Advancement and preservation of technology know-how: GE Vernova’s Power Conversion Business and Commonwealth Fusion Systems visit GSI
10.07.2024 |
The demands on the main power supplies of the future FAIR ring accelerator SIS100 are extremely high. During the acceleration cycle, the rotation of the main magnet must be guided with the greatest precision. Four high-performance power supplies are required to operate the SIS100's bending and focusing magnets.
These primary power supplies have a total pulse power of 30 Mega-Watt and are directly connected to the medium voltage network (20,000 Volt). The dipole magnets are supplied with currents of up to 13,000 Ampere in an acceleration cycle to final energy at a current increase rate of 29,000 Ampere per second.
The power supplies must maintain the target current with a precision of 0.01 Percent at every point in the ramp, which leads to a resulting resolution of 0.001 Percent of the measuring devices. This requires high-precision current measuring systems, consisting of current transformers for direct currents and ADC (analog digital converters) developed by GSI, as well as powerful control systems in the power supplies.
The cooperation between GSI and Power Conversion Deutschland is of strategic importance to both in the field of magnetic high-current technology and aims to maintain and expand such technology and expertise at the highest level.
Building on the know-how of the former AEG, which built the main power supplies of the SIS18, General Electric (GE) Power Conversion Germany has taken over and expanded the know-how for such extreme requirements. GE was already able to demonstrate its capabilities and achieve all specified requirements as part of the previous upgrade project for the existing SIS18 ring accelerator. As a result, it was convenient to give General Electric Power Conversion Germany in Berlin the job of building the SIS100 main power supplies. In doing so, GSI and the FAIR Project support the development of cutting-edge engineering know-how in German industry and ensure future-proof job opportunities.
Now, this has paid off as part of the development of the world’s first commercial fusion device being built near Boston in the USA. Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) is the world’s leading fusion technology company and is currently building a tokamak fusion device named “SPARC.” A tokamak is a donut-shaped machine that confines fusion plasmas with a strong magnetic field. Tokamaks are best positioned for the fastest path to commercially relevant fusion energy. In 2021, CFS, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, successfully demonstrated a revolutionary 20 tesla HTS magnet, which will be used in “SPARC”. Similar requirements are placed on the power supplies used by the tokamak's numerous magnet systems as they are on the SIS100 main power supplies.
General Electric USA was able to prevail in the competition for the contract to supply the electricity for the fusion experiments by making reference to the expertise already present at General Electric Berlin. Thus, a while ago, Power Conversion Deutschland, Power Conversion USA, and Commonwealth Fusion Systems visited the GSI Holenholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung to learn more about the FAIR Project, present the “SPARC” Project, and exchange information on network device technologies with the Subproject SIS100/SIS18 and the Expert Group Electrical Power Systems (EPS). (BP)
