코리아헤럴드

This is the 26th in a series of articles that highlight the challenges and opportunities facing Korea's nuclear power industry. -- Ed.

By winning the nuclear power plant contract awarded by the United Arab Emirates in December 2009, Korea demonstrated its full potential to switch gears from an energy-importing nation to an energy exporter. It is a remarkable achievement, given that it has taken only 30 years for Korea to become a nuclear power since it first introduced foreign technologies in the 1970s.

Korea has achieved a technology independence ratio of more than 97 percent through the cooperative efforts of scientists, researchers, and professionals in many relevant fields. This technological competence was the driving force behind Korea's economic success and its advance into the world market.

More than anything else, Korea has benefited from the fact that nuclear power is "knowledge-based energy." In tapping this energy, the key is not resources but technology. As the era of energy has changed from a resource-oriented to a knowledge-based one, Korea will become more competitive than ever in the world energy market.

Korea is expecting to step ahead as a leader in the knowledge-based energy sector through development of a superior environmentally friendly energy: Fusion power. Fusion is the process by which the sun emits light and heat. Fusion research seeks to realize that process on Earth in order to use fusion as an energy source for human beings. Deuterium extracted from sea water and tritium derived from common lithium serve as raw materials to generate fusion power. Fusion power surpasses the limits of existing energy sources in terms of abundance, efficiency, safety and environmental friendliness.

Fusion energy fully satisfies the requirements of a green energy source that can help mankind cope with climate change and solve resource problems. Therefore the development of fusion energy would bring about a huge, new engine of growth in the era of "global green growth." Under this model, each and every nation would spare no effort to develop fusion energy, which in turn would cause an energy paradigm shift. Fusion energy would enable each nation to secure energy sovereignty.

The most critical factor in producing clean and limitless fusion energy on Earth is the technology to contain the ultra-high temperature plasma of more than 150,000,000 degrees Celsius -- 10 times hotter than the hydrogen reaction occurring at the sun's core. Thus, fusion scientists have developed a device called tokamak which uses a magnetic field to confine the plasma. Built in the shape of a torus (donut), tokamak is considered the most commercially feasible device so far invented.

Fusion research was initiated in the 1950s and has made rapid progress in the 1990s. The EU and Japan achieved a successful discharge of fusion energy through their fusion facilities. In 1997, the EU succeeded in producing the first fusion power of 16MW using the large tokamak facility JET (Joint European Torus). In Japan, JT-60 (JT stands for Japan Torus) achieved conditions in 1998 in which Deuterium-Tritium would have provided Q=1.25 where Q is the ratio of fusion power to input power.

These experimental results are no doubt of great importance to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), an international project that aims to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy. ITER has just entered the construction phase with the full support from the seven participants -- the United States, the EU, Japan, China, Russia, India and Korea.

Although Korea made a relatively late entrance into the field of fusion research, it has achieved impressive progress. In 1995, it launched the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) project as part of the National Fusion Energy Development Program initiated by the government. Korea has promoted a "mid-entry strategy" to make the leap forward to full-scale fusion research and development.

The construction of KSTAR, the largest and longest-running single science project in Korea, was implemented under the leadership of the National Fusion Research Institute. The institute's R & D tasks were carried out through a solid cooperative system involving the industry, academia and research institutes in Korea. During the 12 years of design, development and construction, more than 1,500 scientists, researchers and professionals participated in the project. The government invested a total of 418 billion won.

Above all, KSTAR obtained excellent results in developing more than a dozen core technologies in the field of "extreme technologies," such as a superconductor, ultra-high vacuum, high-temperature materials technology, to name just a few. These technologies differentiate KSTAR from other fusion facilities. Moreover, domestic companies who joined the KSTAR project took out more than 200 patents in relation to the superconducting magnet and vacuum vessel, the critical components of a fusion device.

With the construction of KSTAR, Korea has managed to eliminate the technological gaps with developed countries and to secure its place as one of the leading countries in fusion research. Moreover, utilizing a new, superconducting material called Nb3Sn, Korea has not only broadened the fusion horizon but also achieved unconventional success in the development of a fusion device. This new fusion technology has brought Korea an invitation to participate in the ITER project, the greatest science project in human history, as a joint partner.

After a full commissioning process, KSTAR demonstrated its high performance by achieving the first plasma (FP) in July 2008, the most significant milestone during its construction period. The most noteworthy fact is that Korea has completed on its own the whole process of building a state-of-the-art facility, from the very beginning phase of conceptual and detailed designs through manufacturing and assembly to a comprehensive commissioning phase, in the very first trial.

It is no surprise that KSTAR received special attention from the international community of science and engineering. The world-renowned Science magazine reported that by using innovative magnets that can confine plasmas for minutes rather than seconds, KSTAR is poised to become a premier test bed for fusion research and has thrust Korea to the fusion frontier (Feb. 20, 2009).

Moreover, fusion scientists from all around the world showed a keen interest in KSTAR as it reached full-scale operation demonstrating its complete functions and capacities beyond expectations. In 2009, KSTAR achieved through high-temperature plasma experiment a plasma current of 320kA, three times greater than that of the first plasma, and a duration of 3.6 seconds (flattop 1.4 seconds), 10 times longer than that of the FP.

