On the Advantages of Using Superconducting Contactless Power Supplies for DC Superconducting Coils in Nuclear Fusion Devices

State-of-the-art systems used to supply superconducting magnets in nuclear fusion devices introduce significant energy losses and impact the power quality of the external electrical grid. Additionally, current leads that transition from room to cryogenic temperatures represent a major source of heat load for the cryogenic system. While these are notable drawbacks in current experiments, they could become critical obstacles for the feasibility and costeffectiveness of future fusion reactors. Flux pumps are contactless, compact systems capable of inducing currents in superconductors with minimal operational losses. Several smallscale experiments have already demonstrated the feasibility of this concept, but no engineering designs or prototypes have yet been developed specifically for fusion magnets. As part of a research initiative focused on designing various types of flux pumps tailored to fusion applications, this paper outlines the general advantages of this approach, particularly in terms of energy consumption, but also in terms of compactness, modularity, and reliability. The numerical analysis presented focuses on the design of a flux pump intended to supply the DTT toroidal field coils. However, the developed model and insights are broadly applicable to a wide range of scenarios.