SPARC and the High-Field Path to Fusion
Life Members (cosponsored by NH Life Members)
Speaker: Dr. Dennis Whyte, Director, MIT Plasma Science & Fusion Center, Hitachi America Professor of Engineering, and Professor, Nuclear Science & Engineering
The advent of REBCO high-temperature superconductors at commercial scale has changed the development path for producing fusion energy with magnetic confinement.
The design and test of a large-bore B>20 tesla peak field superconducting magnet at MIT PSFC, in collaboration with Commonwealth Fusion Systems, realizes a doubling of the allowed B field compared to previous state of the art. This realizes extremely large gains in fusion performance fusion power density scales as B^4 and access to ignition as ~B^5 at fixed plasma physics.
These gains in turn allow for operation away from limits, yet in much smaller and less expensive devices. CFS is presently constructing the high-B tokamak SPARC outside Boston with MIT as its major scientific collaborator, with the goal of demonstrating high fusion energy gain and fusion power density that propels fusion into the commercial energy sector. In addition to describing SPARC, parallel key fusion technology development programs will be described.
The talk is 4-5 p.m., with refreshments available at 3:30. Use the Wood St gate, and after parking, follow signs to the Main Cafeteria. For directions, see https://www.ll.mit.edu/.
Date and Time
Location
Hosts
Registration
- Date: 29 Nov 2023
- Time: 04:00 PM to 05:00 PM
- All times are (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
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- MIT Lincoln Laboratory's Main Cafeteria
- 244 Wood Street
- Lexington, Massachusetts
- United States
- Contact Event Host
- Co-sponsored by New Hampshire Section Affinity Group, LM
- Starts 24 October 2023 10:00 AM
- Ends 29 November 2023 02:00 PM
- All times are (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
- No Admission Charge
Speakers
Dr. Dennis Whyte
SPARC and the High-Field Path to Fusion
Biography:
Dennis G. Whyte is the Hitachi America Professor of Engineering, and director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A recognized leader in fusion research, especially in the magnetic confinement of plasmas, Whyte has paved an innovative and faster path to producing fusion energy. He leads the fusion project, SPARC — a compact, high-field, net fusion energy fusion device — in collaboration with private fusion startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS). The core of the SPARC project was formed over eight years ago during a design course led by Whyte to challenge assumptions in fusion. Many of the ideas underpinning the high-field approach — including the use of HTS for high-field, demountable magnets, liquid blankets, and ARC (a fusion power plant concept) — have been conceived of or significantly advanced in his design courses. Whyte has over 350 publications, is a fellow of the American Physical Society, and has served on panels for the National Academies, the United States government, and the Royal Society. In 2018, Whyte received The Fusion Power Associates (FPA) Board of Directors Leadership Award which is given annually to individuals who have shown outstanding leadership qualities in accelerating the development of fusion. Whyte earned a B.Eng from the University of Saskatchewan, and an MS and PhD from Université du Québec.