Superconducting Magnet With Demountable Joints For Fusion Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing tokamak designs face challenges in maintaining and replacing toroidal field coils due to their interlinked nature with the vacuum vessel, making fault replacement difficult without disassembling the vacuum vessel.
Innovation Solution
A superconducting magnet design featuring demountable joints positioned away from the midplane, allowing for modular construction and maintenance, with alternating conductors and joints that reduce resistance and optimize field alignment, enabling efficient replacement of magnet components without disassembling the vacuum vessel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If toroidal field coils are made as a single integrated unit with the vacuum vessel, then structural strength and stability are improved, but maintenance and replacement become extremely difficult without disassembling the vacuum vessel
Solution Approach 1:
The toroidal field coil system is divided into multiple independent modules (first and second modules) that can be separately manufactured, installed, and maintained. Each module contains conductors, joints, and support structures as discrete units, allowing replacement without disassembling the vacuum vessel while maintaining overall structural integrity through the modular assembly architecture.
2Ease of operation
If demountable joints are positioned at the midplane for easy access, then maintenance accessibility is improved, but magnetic field interference and resistance increase
Solution Approach 1:
The demountable joints are deliberately positioned asymmetrically away from the midplane at locations where the magnetic field strength is lower. This asymmetric placement optimizes the trade-off between accessibility and electrical performance, allowing maintenance access while minimizing joint resistance and magnetic field interference in the critical midplane region.
3Reliability
If alternating first and second conductors are used with joints positioned away from midplane, then resistance is reduced and field alignment is optimized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The alternating conductor design with demountable joints serves multiple functions simultaneously: it reduces joint resistance by positioning joints in lower magnetic field regions, enables modular replacement of conductors, provides optimized field alignment, and maintains structural integrity. This multi-functional approach justifies the increased complexity by delivering superior electrical and mechanical performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enhances maintenance accessibility, reduces single-point failures, and allows for simplified testing and replacement of magnet components, improving the availability and reliability of fusion reactors.
Implementation Method 1
The superconducting strands 3fb include the low-temperature superconductor, niobium-tin (Nb3Sn)
Implementation Method 2
a (central) cooling channel 3fc which, during operation, carries helium fluid at a temperature of ̃4.5 kelvin
Implementation Method 3
the TF coils 3 produce a (magnetic) field 6 (hereinafter referred to as the toroidal field)
Data Source
AI summary
A superconducting magnet for producing part of a substantially toroidal field in a device is described. The magnet comprises: a set of conductors comprising one or more first conductors (31f) and one or more second conductors (32f), and a set of joints (33). Each of the joints (33) connects a region of a first conductor (31f) with a region of a second conductor (32f) to form a series of alternating first and second conductors corresponding to at least part of a winding of the magnet. Each of the joints (33) is positioned away from a midplane of the toroidal field. The joints (33) are positioned on alternating sides of the midplane. Each first conductor (3 If) passes through the midplane at a smaller distance from an axis of rotation of the toroidal field than does each second conductor (32f). Each of the regions is elongate and extends in a direction at least partly away from the midplane.