The Shared REBCO Magnet Model
Both Kronos machines rely on REBCO high-temperature superconductor to reach fields conventional magnets cannot deliver.
The common enabling technology
The single technology that makes both Kronos machines possible is the same: high-temperature superconducting magnets wound from REBCO tape. REBCO stands for rare-earth barium copper oxide, a ceramic superconductor that carries large current at high magnetic field and at temperatures well above those older superconductors need.
Why REBCO
- It sustains superconductivity at high field, where older conductors quench, reaching Hyperion's 16.84 T peak and the burner's 26.49 T plug.
- It carries very high current density, letting magnets be compact, which is essential for a spherical tokamak's tight center stack.
- It operates at higher temperature than low-temperature superconductors, easing the cryogenic system.
The same conductor, two geometries
Hyperion winds REBCO into D-shaped toroidal-field coils and a central solenoid; the burner winds it into ring mirror coils, with the most extreme windings in the plugs. The conductor and its challenges, tape architecture, winding, quench protection, and cooling, are shared, which is why the model treats REBCO as a common subsystem across both machines.
In the model
The REBCO magnet model is accessible from both machines. Selecting a coil in either can drill into its conductor structure, and for signed-in users into the turn and tape detail. This shared view is the clearest place to see that the two very different machines rest on one magnet technology.
Going deeper
See the tape architecture, the coil winding model, the quench protection, and the cryogenic cooling that keeps it superconducting.