The Integrated-Blanket-Coil Concept Applied to the Poloidal Field and Blanket Systems of a Tokamak Reactor

A novel concept is proposed for combining the blanket and coil functions of a fusion reactor into a single component. This concept, designated the “integrated-blanket-coil” (IBC) concept, is applied to the poloidal field and blanket systems of a tokamak reactor. An examination of resistive power losses in the IBC suggests that these losses can be limited to ≤10% of the fusion thermal power. By assuming a sandwich construction for the IBC walls, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD)-induced pressure drops and associated pressure stresses are shown to be modest and well below design limits. For the stainless steel reference case examined, the MHD-induced pressure drop was estimated to be ∼⅓ MPa and the associated primary membrane stress was estimated to be ∼47 MPa. The preliminary analyses indicate that the IBC concept offers promise as a means for making fusion reactors more compact by combining blanket and coil functions in a single component.