Power management systems for fusion energy devices

Abstract

Power management systems for fusion energy devices are provided. Scalable and modular systems which enable a fusion energy device to be powered by conventional power grids are provided through an array of energy storage units configured to exhibit a suitable discharge rate, an array of DC / DC modules coupled to the array of energy storage units, and an array of fast discharge units coupled to the array of DC / DC modules.

Description

Attorney Docket No. C 1599.70071WOOO Date of Deposit: POWER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS FOR FUSION ENERGY DEVICESCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No.63 / 663,672, filed on June 24, 2024, under Attorney Docket No. C1599.70071US00, and entitled “DC INVERTER DESIGNS AND METHODS,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUNDField

[0001] Fusion energy devices use magnetic fields generated by superconducting magnets to contain plasma in which fusion occurs. Operating superconducting magnets may require a large amount of energy.Related Art

[0002] Energy storage devices may store energy for later discharge, for example in the form of electric current. DC / DC converters may convert a source of direct current from a first voltage to a second voltage. Fast discharge units may facilitate discharge of a superconducting magnet, for example in the event of a quench of the superconducting magnet.BRIEF SUMMARY

[0003] According to an aspect of the technology, a power management system for a fusion energy device is provided. The power management system comprises an array of energy storage units configured to couple to a utility feed and configured to exhibit a discharge rate of at least 15 C, an array of DC / DC modules coupled to the array of energy storage units and an array of fast discharge units coupled to the array of DC / DC modules and configured to couple to the fusion energy device.

[0004] According to an aspect of the technology, a method of operating a power management system for a fusion energy device is provided. The method comprises charging an array of energy storage units from a utility feed and discharging energy of the array of energy storage units, at a discharge rate such that the array of energy storage units would be depleted13928155.1from full in less than four minutes, through an array of DC / DC modules coupled to the array of energy storage units.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0005] Various aspects and embodiments of the technology will be described with reference to the following figures. It should be appreciated that the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Items appearing in multiple figures are indicated by the same reference number in all the figures in which they appear.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a power management system coupled to a power grid and a fusion energy device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0007] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a power management system having hybrid device sets, DC / DC module sets, and fast discharge unit sets, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0008] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a portion of a power management system including a hybrid device set having hybrid device strings coupled to DC / DC module sets, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a portion of a power management system having plasma control systems configured to control modulation indices of DC / DC module sets, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a portion of a power management system including a fast discharge unit set having fast discharge units, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating a power management system for a fusion energy device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 7 is an illustration of a computing system configured to operate control circuitry of a power management system, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Aspects of the technology disclosed herein provide power management systems for fusion energy devices which are scalable, require a relatively small footprint, and enable the fusion energy devices to be powered by conventional power grids as opposed to a dedicated or modified (e.g. for capacity, stability, power factor, and / or harmonic compensation) power grid.

[0014] Fusion energy devices may include one or more superconducting magnets which generate magnetic fields used to contain plasmas within the fusion energy device. Operating superconducting magnets typically requires a significant amount of energy (e.g. on the order of tens of megajoules, hundreds of megajoules, gigajoules, or more). Additionally, superconducting magnets of the fusion energy device may be pulsed during operation, such that the required energy is drawn at a high and variable rate over a short time (e.g. on the order of seconds up to twenty minutes in some applications) rather than consistently over a longer window.

[0015] Conventional power grids may be unable to support the high-magnitude, pulsed power requirements of superconducting magnets used in fusion energy devices. For example, drawing on a utility feed to operate superconducting magnets may strain or damage the power grid, potentially shutting off power to the fusion energy device as well as other customers of the power grid. While a bespoke power grid may be constructed to mitigate this risk, doing so may be cost-prohibitive.

[0016] The inventors have developed power management systems which allow the operation of superconducting magnets using energy received from a utility feed through the provision of an array of energy storage units configured to store energy received from a utility feed and discharge to operate the superconducting magnets of the fusion energy device. The array of energy storage units may advantageously have a high energy density, a high discharge rate (e.g. 15 C or more), and a high charge rate (e.g. substantially equal to the discharge rate). The high energy density and high power density of the array of energy storage units may enable the array, and therefore the fusion energy device, to have a footprint which is not prohibitively large. The high discharge rate and charge rate of the array of energy storage units may enable the array of energy storage units to support the pulsed energy requirements of the fusion energy device.

