Abstract: Schemes are described for conductor and coolant placement in stacked-plate superconducting magnets, including arranging coolant channels and conducting channels within the plates on opposing faces. If the two types of channels are aligned with one another across the plate stacks, the plates may be stacked such that the cooling channel in one plate is adjacent to the conducting channel of the neighboring plate. By stacking a number of these plates, therefore, cooling may be supplied to each conducting channel through the cooling channels of each neighboring plate. Moreover, by aligning the two types of channels, the stacks of plates may have improved mechanical strength because mechanical load paths through the entire stack that do not pass through any of the channels may be created. This arrangement of channels may produce a very strong stack of plates that can withstand high Lorentz loads.
Type:
Application
Filed:
March 25, 2021
Publication date:
March 9, 2023
Applicants:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Commonwealth Fusion Systems LLC
Inventors:
Brian LABOMBARD, Robert MUMGAARD, William BECK, Jeffrey DOODY
Abstract: Techniques are described for delivering a metered flow of tritium gas to a fusion power system at a constant (or substantially constant) flow without feedback control being necessary, and while allowing all (or almost all) of the tritium in a reservoir to be delivered to the system. A constant pressure (isobaric) tritium injection system is described comprising a process chamber, at least part of which is flexible, and a regulating chamber arranged adjacent to the process chamber. Tritium in the process chamber may be pushed out of the injection system by managing the pressure of a regulating gas in the regulating chamber. As the pressure of the regulating gas increases, this causes the process chamber to be compressed due to the flexible portion(s) of the process chamber, thereby increasing the pressure of the tritium gas.
Type:
Application
Filed:
May 23, 2022
Publication date:
November 24, 2022
Applicant:
Commonwealth Fusion Systems LLC
Inventors:
Christopher Chrobak, Kyle Mackenzie Ryan, Walter Shmayda, Heena Mutha
Abstract: Described herein are concepts, system and techniques which provide a means to construct robust high-field superconducting magnets using simple fabrication techniques and modular components that scale well toward commercialization. The resulting magnet assembly—which utilizes non-insulated, high temperature superconducting tapes (HTS) and provides for optimized coolant pathways—is inherently strong structurally, which enables maximum utilization of the high magnetic fields available with HTS technology. In addition, the concepts described herein provide for control of quench-induced current distributions within the tape stack and surrounding superstructure to safely dissipate quench energy, while at the same time obtaining acceptable magnet charge time. The net result is a structurally and thermally robust, high-field magnet assembly that is passively protected against quench fault conditions.
Type:
Application
Filed:
June 30, 2022
Publication date:
October 20, 2022
Applicants:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Commonwealth Fusion System LLC
Inventors:
Brian LABOMBARD, Robert S. GRANETZ, James IRBY, Rui VIEIRA, William BECK, Daniel BRUNNER, Jeffrey DOODY, Martin GREENWALD, Zachary HARTWIG, Philip MICHAEL, Robert MUMGAARD, Alexey RADOVINSKY, Syun'ichi SHIRAIWA, Brandon N. SORBOM, John WRIGHT, Lihua ZHOU
Abstract: Described herein are concepts, system and techniques which provide a means to construct robust high-field superconducting magnets using simple fabrication techniques and modular components that scale well toward commercialization. The resulting magnet assembly—which utilizes non-insulated, high temperature superconducting tapes (HTS) and provides for optimized coolant pathways—is inherently strong structurally, which enables maximum utilization of the high magnetic fields available with HTS technology. In addition, the concepts described herein provide for control of quench-induced current distributions within the tape stack and surrounding superstructure to safely dissipate quench energy, while at the same time obtaining acceptable magnet charge time. The net result is a structurally and thermally robust, high-field magnet assembly that is passively protected against quench fault conditions.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 11, 2021
Date of Patent:
August 16, 2022
Assignees:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Commonwealth Fusion Systems LLC
Inventors:
Brian Labombard, Robert S. Granetz, James Irby, Rui Vieira, William Beck, Daniel Brunner, Jeffrey Doody, Martin Greenwald, Zachary Hartwig, Philip Michael, Robert Mumgaard, Alexey Radovinsky, Syun'ichi Shiraiwa, Brandon N. Sorbom, John Wright, Lihua Zhou
Abstract: Described herein is an apparatus for quality control of a superconducting tape including (a) at least two rolls contacting the superconducting tape and being suitable for injecting an electric current into the superconducting tape; (b) at least two measuring contacts contacting the superconducting tape and being suitable for measuring an electric voltage along the superconducting tape; and (c) a cooling section suitable for cooling the superconducting tape below its critical temperature, where the at least two rolls and the at least two measuring contacts are located inside the cooling section, and where the cooling section is suitable for keeping the rolls at a first temperature and the measuring contacts at a second temperature, where the first temperature is lower than the second temperature.
Type:
Application
Filed:
April 17, 2019
Publication date:
July 8, 2021
Applicant:
Commonwealth Fusion Systems LLC
Inventors:
Thomas Braun, Ruslan Karabalaev, Michael Baecker, Roger Woerdenweber