During the EVEDA (engineering validation and engineering design activities) phase of the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) project, a 125 mA/9 MeV linear prototype accelerator (LIPAc) has to be built, tested and operated in Rokkasho-mura (Japan). Involved in this project for several years, CEA-Saclay designed the injector of this accelerator which is composed of an electron cyclotron resonance ion source, delivering a 140 mA deuteron beam at 100 keV, and a low energy beam transport (LEBT) line to match the beam for the injection into the radio-frequency quadrupole. In this paper, the components of the LIPAc injector are described. The commissioning of the ion source and LEBT with beam started in November 2014. The different phases of the commissioning are explained and some noticeable experimental results obtained with a D+ beam at 100 keV are presented.

IFMIF, the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility [1], is an accelerator-based neutron source that will use Li(d,xn) reactions to generate a flux of neutrons with a broad peak at 14 MeV, equivalent to the conditions of the Deuterium-Tritium reactions in a fusion power plant. IFMIF is conceived for fusion materials testing. The IFMIF prototype linear accelerator (LIPAc) is jointly developed by Europe and Japan within the IFMIF EVEDA project: it is composed of an ion source, a LEBT, a RFQ, a MEBT and a SC linac, with a final energy of 9 MeV. The 4-vane Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ), developed by INFN in Italy, will accelerate a 130 mA deuteron beam from 0.1 to 5 MeV in continuous wave, for a beam power of 650 kW. The 9.8 m long, 175 MHz cavity is composed of 18 x 0.54 m long modules, flanged together and aligned within 0.3 mm tolerance. The RFQ was completed, delivered and assembled at the Rokkasho site and is presently under extended RF tests. The second phase of beam commissioning (up to 2.5 MeV/u) was scheduled to start at the end of 2017. Several unexpected issues and incidents significantly delayed the original program, which is however proceeding step by step toward the full achievement of its goals.

The Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) linac and 1.6 MW RF power system of the Linear IFMIF Prototype Accelerator (LIPAc) facility in the International Fusion Energy Research Center (IFERC) in Rokkasho (Japan) has been installed and conditioned. During the assembly and tuning process, the RFQ cavity was protected with a temporary tent from the potential deterioration of performance caused by dust. The vacuum in the cavity was improved through the 100 °C baking process of the cavity. The high power test of the 175 MHz RF systems up to 200 kW in CW for each of the eight RF chains was performed for checking its stable output reproducibility in Japan, before connecting 9–3/16 inch coaxial transmission lines from the RF chains to the RF input couplers of the cavity. It was confirmed that the eight RF chains provided the balanced RF power to the single RFQ cavity in-phase using a feedback loop and a synchronization system. The peak power in the cavity achieved 150 kW in the pulsed mode, which corresponds approximately to the required electric field to accelerate proton beam. Such RF conditioning process is ongoing to achieve 600 kW approximately required for deuteron beam commissioning planned in 2018.

Significant progress was obtained on the installation and commissioning of the Linear IFMIF Prototype Accelerator (LIPAc). On the injector experiment, the emittance of 0.2 πmm·mrad has been demonstrated, which is well smaller than that of required value (0.3 πmm·mrad). Eight sets of RF modules (175 MHz, 200 kW for each) were connected to the RFQ with 8 coaxial waveguides, and RF conditioning has been started. With a simultaneous power injection from 8 RF modules into the RFQ and careful conditioning, a required RF filed for the 5 MeV D+ beam acceleration was obtained at short pulse. The pulse extension is underway toward the CW operation. The first H+ beam acceleration will be started in June 2018. After the H+ beam commissioning, D+ beam acceleration will be implemented aiming at 5 MeV 125 mA, 0.1% duty. In parallel, the preparation of SRF (superconducting Radio-Frequency linac), which accelerates the D+ beam up to 9 MeV, has proceeded.

