Objective The magnetically confined tokamak fusion power plant is expected to periodically output thermal power for electricity generation, requiring energy storage and utilization technologies to avoid adverse impacts on the power grid. Pumped-storage technology is an advanced and mature energy storage technology, and the latest research progress of pumped-storage technology and its applicability combined with nuclear fusion power generation technology urgently need to be analyzed.

Method Firstly, a review of pumped-storage technology research was conducted from three aspects: pumped-storage power stations, pumped-storage technology research, and technological bottlenecks, to understand the latest research progress. Then, a preliminary analysis was performed on the feasibility of nuclear fusion power generation technology utilizing pumped-storage technology. Finally, two technical schemes, coupling scheme and decoupling scheme, were proposed, and efficiency evaluations and comparisons were carried out for the two schemes.

Result Pumped-storage is the most widely used and technologically mature energy storage technology. The key technologies and industry bottlenecks include site-selection technology, high-dam engineering technology, pump-turbine technology, and operation control and dispatch technology. The coupling of pumped-storage and nuclear fusion can adopt Stirling engines. Among the two schemes, namely coupling and decoupling, the decoupling operation scheme achieves a power generation efficiency of about 32%, while the coupling operation scheme achieves a power generation efficiency of about 38%.

Conclusion Pumped-storage is widely used, technologically mature, and highly efficient, making it a relatively ideal form of energy storage. Using a Stirling engine for pumped-storage to convert the intermittent energy output of a nuclear fusion reactor into smooth electrical energy output has certain theoretical feasibility, and the coupled operation mode exhibits better operational efficiency.