[0017] However, connecting the array of energy storage units to the superconducting magnet(s) directly, or without a specialized topology, may result in a power management system with insufficient integrity, efficiency (e.g. with regard to cost and / or simplicity of integration), fault protection, and / or hazard mitigation. Accordingly, the array of energy storage units may advantageously be coupled to the superconducting magnet(s) via an array of DC / DC modules and an array of fast discharge units. This topology may provide scalable and modular power management systems as further described herein.

[0018] While fusion energy devices and superconducting magnets thereof are used as examples, the power management systems disclosed herein may be applicable in various environments. For example, the various aspects of the technology described herein may apply tostandalone fusion devices connected to a grid and configured to supply energy for powering homes, buildings, or other elements conventionally powered by grid-based energy.Alternatively, aspects of the technology described herein may be configured to provide large amounts of power to components which operate periodically or in short bursts, such as server farms. In some situations, the fusion energy devices may be configured as a component of a larger electronic environment including a power grid and the high-power-consumption electrical components.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a power management system 100 coupled to a power grid 180 and a fusion energy device 190. As shown, the power management system 100 includes an array of energy storage units 110, an array of DC / DC modules 120, an array of fast discharge units 130, and control circuitry 140.

[0020] As further described below, for example in conjunction with FIG. 2, the power management system 100 may be configured to couple to the power grid 180 in any suitable way. For example, the power management system 100 may be configured to couple to the power grid 180 through a utility feed and a transformer. In some embodiments, the power management system 100 may include the transformer and an AC power distribution bus. The AC power distribution bus may be configured to couple to the transformer and to the array of energy storage units 110 to facilitate charging the array of energy storage units 110 from the power grid 180.

[0021] Still referring to FIG. 1, the array of energy storage units 110 may be configured to store energy received from the power grid 180. The array of energy storage units 110 may include any suitable energy storage device. For example, the array of energy storage units 110 may include at least one of: a battery, a supercapacitor, hybrid battery-capacitor devices (e.g. an energy storage device exhibiting properties of both a battery and a capacitor such as a SuperBattery as provided by Skeleton Technologies of Tallinn, Estonia), a flywheel energy storage device, and a superconducting magnetic energy storage device. In some embodiments, a lithium ion titanate-, lithium manganese oxide-, and / or graphene-based technology may be used. In some embodiments, the array of energy storage units 110 may include a plurality of types of energy storage devices.

[0022] The array of energy storage units 110 may be configured to store a suitable amount of energy to operate the fusion energy device 190. For example, the array of energy storage units 110 may be configured to store at least 15 gigajoules, at least 20 gigajoules, at least 30 gigajoules, at least 50 gigajoules, at least 70 gigajoules, at least 100 gigajoules, at least 250 gigajoules, at least 500 gigajoules, between 20 gigajoules and 250 gigajoules, and / or between 15 and 500 gigajoulesof energy. These levels of energy may be supplied to power the magnets of the fusion energy device.

[0023] The array of energy storage units 110 may be configured to charge from the power grid 180, for example via the utility feed, at a suitable rate. For example, the array of energy storage units 110 may be configured to charge from the power grid 180 at a rate of less than 400 gigajoules per hour, less than 300 gigajoules per hour, less than 200 gigajoules per hour, less than 100 gigajoules per hour, less than 50 gigajoules per hour, less than 30 gigajoules per hour, less than 20 gigajoules per hour, less than 15 gigajoules per hour, less than 10 gigajoules per hour, and / or less than 5 gigajoules per hour. For clarity, as further described elsewhere, the array of energy storage units 110 may be capable of exhibiting a charge rate substantially equal to a discharge rate of the array of energy storage units 110. However, charging at such a rate from the power grid 180 may undesirably strain or damage the power grid 180. Accordingly, the array of energy storage units 110 may be configured to charge from the power grid 180 at a first charge rate lower than a second charge rate of which the array of energy storage units 110 is capable.

