Modular High-Field Superconducting Magnets with Demountable Joints for Fusion Energy Applications

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Background to the PhD Research Project:: Modular magnets with demountable superconducting joints will be required for commercialisation of fusion energy. They will operate at cryogenic temperatures in high magnetic fields. In this project, the PhD student will design, develop and test new demountable superconducting joints made using both traditional low temperature and high temperature superconductors. These joints must meet the requirements: low-cost, low-loss, thermally, electrically and mechanically stable, and remote-handling ready. Staff with expertise and facilities in Durham (Superconductivity Group) and CCFE (STEP and RACE) will collaborate in the design and fabrication of these joints. Testing at high currents will be in high-field cryogenic facilities in Durham. At the beginning of the 21st century, the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) Tokamak that is being built in Cadarache in France is one of the most exciting scientific projects (http://www.iter.org/). It will produce 500 MW which is about ten times the power needed to run the machine. Superconductivity is the enabling technology for this project since without it, the magnets that hold the plasma would either melt or consume more energy than the tokamak produces. Approximately one third of the cost of ITER comes from the superconducting magnets which use low temperature superconductors. After ITER, we expect new tokamaks to be built across the world that will help enable commercial fusion energy (eg DEMO - Demonstration Power Plant - and STEP - Spherical Tokamak for Electricity Production). Unfortunately the ITER superconducting magnets will not be suitable for commercialisation of fusion energy because they are not modular or demountable. If one of the TF coils at ITER is damaged, it will take at least one year to replace it. Furthermore in commercial tokamaks, modular magnets and joints will need replacing using remote handling because the levels of activation will make direct human entry impossible. CCFE have world-class expertise at RACE, including more than 20 years handling remote operations for JET. This PhD will bring together the expertise to develop next generation demountable superconducting joints for fusion energy applications. PhD Research Project and Supervision : The PhD research project will be experimental. It will include a collaboration between Durham University and The Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) designing, fabricating and measuring joints for new demountable magnets. The student will focus on developing novel joint designs, considering both traditional low- and high-temperature superconductors. The timescale for first-plasma at ITER (2025) offers a wonderful opportunity for early career Physicists to help pioneer new demountable magnet designs using low- and high-temperature superconductors. They will be expected to network with scientists throughout the world working on fusion.