providing a threshold for NTM growth. We shall explore the mechanisms which govern this by constructing a new, state-of-the-art computer code. With this code, supported by analytic solutions to simplified model equations, we shall shed new light on reconnection events in plasmas in general, and the NTM in particular.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Many current challenges in Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) stem from the increased use of advanced materials and manufacturing processes that push the limits of materials' performance. NDE techniques are required that can cope with extreme environments (high temperature / radioactive environments), restricted access (inside engines or though access ports), and complex geometries. To address these challenges, this project will develop a new capability for real-time, remote ultrasonic imaging that can be used for NDE. This engineering challenge will be achieved by introducing a conceptual change to phased array ultrasonics, beyond the limits of geometrical, ultrasonic frequency and mode array characteristics, by adapting the array to the demands of the inspected structure, on-the-fly, and thus transforming the field. The long-term vision behind this project goes beyond inspection, to develop a method for monitoring and control of in-process parameters, in places of extreme environments such as fusion reactors or turbine engines. The industrial importance of the project is demonstrated by the significant cash and in-kind contributions of the project partners.