[0024] To support pulsed power requirements of the fusion energy device 190, for example, energy storage devices of the array of energy storage units 110 may be selected to have a sufficiently rapid discharge rate. For example, a suitable energy storage device may be configured to exhibit a discharge rate of between 10 C and 100 C, between 15 C and 80 C, and / or between 20 C and 50 C, including any values in those ranges. In some embodiments, a suitable energy storage device may be configured to exhibit a discharge rate of at least 15 C. In embodiments where the energy storage device is a superconducting magnetic energy storage device, as an additional example, the superconducting magnetic energy storage device may be configured to exhibit a discharge rate of up to 200 C.

[0025] As used herein, a charge, or discharge, rate of “X C,” where X is a number, is intended to encompass not only energy storage devices conventionally described in terms of a “C-rating” but to extend to all energy storage devices. For example, an energy storage device may have a charge, or discharge, rate of 1 C if the energy storage device is capable of charging from empty to full capacity, or discharging from full capacity to empty, over the course of one hour. A rate of 2 C indicates that such charging or discharging may be performed in 0.5 hours, a rate of 10 C indicates that such charging or discharging may be performed in 0.1 hours, and a rate of 20 C indicates that such charging or discharging may be performed in 0.05 hours. Generically, a rate of X C indicates that the energy storage device, no matter the type, may be (e.g. is capable of being) charged from empty to full capacity, or discharged from full capacity to empty, over the course of (1 -X) hours.

[0026] In some embodiments, the array of energy storage units 110 may be configured to generate pulsed power of at least 1 megawatt. Such pulses may be delivered to one or more magnets of the fusion energy device 190. In some embodiments, peak power levels for an individual magnet of the fusion energy device 190 may be between 1 and 400 megawatts. Accordingly, as a non-limiting example, a total peak power of an array of magnets of the energy storage device 190 may be between 300 and 2000 megawatts when considered as a single aggregate combined load (e.g. summing positive and negative powers at a given instant), or up to 3000 megawatts when not considered as a single aggregate combined load. Thus, the array of energy storage units 110 may be configured to generate pulsed power of at least 10 megawatts, at least 100 megawatts, at least 500 megawatts, and / or at least 1000 megawatts.

[0027] To enable recharging from the fusion energy device 190 during system operation (e.g. when charging superconducting magnets before plasma generation, when discharging superconducting magnets to generate a plasma in a chamber of the fusion energy device 190, while manipulating magnetic field used to confine the plasma in the chamber, while managing fluctuations of the plasma, during a quench of superconducting magnets of the fusion energy device 190), for example, energy storage devices of the array of energy storage units 110 may be selected to have a suitable charge rate. For example, a suitable energy storage device may be configured to exhibit a charge rate within 20% of a value of a discharge rate of the suitable energy storage device. In some embodiments, the charge rate may be substantially equal to (e.g. within 10% of a value of) the discharge rate. Accordingly, in some embodiments, a suitable energy storage device may be configured to exhibit a charge rate of at least 15 C. As described elsewhere, providing substantially equal charge and discharge rates of the energy storage units 110 (e.g. such that energy and power may flow bi-directionally as required during system operation) may allow efficient production of fusion energy by the fusion energy device 190 while maintaining high energy density and high power density.

[0028] As further described below, for example in conjunction with FIGs. 2 and 3, the array of energy storage units 110 may include a plurality of sets of energy storage devices. For example, the array of energy storage units 110 may include a plurality of hybrid device sets. Hybrid device sets of the plurality of hybrid device sets may include a plurality of hybrid energy storage devices of the types described previously herein (e.g. an energy storage device exhibiting properties of both a battery and a capacitor), for example as hybrid device strings. In some embodiments, a hybrid device set may include a first hybrid device string having at least two hybrid devices and a second hybrid device string having at least two hybrid devices.

[0029] As further described below, for example in conjunction with FIGs. 2 and 3, the array of energy storage units 110 may be coupled to the array of DC / DC modules 120. The array of energy storage units 110 may couple to the array of DC / DC modules 120 in any suitable way to facilitate operation of the fusion energy device 190.

