R&D Needs for a US Fusion Magnet Base Program

Journal Article · Tue Jan 02 00:00:00 EST 2024 · IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/tasc.2023.3349368· OSTI ID:2282125

Zhai, Yuhu ^[1]; Larbalestier, David ^[2]; Duckworth, Robert ^[3]; Hartwig, Zachary ^[4]; Prestemon, Soren ^[5]; Forest, Cary ^[6]

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1. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
2. Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States). National High Magnetic Field Lab. (MagLab)
3. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
4. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States). Plasma Science and Fusion Center
5. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
6. Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

Significant technology maturation efforts are underway by privately funded fusion startups with the goal to demonstrate mature HTS magnet technology. To support the private sector development effort and the DOE milestone based program, a U.S. Fusion Magnet Community Workshop was held on March 14-15, 2023 in Princeton, NJ. This was the first U.S. community workshop focused on fusion magnet technologies aimed at determining the structure and technical direction for a public program designed to complement the private fusion industry landscape. Based on the wide range of different contributions, a set of general themes and fusion magnet R&D needs were identified and discussed. Feedback received to the workshop charge questions highlighted critical magnet R&D gaps such as availability of existing large cable and coil test facilities, a magnet education program that can generate a trained and essential workforce by leveraging R&D capabilities of universities, U.S. national labs, and fusion industry. Other opportunities synergistic and complementary with high energy physics, high field magnets that are open for a broad range of science drivers. The defined R&D gaps underpin the need for a mid-term and long-term public program in fusion magnet development, which reflects the purpose of the workshop in developing the rationale and consent for such a base program. A self-consistent, fusion specific U.S. fusion magnet program will complement and de-risk fusion pilot plants (FPPs) of promising magnetic configurations developed by private companies on a timeline consistent with the NASEM report on bringing fusion to the U.S. grid. We describe the magnet challenges presented and R&D needs discussed in the workshop. In conclusion, these challenges and R&D needs provide focus for the development of U.S. mid-term and long term roadmaps on enabling HTS for high field fusion.

• Research Organization: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-09CH11466
• OSTI ID: 2282125
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, Journal Name: IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 34; ISSN 1051-8223
• Publisher: IEEE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
Conferences
High field fusion magnets
High-temperature superconductors
Magnetic fusion
Magnetoacoustic effects
Optical fiber cables
Superconducting cables
Superconducting magnets
Toroidal magnetic fields
U.S. Fusion Magnet R&D program