Sparc (Tokamak)

SPARC
Soonest/Smallest Private-Funded Affordable Robust Compact
Device Type	Tokamak
Location	Devens, MA, USA
Affiliation	Commonwealth Fusion Systems; MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Technical specifications
Major Radius	1.85 m
Minor Radius	0.57 m
Plasma volume	20 m3
Magnetic field	12.2 T
Heating power	25 MW
Fusion power	(140 MW)
Discharge duration	(10 s)
Plasma current	(8.7 MA)
Plasma Temperature	(80×106 K)
History
Date(s) of construction	2021-2025
Year(s) of operation	2025 (projected; first plasma)

SPARC is a tokamak under development by Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC).^[1] Funding has come from Eni,^[2] Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Temasek, Equinor, Devonshire Investors, and others.^[3]^[4]^[5]

SPARC plans to verify the technology and physics required to build a power plant based on the ARC fusion power plant concept.^[6] SPARC is designed to achieve this with margin in excess of breakeven and may be capable of achieving up to 140 MW of fusion power for 10 second bursts despite its relatively compact size.^[2]^[6]

The project is on schedule for operation in 2025^[7]^[8] after completing a magnet test in 2021.^[9]^[10]

History

The SPARC project was announced in 2018 with a planned completion in 2025.^[7] In March 2021, CFS announced that it planned to build SPARC at its campus in Devens, Massachusetts.^[11]

In September 2021 the project successfully tested a prototype high-field coil, achieving a record for high-temperature superconducting magnets, with a field strength of 20 T at the temperature of 20 K.^[12]

Technology

SPARC uses yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) high-temperature superconducting magnets that retain superconductivity at temperatures as high as 77 K (optimally at 10 K).^[13] The resulting plasmas are expected to generate at least twice as much energy as is required to sustain themselves at high temperatures (200 million K),^[14] giving a fusion gain Q > 2, with an expected Q ≈ 11.^[6]

References

↑ Creely, A. J.; Greenwald, M. J.; Ballinger, S. B.; Brunner, D.; Canik, J.; Doody, J.; Fülöp, T.; Garnier, D. T. et al. (2020). "Overview of the SPARC tokamak" (in en). Journal of Plasma Physics 86 (5): 865860502. doi:10.1017/S0022377820001257. ISSN 0022-3778. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022377820001257/type/journal_article.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 "MIT and newly formed company launch novel approach to fusion power". MIT News. https://news.mit.edu/2018/mit-newly-formed-company-launch-novel-approach-fusion-power-0309.
↑ Rathi, Akshat. "In search of clean energy, investments in nuclear-fusion startups are heating up" (in en). https://qz.com/1402282/in-search-of-clean-energy-investments-in-nuclear-fusion-startups-are-heating-up/.
↑ Systems, Commonwealth Fusion. "Commonwealth Fusion Systems Raises $115 Million and Closes Series A Round to Commercialize Fusion Energy" (in en). https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/commonwealth-fusion-systems-raises-115-million-and-closes-series-a-round-to-commercialize-fusion-energy-300875732.html.
↑ Systems, Commonwealth Fusion. "Commonwealth Fusion Systems Raises $84 Million in A2 Round" (in en). https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/commonwealth-fusion-systems-raises-84-million-in-a2-round-301064766.html.
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 Creely, A. J.; Greenwald, M. J.; Ballinger, S. B.; Brunner, D.; Canik, J.; Doody, J.; Fülöp, T.; Garnier, D. T. et al. (2020). "Overview of the SPARC tokamak" (in en). Journal of Plasma Physics 86 (5). doi:10.1017/S0022377820001257. ISSN 0022-3778. Bibcode: 2020JPlPh..86e8602C. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-plasma-physics/article/overview-of-the-sparc-tokamak/DD3C44ECD26F5EACC554811764EF9FF0.
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 "Commonwealth Fusion Systems raises $115m - The Boston Globe" (in en-US). https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2019/06/27/commonwealth-fusion-systems-raises/KVxbAMLHFSBXoM7eJZZrYK/story.html.
↑ Lavars, Nick (2021-09-09). "World's strongest fusion magnet brings new power to nuclear pursuit" (in en-US). https://newatlas.com/energy/worlds-strongest-fusion-magnet-power-nuclear-pursuit/.
↑ "Validating the physics behind the new MIT-designed fusion experiment" (in en). https://news.mit.edu/2020/physics-fusion-studies-0929.
↑ Fountain, Henry (2020-09-29). "Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor Is 'Very Likely to Work,' Studies Suggest" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/29/climate/nuclear-fusion-reactor.html.
↑ Chesto, Jon (2021-03-03). "MIT energy startup homes in on fusion, with plans for 47-acre site in Devens" (in en-US). https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/03/business/mit-energy-startup-homes-fusion-with-plans-47-acre-site-devens/.
↑ "MIT-designed project achieves major advance toward fusion energy" (in en). https://news.mit.edu/2021/MIT-CFS-major-advance-toward-fusion-energy-0908.
↑ Clery, Daniel; March 3, 2021; Am, 7:00 (2021-03-03). "Fusion startup plans reactor with small but powerful superconducting magnets" (in en). https://www.science.org/content/article/fusion-startup-plans-reactor-small-powerful-superconducting-magnets.
↑ "MIT Validates Science Behind New Nuclear Fusion Reactor Design". https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/mit-validates-science-behind-proposed-cfs-fusion-reactor.

