Air Squared, Inc. — Department of Energy SBIR Phase II: 19b

Description

Tokamak magnetic fusion torus shaped nuclear reactors, including the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) have been in development around the world for over half a century and hold the most potential for sustained nuclear fusion electrical generation. To achieve this, ITER and other tokamaks are designed with perhaps the most complex vacuum system ever imagined, requiring more than 400 individual vacuum pumps and each one is exposed to radioactive tritium gas. However, since the late 2000’s, universally adopted 150 cubic meters per hour (m3/hr) all-metal scroll forevacuum roughing pumps are no longer available, leaving ITER and tokamaks around the world without a critical component necessary for continued nuclear fusion power research. To ensure continued nuclear fusion development domestically and worldwide, Air Squared is developing a 150 m3/hr liquid cooled all-metal (LCAM) roughing vacuum scroll pump compatible with tritium gas. Air Squared’s LCAM is an improvement over currently unavailable, institutionally preferred, scroll pumps through innovative integration of a patented water cooling system that cools both the fixed and orbiting scroll, increasing volumetric efficiency and reliability. In addition, the triple containment improves safety over the previous state-of-the-art. The LCAM is designed to drop into existing tokamak reactors and to easily integrate into ITER. In Phase I, Air Squared designed, fabricated and tested a one-tenth scale LCAM proof of concept of the patented liquid cooled technology. In Phase II, Air Squared will prototype a full scale 150 m3/hr model and continue testing on air, helium, and hydrogen. Successful development of the LCAM tritium scroll vacuum pump will propel continued international research across all nuclear fusion institutions. Hundreds of these all-metal pumps are estimated to be installed across the fusion industry, but no existing pump meets the precise specifications of tritium pumping for magnetic fusion. A successful LCAM project would meet this industry need, providing the necessary infrastructure to achieve thermonuclear power. Further, successful development of an innovative liquid cooled design may be integrated into several existing and future scroll technologies, increasing scroll performance, efficiency, and competitiveness. Given industry recognition of an all-metal liquid cooled scroll roughing vacuums, tertiary market opportunities would open in the corrosive and toxic etching processes fundamental to semiconductor microfabrication for the LCAM. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The larger societal impact will be the revolutionary breakthrough of zero-emission, megawatt scale electrical generation. Between a 500 megawatt fusion plant and coal plant powering 250,000 homes, consider the following comparison. Both provide continuous load electricity 365 days a year, but while the coal plant would consume 45 rail cars of coal per day and emit 15,000 tons of CO2, 300 tons SO2, and 40 tons of NO2, a fusion plant would produce the same amount of power while consuming only 1 ¼ pounds of hydrogen isotopes and emit 1 pound of helium per day.