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(FTP2/15) ARIES-AT: An Advanced Tokamak, Advanced Technology Fusion Power Plant

F. Najmabadi¹⁾, S. C. Jardin²⁾, M. Tillack¹⁾, L. M. Waganer^3)
 
1) University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
²⁾ Princeton Plasma Physics Laboraotry, Princeton, NJ, USA
³⁾ Boeing High Energy Systems, St. Louis, MI, USA

Abstract.  The ARIES-AT study was initiated to assess the potential of high-performance tokamak plasmas together with advanced technology in a fusion power plant. Several avenues were pursued in order to arrive at plasmas with a higher $\beta$ and better bootstrap alignment compared to ARIES-RS that led to plasmas with higher $\beta_{\mathrm{N}}^{}$ and $\beta$. Advanced technologies that are examined in detail include: (1) Possible improvements to the overall system by using high-temperature superconductors, (2) Innovative SiC blankets that lead to a high thermal cycle efficiency of $\sim$60%; and (3) Advanced manufacturing techniques which aim at producing near-finished products directly from raw material, resulting in low-cost, and reliable components. The 1000-MWe ARIES-AT design has a major radius of 5.4 m, minor radius of 1.3 M, a toroidal $\beta$ of 9.2% ( $\beta_{\mathrm{N}}^{}$ = 6.0) and an on-axis field of 5.6 T. The plasma current is 13 MA and the current drive power is 24 MW. The ARIES-AT study shows that the combination of advanced tokamak modes and advanced technology leads to attractive fusion power plant with excellent safety and environmental characteristics and with a cost of electricity (5c/kWh), which is competitive with those projected for other sources of energy.

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