INTEGRATED-BLANKET-COIL APPLICATIONS IN THE TITAN-I REVERSED-FIELD PINCH REACTOR

The TITAN-I Reversed-Field Pinch reactor incorporates the Integrated-B lanket-Coil (IBC) concept for the toroidal field and divertor field co il systems. The IBC approach combines the breeding and energy recovery functions of the blanket with the magnetic field production of the co ils in a single component. This is accomplished by passing the current through the liquid metal coolant, lithium, which flows poloidally aro und the plasma. A reversed-field pinch reactor offers an attractive co ntext for IBC coils since the low toroidal field at the plasma surface (approximately 0.36 T) leads to relatively low coil currents. Design of IBC components addresses four areas: (1) neutronics, including trit ium breeding and blanket energy multiplication; (2) thermal hydraulics , including magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pressure drops; (3) magnetics, i ncluding field magnitude and topology; and (4) electrical engineering of the circuit determining the power supply requirements. The TF-IBC a pproach, in comparison to copper coils, offers several advantages for a compact RFP reactor: increased access for coolant and auxiliary serv ices, improved viability for single-piece maintenance, and reduced mag netic ripple in the toroidal magnetic field. In the divertor system, i mproved magnetic coupling and additional energy recovery and tritium b reeding enhance the attractiveness of the IBC relative to copper coils .