External links

SPARC on CFS site

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[1] Creely, A. J.; Greenwald, M. J.; Ballinger, S. B.; Brunner, D.; Canik, J.; Doody, J.; Fülöp, T.; Garnier, D. T. et al. (2020). "Overview of the SPARC tokamak" (in en). Journal of Plasma Physics 86 (5): 865860502. doi:10.1017/S0022377820001257. ISSN 0022-3778. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022377820001257/type/journal_article.

[:0-2] 2.0 ^2.1 "MIT and newly formed company launch novel approach to fusion power". MIT News. https://news.mit.edu/2018/mit-newly-formed-company-launch-novel-approach-fusion-power-0309.

[3] Rathi, Akshat. "In search of clean energy, investments in nuclear-fusion startups are heating up" (in en). https://qz.com/1402282/in-search-of-clean-energy-investments-in-nuclear-fusion-startups-are-heating-up/.

[4] Systems, Commonwealth Fusion. "Commonwealth Fusion Systems Raises $115 Million and Closes Series A Round to Commercialize Fusion Energy" (in en). https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/commonwealth-fusion-systems-raises-115-million-and-closes-series-a-round-to-commercialize-fusion-energy-300875732.html.

[5] Systems, Commonwealth Fusion. "Commonwealth Fusion Systems Raises $84 Million in A2 Round" (in en). https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/commonwealth-fusion-systems-raises-84-million-in-a2-round-301064766.html.

[:1-6] 6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 Creely, A. J.; Greenwald, M. J.; Ballinger, S. B.; Brunner, D.; Canik, J.; Doody, J.; Fülöp, T.; Garnier, D. T. et al. (2020). "Overview of the SPARC tokamak" (in en). Journal of Plasma Physics 86 (5). doi:10.1017/S0022377820001257. ISSN 0022-3778. Bibcode: 2020JPlPh..86e8602C. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-plasma-physics/article/overview-of-the-sparc-tokamak/DD3C44ECD26F5EACC554811764EF9FF0.

[:3-7] 7.0 ^7.1 "Commonwealth Fusion Systems raises $115m - The Boston Globe" (in en-US). https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2019/06/27/commonwealth-fusion-systems-raises/KVxbAMLHFSBXoM7eJZZrYK/story.html.

[8] Lavars, Nick (2021-09-09). "World's strongest fusion magnet brings new power to nuclear pursuit" (in en-US). https://newatlas.com/energy/worlds-strongest-fusion-magnet-power-nuclear-pursuit/.

[9] "Validating the physics behind the new MIT-designed fusion experiment" (in en). https://news.mit.edu/2020/physics-fusion-studies-0929.

[10] Fountain, Henry (2020-09-29). "Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor Is 'Very Likely to Work,' Studies Suggest" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/29/climate/nuclear-fusion-reactor.html.

[11] Chesto, Jon (2021-03-03). "MIT energy startup homes in on fusion, with plans for 47-acre site in Devens" (in en-US). https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/03/business/mit-energy-startup-homes-fusion-with-plans-47-acre-site-devens/.

[12] "MIT-designed project achieves major advance toward fusion energy" (in en). https://news.mit.edu/2021/MIT-CFS-major-advance-toward-fusion-energy-0908.

[:2-13] Clery, Daniel; March 3, 2021; Am, 7:00 (2021-03-03). "Fusion startup plans reactor with small but powerful superconducting magnets" (in en). https://www.science.org/content/article/fusion-startup-plans-reactor-small-powerful-superconducting-magnets.

[14] "MIT Validates Science Behind New Nuclear Fusion Reactor Design". https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/mit-validates-science-behind-proposed-cfs-fusion-reactor.