Assessment of torsatrons as reactors

Technical Report · Tue Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6742249· OSTI ID:6742249

Lyon, J. F. ^[1]; Painter, S. L. ^[2]

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1. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
2. Australian National Univ., Canberra, ACT (Australia)

Stellarators have significant operational advantages over tokamaks as ignited steady-state reactors because stellarators have no dangerous disruptions and no need for continuous current drive or power recirculated to the plasma, both easing the first wall, blanket, and shield design; less severe constraints on the plasma parameters and profiles; and better access for maintenance. This study shows that a reactor based on the torsatron configuration (a stellarator variant) could also have up to double the mass utilization efficiency (MUE) and a significantly lower cost of electricity (COE) than a conventional tokamak reactor (ARIES-I) for a range of assumptions. Torsatron reactors can have much smaller coil systems than tokamak reactors because the coils are closer to the plasma and they have a smaller cross section (higher average current density because of the lower magnetic field). The reactor optimization approach and the costing and component models are those used in the current stage of the ARIES-I tokamak reactor study. Typical reactor parameters for a 1-GW(e) Compact Torsatron reactor example are major radius R[sub 0] = 6.6-8.8 m, on-axis magnetic field B[sup 0] = 4.8-7.5 T, B[sub max] (on coils) = 16 T, MUE 140-210 kW(e)/tonne, and COE (in constant 1990 dollars) = 67-79 mill/kW(e)h. The results are relatively sensitive to assumptions on the level of confinement improvement and the blanket thickness under the inboard half of the helical windings but relatively insensitive to other assumptions.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6742249
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-12189; ON: DE93006721
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700412* -- Magnetic Confinement Devices-- (1992-)
BREEDING BLANKETS
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
CONFINEMENT
CONFINEMENT TIME
COST
EVALUATION
FIRST WALL
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PERFORMANCE
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
REACTOR COMPONENTS
STELLARATORS
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
THERMONUCLEAR REACTOR WALLS
TOKAMAK DEVICES
TORSATRON STELLARATORS