High-Temperature Superconducting Magnets Proven Ready for Fusion Power Plants:
MIT engineers achieved a breakthrough with high-temperature superconducting magnets, proving fusion power plants can be compact and economical. The successful tests, detailed in peer-reviewed papers, demonstrate the practicality of harnessing fusion energy.
Engineers at MIT achieved a major breakthrough in fusion energy with the successful testing of a record-setting high-temperature superconducting magnet. The test results, detailed in six peer-reviewed papers, demonstrate the practicality of building compact and economical fusion power plants.
Enabling Practical Fusion Power with Superconducting Magnets
Before this breakthrough, the best superconducting magnets could only achieve fusion energy at sizes and costs that were impractical and economically unviable. However, the new high-temperature superconducting magnet tested at MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center reduced the potential cost per watt of a fusion reactor by a factor of almost 40.
According to Dennis Whyte, the former director of PSFC, “Now fusion has a chance of being economical because you’ve got a quantum change in your ability to greatly reduce the size and cost of objects that would make fusion possible.”
Key Innovation: No Insulation Design
A major innovation that enabled this breakthrough was the elimination of insulation around the superconducting tapes in the magnet. Unlike conventional superconducting magnets, the new design relied on the high conductivity of the rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) material to prevent short-circuits without insulation.
Zach Hartwig, the head of PSFC’s engineering group, explained, “The standard way to build these magnets is with insulation between the windings, but eliminating the insulation greatly simplifies the fabrication processes and schedule, and leaves more room for cooling and structure.”
Rigorous Testing and Validation
The team conducted multiple test runs, including intentionally inducing a worst-case “quench” scenario to push the magnet to its breaking point. The tests validated the design codes and computational models, providing critical data to advance the science and prepare for the next iteration of fusion device magnets.
Collaboration and Institutional Capabilities
The success of this project was made possible by the deep expertise, infrastructure, and collaboration between MIT and the spinout company Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS). The teams leveraged the strengths of academia and industry to establish an unprecedented supply chain and integrate their efforts as a unified team.
With this breakthrough, the path towards practical and economical fusion power plants has been cleared, paving the way for a virtually limitless source of clean energy.
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