A Levitated Dipole Fusion Reactor: Inward Pinch Fuelling, Pressure Profile and Steady Power Balance

This paper presents a complete, computed design study of a fusion power plant based on a levitated dipole: a vessel surrounding a levitated superconducting ring, whose dipole field confines plasma in the region around the ring. The fuel is deuterium tritium, releasing 17.6 MeV per reaction, of which 14.1 MeV leaves with the neutron and 3.5 MeV stays with the alpha particle. Heating is by electron cyclotron heating at the pressure peak with compressional heating from the inward particle pinch, and the blanket concept is toroidal lithium-lead blanket surrounding the dipole vessel with the levitated ring in a shielded bore. Sizing follows from a zero-dimensional energy balance evaluated in the accompanying computation: fusion power 247.5 MW, auxiliary heating 55 MW, plasma gain Q 4.5, neutron power 198.3 MW, first-wall neutron loading 0.574 MW per square metre, gross electric output 139 MW, recirculating power 93.67 MW and net electric output 45.35 MW. Radiated bremsstrahlung removes 2 MW and transport removes 132.8 MW, against alpha-particle self-heating of 49.22 MW. The plant verdict on the stated assumptions is net positive. Where a quantity depends on an assumption that experiments have not yet demonstrated at the required value, that dependence is stated numerically so that the design can be re-scored as measurements improve. This study is simulated and computed from stated assumptions; it is not a measurement, and no part of the plant has been built. SIMULATED, NOT MEASURED.