EAPSI: Improving the Power Electronics used in Nuclear Fusion with New Materials

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Electricity generated from nuclear fusion is being pursued as a cleaner alternative to power produced by burning fossil fuels and from uranium based nuclear fission. Power electronics are used in this process to control the electrical energy during the fusion reaction. If the efficiency of this hardware could be improved and its size reduced, it would contribute towards making this form of energy generation a reality. However, this is difficult to accomplish with existing components due to the properties of the materials used. As a potential solution, this research explores an alternative medium for constructing this hardware. The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) located at the Chinese Academy of Science in Hefei, China is one of the most advance reactors in the world. The power electronics used to control EAST will be the case study for this work. This research will be conducted in in collaboration with Dr. Lei Yang, an expert in this field of energy conversion. The results of this investigation will also be applicable to systems that are used to ensure grid stability in the United States and abroad.The circuits controlling EAST use silicon (Si) thyristors to regulate the flow of electrical energy. This work studies the possibility of using silicon carbide (SiC) components as replacements. The atomic properties of SiC are superior to Si in many respects, making improvements in efficiency and power density achievable. This project will quantify the gains in terms of electrical efficiency and reduced footprints for a SiC based poloidal field (PF) power supply. Simulation results along with experimental data will be used to support the conclusions. This NSF EAPSI award is funded in collaboration with the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology.