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Peer-reviewedCC BYNuclear Fusion

Maintenance strategy, structural design, and site layout of the ST-E1 fusion power plant

  • J. Willis1
  • K. Chandrasekhar1
  • P. Cheema2
  • J. England2
  • V. Godhani1
  • E. Guise1
  • Samara M. Levine1
  • R. Pocock1
  • A. Scott1
  • Andrew Shone3
  • R. Thwaites1
  • P. Titus4
2 more authors
  • C. Wilson1
  • the ST-E1 Team
4 affiliations
  1. 1Tokamak Energy Ltd Milton Park
  2. 2Remote Applications in Challenging Environments (RACE), Culham Science Centre
  3. 3Tokamak Energy Inc
  4. 4Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Open at sourceDOICite

Abstract

An effective fusion reactor maintenance scheme enables safe operations and short downtimes. This in turn leads to high availability, which is critical to the commercial viability of a power-producing plant. In tokamak-based fusion power plants, the chosen maintenance approach has a significant impact on the spatial design of the tokamak, as well as the surrounding infrastructure, and therefore needs to be considered from the outset. Tokamak Energy has developed a pre-concept design of a fusion power plant, ST-E1. This work describes the major drivers and constraints that have been considered, presents the tokamak architecture and chosen maintenance regime, and discusses how this enables the plant’s two-phased approach to demonstrating commercial operations. It also shows the implications for the design of other systems areas, in particular the machine structural arrangement and bioshield and hot cell layout. The reactor core segmentation and removal scheme replaces entire toroidal segments radially through a large vacuum port, along a single axis only. The result is a change-tolerant machine and plant layout that can accommodate the evolving designs of the tokamak.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{willis2026maintenance,
  title = {{Maintenance strategy, structural design, and site layout of the ST-E1 fusion power plant}},
  author = {J. Willis and K. Chandrasekhar and P. Cheema and J. England and V. Godhani and E. Guise and Samara M. Levine and R. Pocock and A. Scott and Andrew Shone and R. Thwaites and P. Titus and C. Wilson and the ST-E1 Team},
  journal = {Nuclear Fusion},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.1088/1741-4326/ae7c15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/ae7c15},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Maintenance strategy, structural design, and site layout of the ST-E1 fusion power plant
AU  - J. Willis
AU  - K. Chandrasekhar
AU  - P. Cheema
AU  - J. England
AU  - V. Godhani
AU  - E. Guise
AU  - Samara M. Levine
AU  - R. Pocock
AU  - A. Scott
AU  - Andrew Shone
AU  - R. Thwaites
AU  - P. Titus
AU  - C. Wilson
AU  - the ST-E1 Team
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/10
JO  - Nuclear Fusion
DO  - 10.1088/1741-4326/ae7c15
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/ae7c15
AB  - An effective fusion reactor maintenance scheme enables safe operations and short downtimes. This in turn leads to high availability, which is critical to the commercial viability of a power-producing plant. In tokamak-based fusion power plants, the chosen maintenance approach has a significant impact on the spatial design of the tokamak, as well as the surrounding infrastructure, and therefore needs to be considered from the outset. Tokamak Energy has developed a pre-concept design of a fusion power plant, ST-E1. This work describes the major drivers and constraints that have been considered, presents the tokamak architecture and chosen maintenance regime, and discusses how this enables the plant’s two-phased approach to demonstrating commercial operations. It also shows the implications for the design of other systems areas, in particular the machine structural arrangement and bioshield and hot cell layout. The reactor core segmentation and removal scheme replaces entire toroidal segments radially through a large vacuum port, along a single axis only. The result is a change-tolerant machine and plant layout that can accommodate the evolving designs of the tokamak.
SN  - 0029-5515
SN  - 1741-4326
ER  -