Power plant design study of a high aspect ratio Tokamak using a SiC composite structure

Abstract

The DREAM (DRastically EAsy Maintenance) Tokamak is a fusion power plant which is designed from the viewpoint of maintenance feasibility. For this purpose, the DREAM reactor uses a plasma with a very high aspect ratio ( A) and adopts SiC as a structural material. The choice of SiC affects the design of the core plasma, i.e. large inboard shield thickness, low synchrotron radiation reflectivity, and small plasma elongation for positional stability. The objectives of this study are to explore the feasibility of a high- A device, such as a power plant, and to clarify the technological impact of SiC material on the plasma design. Plasma size is optimized by the physics guidelines similar to ITER. The plasma major and minor radii of DREAM are 16 m and 2 m, respectively, and the average neutron wall load is 2.5 MW m −2, the maximum toroidal field is 20 T, and the fusion power is 5.5 GW. Steady-state operation is obtained with 50 MW of external current-drive power and 90% bootstrap current. The divertor heat load is estimated to be about 10 MW m −2. A radiative divertor concept is adopted to achieve a low divertor plasma temperature. The DREAM Tokamak concept is found to be a possible candidate for a future power plant with more than 5 GW of fusion power and an acceptable divertor condition.