[0030] Referring still to FIG. 1, the power management system 100 may be configured to enable bidirectional charging of the array of energy storage units 110. For example, the array of energy storage units 110 may be capable of charging from the power grid 180 as well as from the array of DC / DC modules 120. Further, the array of energy storage units 110 may be capable of discharging through the power grid 180 (e.g. to reduce energy present in the energy storage units 110 during maintenance times, to function as a static synchronous compensator for the power grid 180, to balance energy storage as it is passed between — either directly or indirectly via plasma — superconducting magnets of the fusion energy device 190, to provide energy to another energy storage unit of the array of energy storage units 110, and / or to render surroundings of the array of energy storage units 110 safe in the event of a mishap such as a fire nearby) as well as through the array of DC / DC modules 120.

[0031] The array of energy storage units 110 may be configured to charge at a first rate from a utility feed of the power grid 180 and charge at a second rate from the array of DC / DC modules 120 due to differing currents provided by those sources. In some embodiments, the second rate may be greater than the first rate. For example, the second rate may be substantially similar to a discharge rate of the array of energy storage units 110 when the array of energy storage units 110 are discharged through the array of DC / DC modules 120, and the first rate may be at a rate of less than seventy five gigajoules per hour (e.g. as a total charge rate of the array of energy storage units 110, taken together).

[0032] The array of energy storage units 110 may further include automatic fuse protection, remote contractors, and / or manual disconnects controlled by the control circuitry 140. Charging and / or discharging of the array of energy storage units 110 may be controlled by the control circuitry 140. The array of energy storage units 110 may include, or may be coupled to, power electronics such as converter units which serve to facilitate the conversion and storage of energy provided by the power grid 180, for example via a utility feed , transformer, and / or AC power distribution bus.

[0033] The array of DC / DC modules 120 may be configured to step up and / or down voltage provided by array of energy storage units 110. The array of DC / DC modules 120 may be configured to be capable of bidirectional current flow.

[0034] The array of DC / DC modules 120 may include any suitable converter and / or combination of converters. For example, the array of DC / DC modules 120 may include one or more insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) inverter modules, one or more metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), and / or one or more modular multilevel converter, one or more cascaded H-bridge converters, one or more boost converters, and / or one or more buck converters. In some embodiments, the array of DC / DC modules 120 may include phase-interleaving parallel and / or series modules. In some embodiments, DC / DC modules of the array of DC / DC modules 120 (e.g. a buck converter of a DC / DC module) may exhibit a power density of at least two megawatts per square meter of footprint.

[0035] As further described below, for example in conjunction with FIGs. 2 and 3, the array of DC / DC modules 120 may include a plurality of sets of DC / DC modules. In some embodiments, a set of DC / DC modules may include DC / DC modules configured in parallel and / or in series. Further, the array of DC / DC modules 120 may be coupled to the array of fast discharge units 130.

[0036] Referring still to FIG. 1, operation of the DC / DC modules may be controlled at least in part by the control circuitry 140. For example, the control circuitry 140 may set modulation indices of DC / DC modules of the array of DC / DC modules 120. Further, the control circuitry 140 may interleave phase modulation of the array of DC / DC modules 120 to facilitate provision of voltage having a suitably smooth waveform to the fusion energy device 190. Additionally, the control circuitry 140 may be configured to enable the array of DC / DC modules 120 to source balanced power from unbalanced sources, such as energy storage devices of the array of energy storage units 110 with uneven levels of charge. Accordingly, the array of DC / DC modules 120 may operate with high integrity and low susceptibility to faults. Further, the array of DC / DC modules 120 may exhibit graceful degradation such that the array of DC / DC modules 120 may continue to operate even if a fraction of DC / DC modules of the array of DC / DC modules 120 are faulted and / or disables. For example, the array of DC / DC modules 120, for instance including N DC / DC modules, may operate with N-l, N-2, or N-3 DC / DC modules at linearly degraded capacity.

[0037] The array of fast discharge units 130 may include bypass switches which are configured to open to discharge energy of the fusion energy device 190 into one or more discharge resistors. As one example, superconducting magnets used in the fusion energy device 190 may quench such that at least a portion of one superconducting magnet rises above a critical temperature and becomes resistive. To prevent damage to the fusion energy device 190 arising from a transfer of stored energy to heat (e.g. when current through a quenched portion experiencesresistance and energy dissipates in the quenched portion as heat), it may be desirable to divert current from superconducting magnets when a quench is detected. A transition of bypass switches of the array of fast discharge units 130 from a closed to an open state may be controlled by the control circuitry 140.

