Heating and Current-Drive Mix
Hyperion combines neutral beams, RF, and self-generated bootstrap current so the plasma reaches Q_sci 3.076 and sustains 9.66 MA efficiently.
A blended system
No single actuator can both heat the plasma to fusion conditions and hold its current efficiently in a compact spherical tokamak. Hyperion blends neutral-beam injection, RF heating, and the plasma's own bootstrap current. The mix is chosen so that together they deliver the heating for Q_sci 3.076 at 85.0 MW and the non-inductive drive to sustain 9.66 MA.
Why blend
Each source has strengths. Neutral beams heat broadly, fuel the core, and drive current. RF deposits power precisely to shape profiles. Bootstrap current comes free with plasma pressure and reduces the external drive needed. Because external drive consumes recirculating power, maximizing bootstrap and using beams and RF only to fill the remainder is how the design keeps the power balance favorable.
Set in simulation
The split among the sources is not fixed by hardware alone; it is an operating choice tuned against confinement, stability, and heat-exhaust constraints. Design studies solve for a self-consistent scenario in which heating, current profile, pressure, and bootstrap fraction all hold together at the target current. Confirming that this scenario behaves as modeled is one of the central objectives of the first-of-a-kind machine.
- NBI, RF, and bootstrap current used together
- Maximize bootstrap to limit external drive power
- The mix is a tuned operating scenario, tested at FOAK
This page describes a design and simulation study, not a built machine. Construction begins Q2 2027; first-of-a-kind first tritium is targeted near 2030.