Progress of the Plasma Centerpost for the PROTO-SPHERA Spherical Tokamak

Alessandro Lampasi, Giuseppe Maffia, Franco Alladio, Luca Boncagni, Federica Causa, Edmondo Giovannozzi, Luigi Andrea Grosso, Alessandro Mancuso, Paolo Micozzi, Valerio Piergotti, Giuliano Rocchi, Alessandro Sibio, Benedetto Tilia and Vincenzo Zanza
Additional contact information
Alessandro Lampasi: National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Frascati 00044, Italy
Giuseppe Maffia: National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Frascati 00044, Italy
Franco Alladio: National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Frascati 00044, Italy
Luca Boncagni: National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Frascati 00044, Italy
Federica Causa: National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Frascati 00044, Italy
Edmondo Giovannozzi: National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Frascati 00044, Italy
Luigi Andrea Grosso: National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Frascati 00044, Italy
Alessandro Mancuso: National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Frascati 00044, Italy
Paolo Micozzi: National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Frascati 00044, Italy
Valerio Piergotti: National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Frascati 00044, Italy
Giuliano Rocchi: National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Frascati 00044, Italy
Alessandro Sibio: National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Frascati 00044, Italy
Benedetto Tilia: National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Frascati 00044, Italy
Vincenzo Zanza: National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Frascati 00044, Italy

Energies, 2016, vol. 9, issue 7, 1-24

Abstract: Plasma properties can be useful in a wide spectrum of applications. Experimental projects on controlled nuclear fusion are the most challenging of these applications and, at the same time, the best way to approach plasma science. Since nuclear fusion reactors can ensure a large-scale, safe, environmentally-friendly and virtually inexhaustible source of energy, several fusion-oriented megaprojects and innovative companies are appearing all over the world. PROTO-SPHERA (Spherical Plasma for HElicity Relaxation Assessment) is the first plasma project with a simply connected configuration, namely not requiring additional objects inside the plasma volume. This is obtained by a plasma arc, shaped as a screw pinch, acting as the centerpost of a spherical torus with minimal aspect ratio. Due to its intrinsic physical, engineering and economic advantages, this new approach is attractive also on an industrial scale and with several developments that still needs to be explored. This paper presents the PROTO-SPHERA basic principles, its first encouraging results and its expected and potential evolutions.

Keywords: nuclear fusion; pinch; plasma physics; power converters and inverters; power plants; power supply; spherical tokamak; sustainable energy sources (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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