As KSTAR has successfully entered the operational phase, we will continuously conduct experiments and operate for the upcoming decades in order to accomplish the long-cherished task of "long-pulse high efficient plasma operation" which is essential for the commercialization of a fusion power plant but has not yet been realized by the existing fusion facilities. This will challenge our young scientists and engineers to secure key technologies such as the control of a fusion device in a long-lasting discharge with Q bigger than 30. Technological breakthroughs are needed to build a demonstration fusion power reactor within a few decades.

KSTAR is a fully superconducting tokamak device with advanced Nb3Sn superconducting technology. It is expected to carry out major R & D activities and make significant contributions to the commercialization of fusion power until the year 2020 when ITER starts to operate as an energy-producing fusion device. KSTAR will be operated as an international joint research facility for fusion as well as a preliminary experimental reactor for ITER. These roles to be played by KSTAR will place Korea at the center of global fusion science research. Eventually, this will pave the way for Korea to establish itself as the first demonstrator of self-sustaining fusion power in the 2040s.

Praised as the best practice around the world, KSTAR has elevated Korea's status to the ranks of the world's fusion technology powers. KSTAR has enabled Korea to strengthen research competencies in basic science through appropriate investments and join large-scale international collaborations in big science, an area dominated by developed countries.

KSTAR represents Korea's successful efforts to overcome its limitations as a latecomer through a catch-up strategy and thereby create a future growth engine. It has created a chance for Korea to take a step into the new fusion technology market as a leader and trailblazer. Given that a country's standard in big science is perceived as a yardstick of its status, KSTAR has given a big boost to Korea's status in science and technology.

Furthermore, Korea's status in the field of fusion research will rise significantly as it participates in the ITER project, the world's largest ever R & D collaboration project. ITER aims to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy based on the scientific experiments conducted through fusion facilities around the world during the past 40 years.

As a leading member of the project, Korea will not only be able to acquire advanced engineering design skills but also accumulate advanced manufacturing technologies by supplying ITER components through a procurement program. Korea will pay its 9.09 percent share of contributions to ITER in the construction phase, with 78 percent of the payment taking the form of timely delivery of in-kind procurement items.

These procurement items will be fabricated by domestic technologies and delivered to the ITER Organization. There will also be cases of Korean companies participating in tenders for manufacturing procurement items which are originally allotted to other member states. In all, Korean companies will be able to sharpen their competitiveness in the world market through these procurement programs. The overall gains that Korea will get from participating in the ITER project are likely to be huge.

At this very moment, Korea stands ahead of others in terms of progress in executing the project schedule. Korea has already signed manufacturing contracts with domestic companies for five of the 10 items allotted to it. The five items include superconducting magnets, vacuum vessel, assembly tooling, and thermal shields (solely supplied by Korea). The chosen companies have already entered a full-scale manufacturing phase.

These companies have accumulated technological expertise and construction know-how through their participation in the KSTAR project and it is their expertise and know-how that places Korea one step ahead of other member states.

Another proof of Korea's elevated status in the world of fusion research is the prestigious positions that Korean scientists have taken in the ITER Organization. They assume some of the highest posts, such as the chairmanship of the Management Advisory Committee and Management Assessor.

As a result they play a pivotal role in managing the ITER Organization.

It is certain that Korea will continue to play the leading role not only in the construction phase but also in the operational phase of ITER as they can utilize their experience of running KSTAR. This will allow Korea to secure core technologies and the professional manpower necessary to develop and manage a Korean demonstration reactor (K-DEMO) and a commercial fusion reactor. Other member states participating in the ITER project also wish to realize this vision. While Korea has become a nuclear power through technology introduction from advanced countries, it has the potential to realize the commercialization of fusion technology ahead of others and thereby dominate the world market.

In October this year, an international conference dubbed "Fusion Olympics" will be held in Daejeon. More than 1,000 fusion scientists, researchers, and professionals from every corner of the globe will participate in the 23rd IAEA Fusion Energy Conference (FEC 2010) which opens on October 10. The National Fusion Research Institute, which hosts the fusion conference, will be able to demonstrate once again the value of KSTAR as a joint fusion research device. We plan to establish KSTAR as an unchallenged leader of fusion energy development.

By successfully developing fusion energy technologies, Korea has increased its potential to lead the future global energy market. If Korea can attain its goals of securing original technologies and commercializing fusion energy, taking advantage of the opportunities coming their way, it will be able to reap economic benefits far exceeding the contract with the UAE. Korea enters the era of knowledge-based energy with the hopes of transforming itself into a genuine energy-exporting country through the development of the ultimate green energy -- fusion.

By Lee Gyung-Su

-- Lee Gyung-Su is president of the National Fusion Research Institute. Lee received his Ph. D. at the University of Texas in Austin. He has been involved in the ITER project, an international collaboration aimed at tapping fusion as a new energy source. He currently serves as chairman of the ITER Management Advisory Committee and chairman of the International Fusion Research Council.

-- Email : gslee@nfri.re.kr