Stellarator Mechanical Workflow

Stellarator coils offer a steady-state and stable plasma confinement design as an alternative to  traditional toroidal-shaped tokamaks. The current-carrying coils exert a twisting magnetic field to control the plasma flow. The steady-state nature of stellarators makes them a desirable candidate for fusion power plants because they require less energy to maintain the plasma confinement. Predicting and analyzing complex stresses and coil deformations are integral in developing supportive steel jackets surrounding HTS coils. COMSOL simulations of electromagnetic and mechanical information can help guide design considerations in manufacturing steel that bears Lorentz loads under operating conditions. Efficient and iterable mechanical simulations are desirable for optimization. Here, we develop an easy method to generate CADs for stellarator coils and jackets. The main results establish a promising pathway for creating geometries for FEM analysis and geometry optimization. With greater mechanical stability of the steel jackets, more robust mechanical testing can be conducted, and future stellarator deployment can be accelerated. Our simulated models and workflow can help guide the design and manufacturing process, saving time and money.