Please join us for two Plasma Physics talks
Monday, August 5, 2024, 3:00-4:00 PM ET
Room 233 Mudd
"An overview of runaway electron mitigation and diagnosis in SPARC"
Roy Alexander (Alex) Tinguely
MIT PSFC
Abstract: This talk presents the latest status on runaway electron (RE) mitigation strategies and diagnostic opportunities for the SPARC tokamak, currently under construction in Devens, MA, USA. An update on modeling efforts of the RE Mitigation Coil, primarily using ThinCurr and NIMROD, is presented along with first results from M3D-C1 simulations. An overview of the Massive Gas Injection system is given, and opportunities for “secondary” injection into a formed RE beam are discussed. Different diagnostic capabilities for REs, both in flight and lost to the wall, are investigated, including hard x-ray detection for thick and thin-target bremsstrahlung as well as imaging and spectroscopy for synchrotron radiation. (This work supported in part by Commonwealth Fusion Systems.)
Bio: Alex Tinguely is a research scientist at MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center. His research focuses on energetic particle physics in magnetic confinement fusion plasmas, which includes relativistic runaway electrons. Alex is heavily involved in diagnostic design, predictive modeling, and operational planning for the upcoming net-energy SPARC tokamak.
"Electrical Insulation Strategy of the Runaway Electron Mitigation Coil"
John Boguski
Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Abstract: This talk dives into hardware considerations for the design of the runaway electron mitigation coil (REMC) in the SPARC tokamak. The in-vessel coil will have an end-to-end loop voltage of 2.5 kV, 590 kN/m compressive loads, and transient heat flux factor of 43 MJ/m^2/s^0.5. I discuss on the design and testing of the in-vessel electrical insulation for the REMC to survive these conditions, and how test results are driving design changes to details of the REMC.
Bio: John Boguski graduated with a PhD in Plasma Physics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2019. He then completed a postdoc at Los Alamos National Laboratory building a new Field Reversed Configuration experiment. He completed a second postdoc at the MIT PSFC working on the runaway electron mitigation coil switching and insulation hardware. He has recently started a position at Commonwealth Fusion Systems as a senior Engineering working with the CFS REMC team.
Host: Jeffrey Levesque