42°32′37″N 71°37′38″W / 42.5437°N 71.6271°W
| Soonest/Smallest Possible ARC | |
|---|---|
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| Device type | Tokamak |
| Location | Devens, Massachusetts, United States |
| Affiliation | Commonwealth Fusion Systems MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center |
| Technical specifications | |
| Major radius | 1.85 m |
| Minor radius | 0.57 m |
| Plasma volume | 20 m3 |
| Magnetic field | 12.2 T |
| Heating power | 25 MW |
| Fusion power | (140 MW) |
| Discharge duration | (10 s) |
| Plasma current | (8.7 MA) |
| Plasma temperature | (80×106 K) |
| History | |
| Date(s) of construction | 2021–2026 |
| Year(s) of operation | 2026 (projected; first plasma) |
SPARC is a tokamak under development by Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC).[1] Funding has come from Eni,[2] Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Temasek, Equinor, Devonshire Investors, and others.[3][4][5]
SPARC plans to verify the technology and physics required to build a power plant based on the ARC fusion power plant concept.[6] SPARC is designed to achieve this with margin in excess of breakeven and may be capable of achieving up to 140 MW of fusion power for 10 second bursts despite its relatively compact size.[2][6]
The project is scheduled to start operations in 2026, with the goal of demonstrating net power (Q > 1) in 2027.[7] It was previously scheduled for operation in 2025[8][9] after completing a magnet test in 2021.[10][11]
- ^ Creely, A. J.; Greenwald, M. J.; Ballinger, S. B.; Brunner, D.; Canik, J.; Doody, J.; Fülöp, T.; Garnier, D. T.; Granetz, R.; Gray, T. K.; Holland, C. (2020). "Overview of the SPARC tokamak". Journal of Plasma Physics. 86 (5): 865860502. Bibcode:2020JPlPh..86e8602C. doi:10.1017/S0022377820001257. hdl:1721.1/136131. ISSN 0022-3778.
- ^ a b "MIT and newly formed company launch novel approach to fusion power". MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
- ^ Rathi, Akshat (26 September 2018). "In search of clean energy, investments in nuclear-fusion startups are heating up". Quartz. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
- ^ Commonwealth Fusion Systems. "Commonwealth Fusion Systems Raises $115 Million and Closes Series A Round to Commercialize Fusion Energy". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2020-09-29.
- ^ Commonwealth Fusion Systems. "Commonwealth Fusion Systems Raises $84 Million in A2 Round". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2020-10-05.
- ^ a b Creely, A. J.; Greenwald, M. J.; Ballinger, S. B.; Brunner, D.; Canik, J.; Doody, J.; Fülöp, T.; Garnier, D. T.; Granetz, R.; Gray, T. K.; Holland, C. (2020). "Overview of the SPARC tokamak". Journal of Plasma Physics. 86 (5). Bibcode:2020JPlPh..86e8602C. doi:10.1017/S0022377820001257. hdl:1721.1/136131. ISSN 0022-3778.
- ^ Crownhart, Casey (1 October 2024). "Inside a fusion energy facility". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ "Commonwealth Fusion Systems raises $115m". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ^ Lavars, Nick (2021-09-09). "World's strongest fusion magnet brings new power to nuclear pursuit". New Atlas. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
- ^ "Validating the physics behind the new MIT-designed fusion experiment". MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 29 September 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
- ^ Fountain, Henry (2020-09-29). "Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor Is 'Very Likely to Work,' Studies Suggest". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-29.