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Abstract
The FOM institute DIFFER performs leading fundamental research in the fields of Fusion energy and Solar Fuels. DIFFER works in close partnership with academia and industry and aims for a national coordinating role in fundamental energy research.
The Fusion Physics Department carries out research in fusion energy as part of the FOM, EURATOM and ITER fusion programme. The focus is on the physics of burning plasma, its diagnostics and heating by powerful mm-wave beams [1].
The Plasma Surface Interaction (PSI) department carries out fundamental research on plasma facing materials for the ITER fusion experiment. The linear plasma devices Pilot-PSI and Magnum-PSI are employed to generate relevant plasma conditions [2].
In solar fuels research, DIFFER's division MaSF (Materials and Materials Processing Technologies for Solar Fuels) presently focuses on two technologies to store intermittent sustainable energy in chemical form.
· For the production of artificial methane and higher-order hydrocarbons, DIFFER uses an plasma approach to tackle CO2 dissociation. A high dissociation efficiency is made possible by preferentially exciting vibrational states in the CO2 molecule, exploiting the non-equilibrium state of the plasma medium. This is the crucial first step in forming syngas, a mixture of H2 and CO, which can then be further processed chemically using the conventional Fischer-Tropsch process.
· A discovery in the institute's Plasma Surface Interaction experiments, in which extreme non-equilibrium processing of materials is investigated, is the formation of highly porous 'nano fuzz' on the surface of metals (W, Fe, Mo, etc.) exposed to the high density, low energy plasma in Pilot-PSI and Magnum-PSI. MaSF is investigating the application of the oxidized porous and photo-active material structures in a so-called photo-electrochemical cell utilizing the photocatalytical dissociation of water into hydrogen and oxygen, opening directly the storage of solar energy in molecular hydrogen.
The presentation will give a brief overview of the present activities of DIFFER as introduction to the more detailed presentations on the activities of the institute in Fusion Research.
[1] to be explained in detail by Tony Donné in his presentation.
[2] to be explained in detail by Greg De Temmerman in his presentation.
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