The Office of Science program in FES hereby announces its interest in Innovative Fusion Technology and Collaborative Fusion Energy Research in the DIII-D National Program.
Donor Name: Office of Science
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/15/2023
Size of the Grant: $2,500,000
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
The aims of this FOA are two-fold. First, it aims at research to advance innovative fusion technology that supports the tokamak path to fusion energy. Second, it aims to support collaborative research activities in fusion energy research at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility. Among the objectives is to enable the U.S. to aim at a fusion pilot plant based on the advanced tokamak concept.
Program Objective
The FES Advanced Tokamak (AT) program area addresses gaps in the physics and technology basis for the conventional tokamak approach to magnetic confinement fusion. The AT program develops methods that simultaneously obtain high plasma pressure, stationary plasma profiles, high plasma confinement, and adequate particle and power handling. The program includes research and facility operations on the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, an SC scientific user facility hosted by General Atomics in San Diego, CA, and small-scale advanced tokamak research conducted on university-scale devices. DIII-D is the largest magnetic fusion research experiment in the U.S. It can magnetically confine plasmas at temperatures relevant to burning plasma conditions.
In alignment with these events, the DIII-D program is refocusing supported activities on addressing major relevant recommendations of the LRP, CPP report, the National Academies report, and the BDV. These include the utilization of DIII-D and collaboration with other world-leading tokamak facilities to ensure that FPP design gaps for tokamaks are addressed in a timely manner; expansion of the R&D effort in fusion materials and technology; and closing the integrated tokamak and exhaust gap. Research supported under this FOA is focused on two areas: innovative fusion technology (IFT) and collaborative research (CR).
Innovative Fusion Technology (IFT)
The realization of the tokamak path to fusion energy requires advances in supporting technologies to address experimental capability gaps and achieve higher levels of fusion performance while avoiding interruptions to facility operation and ensuring facility safety.
Technology development efforts of interest include the following topics:
- development of diagnostics, measurement, and control techniques that can be used in a reactor environment;
- subsystems that improve our understanding of plasma-material interactions;
- in situ materials characterization tools that can be installed in confinement experiments; technology to meet plasma fueling needs of a FPP;
- systems that allow for active control of helium ash;
- diagnostics and systems that advance methods for disruption prediction, avoidance, and mitigation to inform FPP design;
- systems that support steady-state divertor and plasma exhaust solutions for magnetic confinement configurations; and
- other tokamak-relevant priorities called out in the CPP and LRP reports.
Collaborative Research
The Collaborative Research area aims at supporting DIII-D facility users. The DIII-D program is highly collaborative in nature, where participating scientists provide support to the entire research team in order to deliver elements needed for a scientific study on DIII-D (e.g., operating diagnostic systems, providing analyzed data, and supporting facility operations where appropriate).
Funding Information
- Innovative Fusion Technology
- distinct institution- Multi-institutional team
- Ceiling – $2,500,000 for the entire
- Floor – $100,000 per institution
- Innovative Fusion Technology
- distinct institution- Single Institution
- Ceiling – $2,500,000
- Floor – $100,000
- Collaborative Research
- distinct institution- Multi-institutional team
- Ceiling -$1,800,000 per institution
- Floor – $50,000 per institution
- Collaborative Research
- # of distinct institution- Single Institution
- Ceiling – $1,800,000
- Floor – $50,000
Project Period
DOE anticipates making awards in the Innovative Fusion Technology area for a period of two years. These awards may not be renewed.
Eligibility Criteria
All types of domestic applicants are eligible to apply, except nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995. Federally affiliated5 entities must adhere to the eligibility standards below:
DOE/NNSA National Laboratories
- For Collaborative Research applications, DOE/NNSA National Laboratories are neither eligible to submit applications under this FOA nor to be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application.
- For Innovative Fusion Technology applications, DOE/NNSA National Laboratories are not eligible to submit applications under this FOA but may be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. If recommended for funding as a proposed subrecipient, the value of the proposed subaward will be removed from the prime applicant’s award and will be provided to the laboratory through the DOE Field-Work Proposal System and work will be conducted under the laboratory’s contract with DOE.
Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs
- For Collaborative Research applications, Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs are neither eligible to submit applications under this FOA nor to be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application.
- For Innovative Fusion Technology applications, Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs are not eligible to submit applications under this FOA but may be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. If recommended for funding as a proposed subrecipient, the value of the proposed subaward may be removed from the prime applicant’s award and may be provided through an interagency agreement to the FFRDC’s sponsoring Federal Agency.
Other Federal Agencies
Other Federal Agencies are neither eligible to submit applications under this FOA nor to be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application.
Notes for applicants of all types:
- Individual applicants are unlikely to possess the skills, abilities, and resources to successfully accomplish the objectives of this FOA. Individual applicants are encouraged to address this concern in their applications and to demonstrate how they will accomplish the objectives of this FOA.
- Non-domestic applicants are advised that successful applications from non-domestic applicants include a detailed demonstration of how the applicant possesses skills, resources, and abilities that do not exist among potential domestic applicants.
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