The ARIES Advanced And Conservative Tokamak (ACT) Power Plant Study

Technical Report · Wed Mar 05 00:00:00 EST 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1127358· OSTI ID:1127358

Kessel, C. E. ^[1]; Poli, F. M. ^[1]; Ghantous, K. ^[1]; Gorelenkov, N. ^[2]; Tillack, M. S. ^[3]; Najmabadi, F. ^[3]; Wang, X. R. ^[3]; Navaei, D. ^[3]; Toudeshki, H. H. ^[3]; Koehly, C. ^[4]; El-Guebaly, L. ^[5]; Blanchard, J. P. ^[5]; Martin, C. J. ^[5]; Mynsburge, L. ^[5]; Humrickhouse, P. ^[6]; Rensink, M. E. ^[7]; Rognlien, T. D. ^[8]; Yoda, M. ^[9]; Abdel-Khalik, S. I. ^[9]; Hageman, M. D. ^[9] ; Mills, B. H. ^[9]; Radar, J. D. ^[9]; Sadowski, D. L. ^[9]; Snyder, P. B. ^[10]; John, H. ^[10]; Turnbull, A. D. ^[10]; Waganer, L. M. ^[1]; Malang, S. ^[1]; Rowcliffe, A. F. ^[1]

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1. Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
2. Princeton Plasma Physics Lab., Princeton, NJ (United States)
3. Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)
4. Karlsruhe Inst. of Technology, Karlsruhe (Germany)
5. Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
6. Idaho National Lab., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
7. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
8. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., Livermore, CA (United States)
9. Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)
10. General Atomics, La Jolla, CA (United States)

Tokamak power plants are studied with advanced and conservative design philosophies in order to identify the impacts on the resulting designs and to provide guidance to critical research needs. Incorporating updated physics understanding, and using more sophisticated engineering and physics analysis, the tokamak configurations have developed a more credible basis compared to older studies. The advanced configuration assumes a self-cooled lead lithium (SCLL) blanket concept with SiC composite structural material with 58% thermal conversion efficiency. This plasma has a major radius of 6.25 m, a toroidal field of 6.0 T, a q95 of 4.5, a βN^total of 5.75, H₉₈ of 1.65, n/nGr of 1.0, and peak divertor heat flux of 13.7 MW/m². The conservative configuration assumes a dual coolant lead lithium (DCLL) blanket concept with ferritic steel structural material and helium coolant, achieving a thermal conversion efficiency of 45%. The plasma major radius is 9.75 m, a toroidal field of 8.75 T, a q95 of 8.0, a βN^total of 2.5, H₉₈ of 1.25, n/n_Gr of 1.3, and peak divertor heat flux of 10 MW/m². The divertor heat flux treatment with a narrow power scrape-off width has driven the plasmas to larger major radius. Edge and divertor plasma simulations are targeting a basis for high radiated power fraction in the divertor, which is necessary for solutions to keep the peak heat flux in the range of 10-15 MW/m². Combinations of the advanced and conservative approaches show intermediate sizes. A new systems code using a database approach has been used and shows that the operating point is really an operating zone with some range of plasma and engineering parameters and very similar costs of electricity. Papers in this issue provide more detailed discussion of the work summarized here.

• Research Organization: Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: ACO2-09CH11466
• OSTI ID: 1127358
• Report Number(s): PPPL-5008
• Resource Relation: Related Information: Fusion Science and Technology (March, 2014)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
Tokamaks
Power Plants
Fusion Reactors
Design