Speaker: Yuhu Zhai, Princeton Plasma Physics Lab
Title: Fusion Innovation Research Engine (FIRE) in Fusion Superconducting Magnet Technologies: R&D gaps and critical opportunities to mature HTS conductor and fusion magnet technology
Abstract: The past decade has seen a rapid proliferation in the numbers and varieties of commercial fusion power start-ups, all vying to put electrical power on the grid by the middle of the century. The demand for qualified magnetic fusion technology personnel has grown so rapidly that it far outpaces the development of the workforce needed to support this nascent industry. This has led several start-ups to partner with existing, DOE-supported fusion laboratories to access the expertise required to achieve their goals. We propose this Fusion Innovation Research Engine (FIRE) consortium in Fusion Superconducting Magnet Technologies as a broad-based means to formally address existing gaps in the commercial fusion realm. We propose to pursue basic fusion magnet technologies applicable to a wide range of fusion devices, not just one device or concept, and to make those freely available to the community. Technology for high-field magnetic confinement fusion devices has thus far focused almost entirely on REBCO. While REBCO is a marvelous conductor with extremely high current density at high magnetic fields, it is not ideal for all applications, not the least because of its high cost and complex processing. REBCO is available only in tape form, resulting in high magnetization (screening current) loss in rapidly changing magnetic fields as well as highly non-uniform stress distribution. Not every fusion concept needs the high-field capability of REBCO. Several fusion start-ups we’ve engaged are pursuing lower-field, lower-cost alternatives for which MgB2, Bi-2212 or even Nb3Sn could potentially be better options if sufficient information regarding suitability were more widely available. Based on feedback from industry we intend to advance not only high field REBCO but also these promising, but lesser-studied options as part of our developmental activities.
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