[0038] As further described below, for example in conjunction with FIGs. 2, 4, and 5, the array of fast discharge units 130 may include a plurality of sets of fast discharge units. In some embodiments, a set of fast discharge units may include fast discharge units configured in parallel and / or in series. A fast discharge unit may include a bypass switch configured in parallel with a discharge resistor.

[0039] Referring still to FIG. 1, the array of fast discharge units 130 may be coupled to the fusion energy device 190. For example, fast discharge units of the array of fast discharge units 130 may be coupled to superconducting magnets of the fusion energy device 190. In some embodiments, the array of fast discharge units 130 may include one or more fast discharge units configured at two terminals (e.g. a first fast discharge unit at a first terminal and a second fast discharge unit at a second terminal, the first fast discharge unit and the second fast discharge unit both being coupled to a controller) of a superconducting magnet of the fusion energy device 190. This configuration may cancel common mode voltage which may otherwise introduce undesirable behavior to other components of the power management system 100.

[0040] While in some embodiments of the technology disclosed herein such as the power management system 100 there may be a dedicated array of fast discharge units, in some embodiments there may not be a dedicated array of fast discharge units. For example, in embodiments having an array of DC / DC modules with sufficiently high discharge rates, a dedicated fast discharge unit may be unnecessary, as superconducting magnets may instead discharge through other components of the signal chain such as the DC / DC modules or an array of energy storage devices. Non-inclusion of an array of fast discharge units may be based, for example, on requirements of superconducting magnets and other topology of such a power management system.

[0041] As further described below, for example in conjunction with FIG. 7, the control circuitry 140 may include any suitable hardware and / or software components configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0042] Referring still to FIG. 1, the fusion energy device 190 may include one or more superconducting magnets. The superconducting magnets may include high-temperature superconducting material and / or low-temperature superconducting material. The superconducting magnets may be insulated magnets.

[0043] The fusion energy device 190 may further include a fusion chamber configured to confine plasma with magnetic fields generated by the one or more superconducting magnets. The fusion energy device 190 may include one or more devices configured to capture energy (e.g. by heating water) released when atoms within the plasma fuse.

[0044] As described elsewhere, aspects of the power management system 100 may be applied in configurations without the fusion energy device 190. For example, the power management system 100 may be applied in configurations with any inductor having high pulsed energy requirements.

[0045] FIGs. 2-5 show power management systems and portions thereof representing nonlimiting implementations of the power management system 100 described above. Thus, while the components of the power management systems described in conjunction with FIGs. 2-5 may have the properties of the corresponding components of the power management system 100 described above, aspects of power management systems disclosed herein are not confined to, limited to, or exclusively implementable in the configurations shown in FIGs. 2-5.

[0046] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a power management system 200 having hybrid device sets 212 (e.g. a SuperBattery, as described above), DC / DC module sets 222, and fast discharge unit sets 232, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The hybrid device sets 212 may be an array of energy storage units, the DC / DC module sets 222 may be an array of DC / DC module units, and the fast discharge unit sets 232 may be an array of fast discharge units. The hybrid device sets 212 have hybrid devices 214, the DC / DC module sets 222 have DC / DC modules 224, and the fast discharge unit sets 232 have fast discharge units 234. Also shown are a power grid 280, a utility feed 282, a transformer 270, an AC power distribution bus 272, and a fusion energy device 290 having magnets 292.

[0047] As shown, the power grid 280 couples to the utility feed 282. The power grid 280 and the utility feed 282 may be conventional rather than bespoke for the fusion energy device 290. The utility feed 282 couples to the transformer 270.

[0048] The transformer 270 may step down voltage received from the utility feed 282. For example, the transformer may output a voltage which reduces the need for special safety equipment to provide for safe operation of the power management system 200. For example, the transformer 270 may output a voltage of 480 volts. The transformer 284 couples to the AC power distribution bus 272.

[0049] As shown, the AC power distribution bus 272 may receive power from the transformer 270 and transmit power to the hybrid device sets 212.

[0050] The hybrid device sets 212, the DC / DC module sets 222, and the fast discharge unit sets 232 may provide modular, scalable performance which allows the power management system 200 to operate sans some elements (e.g. when a fraction of hybrid device sets 212 are nonfunctioning).

