DOE OSTI · 3378210
Maintenance strategy, structural design, and site layout of the ST-E1 fusion power plant
Abstract
An effective fusion reactor maintenance scheme enables safe operations and short downtimes. This in turn leads to high availability, which is critical to the commercial viability of a power-producing plant. In tokamak-based fusion power plants, the chosen maintenance approach has a significant impact on the spatial design of the tokamak, as well as the surrounding infrastructure, and therefore needs to be considered from the outset. Tokamak Energy has developed a pre-concept design of a fusion power plant, ST-E1. This work describes the major drivers and constraints that have been considered, presents the tokamak architecture and chosen maintenance regime, and discusses how this enables the plant’s two-phased approach to demonstrating commercial operations. It also shows the implications for the design of other systems areas, in particular the machine structural arrangement and bioshield and hot cell layout. The reactor core segmentation and removal scheme replaces entire toroidal segments radially through a large vacuum port, along a single axis only. The result is a change-tolerant machine and plant layout that can accommodate the evolving designs of the tokamak.
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Willis, J. [Tokamak Energy Ltd Milton Park (United Kingdom)], Chandrasekhar, K. [Tokamak Energy Ltd Milton Park (United Kingdom)] (ORCID:0009000589573060), Cheema, P. [Remote Applications in Challenging Environments (RACE), Culham Science Centre], England, J. [Remote Applications in Challenging Environments (RACE), Culham Science Centre], Godhani, V. [Tokamak Energy Ltd Milton Park (United Kingdom)] (ORCID:0009000103086298), Guise, E. [Tokamak Energy Ltd Milton Park (United Kingdom)], Levine, S. M. [Tokamak Energy Ltd Milton Park (United Kingdom)] (ORCID:000000029562104X), Pocock, R. [Tokamak Energy Ltd Milton Park (United Kingdom)], Scott, A. [Tokamak Energy Ltd Milton Park (United Kingdom)], Shone, A. [Tokamak Energy Inc., Washington, DC (United States)] (ORCID:0000000199371124), Thwaites, R. [Tokamak Energy Ltd Milton Park (United Kingdom)], Titus, P. [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000336434866), Wilson, C. [Tokamak Energy Ltd Milton Park (United Kingdom)] (ORCID:0009000788603867). 2026-07-10. Maintenance strategy, structural design, and site layout of the ST-E1 fusion power plant. https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/ae7c15
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