Neutronics analysis of spin-polarized fuel in spherical tokamaks

Jin Whan Bae; Katarzyna Borowiec; Vittorio Badalassi; Jason Parisi; Ahmed Diallo; Jon Menard; Andrei Khodak; Thomas Brown

doi:10.1088/1741-4326/adf3c6

Neutronics analysis of spin-polarized fuel in spherical tokamaks

Jin Whan Bae, Katarzyna Borowiec, Vittorio Badalassi, Jason Parisi, Ahmed Diallo, Jon Menard, Andrei Khodak, Thomas Brown

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The effect of spin-polarized deuterium-tritium fuel on the blanket, magnets, and surrounding structures is analyzed for a spherical tokamak fusion power plant. The focus of this paper is the neutron flux distribution in the fusion device and the corresponding engineering considerations, such as tritium breeding ratio (TBR) and magnet fluence. Significant benefits were found for anti-aligned polarization: a 2.7% increase in the total TBR (which could increase significantly with further optimization) and an approximately 68% increase in the magnet lifetime. If the inboard breeding blanket can be replaced with extra shielding and magnets, then it could significantly increase fusion power with no loss of magnet lifetime. This would be accomplished by increasing the toroidal field strength.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	086051
Journal	Nuclear Fusion
Volume	65
Issue number	8
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/adf3c6
State	Published - Aug 1 2025

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Condensed Matter Physics

Keywords

fusion
neutronics
spherical tokamak
spin-polarization
tritium

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10.1088/1741-4326/adf3c6

Cite this

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title = "Neutronics analysis of spin-polarized fuel in spherical tokamaks",

abstract = "The effect of spin-polarized deuterium-tritium fuel on the blanket, magnets, and surrounding structures is analyzed for a spherical tokamak fusion power plant. The focus of this paper is the neutron flux distribution in the fusion device and the corresponding engineering considerations, such as tritium breeding ratio (TBR) and magnet fluence. Significant benefits were found for anti-aligned polarization: a 2.7\% increase in the total TBR (which could increase significantly with further optimization) and an approximately 68\% increase in the magnet lifetime. If the inboard breeding blanket can be replaced with extra shielding and magnets, then it could significantly increase fusion power with no loss of magnet lifetime. This would be accomplished by increasing the toroidal field strength.",

keywords = "fusion, neutronics, spherical tokamak, spin-polarization, tritium",

author = "\{Whan Bae\}, Jin and Katarzyna Borowiec and Vittorio Badalassi and Jason Parisi and Ahmed Diallo and Jon Menard and Andrei Khodak and Thomas Brown",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) and UT Battelle. Published by IOP Publishing Ltd on behalf of the IAEA.",

year = "2025",

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doi = "10.1088/1741-4326/adf3c6",

language = "English (US)",

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journal = "Nuclear Fusion",

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T1 - Neutronics analysis of spin-polarized fuel in spherical tokamaks

AU - Whan Bae, Jin

AU - Borowiec, Katarzyna

AU - Badalassi, Vittorio

AU - Parisi, Jason

AU - Diallo, Ahmed

AU - Menard, Jon

AU - Khodak, Andrei

AU - Brown, Thomas

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) and UT Battelle. Published by IOP Publishing Ltd on behalf of the IAEA.

PY - 2025/8/1

Y1 - 2025/8/1

N2 - The effect of spin-polarized deuterium-tritium fuel on the blanket, magnets, and surrounding structures is analyzed for a spherical tokamak fusion power plant. The focus of this paper is the neutron flux distribution in the fusion device and the corresponding engineering considerations, such as tritium breeding ratio (TBR) and magnet fluence. Significant benefits were found for anti-aligned polarization: a 2.7% increase in the total TBR (which could increase significantly with further optimization) and an approximately 68% increase in the magnet lifetime. If the inboard breeding blanket can be replaced with extra shielding and magnets, then it could significantly increase fusion power with no loss of magnet lifetime. This would be accomplished by increasing the toroidal field strength.

AB - The effect of spin-polarized deuterium-tritium fuel on the blanket, magnets, and surrounding structures is analyzed for a spherical tokamak fusion power plant. The focus of this paper is the neutron flux distribution in the fusion device and the corresponding engineering considerations, such as tritium breeding ratio (TBR) and magnet fluence. Significant benefits were found for anti-aligned polarization: a 2.7% increase in the total TBR (which could increase significantly with further optimization) and an approximately 68% increase in the magnet lifetime. If the inboard breeding blanket can be replaced with extra shielding and magnets, then it could significantly increase fusion power with no loss of magnet lifetime. This would be accomplished by increasing the toroidal field strength.

KW - fusion

KW - neutronics

KW - spherical tokamak

KW - spin-polarization

KW - tritium

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105012401063

UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=105012401063&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1088/1741-4326/adf3c6

DO - 10.1088/1741-4326/adf3c6

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105012401063

SN - 0029-5515

VL - 65

JO - Nuclear Fusion

JF - Nuclear Fusion

IS - 8

M1 - 086051

ER -

Neutronics analysis of spin-polarized fuel in spherical tokamaks

Abstract

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Keywords

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