The International Fusion Material Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) aims at qualifying and characterizing materials capable to withstand the intense neutron flux originated in the D-T reactions of future fusion reactors by a neutron flux with a broad peak at 14 MeV, capable to provide >20 dpaifpy on small specimens, also qualified in this engineering validation engineering design activity (EVEDA) phase. Its broad mandate has been successfully achieved, only pending the validation of its accelerator with its conventional facilities. The validation of the IFMIF's accelerators will be achieved in this on-going phase, until December 2019, with the operation of a deuteron accelerator at 125 mA CW mode and 9 MeV, which is presently under installation and commissioning in Rokkasho (Japan). The target availability of the IFMIF facility, 70%, is one of its main challenges because it demands an extraordinary individual availability of the sub-systems, such as the accelerator, with 87%. The linear IFMIF prototype accelerator (LIPAc) presents a broad spectrum of ancillary equipment to optimize its operational beam time. A description of the nuclear HVAC of IFMIF has already been reported (Pruneri et al., 2016) [1]. The present paper describes the design of the conventional systems of LIPAc, among which we address the electrical power supply, the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), the heat rejection system (HRS), the service water system (SWS), the service gas system (SGS), the cryoplant system (Cryo), and the fire protection system (FPS). (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The objective of linear IFMIF prototype accelerator is to demonstrate 125 mA/CW deuterium ion beam acceleration up to 9 MeV. The injector has been developed in CEA Saclay and already demonstrated 140 mA/100 keV deuterium beam [R. Gobin et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 85, 02A918 (2014)]. The injector was disassembled and delivered to the International Fusion Energy Research Center in Rokkasho, Japan. After reassembling the injector, commissioning has started in 2014. Up to now, 100 keV/120 mA/CW hydrogen and 100 keV/90 mA/CW deuterium ion beams have been produced stably from a 10 mm diameter extraction aperture with a low beam emittance of 0.21 π mm mrad (rms, normalized). Neutron production by D-D reaction up to 2.4 × 10(9) n/s has been observed in the deuterium operation.

The International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF), presently in its Engineering Validation and Engineering Design Activities (EVEDA) phase under the frame of the Broader Approach Agreement between Europe and Japan, accomplished in summer 2013, on schedule, its EDA phase with the release of the engineering design report of the IFMIF plant, which is here described. Many improvements of the design from former phases are implemented, particularly a reduction of beam losses and operational costs thanks to the superconducting accelerator concept, the re-location of the quench tank outside the test cell (TC) with a reduction of tritium inventory and a simplification on its replacement in case of failure, the separation of the irradiation modules from the shielding block gaining irradiation flexibility and enhancement of the remote handling equipment reliability and cost reduction, and the water cooling of the liner and biological shielding of the TC, enhancing the efficiency and economy of the related sub-systems. In addition, the maintenance strategy has been modified to allow a shorter yearly stop of the irradiation operations and a more careful management of the irradiated samples. The design of the IFMIF plant is intimately linked with the EVA phase carried out since the entry into force of IFMIF/EVEDA in June 2007. These last activities and their on-going accomplishment have been thoroughly described elsewhere (Knaster J et al [19]), which, combined with the present paper, allows a clear understanding of the maturity of the European–Japanese international efforts. This released IFMIF Intermediate Engineering Design Report (IIEDR), which could be complemented if required concurrently with the outcome of the on-going EVA, will allow decision making on its construction and/or serve as the basis for the definition of the next step, aligned with the evolving needs of our fusion community.

The linear IFMIF prototype accelerator (LIPAc) has been launched within the framework of the Broader Approach Agreement with the objective to validate the low energy part (9MeV) for the IFMIF linacs (40MeV, 125mA of D+ beam in continuous wave). Starting in mid-2007, the project is managed by the two Home Teams (JA-HT and EU-HT) and headed by the Project Team at the Broader Approach site in Rokkasho with the aim to complete the validation activity with the installation and commissioning of the whole LIPAc by June 2017. Following a short description and current status of each accelerator component, this paper describes the integration activities such as the 3D mockup integration and the Interface Management System (IMS) tools developed for use at the Integrated Project Team level. In preparation of the first equipment delivery in Japan at the beginning of 2013, implementation and installation activities of the various components are described, in particular assembly procedures associated with each subsystem.