[0051] For example, a first hybrid device set 212-1 may couple to a first DC / DC module set 222-1 and a second DC / DC module set 222-2. Further, a second hybrid device set 212-2 may couple to a third DC / DC module set 222-3 and a fourth DC / DC module set 222-4. The first DC / DC module set 222-1 and the third DC / DC module set 222-3 may couple to a first fast discharge unit set 232-1 configured to couple to a first magnet 292-1. The second DC / DC module set 222-2 and the fourth DC / DC module set 222-4 may couple to a second fast discharge unit set 232-2 configured to couple to a second magnet 292-2.

[0052] Accordingly, both the first magnet 292-1 and the second magnet 292-2 may be configured to receive power from both the first hybrid device set 212-1 and the second hybrid device set 212-2. Similarly, both the first hybrid device set 212-1 and the second hybrid device set 212-2 may couple to DC / DC module sets 222 corresponding to both the first fast discharge unit set 232-1 and the second fast discharge unit set 232-2.

[0053] As represented by the dots in the figure, the power management system 200 may therefore be arbitrarily scalable. For example, there may be any number of hybrid device sets 212, DC / DC module sets 222, and fast discharge unit sets 232. By way of example and not limitation, the power management system 200 may be scaled such that there are, where X and Y are integers and to power a fusion energy device 290 with X magnets 292: X fast discharge unit sets 232, Y hybrid device sets 212, and Z DC / DC module sets 222. In some embodiments, Z may equal XxY, although the technology disclosed herein is not limited in this respect.

[0054] Further, as described elsewhere, the components making up each set (e.g. hybrid devices 214 of a hybrid device set 212, DC / DC modules 224 of a DC / DC module set 222, fast discharge units 234 of a fast discharge unit set 232) may be scalable to meet application- specific operational requirements such as for power for the fusion energy device 290 and permissible load on the power grid 280. For example, a person of skill in the art implementing a power management system as disclosed herein will be able to determine, for example based on power requirements of particular superconducting magnets, desirable configurations (e.g. number and arrangement in parallel / series as non-limiting examples) of sets as well as of components within sets.

[0055] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a portion of a power management system 300 including a hybrid device set 312 having hybrid device strings 316 coupled to DC / DC module sets 322.

[0056] As shown, the hybrid device strings 316 of the hybrid device set 312 may include a plurality of hybrid devices 314. As discussed elsewhere, the plurality of hybrid devices 314 is not limited to two hybrid devices 314 as shown. Further, the hybrid device set 312 is not limited to two hybrid device strings 316 as shown.

[0057] As shown, a first hybrid device string 316-1 may be configured in parallel with a second hybrid device string 316-2.

[0058] In the example shown in the figure, a first DC / DC module set 322-1 includes a first DC / DC module 324-1 and a second DC / DC module 324-2 configured in parallel. Additionally, a second DC / DC module set 322-2 includes a third DC / DC module 324-3 and a fourth DC / DC module 324-4 configured in series. As thus demonstrated, each set of an array (e.g. of energy storage devices, DC / DC modules, and / or fast discharge units) need not necessarily be configured in the same manner as other sets within the array.

[0059] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a portion of a power management system 400 having plasma control systems 442 configured to control modulation indices of DC / DC module sets 422.

[0060] As shown, the power management system 400 includes a first energy storage set 412-1 coupled to a first DC / DC module set 422-1 and a second DC / DC module set 422-2, a second energy storage set 412-2 coupled to a third DC / DC module set 422-3 and a fourth DC / DC module set 422-4. The first DC / DC module set 422-1 and the third DC / DC module set are coupled to a first fast discharge unit set 432-1 configured to couple to a first magnet 492-1. The second DC / DC module set 422-2 and the fourth DC / DC module set 422-4 are coupled to a second fast discharge unit set 432-2 configured to couple to a second magnet 492-2.

[0061] The power management system 400 further includes a first plasma control system 442-1 and a second plasma control system 442-2. The first plasma control system 442-1 may set modulation indices of DC / DC module sets 422 associated with (e.g. coupled to indirectly through a fast discharge unit set 432) the first magnet 492-1. Similarly, the second plasma control system 442-2 may set modulation indices of DC / DC module sets associated with the second magnet 492-2.

