Abstract
A new generation of superconducting (SC) technology makes
feasible fusion magnet coils with peak field B > 22 Tesla. We explore
how access to such technology would be a “game-changer” for a compact
fusion power plant. The non-linear B dependence in critical fusion
parameters allows both high energy gain and power density in modest size
devices, while producing fusion energy ~100’s MW far from intrinsic
plasma physics operational limits. A pilot fusion tokamak device design
called ARC is described that explores the exploitation of these
properties towards making net electricity from fusion. A strong synergy
exists between the high-B and demountable coils, allowing for simplified
and improved engineering choices: immersion molten-salt liquid
blankets, single-phase high temperature cooling, and a modular vacuum
vessel, which becomes the only replacement item in the plant, greatly
reducing solid waste. These combine in ARC to produce a high net energy
gain fusion system with margin to operating limits, greatly reduced
materials concerns and improved maintainability.
About the speaker
Dennis Whyte, Director of MIT’s Plasma
Science & Fusion Center, works in magnetic fusion and specializes in
the interface between the plasma and materials. Dennis received his
Ph.D. from the Université du Québec, INRS in 1993. A Fellow of the
American Physical Society, Dennis was awarded the Department of Energy’s
Plasma Physics Junior Faculty Award in 2003 and in 2013 won the
International Atomic Energy Agency’s Nuclear Fusion Prize. Among his
many lectures on fusion energy research, In 2015 Dennis was an invited
speaker at CERAWeek and the National Science Foundation’s Engineering
Distinguished Lecture.
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