On a High-Mirror Stellarator Reactor Exploratory Concept With Neutrons Concentrated on Centrifuge Liquids Articles uri icon

publication date

  • September 2024

start page

  • 3731

end page

  • 3737

issue

  • 9

volume

  • 52

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0093-3813

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1939-9375

abstract

  • In the framework of fusion energy research based on magnetic confinement, stellarators allow numerous degrees of freedom for the design of the magnetic trap and plasma shape. Taking advantage of these features, some plasma shapes might benefit several of the many integrated elements involved in com- mercial fusion reactors, like, e.g., decreasing the number, mass and complexity of replaced activated in-vessel components (IVC) (i.e., by using liquids), extraction of large power, tritium gen- eration, and remote maintenance. Certainly, free-surface liquid materials were proposed for tokamaks and field-reversed con- figuration (FRC) to try to improve some of such elements, i.e., in advanced power extraction (APEX) studies. Some reactor- relevant quasi-isodynamic (QI) magnetic configurations exhibit a relatively straight sector of plasma and high magnetic mirror. The combination of those elements and possibilities in a single stellarator reactor concept might have some advantages, in spite of the uncertainties due to the current low technological readiness level (TRL). The proposed and studied reactor concept is based on a vacuum vessel having short curved sectors and longer wide cylindrical sectors, which encloses a high-mirror low-vertical- excursion magnetic configuration, and swirling liquids or rotating cylinders, which centrifuge molten Li salts located at the low field region. Thus, the molten salts (if possible covered by a thin layer of liquid lithium) would be located on the internal perimeter of the cylinder, to act as particle exhaust (except for helium), neutron power extractor, and tritium breeder. The high-mirror feature tries to concentrate the neutron power at the cylindrical sectors, which might avoid using breeding materials at the curved sectors. The different elements of the concept are exploratorily studied and defined, and the difficulties assessed.

subjects

  • Physics

keywords

  • centrifuge; fusion energy; high mirror; molten salt; stellarator