"The magnet is the first of 18 that, when the reactor is complete, will create a doughnut-like shape that will produce a powerful magnetic field to confine and compress superheated plasma. If all goes well, that plasma will release more energy than it takes to heat and compress it. After decades of promise and delay, fusion power appears to be just around the corner - CFS and its competitors are locked in a race to deliver the first electrons to the grid sometime in the early 2030s."
"When installed, the D-shaped magnets would sit upright on a 24-foot wide, 75-ton stainless steel circle known as a cryostat, which was set in place last March. The magnets themselves weigh about 24 tons each and can generate a 20 tesla magnetic field, about 13 times stronger than a typical MRI machine."
"To hit that strength, the magnets will be cooled to -253˚ C (-423˚ F) so they can safely conduct over 30,000 amps of current. Inside the doughnut, plasma will be burning at more than 100 million degrees C."
Commonwealth Fusion Systems installed the first of 18 superconducting magnets for its Sparc demonstration fusion reactor, aiming to turn the device on next year. The D-shaped, 24-ton magnets will sit upright on a 24-foot wide, 75-ton stainless steel cryostat and produce a 20 tesla field to confine and compress plasma. The magnets will be cooled to -253˚ C to conduct over 30,000 amps while plasma burns above 100 million ˚C. CFS expects all 18 magnets installed by end of summer and is building a digital twin with Nvidia and Siemens. Fusion competitors aim for grid electrons in the early 2030s.
Read at TechCrunch
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