Contents

• Research Divisions
  • Renewable Enegry Dynamics
  • Earth Environment Dynamics
  • Nuclear Fusion Dynamics

• Research Centers
  • Renewable Energy Center
  • Center for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
  • Advanced Fusion Research Center

Research Subjects

Since contemporary areas of "Applied Mechanics" becomes so interdisciplinary, research subjects in RIAM have naturally been broadly expanded. RIAM has been restructured to consist of 3 Research Divisions and 3 Research Centers. The Research Divisions are concerned with basic and academic research in their respective areas, while the Research Centers focus their efforts on advanced researches with large-scale experiments or fieldwork using their facilities, in collaboration with Research Divisions and other researchers around the world. Also see Organization crate for details and personnel.

Research Divisions

The Division of Renewable Enegry Dynamics

For the application of an effective energy resource in the future, the limitation of fossil fuels is clear and the security of alternative energy sources is an important subject. Furthermore, as concerns for environmental issues, the development and application of renewable and clean new energy are strongly expected. Among others, wind energy, solar energy and ocean energy technologies are about to play a big role in a new energy field. The objective of this division is to clarify the dynamical processes in efficient wind energy utilization, efficient solar energy absorption and ocean energy utilization and to develop new energy devices based on the dynamics. We have four sections, whose activities are as follows, and a large part of us is involved in a research project on the new generation energy project of Kyushu University.

The Division of Earth Environment Dynamics

The objectives of this division are to clarify the dynamical processes which control the earth environment particularly in ocean-atmosphere system, through wide range various approaches such as field observations, numerical modeling along with theoretical studies and marine observing engineering. Target of our research is ocean and atmosphere change due to human-induced environmental issues. Our goal is quantitative understanding of the processes concerning the ocean-atmospheric environmental change based on various approaches combining observations and modeling, where fundamental processes such as not only physical but also chemical and biological processes should be contained in the interactive collaboration of theoretical, observational and numerical studies including science and technology.

The Division of Nuclear Fusion Dynamics

In the division of nuclear fusion dynamics, fundamental studies on the plasma physics and solid state mechanics are performed for understanding of dynamical phenomena under the high energy environments and it's application. Especially, research on nuclear fusion expected as mass energy resource in future is targeted, which covers theoretical research on anomalous transport in high temperature plasma, research on irradiation damage of material due to neutron and high energy particle, including fundamental study on lattice defects and strength of materials, study on plasma-material interaction, development of real-time control method for steady state operation. Such variety researches have been done by means of different kind of research methods and are partially supported by collaboration with Advanced Fusion Research Center and by inter-university Joint Use Research program of Research Institute for Applied Mechanics.

Research Centers

Renewable Energy Center

The Renewable Energy Center (REC), which is consisted with 5 sections, focuses on various kinds of renewable energies. REC researches on innovative technologies and systems for power generation, and high density utilization of those energies. Furthermore, REC is aiming to contribute to realize the renewable energy society by integrating and networking the 4 factors; "generation", "storage", "transmit", and "utilization", of renewable energies.

Center for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research

The Center for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (COAR) aims at the assessment of atmospheric and oceanic changes not only in the vicinity of the East Asia but also with the global environment. Thus we pursue advancing our ability of monitoring and predicting the change of oceanic and atmospheric environment at multiple scales. In fact, our interdisciplinary research themes extend from microscale plastic pollution in the ocean to the aerosol effect on the global climate change. In addition to those application-oriented regional subjects of east Asia, the COAR intends to promote fundamental research of a worldwide validity and utility from the dynamical point of view.

Advanced Fusion Research Center

As a fundamental research for realization of the fusion reactor which is considered as one of the main energy resources in the future, the Advanced Fusion Research Center, composed of 6 sections, has proposed a research project of long term sustainment of spherical tokamak plasmas. Based on the acquired knowledge by the superconducing tokamak TRIAM-1M, the unique and fundamental researches are planned to be carried out with respect to long duration current drive of spherical tokamak plasmas, and to the plasma-wall interaction with advanced wall control in order to demonstrate the steady-state fusion reactor.