August 8, 2024
Realta Fusion is an early-stage fusion company commercializing tandem mirror fusion reactors. A key component of the fusion reactor is the tritium-breeding blanket. If a liquid metal blanket is used, then an electrical insulator is typically required to prevent the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) forces becoming prohibitive. This comes at the cost of increased complexity and manufacturing challenges. However, a feature of tandem mirror reactors is that the magnetic field is uniform and acts in the axial direction. This may therefore remove the need for the electrical insulator and enable a so-called single-coolant lead lithium (SCLL) blanket without the MHD forces being excessive. The primary objective of this project is therefore to determine whether MHD forces present, as with other fusion geometries, a significant barrier to utilization of an SCLL blanket in tandem mirrors. This will be achieved through applying the state-of-the-art 3D multiphysics modelling tools for fusion blankets under development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, developed under DOE Office of Fusion Energy Sciences Funding (and therefore also providing an early stage, high impact use case). If SCLL blankets are enabled by this geometry, then this presents a rapid win for Realta Fusion and accelerates the path towards commercialization with simplified blanket technology. Alternatively, a more nuanced picture may emerge where careful design of the blanket inlet and outlet is required to limit MHD forces – in this case, then the research performed by ORNL will enable such design decisions to be made in follow on work.