b'32 Partner News Winter 2020CorporateStaying on track: The Department for Transports latest project in the fight against Covid-19The Department for Transport (DfT)TRACK has received 1.7m in funding fromEnvironmental transmission analysis and the Scientific Advisory Group forthe UK Research and Innovation rollingto measure pathways for airborne Emergencies sub-group, the EnvironmentCovid-19 call, through the Engineeringinfection on transport vehicles, and and Modelling group, worked together toand Physical Sciences Research Council.consideration of mitigation options.identify some of the critical knowledgeThe work includes:gaps that exist around Covid-19TRACK formally kicked off on 22 September transmission in public transport.Modelling to assess risk of2020 and is an 18-month programme of Covid-19 infection through bus,work. One of the main outputs will be a This led to the development of a researchtube and train journeys. transport risk model, which will be used project called TRACK (Transport RiskSurface sampling to identify presencealongside new evidence collected as part Assessment for Covid Knowledge),of infection in public transport vehicles. of the project to help inform decisions which brings together researchersCollection of data on transport userand practices for mitigating risk of from Cambridge, Leeds, Newcastle,behaviour and demographics. transmission in public transport. Lessons and Imperial universities, along withCCTV analysis to measure sociallearned will likely be applicable to other Public Health England and the Defencedistancing and surface contactworkplaces and areas of interaction, Science and Technology Laboratory,on different transport modes. and as such can inform practices in with DfT acting as a project partner. other transport modes and sectors.EuropesJET, operated by the UK Atomic EnergyThe tests will focus on the impact Authority on behalf of the EUROfusionof changing the fuel mass on plasma research consortium, will carry out keyperformance and on the additional physics premierexperiments using two hydrogen isotopes,introduced by deuterium-tritium fuel deuterium and tritium (DT). These are themixtures and the generation of MW levels fuels expected to power commercial fusionof fusion power. In both cases, the focus fusion energyreactors.will be on the long-pulse, stable regimes of operation that are foreseen for ITER.In order to be able to use tritium in JET, a device, JET,substantial programme of refurbishmentIn order to maximise the value of the JET and preparation has taken place. Thisexperiments, plasma conditions will be means tritium can now be moved from JETspushed as close as possible to those of gears up forActive Gas Handling System (the systemITER.This is done by operating currents and which processes and handles gas mixturespower close to the maximum achievable at containing tritium) to the central chamber orJET, parameters that are unachievable in any world-leadingtorus of the machine.other operating tokamak in the world.The research at JET will seek to exploitLorne Horton, JET Programme Leader, said: experimentsthe machines unique capabilities, alsoThese experiments are the culmination of including features such as its berylliummore than a decade of preparation and will wall and tungsten divertor. These materialsprovide unique results of high value to the in 2021 erode more slowly and do not soak up asfusion community.We are very keen to get much fuel as the previous JET carbon wallstarted.did. The results of the experiments will be very important for ITER, an internationalCurrently JET is undergoing final fusion machine currently being built in thepreparations for next years DT experiments south of France, seen as the steppingstoneat Culham Science Centre. This includes to fusion power stations. ITER will not bechecking on diagnostics (methods used to able to use tritium fuel until the mid-2030smeasure properties of a plasma) and the so the chance to use it on JET is of vitalcompletion of relevant commissioning.importance.'