Illinois Mobile App Master Calendar

Abstract: Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) is currently constructing the SPARC tokamak in Devens, MA while in parallel designing the first ARC fusion power plant.  CFS is striving to be the first company to achieve commercial fusion power.  Although fusion materials have been developed and researched for decades, there are still gaps that need to be closed to transition low technology readiness level solutions to those which can be deployed at scale in a fusion power plant.  While SPARC will represent a major step forward in the development of fusion plasmas, the material conditions on SPARC will be relatively benign compared to ARC.  ARC materials will experience extreme conditions of high temperatures, high neutron flux, and exposure to FLiBe molten salt which acts as the coolant and breeding blanket.  Those materials closest to the plasma will experience the highest amounts of neutron and gamma radiation, but all components in and around the tokamak will experience potentially damaging levels of radiation.  A special feature of the ARC design is that the first wall, divertor, and vacuum vessel components will be replaceable after a set service period and before the lifetime of the ARC device.  The major materials challenges and the CFS strategy for ARC materials development will be covered. 

Bio: Lauren M. Garrison is a Principal Materials Scientist in the Materials and Processing Department at Commonwealth Fusion Systems.  Garrison holds a B.S. from the Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering Department at the University of Illinois and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics Department of the University of Wisconsin.  Garrison oversees all research and development work related to irradiation effects on materials at CFS.  This includes gamma and neutron degradation of all materials in the facility with a particular expertise in plasma-facing materials.  Her career in fusion started at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she was a Weinberg Fellow, Staff Scientist, and group leader.  At ORNL she led the tungsten neutron irradiation program and mentored 20 undergraduate and graduate students.  Garrison is the immediate past chair of the Fusion Energy Division of the American Nuclear Society.