On June 26, UCAS hosted the initial meeting concerning basic research concerning the application of a liquid lithium wall in a future fusion reactor, a domestic support program for the 2013 International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project.
The meeting was organized by Prof. Ni Mingjiu, Chief of the program and Executive Dean of the School of Physics, UCAS. It was attended by over 30 experts from a number of universities and institutes, who held an in-depth discussion of the research goals, content and organization of the program.
UCAS, as a major participant, is focused on the program and will do its utmost to provide support, said Prof. Ye Zhonghua, Vice President of UCAS, in his welcome speech.
Fu Xiaofeng, Director of the Major Research Program Division, Ministry of Science and Technology and Wang Yongxiang, Director of the Mathematical Chemistry Division, Bureau of Frontier Sciences and Education, CAS, introduced the history and prospects of magnetic confinement fusion programs. Mr. Fu also explained the research goals and assessment criteria of the program as well as the available support.
As the designated expert responsible for the program, Prof. Li Jiangang, Director of the CAS Institute of Plasma Physics, noted that liquid lithium as a plasma-facing component is a key technology in the field of fusion. The successful implementation of the program may establish an internationally respected research team concerning liquid lithium wall technology.
Prof. Ni Mingjiu and other project managers delivered reports regarding the tasks they will undertake and exchanged views with other experts attending the meeting. It was decided that the experts would meet every three months to report progress in the various tasks.