Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Ethan Peterson

Dennis G Whyte

Jeffrey Freidberg

Caroline Sorensen

Sara Ferry

A 'liquid sandwich' vacuum vessel for magnetic confinement fusion of plasma includes two rigid structural “bread” members that form a double-walled vessel and a non-structural “cheese” material disposed between the walls. The inner member is semi-conductive and encloses a volume of fusing plasma, while the outer member may contact a neutron shield (e.g. a molten salt blanket) and is corrosion-resistant. The non-structural material is solid at room temperature, but is molten during fusion, and is preferably lead. The structural members may be steel or silicon carbide, or similar structural material. During a disruption of fusion, excess electrical energy that escapes from the plasma into the vessel will primarily shear the liquid material rather than the structural members, allowing the “bread” to be thin.

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Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Ethan Peterson