Performance characteristics of the high power density, flux-conserving Tokamak (FCT) reactor

Abstract

Most of the fusion Experimental Power Reactor (EPR) and commercial power reactor designs have been limited to low-β (ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic field pressure), low power density Tokamak systems. In an effort to redesign a viable, economically attractive power reactor that could meet the electric utilities needs, the flux-conserving Tokamak concept has emerged as a leading contender. In this paper, we examine the operating characteristics of an FCT reactor and show that such a system would be comparable in size to an EPR but produce more than five times the fusion power. It will be seen that the FCT concept could provide the utility industry with compact reactor systems of moderate electrical output (between 500 and 1000 MWe) without requiring large extrapolations in plasma size and technology beyond that of the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) currently under construction.