Complete and robust magnetic field confinement by superconductors in fusion magnets
Bort-Soldevila, Natanael (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Física)
Cunill-Subiranas, Jaume (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Física)
Sánchez Moreno, Álvaro

Date:	2024
Abstract:	The fusion created by magnetically confined plasma is a promising clean and essentially unlimited future energy source. However, there are important problems hindering controlled fusion like the imperfect magnetic confinement and the associated plasma instabilities. We theoretically demonstrate how to create a fully confined magnetic field with the precise three-dimensional shape required by fusion theory, using a bulk superconducting toroid with a toroidal cavity. The vacuum field in the cavity consists of nested flux surfaces. The coils creating the field, embedded in the superconducting bulk, can be chosen with very simple shapes, in contrast with the cumbersome arrangements in current experiments, and can be spared from large magnetic forces between them. Because of the superconductor properties, the system will tend to maintain the optimum field distribution in response to instabilities in the plasma. We numerically demonstrate how a fully-confined magnetic field with the three-dimensional spatial distribution required in two of the most advanced stellarators, Large Helical Device and Wendelstein 7-X, can be exactly generated, using simple round coils as magnetic sources. Current high-temperature superconductors can be employed to construct the bulk superconducting toroid. This can lead to optimized robust magnetic confinement and largely simplified configurations in future fusion experiments.
Grants:	Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2023/FI-3-00065
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Published in:	Scientific reports, Vol. 14 (February 2024) , art. 3653, ISSN 2045-2322

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54165-y
PMID: 38351026

8 p, 1.5 MB

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