[0062] The plasma control systems 442 may be a portion of control circuitry of the power management system 400, for example. While there are two plasma control systems 442 in the example shown, a number of plasma control systems 442 may scale as desired, for example to correspond to the number of magnets 492.

[0063] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a portion of a power management system 500 including a fast discharge unit set 532 having fast discharge units 534.

[0064] As shown, the fast discharge set 532 includes a first fast discharge unit 534-1, a second fast discharge unit 534-2, a third fast discharge unit 534-3, and a fourth fast discharge unit 534-4. The first fast discharge unit 534-1 is coupled in series with the second fast discharge unit 534-2. The third fast discharge unit 534-3 is coupled in series with the fourth fast discharge unit 534-4. The first fast discharge unit 534-1 and the second fast discharge unit 534-2 are configured in parallel with the third fast discharge unit 534-3 and the fourth fast discharge unit 534-4.

[0065] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method 600 of operating a power management system for a fusion energy device. The method 600 may be performed with components such as power management systems described herein, but it is not limited thereto.

[0066] As shown, the method 600 of operating a power management system for a fusion energy device includes, in some embodiments, a first step 610 of charging an array of energy storage units from a utility feed. The first step 610 may include, in some embodiments, a first sub-step 612 of passing energy through a transformer and an AC power distribution bus.

[0067] The method 600 further includes, in some embodiments, a second step 620 of discharging energy of the array of energy storage units, at a discharge rate such that the array of energy storage units would be depleted from full in less than four minutes, through an array of DC / DC modules coupled to the array of energy storage units. In some embodiments, as described elsewhere, energy of the array of energy storage units may be charged and / or discharged at a peak bidirectional charge and discharge rate that is greater than ten times a rate of energy passing through the AC distribution bus in step 612.

[0068] The method 600 further includes, in some embodiments, a third step 630 of passing the energy through an array of fast discharge units coupled to the array of DC / DC modules.

[0069] The method 600 further includes, in some embodiments, a fourth step 640 of at least partially recharging the array of energy storage units through the array of DC / DC modules at a charge rate such that the array of energy storage units would be fully charged from empty in less than four minutes.

[0070] FIG. 7 is an illustration of a computing system 700 configured to operate control circuitry of a power management system, according to some embodiments. The computing system 700 includes a processor 710, a memory 720, non-volatile storage 730, and a display 740.

[0071] As should be appreciated from the description above, various aspects of the technology disclosed herein may be implemented on one or more computer systems such as the computing system 700. For example, control circuitry may each have a structure like that of, or may include components such as those of, the computing system 700.

[0072] The processor 710 may be a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a mobile chipset, or any other suitable type. The processor 710 may perform one or more functions described herein such as the functions of the devices described in the foregoing figures such as the control circuitry. Instructions for the processor 710 may be stored, for example, in nonvolatile storage 730, and data may be stored, for example, in the memory 720. Alternatively, instructions for the processor may be stored in the memory 720 and data may be stored in the non-volatile storage 730. In still further embodiments, the memory 720 and non-volatile storage 730 may both store instructions and / or data.

[0073] The memory 720 and / or non-volatile storage 730 may be a disk (e.g., an optical disk), a compact disk (CD), a solid-state memory, or any other memory, and in some embodiments may be configured to store process-executable instructions which, when executed by the processor 710 cause the processor to perform any of the methods described herein. The memory 720 and non-volatile storage 730 are non-transitory media in at least some embodiments.

[0074] Optionally, a display 740 may be provided, for example so that personnel may interact with the processor 710 and / or view data output by the processor 710. For example, the display 740 may be a mobile device display or a computer display in a control center.

[0075] Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of this technology, it is to be appreciated that various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art.

[0076] Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the technology. Further, though advantages of the present technology are indicated, it should be appreciated that not every embodiment of the technology described herein will include every described advantage. Some embodiments may not implement any features described as advantageous herein and in some instances one or more of the described features may be implemented to achieve further embodiments. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.

