High-temperature superconducting cuprates (HTSCs) are key materials to enable the technology for generating electricity from fusion reactions.
Magnets made from superconducting wires can carry high currents without overheating, making them ideal for generating the very high fields required for fusion. However, a single compact tokamak will require up to 20,000 km of this REBCO-coated conductor for the magnet systems, and because the superconductor is so expensive to manufacture it is estimated that this would account for a considerable fraction of the total cost of a power plant. Another problem with REBCO materials is that the temperature below which they superconduct falls steeply once they’ve been irradiated with neutrons. They also did not reproduce the environment inside a compact tokamak, where the superconducting tapes will be at cryogenic temperatures, carrying high currents and under considerable strain from Lorentz forces generated in the magnets. After ion irradiation, REBCO materials exhibit a lower superconducting transition temperature. The remarkable properties of REBCO high-temperature superconductors present new opportunities for designing fusion reactors that are substantially smaller (and cheaper) than traditional tokamaks, and which private companies ambitiously promise will enable the delivery of power to the grid on vastly accelerated timescales.
High temperature superconductors - materials that can conduct electricity without any resistance - are an enabling technology for a new generation of compact
Such conductors do not yet have either the strength or the low AC loss requirements of present fusion conductors such as Nb3Sn or NbTi but are showing 10# 102# 103# 104# 0# 5# 10# 15# 20# 25# 30# 35# 40# 45# Whole&Wire&Cri*cal&Current&Density&(A/mm²,&4.2&K)& Applied&Magne*c&Field&(T)& YBCO:#B#∥#Tape#plane# YBCO:#B#⊥#Tape#plane# Nb₃Sn:#Internal#Sn#RRP®# Nb₃Sn:#High#Sn#Bronze# NbCTi:#LHC#4.2#K# NbCTi:#Iseult/INUMAC#MRI#4.22#K# YBCO B Tape Plane YBCO B Tape Plane High-Jc Nb3Sn Bronze Nb3Sn Nb-Ti Nb-Ti April 2014 ITER CS Nb3Sn Operating Je HTS Range LTS Range • Revolutionary new HTS materials such as Yttrium-‐Barium-‐Copper-‐Oxide (YBCO) are sufficiently advanced for next-‐step fusion applications 4 significant progress in development that could make future magnetic fusion use possible. Element 5 -‐ Development of magnet protection devices and methods specific to HTS magnets Operation at relatively high cryogenic temperatures, e.g. 20 K -‐ 50 K, requires reconsideration of stability, quench detection, and magnet protection as the heat capacity of the conductors, structure, and cryogenic fluid are orders of magnitude higher than those in a magnet operating in liquid helium.
Caption: In MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, the new magnets achieved a world-record magnetic field strength of 20 tesla for a large-scale magnet. Caption: The large team that worked on the magnets was from MIT’s Plasma Science Fusion Center and MIT spinout Commonwealth Fusion Systems. In MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, the new magnets achieved a world-record magnetic field strength of 20 tesla for a large-scale magnet. 5, 2021, engineers achieved a major milestone in the labs of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), when a new type of magnet, made from high-temperature superconducting material, achieved a world-record magnetic field strength of 20 tesla for a large-scale magnet. The comprehensive data and analysis from the PSFC’s magnet test, as detailed in the six new papers, has demonstrated that plans for a new generation of fusion devices — the one designed by MIT and CFS, as well as similar designs by other commercial fusion companies — are built on a solid foundation in science.
# Advanced HTS Conductors Customized for Fusion | ARPA-E. Commercial REBCO tapes are expensive at $300/kA-m (kiloampere-meter) based on the operating condition of HTS (high-temperature superconducting) magnets for compact fusion energy systems. Almost all commercial REBCO tapes use a generic high-temperature-resistant alloy, limiting their yield strength to ~700 MPa (101,526 psi), a constraining factor for ultra-high-field fusion devices in which the mechanical integrity of the superconducting magnet is critically essential. The University of Houston aims to develop HTS conductors with an increased critical current at >20 T and lower raw materials cost for commercial fusion systems. The team will employ an advanced metal-organic chemical vapor deposition process to reduce costs while achieving high critical-current thresholds and use high-strength alloys to increase the yield strength of REBCO tapes. The GAMOW program will advance American leadership in fusion energy science and technology. Advances in GAMOW's technical areas will help accelerate progress toward commercial fusion energy and a new zero-carbon energy economy.
Our high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology unlocks the pathway to commercial fusion energy and has a wide range of other
Tokamak Energy is a commercial fusion energy and high-temperature superconducting (HTS) technology company. Since joining Tokamak Energy in 2016, Dr. Ross Morgan has been instrumental in establishing and leading the global strategic partnerships that are crucial for commercialising the company’s pioneering fusion and superconducting technologies. Originally from Bilbao, Spain, she now leads Tokamak Energy’s technology strategy and execution at a crucial time of commercialisation and growth for the company’s fusion and high-temperature superconducting (HTS) technology. Christian oversees Tokamak Energy’s legal matters, particularly those related to intellectual property and partnerships, which are crucial for the commercialisation of the company’s world leading fusion energy and high-temperature superconducting (HTS) technologies. Dr. Ginsberg is leading Tokamak Energy Inc.’s U.S. expansion in both fusion and superconductor technologies, following the company’s selection as one of eight private companies for the U.S. Department of Energy’s multimillion-dollar Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program. At Tokamak Energy, Lyanne’s vision and operational expertise are crucial as the company develops its pioneering fusion and superconducting technology, scales its business, and builds further collaboration across the industry.