[0077] Various aspects of the present technology may be used alone, in combination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically described in the embodiments described in the foregoing and is therefore not limited in its application to the details and arrangement of components set forth in the foregoing description or illustrated in the drawings. For example, aspects described in one embodiment may be combined in any manner with aspects described in other embodiments.

[0078] Also, the technology may be embodied as a method, of which an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

[0079] Use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” et cetera, does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed. Such terms are used merely as labels to distinguish one element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the elements.

[0080] Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A power management system for a fusion energy device, the power management system comprising:an array of energy storage units configured to couple to a utility feed and configured to exhibit a discharge rate of at least 15 C;an array of DC / DC modules coupled to the array of energy storage units; andan array of fast discharge units coupled to the array of DC / DC modules and configured to couple to the fusion energy device.

2. The power management system of claim 1, wherein:the array of energy storage units comprise one or more sets of energy storage units; the array of DC / DC modules comprise a plurality of sets of DC / DC modules; and the array of fast discharge units comprise one or more sets of fast discharge units.

3. The power management system of claim 2, wherein:a first set of energy storage units is coupled to a first set of DC / DC modules and a second set of DC / DC modules;the first set of DC / DC modules is coupled to a first set of fast discharge units, the first set of fast discharge units being configured to couple to a first magnet; andthe second set of DC / DC modules is coupled to a second set of fast discharge units, the second set of fast discharge units being configured to couple to a second magnet.

4. The power management system of claim 3, wherein:a second set of energy storage units is coupled to a third set of DC / DC modules and to a fourth set of DC / DC modules;the third set of DC / DC modules is coupled to the first set of fast discharge units; and the fourth set of DC / DC modules is coupled to the second set of fast discharge units.

5. The power management system of claim 4, further comprising:a first plasma control system configured to control modulation indices of the first set of DC / DC modules and the third set of DC / DC modules; anda second plasma control system configured to control modulation indices of the second set of DC / DC modules and the fourth set of DC / DC modules.

6. The power management system of claim 2, wherein at least one set of fast discharge units comprises:a first fast discharge unit coupled in series with a second fast discharge unit; and a third fast discharge unit coupled in series with a fourth fast discharge unit, wherein:the first fast discharge unit and the second fast discharge unit are configured in parallel with the third fast discharge unit and the fourth fast discharge unit.

7. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the array of energy storage units is configured to generate pulsed power of at least one hundred megawatts.

8. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the array of energy storage units is configured to:charge from the utility feed at a rate of less than fifteen gigajoules per hour; and store at least thirty gigajoules of energy.

9. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the array of energy storage units comprises at least one of: a battery, a supercapacitor, a hybrid battery-capacitor device, a flywheel energy storage device, and a superconducting magnetic energy storage device.

10. The power management system of claim 9, wherein the array of energy storage units comprises a plurality of strings of hybrid battery-capacitor devices.

11. The power management system of claim 10, wherein strings of the plurality of strings of hybrid battery-capacitor devices are coupled in parallel.

12. The power management system of claim 1, further comprising:an AC power distribution bus; anda transformer,wherein:the array of energy storage units is configured to couple to the AC power distribution bus;the AC power distribution bus is configured to couple to the transformer; and the transformer is configured to couple to the utility feed.

13. The power management system of claim 1, further comprising control circuitry configured to control charge and discharge of the array of energy storage units.

14. The power management system of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is configured to interleave output of the array of DC / DC modules.

15. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the array of energy storage units is configured to exhibit a charge rate substantially equal to the discharge rate.

16. The power management system of claim 15, wherein the array of energy storage units is further configured to:charge at a first rate from the utility feed; andcharge at a second rate from the array of DC / DC modules.

17. A method of operating a power management system for a fusion energy device, the method comprising:charging an array of energy storage units from a utility feed; anddischarging energy of the array of energy storage units, at a discharge rate such that the array of energy storage units would be depleted from full in less than four minutes, through an array of DC / DC modules coupled to the array of energy storage units.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising passing the energy through an array of fast discharge units coupled to the array of DC / DC modules.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein charging the array of energy storage units from the utility feed comprises passing energy through a transformer and an AC power distribution bus.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising at least partially recharging the array of energy storage units through the array of DC / DC modules at a charge rate such that the array of energy storage units would be fully charged from empty in less than four minutes.

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